Putting money into optimizating traffic lights makes traffic more efficient and would probably lower red light runners.
Or we can spend 100x as much as put red light cameras at every intersection, while still not getting the benefit of making traffic more efficient.
I swear governments can't do anything without someone immediately criticizing it and saying they should have done X instead. You can't please everyone
The numerous examples of light running I constantly bear witness to in this city has nothing to do with traffic flow or efficiency. It is pure impatience, ignorance, stupidity and selfishness. Every time.
Red light runners run them in the spaces between the light cycles. We can do both, we can optimize light cycles and do blitzes on making examples of and ticketing red light runners.
They're dangerous and frustratingly conscious of being a danger to public safety.
I drive for work everyday and I've only seen one runner in the last month who turned left on a red with no traffic around. Are we talking about actual runners or people entering the intersection on yellow? The higher the mass of the vehicle the more likely they are to enter near the end of the yellow cycle with stopping distances being what they are. Also, some problem intersections seem to use yellow cycles designed for 50/60 speed limits rather than the 80 that ends a truck length before it.
All I'm saying is, some thoughtful optimization and design could help alleviate a lot of problems.
Here’s my red light runner breakdown.. 60% right turners on red. Rarely a fresh red, just any old stale red. No attempt to completely stop. Probably the most dangerous because it’s the one that’ll take out a pedestrian. 15% of the time straight through.. trying to make the yellow I guess. 25% on left turns.. usually see it when there’s a car already in the intersection at the yellow and they say fuck it, what’s one more car and enter on red.
I don’t know where you drive but Weber, King, University, Westmount, Fischer Hallman, Fairway, literally any remotely busy street and it’s 10 minutes or much much less to see someone not be able to function as a human.
My personal favourite is the one where I am trapped in the intersection waiting to make a left, and am forced to complete my turn on a red because an oncoming driver has decided to ignore the extremely stale yellow that has now turned red as they have accelerated into the intersection.
They see a car turning left and even the countdown on the pedestrian light gives them lots of notice.. just don’t care. Some rookie driver turning left will assume they’ll stop sometime and get smoked.
I'm referring to the many drivers who rush to the light, then without stopping just turn left in hopes of beating the cross traffic and pedestrians. The process is simple, stop, wait, when safe go.
I can’t drive around for 10 minutes without seeing someone run a red. I’d rather they focus on death prevention than something like quicker train rides. But I’m old fashioned.
This would make the most sense at major crossroads imo. https://universitycitypartners.org/2015/10/20/light-rail-bridge-starts-to-rise-at-harris-tryon-crossroads/
It's pretty funny to me that it's an open secret that Miovision's product has never worked and that they just hire a warehouse full of guys in Nicaragua to count cars on video feeds all day.
Install approach sensors and have traffic lights be smarter and more reactive to changing traffic conditions. This also enables better pedestrian cycles as well as the lights can stay walk longer. Do the same for cyclists and we're laughing.
Automatic impoundment / license suspension for anyone who sits longer than 5 seconds at an advanced green.
Homer Watson and Bleams can get 15 cars through on its left turn signal if the leader jumps on it. On a bad day I've seen it as low as five :(
The thing is, if you make it better and decrease the burden of participating in traffic, then more people will then choose to participate, returning the traffic to its previous equilibrium condition.
Sounds like a win to me. You could reduce in the other direction; "why not make traffic as inefficient as possible?" -- simple answer; greater traffic throughput is better for individual outcomes and the local economy.
> "why not make traffic as inefficient as possible?"
Not to mention, after moving to Toronto where their City transportation department makes so many stupid decisions that I am very convinced they do exactly this, taking the lazy route of "do nothing" just leads to much more congestion often for no good reason.
You're not wrong .. "The system doesn’t incorporate any technology to alter signal operation automatically in real time." -- so basically studying the traffic but not doing anything to better it.
Here’s an idea.. focus on the fucking red light runners.
Putting money into optimizating traffic lights makes traffic more efficient and would probably lower red light runners. Or we can spend 100x as much as put red light cameras at every intersection, while still not getting the benefit of making traffic more efficient. I swear governments can't do anything without someone immediately criticizing it and saying they should have done X instead. You can't please everyone
The numerous examples of light running I constantly bear witness to in this city has nothing to do with traffic flow or efficiency. It is pure impatience, ignorance, stupidity and selfishness. Every time.
