What do you make of this? N/A

Richard

Richard

Final Approach
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Ack...city life
Of the last 157 traffic lights I have passed through I have caught 43 on the green. Of those where I had to stop, 27 had just turned yellow (the yellow was too 'deep' for me to consider a safe passage through the intersection) so I had to sit through the entire cycle while waiting for the green.

OTOH, my wife, as example, hits nearly every light. 1 in 15 by my last count.

You'd think it's empirical evidence my driving habits are faulty. How else to aacount for such a run? But consider, there is a stop light at the other end of a 26 mile highway which I frequently travel. How to plan for hitting that light when it is green is beyond me. But I have arrived at that light while it is red 19 of the last 26 times. I happen to believe it's just another manifestation of my brand of luck.

Here's more anecdotal evidence: more often than not, perhaps 75% of the time, while driving in local traffic I get stuck behind an old lady heading for her bingo game or some such thing. Sometimes, it is by a mere fraction of a second which if I was just that much earlier I could have safely pulled out in front of her and therefore would not have been behind her. Sometimes, it is because I was the nice guy and let the other car go first at those sometimes akward intersections...if I had prior knowledge the other driver was going to go so slow I would not have hesitated. If the percentage of all drivers is an old lady driving slow (OLDS) is x shouldn't it be easy to figure out an estimated delay because of OLDS?

But I'm here to tell you that is not the case.
 
I'll becha when you drop your toast it always lands butter side down too!

:goofy:

Richard said:
Of the last 157 traffic lights I have passed through I have caught 43 on the green. Of those where I had to stop, 27 had just turned yellow (the yellow was too 'deep' for me to consider a safe passage through the intersection) so I had to sit through the entire cycle while waiting for the green.

OTOH, my wife, as example, hits nearly every light. 1 in 15 by my last count.

You'd think it's empirical evidence my driving habits are faulty. How else to aacount for such a run? But consider, there is a stop light at the other end of a 26 mile highway which I frequently travel. How to plan for hitting that light when it is green is beyond me. But I have arrived at that light while it is red 19 of the last 26 times. I happen to believe it's just another manifestation of my brand of luck.

Here's more anecdotal evidence: more often than not, perhaps 75% of the time, while driving in local traffic I get stuck behind an old lady heading for her bingo game or some such thing. Sometimes, it is by a mere fraction of a second which if I was just that much earlier I could have safely pulled out in front of her and therefore would not have been behind her. Sometimes, it is because I was the nice guy and let the other car go first at those sometimes akward intersections...if I had prior knowledge the other driver was going to go so slow I would not have hesitated. If the percentage of all drivers is an old lady driving slow (OLDS) is x shouldn't it be easy to figure out an estimated delay because of OLDS?

But I'm here to tell you that is not the case.
Click to expand...
 
Jann and I have made a trip from her condo about 5 miles to a restaurant/theater which is exactly 2 turns away, although there are a dozen lights.

On the way out - EVERY TIME - we get held at about 8 red lights for the full duration. Stop. Wait. 1/2 mile. Stop. Wait. BTW, no cars on the other streets. On the return trip it's practically non-stop EVERY TIME. Yeah the return is late at night but we don't hit a lot of traffic on the way out.

They are allegedly supposed to sync the lights but why is it only in one direction? Is it possible to sync them both ways?

Out by the Woodfield Mall it's so bad you sit at every light for an eternity waiting for NO cars to go the other way. It can take 20 minutes to go a mile. If they would put in some intelligent computer traffic light controls it would save a few lifetimes in no time.
 
mikea said:
Out by the Woodfield Mall it's so bad you sit at every light for an eternity waiting for NO cars to go the other way. It can take 20 minutes to go a mile. If they would put in some intelligent computer traffic light controls it would save a few lifetimes in no time.
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I've been stuck there. I thought the second coming of Christ would come before i got out of there. There's something to be said for backroads off the periphery road to the mall parking lot.... or are those all gone now?
 
Clearly you're doing something wrong. It took me 30+ minutes to go 4.5 miles yesterday. Multiple red lights and gas stations lines to deal with.

Being a city where refug<<<< er evacuees go has its problems. :(
 
I think it all started when it was named a "stop" light. If it were only named a GO light!!!!!
 
I must be driving wrong. I could not begin to tell you how many lights are between me and anything in this town and certainly could not tell you what percentage were which color during a given period of time.
 
