I'm very stressed out about signal related stuff

[traffic light guy]

For those of you who know the mistakes I've made in the past, It's my fault, and we're moving on. I'm just really stressed out about how a lot of my favorite setups are getting replaced, and I fear that EVERYTHING old will be gone by the time i'm an adult. I'm at the age where I can finally drive, but not yet old enough to be on my own. A lot of the good stuff is driving distance only. When a few crew members here told me about old equipment, most of it was in the outer reaches of the Philadelphia area. It's good that they're close by and all, but those are places that my folks would never drive by. My parents wouldn't waste time driving me a few miles, just to take a traffic light picture. All the goodies in Pottstown are already gone. (My folks never drive me there anyways)  And wish me luck getting pictures of those art decos in chester county, they'll be toast within a few years. I fear that when I'm an adult, there will be nothing interesting to put on my Flickr, just but miles and miles of bland McCain signals. I just wanna at least get pictures of the old signals before they're gone. That's all I want. Eventually it's gonna reach a point where I'm gonna have to travel to other states in order to see the good stuff. There's a reason why the content on my Flickr is pretty bland compared to other signal enthusiasts on that site.

[kphoger]

I'm just really stressed out about how a lot of my favorite setups are getting replaced

This definitely falls into the "no big deal" category.  Older stuff always gets replaced with newer stuff.  It's the way the world works.  In 30 years, you'll be calling today's installations "old".  But, seriously, almost 100% of life is more worth stressing out than stoplight replacement.

[AsphaltPlanet]

Jeez... I thought I had problems.

[traffic light guy]

Yes, I know it's a dumb thing to get upset over. I'm not depressed about it, just really anxious. And today's installs won't be "old" in 30 years, traffic lights will be gone, and replaced by self driving-vehicles.

[kphoger]

Yes, I know it's a dumb thing to get upset over. I'm not depressed about it, just really anxious.

"Really anxious" is also going overboard.  If you're really exhibiting symptoms of anxiety over this, then maybe you need to seek attention.

And today's installs won't be "old" in 30 years, traffic lights will be gone, and replaced by self driving-vehicles.

Oh, really.  You think the cars being sold today (and over the next several years) will have completely disappeared from the streets within 30 years?  Because, until nobody is even allowed to drive their own car, there will still be a need for traffic control.

[Max Rockatansky]

Always could pick up some of your favorite signals on eBay?  If they are getting yanked now they'll probably at their minimal worth in the hands of scrap guys.  But damn, I remember being mildly miffed about US 27 being decommissioned in Michigan around your age, nothing like that opening statement. You might want to whoa this down a couple notches. 

[Scott5114]

It's good that they're close by and all, but those are places that my folks would never drive by. My parents wouldn't waste time driving me a few miles, just to take a traffic light picture.

Age: 16

I see a potential solution you could work toward.

[formulanone]

That's how the world works: the world around us constantly changes, nothing stays the same forever, old gets replaced by new, and that's how it goes...for everything.

Move on, or a layer of dust will cover you up, too.

Don't get too hung up on nostalgia.

Don't worry about "missing out".

They're just traffic signals. Or roads. Or signs. Or maps. They're objects, and they don't care what you think.

You're actually worried (at 16) about what kinds of photos you'll take in the future? There's a whole lot more to life than a singular hobby.

[adventurernumber1]

I hate to see you in pain like that. I know all too well what stress, anxiety, and all that stuff feels like.   


I'm not the best at this kind of advice, but if I had any suggestions, I would say maybe you could try to do some sort of work for your parents (chores, huge favors, manual labor, making something, something of that sort) in exchange for them giving you the opportunity to see and heavily document (photograph, video, or whatever it is you would like to do) those traffic signals that may be getting replaced soon. I remember when I was younger, I would often do big things for my parents in exchange for money and stuff - my most vivid memory of this sort of thing was lifting a large amount of huge stones (probably at least 50) into my grandfather's old box truck in order to haul it to our own house and use it as landscaping decoration in our yard, and I helped with that as well - so in return my dad gave me $50 or $60 and with that, I bought a video game - Mario Kart Wii to be specific (in 2011). I'm not saying you should lift stones necessarily, but you get the point, that I'm guessing it may be possible that if you do something huge for your parents or such, they may return the favor and get you to the traffic signals.


I feel your pain as well, so I know how you feel. It is saddening to see old, very interesting road-related stuff go away in the new age, such as state-name Interstate shields, truss bridges, button copy, and the sort. Change is a part of life, but change can be hard. But we all got to do what we can to roll with it. 

[Scott5114]

I'm not the best at this kind of advice, but if I had any suggestions, I would say maybe you could try to do some sort of work for your parents (chores, huge favors, manual labor, making something, something of that sort) in exchange for them giving you the opportunity to see and heavily document (photograph, video, or whatever it is you would like to do) those traffic signals that may be getting replaced soon.

That's a circuitous way of going about it. 16 is the age at which most restrictions on employment drop off, and therefore the minimum age most people can get a real, W2-producing job. After I got my license at 16, I went to work at Burger King for $5.15 an hour. This justified my use of one of the cars (my parents were able to set one aside for my use) and I was able to use my wages to pay for the gas. Since I already had use of the car and the means to pay for it, there was nothing stopping me from clinching state highways and snapping photographs on my days off.

[adventurernumber1]

I'm not the best at this kind of advice, but if I had any suggestions, I would say maybe you could try to do some sort of work for your parents (chores, huge favors, manual labor, making something, something of that sort) in exchange for them giving you the opportunity to see and heavily document (photograph, video, or whatever it is you would like to do) those traffic signals that may be getting replaced soon.