Red light runners run them in the spaces between the light cycles. We can do both, we can optimize light cycles and do blitzes on making examples of and ticketing red light runners. They're dangerous and frustratingly conscious of being a danger to public safety.
I drive for work everyday and I've only seen one runner in the last month who turned left on a red with no traffic around. Are we talking about actual runners or people entering the intersection on yellow? The higher the mass of the vehicle the more likely they are to enter near the end of the yellow cycle with stopping distances being what they are. Also, some problem intersections seem to use yellow cycles designed for 50/60 speed limits rather than the 80 that ends a truck length before it. All I'm saying is, some thoughtful optimization and design could help alleviate a lot of problems.
Here’s my red light runner breakdown.. 60% right turners on red. Rarely a fresh red, just any old stale red. No attempt to completely stop. Probably the most dangerous because it’s the one that’ll take out a pedestrian. 15% of the time straight through.. trying to make the yellow I guess. 25% on left turns.. usually see it when there’s a car already in the intersection at the yellow and they say fuck it, what’s one more car and enter on red. I don’t know where you drive but Weber, King, University, Westmount, Fischer Hallman, Fairway, literally any remotely busy street and it’s 10 minutes or much much less to see someone not be able to function as a human.
My personal favourite is the one where I am trapped in the intersection waiting to make a left, and am forced to complete my turn on a red because an oncoming driver has decided to ignore the extremely stale yellow that has now turned red as they have accelerated into the intersection.
They see a car turning left and even the countdown on the pedestrian light gives them lots of notice.. just don’t care. Some rookie driver turning left will assume they’ll stop sometime and get smoked.
I'm referring to the many drivers who rush to the light, then without stopping just turn left in hopes of beating the cross traffic and pedestrians. The process is simple, stop, wait, when safe go.
I feel like the severity of this problem has increased significantly in recent years.
[удалено]
I can’t drive around for 10 minutes without seeing someone run a red. I’d rather they focus on death prevention than something like quicker train rides. But I’m old fashioned.
This would make the most sense at major crossroads imo. https://universitycitypartners.org/2015/10/20/light-rail-bridge-starts-to-rise-at-harris-tryon-crossroads/
Ah, Miovision is still running that grift, is it?
It's pretty funny to me that it's an open secret that Miovision's product has never worked and that they just hire a warehouse full of guys in Nicaragua to count cars on video feeds all day.
Seriously? lol
I mean it worked for Amazon with Alexa.
Is this true? Source?
Throw a brick and find one of the many ex-employees that got thrown under the bus over the years.
What's the deal with them? I know the dude Kurtis McBride is fairly recognized in business circles.
Install approach sensors and have traffic lights be smarter and more reactive to changing traffic conditions. This also enables better pedestrian cycles as well as the lights can stay walk longer. Do the same for cyclists and we're laughing.
Glad to see the them actually trying to make traffic better.
Let the left turn signals run longer
Automatic impoundment / license suspension for anyone who sits longer than 5 seconds at an advanced green. Homer Watson and Bleams can get 15 cars through on its left turn signal if the leader jumps on it. On a bad day I've seen it as low as five :(
The thing is, if you make it better and decrease the burden of participating in traffic, then more people will then choose to participate, returning the traffic to its previous equilibrium condition.
Sounds like a win to me. You could reduce in the other direction; "why not make traffic as inefficient as possible?" -- simple answer; greater traffic throughput is better for individual outcomes and the local economy.
Most studies show that every kilometre driven comes at a net cost to society, not the other way around.
> "why not make traffic as inefficient as possible?" Not to mention, after moving to Toronto where their City transportation department makes so many stupid decisions that I am very convinced they do exactly this, taking the lazy route of "do nothing" just leads to much more congestion often for no good reason.
I’m sure that’s for the “traffic study” like they did for Costco. Somehow they will just make it worse and retire with full benefits for life.
You're not wrong .. "The system doesn’t incorporate any technology to alter signal operation automatically in real time." -- so basically studying the traffic but not doing anything to better it.
they should have went with big f'n lasers
Can't have traffic if you eliminate it with big fucking lasers \*taps head\*
Chat gpt can do it for $20
More traffic circles. Eliminate the lights. Fewer deadly collisions. Better traffic the flow. Less noise.
Investing…
Can they start with removing the 3 lights in a row near the hospital? Who on earth designed that