One-aspect traffic lights (aka "perpetual green light")

[jp the roadgeek]

There were these on CT 10 in Plainville up until a couple years ago (shown here in October of 2020; they were gone soon after).  The mast arm ones that replaced them are traditional signals, but they never turn red because there is no left turn from the street on the left.  They will blink yellow late at night though.

[jakeroot]

MN 62 at I-35E in Mendota Heights https://www.google.com/maps/@44.8838433,-93.141486,3a,37.5y,255.49h,98.55t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1svQoPnj94HaIAZ-gufSQ-1Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

You are also obligated to post this in the Double left turns with permissive phasing thread.


(although I already did to save you the time)

[SeriesE]

Northbound Jamboree Road at I-405 in Irvine, CA

[jakeroot]

Northbound Jamboree Road at I-405 in Irvine, CA

Very cool example, I've seen these used for partial cloverleaf A4 interchanges before, but always for the first right turn. Not sure I've ever seen one for the loop on the far side of the interchange!

Also, I think this is the first I've seen with all three corners covered (overhead, near right, far right) for the perpetual green arrow. In true CA fashion, of course.

[STLmapboy]

Perpetual green left turn arrow in Miami.
There are actually three of these in total around Dolphin Mall.

[LilianaUwU]

Perpetual green left turn arrow in Miami.
There are actually three of these in total around Dolphin Mall.

Off-topic, but why is the "Do not stop" sign in Spanish more wordy? Also, why is there one to begin with? Is there a significant Spanish population there?

[jakeroot]

Perpetual green left turn arrow in Miami.
There are actually three of these in total around Dolphin Mall.

Off-topic, but why is the "Do not stop" sign in Spanish more wordy? Also, why is there one to begin with? Is there a significant Spanish population there?

Spanish is huge in Miami, well over half the people speak it. Many of those don't even speak English. From what I can find, only about a quarter of people from Miami speak only English.

Miami has been a huge immigration point for people from many Spanish-speaking countries, particularly Cuba.

[andrepoiy]

Perpetual green left turn arrow in Miami.
There are actually three of these in total around Dolphin Mall.

Off-topic, but why is the "Do not stop" sign in Spanish more wordy? Also, why is there one to begin with? Is there a significant Spanish population there?

I don't know Spanish, but based on my knowledge of French and very minimal Spanish vocab, I'm guessing it says something like "Do not stop you have the right of way".

"No Pare" - No stop, pare comes from prior knowledge
"Usted" - from prior knowledge, "you"
"Tiene" - Close enough to the French word, tenir, which means "hold"
"Via Libre" - Again from French, via sounds close enough to "voie" which means lane, and libre in French means "free". So "free lane", in this context, I would assume would mean something like "right of way?"

I'm just guessing haha

[Scott5114]

"tiene" indeed means "you have/he/she has". (The infinitive form is tener; it's an irregular verb.)

[US 89]

I don't know Spanish, but based on my knowledge of French and very minimal Spanish vocab, I'm guessing it says something like "Do not stop you have the right of way".

I know enough Spanish from back in high school to know that's exactly what that is. (Well technically, via libre is "free way", but it's pretty clear what that means.)

[kphoger]

The makers of that sign should probably have used an editor...

In Mexico, "right of way" is treated on road signs as "preferencia" (preference).  For example, I've seen [PREFENCIA] placards below roundabout warning signs to indicate that traffic in the roundabout has right of way, and I've seen [PREFERENCIA AL PEATON] signs at crosswalks.  I don't believe any such sign is actually in the SCT manual, but they're somewhat common in the field.

More generally, I believe there's also the term "derecho de paso" (right of way).  This meaning of the word "paso" is similar to how saying "Pase" or "Pásele" roughly translates as "Go ahead".

I've never seen any use of the term "vía libre" to mean "right of way".  The phrase certainly never appears in the SCT manual, although I've never looked at Cuba's manual.

[JoePCool14]

Michigan's version with a flashing yellow arrow is pretty cool, if it's a thing. That would actually allow for a crosswalk.

