Traffic signal

[roadman65]

I usually have issues pasting a photo here when using my phone. I think I figured it out.

Yes don't use my phone as it won't post pics for whatever reason.

[PColumbus73]

While taking this, it's by law to be treated as four way stop intersection. However, many do not do so.

It's alarming to me how many don't realize the law (in most states, at least) requires stopping at a dark signal. Back in WA, I recall most drivers stopping, but I'm sure some places are worse than others.

Of course, HAWKs (even though they are "beacons") do nothing to remind people of that.

A more common school of thought - albeit against the intention of the law - is that when one roadway is clearly the main roadway, they will get priority and keep moving, and the side street is expected to stop and proceed when safe.

In some cases I've seen around here where there has been an intersection out (and this works easier when there's some sort of median), police will place cones in the center of the intersection forcing the secondary road traffic to turn right, and the main road will intentionally keep moving thru the darkened signal.  Is it proper?  No.  Does it prevent a ridiculously large backup on the primary road, especially during rush hours?  Yes.

I know the law is to stop when a signal is out, but on a major road or a divided highway with traffic that isn't stopping, I feel like I'm putting myself at risk of being rear-ended if I try to stop.

Conversely, I see more people trying to stop when the light is flashing yellow.

[CJResotko]

I recently discovered the existence of these "Detector Activated When Lit" beacons throughout Worthington, Ohio! They have an indication that displays a car, and they turn on whenever the sensors in the road detect that a vehicle has stopped at the intersection.

[pderocco]

That seems pretty pointless. Inductive vehicle detectors have been around for the better part of a century, and everyone is aware they exist. The sensors are usually visible as circular or rectangular cuts in the pavement several feet across. If you stop within a couple feet of the stop line, you're on the sensor, so I don't see any reason to spend all that money just to tell drivers that they're on the sensor.

[jeffandnicole]

That seems pretty pointless. Inductive vehicle detectors have been around for the better part of a century, and everyone is aware they exist. The sensors are usually visible as circular or rectangular cuts in the pavement several feet across. If you stop within a couple feet of the stop line, you're on the sensor, so I don't see any reason to spend all that money just to tell drivers that they're on the sensor.

You would be surprised at the number of people that don't realize there are detectors. A while back we had a large, often congested intersection that the state wanted to convert to an overpass. A small number of people formed a small group, telling the state the best way to fix the problem was to use a "new technology" where sensors can be placed in the ground to detect traffic.  Being these detectors have been used at the intersection for several decades, that obviously wasn't going to solve the issue at hand. The state went with the overpass idea.

Newer detectors aren't in the ground, but are optical detectors. Many think these are video cameras or red light cameras.

[hotdogPi]

There are also times when the detector doesn't work because the car is too far forward or too far back or the detector is simply broken. Also, bicycles sometimes have their own detectors, and it's harder to tell if it detects you if you're on a bicycle.

[Big John]

^^ and some agencies such as WisDOT will bury them during road construction so no one can see them.

[wanderer2575]

^ ^  Or, on the flip side, sometimes the pavement sensor loops are cut or removed during roadwork and are not repaired.  There are a few signals near me that trigger a maximum-length green light phase for the U-turn or minor crossroad every cycle because a broken sensor tells the signal controller there is constant traffic there.

[roadfro]

Watched the video and saw that there are several different types and symbol styles in use. Probably a couple MUTCD violations there for not having an approved symbol as well as for the majority that use the color red (either as the background or the color of the symbol, which could be misconstrued as a signal indication).

Interestingly, many of these shown in the video are newer installations, and are in use at intersections with video detection.

But I agree with others that this seems pretty pointless. Although I could see potential application for bikeways and other non-vehicular detection situations where it's not always apparent that the road user has been detected and/or as a means to discourage crossing early. A similar concept currently exists with some pedestrian push buttons, usually the newer ones with speech instructions—once you press the button and hear "wait", a red LED illuminates over the button that indicates the pedestrian call request is active.

[plain]

Someone should probably tell Petersburg that these signals are hanging a little too low... Looks like the bottom of the backplates have been getting struck

https://maps.app.goo.gl/cc8yvW2Dd8jTf2jEA?g_st=ac

[roadman65]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/FhUZd3ExEFZZ6Ae27
Isn't there supposed to be a straight continuous arrow for the through lane here?

I always though continuous green is to have a one section arrow to denote it never changes orientation.

[freebrickproductions]

Given that there's a pair of 3Ms for the turn-lane, I suspect they're masked to limit any potential confusion for approaching drivers. Given the median, it seems plenty clear to me that the thru lane ain't gonna need to stop.

