Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

Does WCH make traffic lights?? I have found a traffic light in the area that look like the 2nd generation of WCH LED's....

According to what I've seen, no.

If it's what I think you're talking about, we have those LEDs here in Prescott that have several rows of circles in LEDs.

While they look very nice, their lifespan is extremely short. Within 2 months, several LEDs start dying, and within 1 year, they get replaced with ball LEDs. Same with the greens at intersections where the green is longer than the red and yellows.

The yellows have no problems due to the fact that they only light up for 3-4 seconds. Their arrows are worse.

There are many intersections that have those arrows that when they light up, they look like: < and that's the dual colored LEDs that do that. The single color LEDs are just as bad, and I've seen many get replaced around the Prescott area.

It appears that Dialight now makes a couple variations of the ball LED. One of them has the traditional hashed 'X' style lenses. The new one (which both the City of Portland and ODOT are embracing) has more of a 'screened' look to it. There is a traffic signal that has both the traditional and new styles in the same head so I'll try to get some pics of that.

We have some of those here too. In fact, a ball red left arrow LED recently replaced a dotted red left turn arrow at Wal-Mart. Prescott Valley has some too in the city, and there are 2 intersections on Highway 69 also in Prescott Valley that have them too.

I can't believe I forgot to post this, but I came across a signal upgrade the other day. It was during the morning commute, which wasn't exactly the most opportune time to do it, but anyway, at one intersection, they were upgrading the yellow lights from incandescents to LEDs. The regular signals got GE/Harmon-looking LEDs and the left turn arrow signals got ball arrow LEDs. The intersection has had red and green LEDs for years now (like since the late 90s). It just doesn't seem lke the yellow LED upgrade was necessary, because as Mike said, it's only lit for a few seconds, plus, no yellow loights were out or anything. It just seemed like a waste, and doing it during the morning commute didn't help matters either as it took me 10 minutes to get through the intersection instead of the usual 2.

weatherdan882002 wrote:I can't believe I forgot to post this, but I came across a signal upgrade the other day. It was during the morning commute, which wasn't exactly the most opportune time to do it, but anyway, at one intersection, they were upgrading the yellow lights from incandescents to LEDs. The regular signals got GE/Harmon-looking LEDs and the left turn arrow signals got ball arrow LEDs. The intersection has had red and green LEDs for years now (like since the late 90s). It just doesn't seem lke the yellow LED upgrade was necessary, because as Mike said, it's only lit for a few seconds, plus, no yellow loights were out or anything. It just seemed like a waste, and doing it during the morning commute didn't help matters either as it took me 10 minutes to get through the intersection instead of the usual 2.

When the City of Portland replaced the old LEDs with new ones all along Grand Avenue they did it after midnight.

I agree that yellow LEDs are a waste of time. The only intersections around here that use them are Beaverton intersections with red light cameras. I think they did it to assure that the signal is indeed red. A camera flash can light up the reflector disc of an incandescent traffic signal and make it appear illuminated.

Washington County just turned on a new traffic signal on Friday and even it doesn't have yellow LEDs. Red and green are though...even the arrows.

Alot of these types of new traffic lights are popping up in Macomb and St.Clair Counties in Michigan: The flashing Yellow Arrow:



http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-1 ... --,00.html

I really don't like those...

Why not just use the other 4-light method that they use here in Arizona?

Red/yellow/green/yellow+green arrow

And also add a "LEFT TURN YIELD ON GREEN" sign?



That would work better IMO.

MichiganCSX622 wrote:Alot of these types of new traffic lights are popping up in Macomb and St.Clair Counties in Michigan: The flashing Yellow Arrow:



http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-1 ... --,00.html

Yep...appearing majorly on the West side of Michigan too...I think more accidents are happening because of it... It wasn't widely televised/noticed properly about the new lights....

BAD MOVE

It's because of the new standards. The left turn light can no longer have a solid red light...it has to be a red arrow. Also, it no longer flashes the red light...but the yellow. I like that alot better...because all you have to do is yeild...instead of coming to a complete stop when turning left.