Author Topic: Traffic Light fu  (Read 1165 times)

Traffic Light fu
« on: 20 February, 2024, 07:00:30 pm »
Toured up to the Polmood Hut today, A701 Tweedsmuir there are temporary tls. I was waiting a few vehicles back for some time starting to think 'Something not quite right' Noticed the front vehicle was well back - about 20m, pedaled up, tapped on the window and suggested to the driver that he moved forward to ensure he had triggered the radar. ' I flashed my lights was the reply, 'it works on moving metal was mine*. As he pulled forward yes, the lights change! Probably coincidence but I got a  :thumbsup: had been through the tls a few times and so had some idea of the timings...
*'It is Doppler radar', I felt, would have taken too much explaining

Kim

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Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #1 on: 20 February, 2024, 07:35:19 pm »
Never had good results explaining traffic light sensors to motorists (I favour "it's a metal detector buried in the road" for induction loops), but I do make the effort to explain to cyclists that the one at the University Southgate - which has a tediously long cycle - doesn't detect bikes, and they should move forward so there's room for a car to come up behind them and stop on the coil.  (My attempts at reporting that to the council have been thwarted by a lack of detail in the multiple-choice reporting a traffic lights fault form.)

Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #2 on: 20 February, 2024, 07:50:45 pm »
I miss the French style lights, the ones that have a countdown function. You know they have registered your presence.
Move Faster and Bake Things

Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #3 on: 20 February, 2024, 07:53:39 pm »
I'm pretty sure some lights do have sensors which are light triggered but as in the strobes on top of emergency vehicles type light and not possible to replicate by flashing headlights

Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #4 on: 20 February, 2024, 08:11:01 pm »
The Tweedsmuir temporary lights are both ends normally red, when I was inna car last week a steady approach could switch the lights without stopping.

Adam

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Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #5 on: 20 February, 2024, 08:34:54 pm »
On my last trip to the Netherlands in October, I found a bicycle lane in Leiden* which has countdown lights built into the kerb, so if you've got a green light, on the kerb there's a reducing number of lights showing on the kerb in the last 20 seconds or so before the lights turn red.

Very cool.




* shown here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HTZaMp4BeR29XKuJA
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” -Albert Einstein

Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #6 on: 20 February, 2024, 11:42:24 pm »
Most portable traffic lights I encounter have some sort of object detector on the top with a red LED that lights up when it's successfully detected something. I wish all traffic lights had these.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #7 on: 21 February, 2024, 09:12:56 am »
On my last trip to the Netherlands in October, I found a bicycle lane in Leiden* which has countdown lights built into the kerb, so if you've got a green light, on the kerb there's a reducing number of lights showing on the kerb in the last 20 seconds or so before the lights turn red.

Very cool.




* shown here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/HTZaMp4BeR29XKuJA
What does this "cyclist with umbrella" sign mean?
https://maps.app.goo.gl/gW7y4qG2Tj89tepH9
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HTFB

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Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #8 on: 21 February, 2024, 09:30:27 am »
The words say "Here Leiden is working on cycling improvements" so it's presumably the cycling version of standard man-with-stuck-umbrella roadworks.
Not especially helpful or mature

Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #9 on: 21 February, 2024, 10:17:23 am »
On the A85 past Ben Cruachan there's a set of traffic lights protecting a narrow bridge over the railway. I could not get them to change for me on my bike, and I didn't fancy going through on red only to be squashed by something coming the other way. So I waited and waited until two cars came along. The lights changed, and because I am nice like that, I let them through first. Only for the lights to change to red again the second the 2nd car was through them. So I followed them through anyway.

There was actually enough space on the bridge for a car and bike anyway - in retrospect I should have walked (or cycled cautiously) through on red because there were no instructions for pedestrians to operate a pedestrian light.

FifeingEejit

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Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #10 on: 21 February, 2024, 10:28:51 am »
Nah that's a piss take of the British protest "it's wet here no one cycles to work"

Afasoas

Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #11 on: 28 February, 2024, 01:56:01 pm »
Never had good results explaining traffic light sensors to motorists (I favour "it's a metal detector buried in the road" for induction loops), but I do make the effort to explain to cyclists that the one at the University Southgate - which has a tediously long cycle - doesn't detect bikes, and they should move forward so there's room for a car to come up behind them and stop on the coil.  (My attempts at reporting that to the council have been thwarted by a lack of detail in the multiple-choice reporting a traffic lights fault form.)

Sounds like a letter to a councillor would be in order.

Regulator

  • That's Councillor Regulator to you...
Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #12 on: 28 February, 2024, 02:10:42 pm »
Never had good results explaining traffic light sensors to motorists (I favour "it's a metal detector buried in the road" for induction loops), but I do make the effort to explain to cyclists that the one at the University Southgate - which has a tediously long cycle - doesn't detect bikes, and they should move forward so there's room for a car to come up behind them and stop on the coil.  (My attempts at reporting that to the council have been thwarted by a lack of detail in the multiple-choice reporting a traffic lights fault form.)

Sounds like a letter to a councillor would be in order.


Oh God... please no!   Half of the correspondence I get must relate to traffic lights.  Either ones not working... or temporary traffic lights that have been put up. 

*Hides under desk, rocking backwards and forward and keening gently*
Quote from: clarion
I completely agree with Reg.

Green Party Councillor

Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #13 on: 28 February, 2024, 02:28:51 pm »
Sounds like a letter to a councillor would be in order.

The councillor will contact the traffic light department. A berk will be sent out in a van to see if it detects them, which it will. Perhaps they'll move the head a fraction of a degree or perhaps they'll not bother going at all. A message will to sent back saying "the traffic light is now working perfectly" and the councillor will forward that to you. Everyone will consider it a job well done.

The traffic light still won't detect your bike.

Afasoas

Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #14 on: 28 February, 2024, 02:35:12 pm »
Well that was warmly received.

Point being that the local authority's form for reporting TL problems should include a tickbox for 'not detecting cyclists' :)

Kim

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Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #15 on: 28 February, 2024, 02:51:33 pm »
I've just had another go, misusing the "describe the location" part of the form to explain the nature of the problem.  We'll see what happens.

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #16 on: 28 February, 2024, 03:24:54 pm »
A few years ago I managed to speak to (a) a human (ii) who understood the bike detection issue and (3) got it fixed.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #17 on: 28 February, 2024, 03:46:13 pm »
A job for Fix My Street?
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CrazyEnglishTriathlete

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Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #18 on: 28 February, 2024, 05:33:56 pm »
It would be nice to encounter some traffic lights that related to road improvements rather than utility works that result in road deterioration. 

My understanding is that contractors are required to 'make good' i.e. restore to the previous condition, but I guess at the current state of tarmac that is a pretty low standard  ::-)
Eddington Numbers 130 (imperial), 182 (metric) 571 (furlongs)  114 (nautical miles)

Kim

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Re: Traffic Light fu
« Reply #19 on: 28 February, 2024, 05:39:09 pm »
My understanding is that contractors are required to 'make good' i.e. restore to the previous condition, but I guess at the current state of tarmac that is a pretty low standard  ::-)

The exception being when it involves re-painting road markings, where they'll go to great efforts to re-paint only the bits that were dug up, resulting in comedy partial lettering.