Traffic signal

[STLmapboy]

How does this make any sense?!
One of the tower PPLT signals is just a green ball, other is a green ball and arrow.

[jeffandnicole]

How does this make any sense?!
One of the tower PPLT signals is just a green ball, other is a green ball and arrow.

Could be a burned-out bulb, which illustrates why there should be at least 2 of every signal present.

[kphoger]

How does this make any sense?!
One of the tower PPLT signals is just a green ball, other is a green ball and arrow.

Could be a burned-out bulb, which illustrates why there should be at least 2 of every signal present.

Confirmed.  There was a green left-turn indication there three years ealier.

[SignBridge]

I drive thru that intersection regularly. I'm pretty sure that's just a burned out bulb, but I'll check it myself next time I'm on that road.

[JoePCool14]

I found this in Kingdom City MO today (traffic light ground-mount pole sticking right up out of asphalt with very small concrete base). Are there any more examples of traffic lights isolated in pavement?

I know it's off to the side, but that is still just a recipe for someone driving straight into that.

[Amtrakprod]

Can we just appreciate this signal in Culver City:

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0282404,-118.3902255,3a,15y,248.73h,98.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sxJMotbCmawc5WEqT3UDb4g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

This whole light is weird. Right turn FYA, signal pole coming from train line, horizontal signals.

[roadfro]

Can we just appreciate this signal in Culver City:

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0282404,-118.3902255,3a,15y,248.73h,98.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sxJMotbCmawc5WEqT3UDb4g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

This whole light is weird. Right turn FYA, signal pole coming from train line, horizontal signals.

All of that makes sense, except the single signal mounted to the train bridge structure. I've seen signals mounted to overhead structures many times, but it's usually all the signal heads for an approach and not just one signal. I'm actually surprised the went through the trouble instead of just putting it on the center post-mounted signal already in the median.

[Amtrakprod]

Can we just appreciate this signal in Culver City:

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0282404,-118.3902255,3a,15y,248.73h,98.07t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sxJMotbCmawc5WEqT3UDb4g!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

This whole light is weird. Right turn FYA, signal pole coming from train line, horizontal signals.

All of that makes sense, except the single signal mounted to the train bridge structure. I've seen signals mounted to overhead structures many times, but it's usually all the signal heads for an approach and not just one signal. I'm actually surprised the went through the trouble instead of just putting it on the center post-mounted signal already in the median.

Agreed haha. It does look good


iPhone

[SignBridge]

Probably the first time I've ever seen horizontal signals in California.

[Amtrakprod]

Probably the first time I've ever seen horizontal signals in California.

I thought the same thing.


iPhone

[paulthemapguy]

What is the point of the 3M's here?  The streets meet at a right angle and there are no turn lanes.  And what's the point of the second mast arm, below?  It isn't connected to the upper mast arm in a truss arm fashion.  What is happening, Minneapolis?

https://goo.gl/maps/gwz9UmWcfdCR5ffw8

[fwydriver405]

I'm hoping Maine doesn't fall into the same trap that WSDOT sort of fell into, by installing dozens of protected lefts, only to then rip them out later when it becomes clear that the policy has no clear basis in reality. At least when looking at all left turns as a whole (you could cherry pick data easily enough).

It has already happened at some locations statewide.

Take this example in Bangor at I-95 at Route 222. When the intersection and bridge was being rebuilt a few years ago, the new signals were initially installed with a protected-only left turn (2016). However, sometime later between 2016-18, it was changed to a protected/permissive left (no FYA?) not too long ago. Wonder why that was the case...

Two more examples include:

- Franklin and Commercial St in Portland (old, current), though that was initally installed as a protected only left across one through lane, and it was converted to a PPLT in 2018.
- Route 111 at Route 208 in Biddeford (old, current), again, crossing only one thru lane but PPLT was only added on the Route 208 approaches.

[JoePCool14]

What is the point of the 3M's here?  The streets meet at a right angle and there are no turn lanes.  And what's the point of the second mast arm, below?  It isn't connected to the upper mast arm in a truss arm fashion.  What is happening, Minneapolis?

https://goo.gl/maps/gwz9UmWcfdCR5ffw8

Spare part they had in their truck when completing the installation?

Honestly though, no idea why that's needed there. Not only do I dislike the extra, useless arm, I also really dislike the mismatched paint jobs on all the signal equipment. The overhead arms look nice painted in that dark brown, but the ground-mounted signals are in the Minnesota pale yellow with green bases.

I'm really not a fan of Minnesota's signals for the color schemes alone.

[Amtrakprod]

Filmed this train activated traffic light in NY last week.

Activation:
https://youtu.be/XhAC2sMNFHE
Deactivation:

https://youtu.be/Hg-ZJQh2t3o

And another clip:

https://youtu.be/iwAbI-SI9L4

iPhone

[STLmapboy]

What is the point of the 3M's here?  The streets meet at a right angle and there are no turn lanes.  And what's the point of the second mast arm, below?  It isn't connected to the upper mast arm in a truss arm fashion.  What is happening, Minneapolis?

https://goo.gl/maps/gwz9UmWcfdCR5ffw8

Spare part they had in their truck when completing the installation?

