OAKLAND, Calif. -- Some drivers in the Bay Area say metering lights are slowing down their morning commute, but NBC11's Linton Johnson takes a closer look at what would happen if the lights weren't there at all.

The morning mess at the Bay Bridge toll plaza is commuter Yumanti Epperson's daily nightmare.

"Rush hour, it's like a parking lot," Epperson said.

And when those metering lights come on, he, like many commuters, becomes anxious.

"Most people, you know, they don't have patience. They just go through them ... It's kind of like NASCAR, you're waiting for that green light so you can get on and go," Epperson said.

Meanwhile, some commuters feel that the meters don't serve a purpose.

"I mean what's the point of having them? So get rid of them," said Tommy Tzelepis, a commuter.

But Caltrans says the metering lights actually save drivers time.

"It may feel frustrating, sitting there while you're waiting. It actually takes you less time for your total trip by having those metering lights there," said Caltrans Chief Jeff Morales.

Caltrans says that's because there are 22 lanes of traffic at the Bay Bridge toll plaza trying to squeeze into the bridge's five lanes.

The metering lights act like a dam, controlling the massive flow of cars jockeying their way onto the bridge.

Caltrans also says it turns on the metering lights to control the chaos. The bridge can handle up to 10,000 cars at a time. If there were any more cars, there would be absolute gridlock trying to get across it, Johnson reported.

According to Caltrans, studies showed that without the metering lights, commuters would likely spend an extra 20 minutes in traffic, caused mainly by trucks starting up again after stopping in the ensuing gridlock.

Caltrans also predicts that a percentage of those in the 3,300 vehicles using the carpool lane would be discouraged by the increased traffic, and they would opt to drive by themselves -- adding even more cars to the commute, Johnson reported.

"By being able to regulate how many cars are in the lanes at any one time, we can have the traffic moving faster," Morales said.

So while the lights will always make some drivers livid, others like them because they think it brings sanity to their otherwise chaotic commute.

"I think the metering lights really help. It puts a little intelligence into it," said Terry Valenzano, a commuter.

Caltrans says last year Minnesota commuters complained so much about their metering lights that the state switched them off. But that resulted in a 17 percent increase in traffic.

After commuters complained again, the state turned them back on.