That's a circuitous way of going about it. 16 is the age at which most restrictions on employment drop off, and therefore the minimum age most people can get a real, W2-producing job. After I got my license at 16, I went to work at Burger King for $5.15 an hour. This justified my use of one of the cars (my parents were able to set one aside for my use) and I was able to use my wages to pay for the gas. Since I already had use of the car and the means to pay for it, there was nothing stopping me from clinching state highways and snapping photographs on my days off.

That is a good point. I guess I'm just presuming that, despite his age (16), it is sounding like the OP currently has no access to neither a car nor a job, and that his parents were, for the time being, the only way he could access these traffic signals. But if he does get a car and/or job, that would definitely help in the quest to see and document these traffic signals before they are gone.

[jakeroot]

I think I have the opposite problem. It really bothers me when agencies don't keep their inventory up to date. But that's more the result of me being a traffic control geek, than a signal geek. I suppose if I was a signal geek, I would be similar position. Though more annoyed with the state of things, than anxious.

[vdeane]

It's also worth noting that due to graduated licensing laws, it may not be possible for him to drive to somewhere other than work even with a licence until he's older.

[Hurricane Rex]

Yes, I know it's a dumb thing to get upset over. I'm not depressed about it, just really anxious. And today's installs won't be "old" in 30 years, traffic lights will be gone, and replaced by self driving-vehicles.

Look, I'm upset that Oregon is replacing its Speed xx signs with Speed Limit xx. We all have dumb things we worry or have worried about.

[Scott5114]

It's also worth noting that due to graduated licensing laws, it may not be possible for him to drive to somewhere other than work even with a licence until he's older.

True, but starting now means you can get savings in the bank for later roadgeeking trips.

Plus, once I got my learner permit and my license I was able to sucker Mom into going with me on roadgeek expeditions. "I need driving practice" turned into clinching SH-24, then when she was fine with that, it turned into longer routes like SH-74. By the time I got my license, we'd clinched I-27 and I had her taking shield photos for me while I drove. Then again, my mom's always been pretty cool like that.

Point being, though, that rather than sitting there stressing about it, it's possible to take actual, concrete steps toward being able to influence the situation. That, to me, has always been a more attractive outlet than wringing my hands about it on the Internet. But maybe that's just me.

[tradephoric]

Just visit the Henry Ford Museum.  The nation's first three-color four-way traffic light is hanging there for all to see.

[paulthemapguy]

It's reasons like the OP's strife that have gotten me wondering if we ought to pull a bunch of data together in the form of traffic signal photos.  If we document the signal designs of today, we can show future generations how things have changed.  Plus, each state's nuances in signal installations are often one of the most distinguishing features that I use to identify what state I'm in.  Roadfans seem to be particularly data-oriented folks.  That's one of the reasons I thought the 1-2-3 sign challenge was a good idea; we're the type of people who like to list things, count them, and do them to completion.  And with our powers combined, we can assembly a body of knowledge from what roadfans all over the country/continent/world have seen and implemented in the field.  I'm saying that here because I think we can accomplish something with respect to signals, namely showing our findings in the world of signals--different states/cities of origin, common applications, each jurisdiction's approach to permitted left turns, protected-permit left turns, etc.  We all have quirks and stuff we prefer or dislike.  If we get examples of as many applications as possible, we can help everyone who's seeking out content depicting what they like.

[SectorZ]

Yes, I know it's a dumb thing to get upset over. I'm not depressed about it, just really anxious.

"Really anxious" is also going overboard.  If you're really exhibiting symptoms of anxiety over this, then maybe you need to seek attention.

Well he comes here to complain about other forums, he may as well come here for medical advice, too.

[traffic light guy]

There's a set of old 70s-era 12" flatback doghouse traffic signals in Lower Merion, I'm scared that they're gonna get replaced before I get pictures.

[hotdogPi]

There's a set of old 70s-era 12" flatback doghouse traffic signals in Lower Merion, I'm scared that they're gonna get replaced before I get pictures.

Can you get there via SEPTA?

[Brandon]

Just visit the Henry Ford Museum.  The nation's first three-color four-way traffic light is hanging there for all to see.

Yep, invented by Inspector William L. Potts of the Detroit Police Department.
http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2011/ph240/miller1/docs/moyer/

[jemacedo9]

There's a set of old 70s-era 12" flatback doghouse traffic signals in Lower Merion, I'm scared that they're gonna get replaced before I get pictures.

Where?  For one-off photos, maybe one of us could snap a photo for you if we're in the area. I find myself in Lower Merion once a month or so. 

[briantroutman]

There's a set of old 70s-era 12" flatback doghouse traffic signals in Lower Merion, I'm scared that they're gonna get replaced before I get pictures.

Can you get there via SEPTA?

Probably. I don't know the specific location the poster is talking about, but Lower Merion Township is the municipality that encompasses the "towns"  of Wynnewood, Haverford, Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, and Rosemont, all of which are on the Paoli/Thorndale regional rail line (former R5) as well as Bala Cynwyd, which is the terminus of the Cynwyd line (R6).

[traffic light guy]

There's a set of old 70s-era 12" flatback doghouse traffic signals in Lower Merion, I'm scared that they're gonna get replaced before I get pictures.

Where?  For one-off photos, maybe one of us could snap a photo for you if we're in the area. I find myself in Lower Merion once a month or so.

The first one is at East Levering Road/Belmont Avenue

There's another one at Conshonken State Road & Rock Hill Road

[TheArkansasRoadgeek]

So, are we suggesting the forum host user photos?