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Unusual Traffic Signals

Started by Ian, October 17, 2009, 08:42:34 PM

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Ian

UMaine graduate, former PennDOT employee, new SoCal resident.
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US71

Quote from: jjakucyk on October 30, 2009, 10:26:20 PM
These are all from Cincinnati and nearby suburbs.

First is not a "traffic" signal, but pedestrian.  While the signals themselves aren't anything unusual, their installation sure is.




Oklahoma Turnpikes use square signals for Pike Pass (Scott: got any photos?)
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

froggie

QuoteInline 5 section signals are rare (but not unheard of) in PA:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/LocalRoadRelatedShots#5400390446871091250

Meanwhile, the opposite is true in Minnesota, where doghouse signals are very rare.

US71

Here's an odd set-up in Springfield: 5 section inline for Sunshine St, 4 sections on opposite corners for Fort St.


http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=opera&q=65802&ie=UTF8&gl=us&ei=iyfyStC0Ds-XtgfOhpW7Cw&ved=0CAsQ8gEwAA&hq=&hnear=Springfield,+Greene,+Missouri+65802&ll=37.182367,-93.30876&spn=0.001231,0.002055&z=19&layer=c&cbll=37.18218,-93.308762&panoid=chHMQneET5LBSTAGU4RFQQ&cbp=12,346.23,,0,5


These are relatively new (within the last 5 years). There were some older ones on Glenstone (Bus 65), but I think most have been replaced. The 5 section is slowly being replaced by doghouse signals.
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Alex



This seems to be the standard in Kentucky, where the yellow lens utilizes a tunnel visor while all other lens use cut-away's. Its not unusual for Kentucky I suppose, but certainly takes some getting used to when entering from another state...

jjakucyk

Those Kentucky signals definitely are strange.  I asked the head traffic engineer at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet about it, and here's the response I got. 

QuoteThe current design of traffic signals used in Kentucky is decades old and the justification behind the use of tunnel visors on the yellow indication and cap visors on the red and green indications precludes the memory of our traffic engineers. There is no documentation that we are aware of that explains why the original decision was made to use this design. However, possible reasons behind this current design include:

· It is more important to keep yellow hidden from traffic on opposing approaches so drivers do not attempt to "jump"  the green light on their approach.
· Yellow indication was more likely to suffer from "phantom effect"  where light trespass from the sun makes indication appear to be lighted when it is not. As a result, the more compete visor was used.
· When we did not provide signal indications for pedestrians, there was a need for pedestrians to see the red or green indication to determine if they could cross the street. As a result, the visors were modified on those heads to make them more visible.

The first bullet is probably the most common reason cited by our engineers for continuing the use of the different visor on the yellow indication. Hopefully this information helps answer your question. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Ian

Quote from: froggie on November 04, 2009, 08:04:15 PM
QuoteInline 5 section signals are rare (but not unheard of) in PA:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/LocalRoadRelatedShots#5400390446871091250

Meanwhile, the opposite is true in Minnesota, where doghouse signals are very rare.

Doghouse signals are also rare in Illinois and I believe New Mexico.
UMaine graduate, former PennDOT employee, new SoCal resident.
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thenetwork

Anybody remember the old style of traffic light that was composed of THREE red lights (slightly spaced apart across the top) with the standard strip of the yellow and green (sometimes with a 4th green arrow) lights down the center red light?

The only places where I have seen them were in Ohio (Scattered around in Lorain & Medina Counties), at a few drawbridges in the Flats area of Cleveland, and back in the early 70's near Daytona International Speedway. 

I would guess that this was a design used in the 50's & 60s.

florida

Quote from: thenetwork on November 14, 2009, 12:00:15 PM
Anybody remember the old style of traffic light that was composed of THREE red lights (slightly spaced apart across the top) with the standard strip of the yellow and green (sometimes with a 4th green arrow) lights down the center red light?

The only places where I have seen them were in Ohio (Scattered around in Lorain & Medina Counties), at a few drawbridges in the Flats area of Cleveland, and back in the early 70's near Daytona International Speedway

I would guess that this was a design used in the 50's & 60s.

Huh??
So many roads...so little time.

simguy228

#34
Quote from: jjakucyk on October 30, 2009, 10:26:20 PM
These are all from Cincinnati and nearby suburbs.

First is not a "traffic" signal, but pedestrian.  While the signals themselves aren't anything unusual, their installation sure is.

[Ped signals on long poles]

Where is that?


