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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Driving / August 2007Interesting way a new traffic light is set up....
So I naively wondered over a month ago WTF they were doing at the intersection of my little side street with all the construction vehicles. Apparently, it takes quite a bit to set up a traffic light. The poles and controllers have now been in place for several weeks now and all the lights have been installed for over a week. I was wondering if people shouldn't be treating it as a 4-way stop since it was obviously a traffic light that was not functioning ever since the actual lights went up. Well, today, they finally started using them - sort of - the major street merely had a flashing yellow while my side street had a flashing red. No sh.t, sherlock - you're supposed to stop if you're exitting my side-street anyway even if there weren't a stop sign there - actually, I forgot to notice if they took that down yet. I was distracted by the f.cking moron who apparently thought it was a 4-way stop tonite. Nice. My guess is that they are taking so long to actually go-live with this light in an effort to acclimate drivers along this stretch of road that there will be a light soon. Tonite I only had to turn right onto my side-street, but it was a mess (not for me though) - there was that one idiot who decided to treat it as a 4-way stop and was lucky that Darwin was sleeping and traffic exitting my side street was backed up much further than usual. I'm going to avoid it for a few days by taking an alternate route. I don't think we need a light at that intersection, but obviously a few of my neighbors are going to have a difficult time adjusting to it just as they always had a difficult time exitting my side-street. Wouldn't it be simpler to just revoke their licenses? > Well, today, they finally started using them - sort of - the major > street merely had a flashing yellow while my side street had a flashing red. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > forgot to notice if they took that down yet. I was distracted by the > f.cking moron who apparently thought it was a 4-way stop tonite. I imagine here's how it works: Set up all the electrical and lights and controller. Make sure it works with a flashing red/yellow. Then decide on the timing and turn it on. Also, this light may only be functional during peak times, otherwise your side street will have flashing red, and cross traffic will be flashing yellow. >>Well, today, they finally started using them - sort of - the major >>street merely had a flashing yellow while my side street had a flashing red. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > your side street will have flashing red, and cross traffic will be > flashing yellow. In the past two days since the lights have been flashing, I have only been through it during peak times, so I don't believe they are done. If they did go to all this trouble and expense merely to show a flashing yellow to the major street and a flashing red to the side street (which of course already had a stop sign), then.....and then? Well, I guess I just have another reason to complain about how the city runs things. My best option will be to move far enough out of the city that wherever I end up won't be annexed until I'm dead. > So I naively wondered over a month ago WTF they were doing at the > intersection of my little side street with all the construction vehicles. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > it was obviously a traffic light that was not functioning ever since the > actual lights went up. Around here, when a new signal goes up, it's usually covered with black plastic until it is officially turned on. IMHO (and IANAL, or a cop for that matter) if it is covered, it can simply be ignored (I assume that there were other traffic control devices at the intersection prior to the installation of the signals, and that they remained there until the signals were actually turned on.) however if they were not covered, they should be treated as a four way stop as out-of-towners have no way of discriminating between a new, not-turned- on signal and one that is malfunctioning. And yes, it does take several months apparently from setting the poles to having a functional signal, or at least it did at one intersection close to my house. nate >>So I naively wondered over a month ago WTF they were doing at the >>intersection of my little side street with all the construction vehicles. [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > out-of-towners have no way of discriminating between a new, not-turned- > on signal and one that is malfunctioning. A fair enough analysis and you are correct that there were "other traffic control devices" at this intersection before - specifically stop signs on the side street, which are still there (as I noticed today). Until they were turned on yesterday, some of the lights were covered, and some were not though - it could be confusing to anyone not familiar enough with the road who didn't know that this was new. > And yes, it does take several months apparently from setting the poles > to having a functional signal, or at least it did at one intersection > close to my house. I've seen them go up and become operational much more quickly in other cities, but we can't expect our municipalities to do anything efficiently these days. A major construction project on a nearby road was scheduled to be finished August 12th and just guessing by how things look, there is no way in hell it will be finished. And it is noteworthy that they repaved the entire stretch a year ago, apparently not having the foresight to see that they would have to tear it all up a year later - or more likely they DID have the foresight - and the kickbacks from the construction contractors. > nate Well, 3 weeks ago, I wrote about a new stop-light. It was just a couple days ago that they switched it from blinking yellow/blinking red to a green-yellow-red cycle. Give people enough time to be used to treating it as a stop sign (if you're entering the busier street) and then run it 24 hours a day. Waiting for it to change a short while ago, I could have gone nearly the whole time it was red if it were still just a stop sign. The light didn't turn yellow for cross-traffic until there actually was cross-traffic. hooray "progress" |
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