Sometimes the lights are cycled to go at road speed from stoplight to stoplight; sometimes there are road sensors; and sometimes the lights are so fouled up they create a backup no matter how you drive.
Here's a question for you; it's 4 am and you approach a red light. After sitting there for a near eternity, do you continue to wait or do you go through? How about when this happens at NOON?
Is it just me or do the traffic engineers usually favor the side streets?
 
Richard:

All of us city folks are struggling with this--stoplightitis. More and more lights are being put in because folks just can't seem to get through intersections without them. It's often much easier to have a stop sign or to turn side street lights to flashing reds after certain hours....but, people would have to think and use judgement to get through the intersection!!

I once had a ticket dismissed for something like this. Left work in downtown Charlotte late one evening and stopped for one light after another on the main drag with no cross traffic and almost none on the main drag. The lights were obviously not adjusted for the lighter traffic at night. I finally got to a red light were I could turn right and get to a through side street only to see a sign that said, 'no right turn on red'!! Absolutely no traffic. So after coming to a complete stop, I turned red and a siren comes on and lights flash before I go 100 feet. A police woman was in a parking lot watching for red light runners!!

I won't go into all that happened, but she was new and enthusiastically enforcing the letter of the law.

The judge was more practical. When he asked me why I did it, I explained what happened, that I had stopped over 12 times at lights with NO traffic and turned right after coming to a complete stop.

He asked if I knew there was a sign that said no right on red. I said I did, but that the mechanical lights were had no ability to thinks, reason, or use judgement---I did. He dismissed the charge and asked the police officer if there wasn't a better use for her time and where her training could be used more productively.

Still cost me a bunch of time and was very frustrating. Seems every neighborhood wants a traffic light. It all seems to be part of the dumbing down of America--more and more things being done to eliminate skill or development of judgement. If there's an accident, rather then train the errant driver--put in another stop light!!

Tirade over!!

Dave
 
Yall are livin in the wrong place!
DT (nearest redyellowgreen traffic light; 90miles!)
 
mgkdrgn said:
I'll becha when you drop your toast it always lands butter side down too!
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The sleuths on Mythbusters (Discovery Channel) tested this one. A classic I have retained on my DVR.
 
It's usually the flashing blue lights behind me that irratate me the most.
 
Dave Siciliano said:
It all seems to be part of the dumbing down of America--more and more things being done to eliminate skill or development of judgement. If there's an accident, rather then train the errant driver--put in another stop light!!

Tirade over!!

Dave
Click to expand...

Bingo! Judgement is becoming a lost art in America. How many traffic accidents are the result of mechanical failures of the car, as opposed to software issues with the drivers? I had to drive up to Fernandina Beach on business a few months ago and was surprised at the number of round-a-bouts as opposed to stop lights up there. Traffic flowed nicely. If no opposing traffic, you just went through without having to stop. When traffic was heavier, you blended in and kept moving without trouble. Traffic lights exist for no other reason than to accomodate the general lack of judgement of the average, or should I say the below average driver.
 
silver-eagle said:
Here's a question for you; it's 4 am and you approach a red light. After sitting there for a near eternity, do you continue to wait or do you go through? How about when this happens at NOON?
Click to expand...

I use to drive through a light just like that. The small low use crossing street was always red unless triggered by the road sensors. After much experimenting: A motorcycle would not trip it - period. A car would trip it BUT the circuits obviously had an AND gate in it. North crossing traffic must trigger AND south crossing traffic must trigger ELSE remain red. In several years of that nonsense I never noticed any other conditions ever changed it. One night I decided to outwait it. 45 minutes of trying to get it to change: still red. I gave up.

Regardless of time of day or traffic, I go through somehow. I usually make an illegal right on red then U turn or equivalent then a right turn on the green side to avoid police treating me like dirt and fining me to poverty.

Signal lights are optional around here. Redlight runners are rampant and downright hostile. The 8 miles home to work usually resulted in at least 2 emergency stops/manuvering each way per day at established green lights to avoid actual collision.

IMHO: Too many people, too many cars, too much aggression, no brains anywhere.
 
fgcason said:
After much experimenting: A motorcycle would not trip it - period.
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Tennessee passed a very nice law a few years back. Motorcycles are now allowed to treat red lights like stop signs. Full stop, look, no traffic, proceed. Reduces my commute time a good bit.

Cagers give funny looks when I go, sometimes employing digital communication. Some follow me through.

Yes, I printed the relative traffic code section and keep it in a zip lock under the seat. Someday, I WILL have to enlighten an officer that hits me with the wig wags.

Now, what about the lost art of passing on 2-lane roads?
 
The only time I've ever consciously run a red light was when I was driving my mom to the emergency room at midnight.

