Traffic Lights

[weatherdan882002]

Yeah, it's because of code changes, and to be honest, I don't like it. Up until I found it on YouTube, I hadn't a clue what it meant, and they're not teaching us about those lights over here in Driver's Ed classes. I kinda agree with some on here saying it's doing more harm than good, and they still are installed the 4/5-lighted signals. It's just common sense to yield if you don't have a green arrow, but the main light is green, but I see signs posted in some states saying to yield, so apparently not to many people know to do that. Plus, at some intersections, it's best to have a red left turn arrow because the intersection's so busy and it'd be too dangerous to take a left turn if there's only a general green. I think here in NYS, I think that's why they install red arrow lights instead of the 4 or 5-light signals.

BTW, the main reason for them discontinuing the 4-light signal is because of colorblindness - people who are colorblind can't tell if the arrow's yellow or green, but supposedly, they 5-light signal was supposed to fix that.

[Smjh1979]

The 5-light signals were very easy to find before Prescott Valley adopted the LEDs back in 2003, both in the city and on state highways.

Nowadays, it's getting a bit harder to find them now, as all newer installations are the 4-light systems with the dual colored yellow and green LED arrows.

[AndrewFields]

Those flashing left arrows have been around here since 2002 and the 'doghouse' 5-head protected/permissive signals are no longer being installed. Once people get used to them, I think you'll find they are equally effective.

[Smjh1979]

There are 2 things I don't like about those flashing arrows.

1) They allow left turns while the main light is red, and the opposing side is still green. That seems too dangerous to me.

2) Using a 4-light system for arrows. Why not do like they did at first in Michigan, by having the three arrows, and having the yellow flash and stay steady in the same light? Why is another yellow needed for a steady light?

If they used a 3-light system instead of 4, and make the red arrow light when necessary, it may be a bit more safer.

[MichiganCSX622]

Yes, I agree with that. These new signals dont seem safe at all.

I like the ones that most busy intersections USED to have:

[Smjh1979]

Yep... I remember those back from Midland.

The only flaw was the flashing red meaning that you had to come to a stop before turning left. That should've been a flashing yellow light instead, kind of similar to now, except with 3 lights and not 4.

[Smjh1979]

Yes, of course...

The problem was, even on the flashing red for a left turn signal, 99% of drivers never came to a stop. It was treated like a green ball light to where they just yielded to oncoming traffic.

I was glad to see that done away with.

[cabman701]

Man... I've got one big headache after reading all this!

[bnsfc44]

On the subject of lights, this is what we got around here in Hanford.

A basic setup around town. Traffic detection camera, lighted street sign, and LED lights. They were changed from incandescents a few years ago because of poor visabliaty in the fog. In fact this pretecular signal used to have a 3M signal head for the left lane.



Downtown has this setup for two interections:



Newer signals are being install like this. All these lights are tied together. These lights will turn red before oncoming traffic gets to go.

[AndrewFields]

There are WAY too many of those protected-only left turn signals around here due to a control freak ODOT had as a traffic engineer back in the 1970s. His theory was that if there was a left turn lane and a traffic signal, drivers would be incapable of judging a gap in traffic so he fitted protected lefts at every state highway signalized intersection. But the way he saw it, if there was no dedicated left turn lane or no traffic signal, drivers would not have an issue. Total B.S.

Soon his jurisdiction spread to encompass the ENTIRE state and almost 100% of all traffic signals had protected left turns whether they met the criteria for it or not. To this day, Oregon still struggles to shake this bad habit.

Mike...as for allowing people to make a left turn while the through indication is red...why is this a bad thing? It happens when the signal is protected and if there is no oncoming traffic, why wait for the signal they are facing to turn green? I just don't see the sense. I have made turns on a flashing yellow arrow with the through signals showing red on several occasions and haven't had any issues.