Honestly though, no idea why that's needed there. Not only do I dislike the extra, useless arm, I also really dislike the mismatched paint jobs on all the signal equipment. The overhead arms look nice painted in that dark brown, but the ground-mounted signals are in the Minnesota pale yellow with green bases.

I'm really not a fan of Minnesota's signals for the color schemes alone.

For some reason I've always liked MN and ND signals.

[STLmapboy]

You've seen double red left turn arrows but have you seen double green?

[Old Dominionite]

The signal in Culver City, CA, reminded me of this signal in Brawley, CA, at the corner of old SR 78 and SR 111.

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.9786757,-115.5304394,3a,51.4y,279.55h,98.06t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sX-uDJkTm3wFkpideBn2LPg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[Amtrakprod]

You've seen double red left turn arrows but have you seen double green?

I feel like it used to be a 5 section PPTL signal.

[jakeroot]

I'm hoping Maine doesn't fall into the same trap that WSDOT sort of fell into, by installing dozens of protected lefts, only to then rip them out later when it becomes clear that the policy has no clear basis in reality. At least when looking at all left turns as a whole (you could cherry pick data easily enough).

It has already happened at some locations statewide.

Take this example in Bangor at I-95 at Route 222. When the intersection and bridge was being rebuilt a few years ago, the new signals were initially installed with a protected-only left turn (2016). However, sometime later between 2016-18, it was changed to a protected/permissive left (no FYA?) not too long ago. Wonder why that was the case...

Two more examples include:

- Franklin and Commercial St in Portland (old, current), though that was initally installed as a protected only left across one through lane, and it was converted to a PPLT in 2018.
- Route 111 at Route 208 in Biddeford (old, current), again, crossing only one thru lane but PPLT was only added on the Route 208 approaches.

Reminds me a lot of some signals I see in Oregon or Washington. Two lane approaches where one is a left turn...all protected. Great example in Downtown Yelm, WA. And we wonder why they're building a Yelm Bypass...smh.

Luckily, these have become a lot less common. Great example is quite a few intersections along WA-9 in Snohomish County. The highway is primarily a 55 mph rural highway, so it warranted protected lefts, but the left turns were backing up into the through lanes and causing not just serious congestion, but some pretty hideous crashes where people would accidentally clip each other. So the left turns were changed to flashing yellow arrows (before, after). This change seems to have made WSDOT more comfortable with permissive lefts than they had been in the past, as I'm seeing more and more.

[paulthemapguy]

Pretty sure the sideways-mounted signal head on the mast arm was meant for the westbound approach, not the northbound approach.  https://goo.gl/maps/njUAh7SwsPmqyYMw6

[Rick1962]

You've seen double red left turn arrows but have you seen double green?

There used to be four I know of in Oklahoma, all ODOT installations from the 1960s.

US-75 and 6th Street in Okmulgee, and NW 39th & College in Bethany had 8" R-Y with two 12" green arrows.

32nd & Broadway and 32nd & Okmulgee in Muskoee had vertical 8" R-Y-G with twin 12" horizontal green arrows(!).

SM-T580

[jakeroot]

Pretty sure the sideways-mounted signal head on the mast arm was meant for the westbound approach, not the northbound approach.  https://goo.gl/maps/njUAh7SwsPmqyYMw6

Looks like it would be useful for that approach too. Still, I'd put it on the other approach first before this. THEN AGAIN, the extra signal heads on the corner make me wonder if horizontal signals are really that helpful here at all.

[wanderer2575]

Two interesting signals near me.

(1)  Southbound Halsted Road at Grand River Avenue in Farmington Hills, MI.  One left turn lane, two right turn lanes.  All traffic must turn (there's even a sign fixture on the signal wire).  Left turn signal is red-yellow-green left arrow.  But the right turn signals are red-yellow-green ball-green right arrow.  During the advance right turn phase, both right signals display a red ball and the right green arrow, even though GOING STRAIGHT THRU IS NOT AN OPTION.
https://goo.gl/maps/8bgwULuTw3XDPGU89

(2)  I-696 ramps to Orchard Lake Road, again in Farmington Hills.  Two left turn lanes, two right turn lanes.  The right turn signals have lighted RIGHT fixtures and green right arrows, but the left turn signals have only green balls.
https://goo.gl/maps/uuwyYevYGT3ULpBBA

[jakeroot]

(1)  Southbound Halsted Road at Grand River Avenue in Farmington Hills, MI.  One left turn lane, two right turn lanes.  All traffic must turn (there's even a sign fixture on the signal wire).  Left turn signal is red-yellow-green left arrow.  But the right turn signals are red-yellow-green ball-green right arrow.  During the advance right turn phase, both right signals display a red ball and the right green arrow, even though GOING STRAIGHT THRU IS NOT AN OPTION.
https://goo.gl/maps/8bgwULuTw3XDPGU89

Has the signal changed from an earlier design? This GSV screenshot from only a year prior shows a green arrow in the second-to-bottom lens.

Based on the arrangement of the lanes and the movements here, all-arrow displays would seem to be appropriate for this approach unless the plan is to add a crosswalk across the right turn. In which case the green orb would need to be used to tell the double right turn to yield to pedestrians.

[STLmapboy]

Encountered this in McKeesport, PA. Any idea what it does?