When I visited DC many moons ago I was amazed that it was common to just keep on going through a red. The wunnerful Daley administration here has put in red light cameras and shortened the yellow to make them pay. They're saying red light running is common here, but I don't see it very often - stretching the yellow, yes.

About NOBODY in my gentrified hood stops at the many stop signs. As I was walking home Thursday I was amused as one car actually stopped at the 4 way, meaning of course, that all of the 5 cars on the intersecting street were free to proceed through their stop sign without even slowing down. I guess the one guy had the RED stop sign.
 
Bill Jennings said:
Now, what about the lost art of passing on 2-lane roads?
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Do you mean pulling over on the shoulder at speed to let the other traffic pass you?
Or when that isn't possible, stick your arm out the window and wave the cars behind you past when there is a safe opening ahead to avoid a nose to nose encounter?

Long gone. Both.
 
Dave Siciliano said:
It all seems to be part of the dumbing down of America--more and more things being done to eliminate skill or development of judgement.
Click to expand...

Yeah, like instead of teaching people about the effects of hurricanes, just tell 'em to get out and not come back until we say so. Why? Because we say so. So what if news folks and others are allowed in.

Teaching people will diminish the 'authority' of officials over the people. Or as one police trainee put it 'when we graduate, we'll have the power over the people'.

/rant off
 
fgcason said:
Do you mean pulling over on the shoulder at speed to let the other traffic pass you?
Or when that isn't possible, stick your arm out the window and wave the cars behind you past when there is a safe opening ahead to avoid a nose to nose encounter?

Long gone. Both.
Click to expand...

I strongly discourage pulling over onto the shoulder at speed to let following cars pass. It's illegal and dangerous. It's illegal because the shoulder is not a driving lane and loss of control has happened enough that they've passed laws against it. It's dangerous because FOD or uneven road surface will cause accidents. I will not pass a car pulling over in such a manner. To pit me in the position 'tween opposing traffic and the guy driving in half a lane is too dangerous for me, I'll bide my time waiting for the opportunity of my choosing.

That car which pulled over to let others pass has two options when confronted with FOD, a bicyclist, or guard rail. He either brakes to a stop or he swerves out into the driving lane. I've seen both happen and a skidding panic stop is no fun to watch.

If you mean to pull over you should use your blinker (oh boy, now there's a whole new thread!) and slow to a stop.

And do you really want an unknown quantity waving you ahead? I trust truckers and farmers, but the typical chowderheard will not be waving me on.
 
Richard said:
I strongly discourage pulling over onto the shoulder at speed to let following cars pass. It's illegal and dangerous.

And do you really want an unknown quantity waving you ahead? I trust truckers and farmers, but the typical chowderheard will not be waving me on.
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Well, that's the way it use to be done. Quite safely with much courtesy at that. To do this though, brains and a little cooperation are required which is NOT available nowadays by the untrained aggressive discourteous masses.

There is a big difference between easing onto the shoulder at 40mph vs wildly swerving onto it at 85-95mph while yakking on a cellphone in an overloaded Navigator in a downpour. People don't seem to be able to distinguish between the two conditions anymore.

If you're driving on the out of the way roads, it's still done that way at least by the farmer types and lots of people pulling trailers. The half of a lane thing is NOT for passing. It is to give the people behind a view ahead to pass normally in the oncoming lane if they think it's safe to do so. It also gives everyone involved a survivable out if the guy passing blows the judgement bit. A tap of the horn as they go by was "thanks", not todays meaning as they throw their mcdonalds remains on your windshield and deliberately run you off into the ditch for being nice to them.

As for illegal; I'll take illegal over being aggressively tapped from behind anyday.
Blasting along the interstate with murderous idgets is one thing. Back forgotten higways are another.
I avoid the interstates whenever possible and take the country highways. It's a bit slower however much better mileage and nicer drivers and more relaxed. A few years ago I was hauling the motorcycle on the trailer and eased over to let the string of cars behind me go by on a straightaway. It went just fine...including highway patrol car that just waved as he went by. I passed plenty of others the same way.

Some things from the past truly are better than todays improved nonsense.
 
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The Traffic Light;

An ode to the Traffic Light

"Oh Traffic light you shine so bright and you stop so right. "

"You bring much Fright to those who might creep through with so self right"

" You bring much Pain to those who do not hear your vain of changing green to red."

"You tease us with your green that changes to Yellow as we transgress your Domain."

"Yikes Traffic Light, Please let us go our way"

John J
 
It was a silly quote they used to use in Ireland is what I understand.
Sorry, I usually try to avoid lame posts.
 
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