Traffic lights with four colors and a new white light are coming, and they will change the way we drive forever

[TonyR]

I spent over 31 years designing, installing and maintaining traffic signals in 2 states and can honestly say too many people could not understand or obey the colors, shapes and types then so I don't know why these brain surgeon traffic engineers think people will do any better by adding another color and aspect to the mix....I dun thin so, Lucy!

Blanquivioletas EN

unionrayo.com

 

[bigredfish]

Oh hell no.
1- I'm still fuzzy on Yellow
2- I aint following automated robot cars lead and crossing my fingers they get it right, uh uh, nope

 

[StevenFromTexas]

How about a brown traffic light for California, New York, Illinois, Oregon, Washington, and New Mexico to indicate ICE squads are nearby.

 

[looney2ns]

I spent over 31 years designing, installing and maintaining traffic signals in 2 states and can honestly say too many people could not understand or obey the colors, shapes and types then so I don't know why these brain surgeon traffic engineers think people will do any better by adding another color and aspect to the mix....I dun thin so, Lucy!

View attachment 230320

Blanquivioletas EN

unionrayo.com

This will be a huge cluster fork.
Heck, I mean, the autonomous cars are doing such a good job as it is, right?
Engineers are such bastions of common sense......not.

 

[bp2008]

Well @TonyR are you going to change your profile pic to add a white light on bottom?

 

[tigerwillow1]

The lights are already confusing as heck. Some intersections have left turn green arrows, others have "protected" left turns on green with no arrow. A driver who doesn't know the green is protected sits there when he should go. After being taught he should make the left turn on green he comes up to an uprotected green and causes either an almost or real accident. Some protected green intersections have a "protected left turn" sign, others don't. Then they introduced the flashing yellow left arrow, which means the same thing as an unprotected green. So there are at least 4 systems for controlling left turns and you have to figure out which one is in use at every intersection. Is it the same everywhere, or is it another blue state feature?

As soon as the article said "yellow we slow down", I quit taking it seriously.

 

[bp2008]

As soon as the article said "yellow we slow down", I quit taking it seriously.

I was definitely not taught yellow means slow down.

 

[TonyR]

The lights are already confusing as heck. Some intersections have left turn green arrows, others have "protected" left turns on green with no arrow. A driver who doesn't know the green is protected sits there when he should go. After being taught he should make the left turn on green he comes up to an uprotected green and causes either an almost or real accident. Some protected green intersections have a "protected left turn" sign, others don't. Then they introduced the flashing yellow left arrow, which means the same thing as an unprotected green. So there are at least 4 systems for controlling left turns and you have to figure out which one is in use at every intersection. Is it the same everywhere, or is it another blue state feature?

As soon as the article said "yellow we slow down", I quit taking it seriously.

That is what happens when traffic engineers don't read and comply with the MUTCD (Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices). It clearly states how protected and permissive turns are to be signalized. The intent of the publication is so, as the name implies, the signals will be applied "uniformly" and be the same in CA as they are in NJ and the other 48 so that a motorist familiar with one state will be compliant as they drive across the U.S. But there are as many uncaring and incompetent engineers as there are technicians, garbage collectors, police and school teachers......ALL professions have people that need a slap on the back of the head like the kind NCIS' Leroy Jethro Gibbs would give when they would do stupid stuff....or NOT do their job.

 

[TonyR]

Well @TonyR are you going to change your profile pic to add a white light on bottom?

No sir, not me. Matter of fact, when there are so many human driverless cars out there that they need new signals I'll be walking....but most likely at pushing 77 now I'll also be pushing up daisies by then.

 

[Looksee]

I can't see this making any difference for me. I only use two of the colors now, the green and the yellow, the latter being nothing more than a faster shade of the green.

edit: Come to think of it, I hope the autonomous cars controlling traffic will only be those that have had all of their driving bugs fixed.

 

[tigerwillow1]

(Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices)

Wow, 1,161 pages, and I couldn't find any standard for the rainbow crosswalk.

Another rant of mine is roundabouts, especially the 2-lane type. Oregon has roundabout fever, and being such a progressive state it seems to me they don't consider the "green" aspect of every single car having to slow down and speed back up, throwing more brake dust and carbon into the atmosphere and lowering fuel economy. In a 4 mile stretch near my house there are four 2-lane roundabouts. The entry to each one has signs showing what lane you need to be in to go straight or turn a certain direction, and no two of them have identical rules.

 

[looney2ns]

Yep, We hate roundabouts too. Seen way too many folks completely flummoxed by them thus holding traffic up.

 

[VorlonFrog]

As poorly as the current set of dumbasses respect the tri-color RYG, they'll just flat out ignore something more complex.

 

[Oneup]

Israel has had 4 lights on their traffic signals for decades. The light operates as usual, except about 5 seconds before the light turns from red to green a white light at the bottom turns on and red stays on. This is to inform people to get ready to go. They had these well before all the Idiots were out there playing on their phones. We need this setup more than ever in the US, but for some reason, maybe they thought people here are just too dumb.

 

[TonyR]

Israel has had 4 lights on their traffic signals for decades. The light operates as usual, except about 5 seconds before the light turns from red to green a white light at the bottom turns on and red stays on. This is to inform people to get ready to go. They had these well before all the Idiots were out there playing on their phones. We need this setup more than ever in the US, but for some reason, maybe they thought people here are just too dumb.

I'm old enough to remember that in the 50's at some smaller intersections in urban Georgia, when you had been sitting at a red that about 5 or 6 seconds before your green would come on and as it went yellow for the opposing movement your yellow would flash for that same 5 to 6 seconds letting you know your green was coming up. Some would be a solid yellow on with your red during that 5-6 seconds, not flashing, warning of your upcoming green. I think I saw this operation in some FL signals as well about that time frame.

This was the sort of thing that went on across the U.S. before there was even a feeble attempt at some standardization or uniformity in signal design and operation.

I recall my first 2 years in traffic signals ('73 to '75) was in Clayton County, GA. The Feds withheld some kind of funding to Newnan, GA because they had painted their traffic signals, signal mounts and frameworks white instead of the (then) traditional and expected school bus yellow.

 

[jpc-s4]

The stupidest thing I've seen lately is the proliferation of the so-called HAWK devices. It is one of the most idiotic non-standard things these idiots came up with, and it confuses the living shit out of most people.

When it is off (which should be treated like a stop sign for a regular light), one can go through it.
When it blinks red (which should signify STOP at a regular light), it allows cars to go through without stopping.

It flashes yellow, then solid yellow, then flashes alternating red (like a RR crossing), which means stop.

The thing is, they could easily just use a standard traffic signal instead. There is zero benefit.

 

[TonyR]

The stupidest thing I've seen lately is the proliferation of the so-called HAWK devices. It is one of the most idiotic non-standard things these idiots came up with, and it confuses the living shit out of most people.

When it is off (which should be treated like a stop sign for a regular light), one can go through it.
When it blinks red (which should signify STOP at a regular light), it allows cars to go through without stopping.

It flashes yellow, then solid yellow, then flashes alternating red (like a RR crossing), which means stop.

The thing is, they could easily just use a standard traffic signal instead. There is zero benefit.

Where's that at? I haven't heard of it. (It DOES sound stupid).

 

[AlwaysSomething]

In today's world we mind as well make these the traffic lights

 

[Arjun]

"But I thought yellow meant to speed up" - Anonymous

 

[samplenhold]

Does anyone remember the red+yellow? This was before the walk/don't walk lights.