Stop Lights with a Progress bar!

[Funny]

http://gizmodo.com/5415358/a-stoplig...bar-generation



Wow, finally someone will modify the lights to let you know when they are getting stale!

This could be huge for EOC and so you know when it's ok to turn off your car at a light that just turned.



Ticks down as you wait. I can also see where this could be absolutely awful if someone just blows through a red-light that is at the last notch. Your thoughts?

[theycallmeebryan]

in most parts of nj, they have timers for the crosswalks on the light poles. They count down to the red light so walkers know how much time there is. Helps to figure out whether to eoc or not early.

[Piwoslaw]

Granada, Spain, not only has timers on crosswalks, the ped figure is animated! When it's green, the ped figure walks, when there is only 5 seconds left he starts hurrying. Pretty cute.
I've seen timers for traffic lights in many European cities, almost every larger town in Romania had them. They would not only count down how much time was left for the red, but also for the green. I loved that! Unfortunately, none around here Too bad, because I'd think it's cheap to add a timer to each street light, while the improvement to traffic flow, safety, fuel usage and smog is almost priceless.

[Christ]

I just watch the traffic pattern in the intersection. If people are turning left from the perpendicular lanes, chances are, it's OK to shut 'er down. If they're going straight, it's a bit harder to tell, but you can always tell if they just started moving, or if they've been moving for a few mins by how tight the cars are packed going through the intersection. If they're spaced a bit, the light's going to turn soon.

Also, if you're at a 4 way with left turns, you've still got time, because lefty's go first.

It's really not that difficult a thing to master, once you realize that all intersections have the same basic light pattern.

I actually disagree with the use of lights at intersections being as widespread as it is...

In my town, there is one red light. There are less than 2,000 people in this town, and we could all suffice with a stop sign there, but they put up the red light as a "traffic improver".

You can't make a right on red from any part of the intersection, either. It's ridiculous. It's a waste of power, honestly. Imagine how many times you've seen a light in the middle of nowhere that could have been replaced with a stop sign? Now think about how much power the lights use... then the switch boxes, then the computer systems to run them... etc. It's a constant draw that isn't usually necessary.

[NeilBlanchard]

Hi,

In England, they turn on the yellow light with the red light about 1 or 2 seconds before it goes green. This allows the first 5 or 6 cars in the line to get ready to go, and they all start rolling at virtually the same time. A LOT more cars get through the green light, than is typical here in the USA.

[orange4boy]

You can't make a right on red from any part of the intersection, either. It's ridiculous. It's a waste of power, honestly. Imagine how many times you've seen a light in the middle of nowhere that could have been replaced with a stop sign? Now think about how much power the lights use... then the switch boxes, then the computer systems to run them... etc. It's a constant draw that isn't usually necessary.

100% agreement. Plus traffic lights cost a mint in the first place. They are starting to put in roundabouts here instead of stop signs. They are much safer but don't allow for the best high speed coasting. Still, much better than stop signs.

[cfg83]

theycallmeebryan -

Originally Posted by theycallmeebryan

in most parts of nj, they have timers for the crosswalks on the light poles. They count down to the red light so walkers know how much time there is. Helps to figure out whether to eoc or not early.

Yup, they also have those in LA, but not in most places. But some intersections don't have crosswalk lights, so the stoplight progress bar has an advantage there.

I would like little "holes" in the side of the light so I can see the status of the cross-traffic light at intersections :



If I had those, I could easily figure out when the cross-traffic light is changing at intersections. This would help me becuase it would make it easier to time my engine restart. This would be a cheap retrofit to existing stop light systems. But, I don't think you can do my idea because of safety issues. I am guessing that some people would argue that this little light would confuse drivers.

CarloSW2

[Christ]

Carlos -

Pennsylvania lights are on two different wires per intersection, hung directly over the cross walks. This makes for more wires, which means more transmission loss, but also that as you come up to the intersection, you can view the opposing light, which allows you to make a judgement call if you can't figure out the traffic pattern.

As soon as you enter NY state (I live near the border, travel to NYS often), the lights are strung diagonally across the intersection, saving on wiring and latent/transmission losses, and wiring installation/maintenance, pole installation/maintenance, etc... but its' a PITA when you can't see the opposite light at times. Not all intersections are created equal... and if you're not familiar with the intersection, it's a bit harder to judge the pattern of traffic exiting it.

[cfg83]

Christ -

Yeah, it sounds like LA is more like NJ. Looks like we need another database for stoplights, ha ha.

CarloSW2

[RobertSmalls]

They've been putting in roundabouts around here lately. They're excellent for intersections that are too busy for a stop sign, but not so busy as to need multiple lanes. The problem is when old folks come up to a roundabout, they get scared and stop, sometimes in the roundabout. When you see a Buick ahead of you, be prepared to stop.

I'm also a fan of blinking yellow lights. More traffic lights should be set to blink during quiet times of the day. Traffic can govern itself better than you might expect.