[Please only quote relevant parts of previous posts. Don't include images in quotes; repeating them in the thread is redundant. Thank you. -S.]
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jjakucyk


simguy228

Lovable. Truthful. Great, SC4
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jjakucyk

I'm not so sure, since they're polycarbonate plastic, so they can't be TOO heavy.  The bigger concern is being on such long poles, they could swing out into the path of passing vehicles in high winds.

Are you in the Cincinnati area too?

simguy228

No, I live down in East TN occaisinally going roadtrips to the northeast
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Scott5114

"IT'S FOR THE KIDS" in quotation marks. "Yeah, it's 'for' the 'kids'...yeah."

I think Springfield, MO is still installing truss arms.
uncontrollable freak sardine salad chef

PAHighways

#40
Quote from: PennDOTFan on November 04, 2009, 06:16:26 PM
Inline 5 section signals are rare (but not unheard of) in PA:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/LocalRoadRelatedShots#5400390446871091250

There are four on the ring road around my mall (12/8/2005), one being an 8/8/8/12/12.

Outside of that, the only one I've seen on a state route was Clinton Street/PA 271 intersection in Johnstown.

jjakucyk

Indeed, I don't know that I've ever seen an all 12" vertical inline 5 here in Ohio, at least not in the Cincinnati area (there are some horizontal ones though).  On the other hand, I don't recall ever seeing a doghouse in Illinois either.  We have plenty of inline 4 signals in and around Cincinnati, new and old, but the only vertical inline 5 I've come across is one of those 8-8-8-12-12's like PAHighways mentioned.  Funny enough, the 8" sections are Automatic/LFE's, but the 12" sections are Marbelites, each of slightly different vintages.  I suppose it was probably an 8-8-8-12 originally, and they later changed the cross street from a lagging to a leading protected left, so they had to add the yellow arrow here. 




Mr_Northside

Quote from: PAHighways on November 17, 2009, 04:53:02 PM
Quote from: PennDOTFan on November 04, 2009, 06:16:26 PM
Inline 5 section signals are rare (but not unheard of) in PA:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Iansignal/LocalRoadRelatedShots#5400390446871091250

There are four on the ring road around my mall (12/8/2005), one being an 8/8/8/12/12.

Outside of that, the only one I've seen on a state route was Clinton Street/PA 271 intersection in Johnstown.

There's a couple places around the Burgh where there are horizontal examples of those.  (East Ohio St. under 279 comes to mind)
I don't have opinions anymore. All I know is that no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything

thenetwork

The more and more I see photos of "unusual" or "old/vintage" traffic lights, the more and more I have to say that a good chunk of Ohio is a working museum of traffic lights.  There are a lot of areas in the Buckeye State that haven't full upgrades (changes in the last 20+ years) of their municipalities' traffic lights.

Like this one --CLICK-->  http://www.flickr.com/photos/virtual_freeway_tours/1329300813/in/set-72157601881946467/

I kinda wish I was still living there to take more shots of "vintage" or odd lights.

jjakucyk

Quote from: thenetwork on November 24, 2009, 06:41:08 PM
The more and more I see photos of "unusual" or "old/vintage" traffic lights, the more and more I have to say that a good chunk of Ohio is a working museum of traffic lights.

You got that right http://homepage.mac.com/jjakucyk/Transit1/lights/index.html

florida

Quote from: AARoads on November 12, 2009, 03:48:06 PM
This seems to be the standard in Kentucky, where the yellow lens utilizes a tunnel visor while all other lens use cut-away's. Its not unusual for Kentucky I suppose, but certainly takes some getting used to when entering from another state...

Plant City, FL has a couple of those.
So many roads...so little time.

Ian

Quote from: florida on November 29, 2009, 07:49:08 PM
Quote from: AARoads on November 12, 2009, 03:48:06 PM
This seems to be the standard in Kentucky, where the yellow lens utilizes a tunnel visor while all other lens use cut-away's. Its not unusual for Kentucky I suppose, but certainly takes some getting used to when entering from another state...

Plant City, FL has a couple of those.


Older Albany, NY 4-way signals had this configuration aswell.
UMaine graduate, former PennDOT employee, new SoCal resident.
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Ian

Here is a signal at the US 1/PA 320 SPUI in Springfield, PA with an odd bracket that are seen on older signals throughout the Philadelphia area...

UMaine graduate, former PennDOT employee, new SoCal resident.
Youtube l Flickr

Hellfighter




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