[thenetwork]

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/12FBGnS62tN/

[paulthemapguy]

A peculiar arrangement of signal heads on a mast arm in Grand Island, Nebraska.


NE-US34-US281NW by Paul Across America, on Flickr

[roadman65]

A peculiar arrangement of signal heads on a mast arm in Grand Island, Nebraska.


NE-US34-US281NW by Paul Across America, on Flickr

Not to mention pieces missing out of the backplates like something was hungry and ingested the pieces.

[Big John]

A peculiar arrangement of signal heads on a mast arm in Grand Island, Nebraska.


NE-US34-US281NW by Paul Across America, on Flickr

Not to mention pieces missing out of the backplates like something was hungry and ingested the pieces.

I thought that was Colorado or West Virginia style.

[plain]

A peculiar arrangement of signal heads on a mast arm in Grand Island, Nebraska.


NE-US34-US281NW by Paul Across America, on Flickr

All of a sudden I want to play Tetris.

[jakeroot]

A peculiar arrangement of signal heads on a mast arm in Grand Island, Nebraska.


NE-US34-US281NW by Paul Across America, on Flickr

Not to mention pieces missing out of the backplates like something was hungry and ingested the pieces.

I thought that was Colorado or West Virginia style.

Colorado and West Virginia do use that "side by side" arrangement without a centered red orb, but I don't know if it's normal to have the backplate cut out like it is. I do personally prefer it like that, though.

Cut-out backplates do look odd to me with traditional doghouse 5-section signals, because it's only a small part on each side that's cut out. Example here.

[PColumbus73]

A peculiar arrangement of signal heads on a mast arm in Grand Island, Nebraska.


NE-US34-US281NW by Paul Across America, on Flickr

Not to mention pieces missing out of the backplates like something was hungry and ingested the pieces.

I thought that was Colorado or West Virginia style.

Colorado and West Virginia do use that "side by side" arrangement without a centered red orb, but I don't know if it's normal to have the backplate cut out like it is. I do personally prefer it like that, though.

Cut-out backplates do look odd to me with traditional doghouse 5-section signals, because it's only a small part on each side that's cut out. Example here.

I've seen a couple of those set-ups while looking around on Streetview. It doesn't make much sense to have some vertical and some horizontal. If they're concerned about windloads or tornadoes, why don't they have the 5-sections horizontal as well?

[thenetwork]

A peculiar arrangement of signal heads on a mast arm in Grand Island, Nebraska.


NE-US34-US281NW by Paul Across America, on Flickr

Not to mention pieces missing out of the backplates like something was hungry and ingested the pieces.

I thought that was Colorado or West Virginia style.

Colorado and West Virginia do use that "side by side" arrangement without a centered red orb, but I don't know if it's normal to have the backplate cut out like it is. I do personally prefer it like that, though.

Cut-out backplates do look odd to me with traditional doghouse 5-section signals, because it's only a small part on each side that's cut out. Example here.

I've seen a couple of those set-ups while looking around on Streetview. It doesn't make much sense to have some vertical and some horizontal. If they're concerned about windloads or tornadoes, why don't they have the 5-sections horizontal as well?

I call them the Utah/Reverse Utah signals/backplates.

[Big John]

^^ I thought Utah didn't use backplates on the doghouse signals.

[US 89]

^^ I thought Utah didn't use backplates on the doghouse signals.

The outline of the right turn version looks like Utah...

[epzik8]

Baltimore

[mrsman]

Here is an interesting capture in Inglewood, CA where La Brea meets Market:

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9572907,-118.3526415,3a,19y,138.8h,88.16t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sTndEeKmJKQ3R33Cbt3Z3nQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D1.8414517284660832%26panoid%3DTndEeKmJKQ3R33Cbt3Z3nQ%26yaw%3D138.79517544088807!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MTIxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Yellow ball and yellow left arrow at the same time as a green right arrow.

What is really interesting is the light placement on the right signal of the mast arm.  You have: Read arrow, Yellow arrow, Green arrow, Yellow ball, and green ball.  At this capture, you have the green arrow illuminated over the yellow ball and it is not standard.

The near side 5 aspect vertical stack is the more standard: RYG,YA,GA that would've worked just as well here.

[chrisg69911]

Found this in a youtube video, not one signal is similar to the other. From left to right there's flashing yellow u-turn, solid green, slight left arrow, right turn arrow, and bike signal. There's also a bus signal (?) on another approach, you can see it in the video. This intersection could be made simpler too by eliminating Elm St in between Dover and Day and make any traffic going straight use College
https://maps.app.goo.gl/wDS5RZZA2ZvsAd869
https://youtu.be/43uZvgaSp0g?si=qaGdMspJWu-Rd-qQ