Here's one I know of in the small town of Bellaire, MI on M-88.
https://goo.gl/maps/dxzFmJLd2Q4djU3P7

You'll have to move around a bit, but that is indeed a yellow flashing arrow with a traditional MDOT lit-up RIGHT sign. I always thought it was pretty slick.

EDIT: There's also a flashing yellow ball for traffic approaching from the north. The other three sides all have flashing red with the stop sign.

[JKRhodes]

I recall only seeing one one ever in the State of Arizona, in Payson at the intersection of SR 87 and SR 260 for the channelized N-E right turn. It was replaced a three aspect signal head sometime after 2011 presumably to avoid legal issues with the pedestrian crossing in the middle of the turn:

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.2401606,-111.3229391,3a,41.2y,19.49h,88.61t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1smL72oKOBUb98p0E_vFC9cg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

In Arizona it's typical to treat an unrestricted movement at a pelican crossing as follows:

with a three aspect head when pedestrian crossing or a future continuation of the terminating side street:
https://www.google.com/maps/@32.1341042,-110.7727893,3a,19.3y,164.8h,89.56t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sQ1Msfeu72b0OfBlmrxskpw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

Or with no signal heads at all when there's no pedestrian traffic and a permanently terminating side street:
https://goo.gl/maps/aYVJG2XCwEDCYokG6

[jakeroot]

Michigan's version with a flashing yellow arrow is pretty cool, if it's a thing. That would actually allow for a crosswalk.

Here's one I know of in the small town of Bellaire, MI on M-88.
https://goo.gl/maps/dxzFmJLd2Q4djU3P7

You'll have to move around a bit, but that is indeed a yellow flashing arrow with a traditional MDOT lit-up RIGHT sign. I always thought it was pretty slick.

EDIT: There's also a flashing yellow ball for traffic approaching from the north. The other three sides all have flashing red with the stop sign.

Definitely very cool. Interesting to see only a single overhead stop sign, not sure it's MUTCD kosher but I don't see anything wrong with it. Better than the Aberdeen example without any stop sign, just the flasher (which really should be enough but I don't think, per the manual, it actually is...then again, not sure having a signalized turn at a stop-controlled intersection is MUTCD kosher either ... IDK).

[SeriesE]

Northbound Jamboree Road at I-405 in Irvine, CA

Very cool example, I've seen these used for partial cloverleaf A4 interchanges before, but always for the first right turn. Not sure I've ever seen one for the loop on the far side of the interchange!

Also, I think this is the first I've seen with all three corners covered (overhead, near right, far right) for the perpetual green arrow. In true CA fashion, of course.

Here's another two nearby but with concrete dividers between the exit lane and the through lanes:
Northbound Harbor Blvd at I-405 in Costa Mesa, CA
Southbound Harbor Blvd at I-405 in Costa Mesa, CA

I think this is actually a pretty smart way to design Parclo A4s because there's no point for traffic entering the freeway to stop at a stoplight when they are on the right most lane anyway.

Edit: fixed Harbor Blvd link

[jakeroot]

Northbound Jamboree Road at I-405 in Irvine, CA

Very cool example, I've seen these used for partial cloverleaf A4 interchanges before, but always for the first right turn. Not sure I've ever seen one for the loop on the far side of the interchange!

Also, I think this is the first I've seen with all three corners covered (overhead, near right, far right) for the perpetual green arrow. In true CA fashion, of course.

Here's another two nearby but with concrete dividers between the exit lane and the through lanes:
Northbound Harbor Blvd at I-405 in Costa Mesa, CA
Southbound Harbor Blvd at I-405 in Costa Mesa, CA

I think this is actually a pretty smart way to design Parclo A4s because there's no point for traffic entering the freeway to stop at a stoplight when they are on the right most lane anyway.

(fixed the first link -- it was a duplicate of the Jamboree/405 link)

It's definitely pretty smart. The only real issue I see is the potential for traffic to stay right through the continuous green arrow, and then slide over into the straight-on lanes, basically skipping the signals. It's physically impossible with the Costa Mesa A4 given the concrete barrier, but it's at least physically possible at the Irvine example as there is nothing but mere lines preventing someone from just slipping into the straight-on lanes.

Another good A4 design is to simply have the off-ramp come in as its own lane on the left. Example near me in Surrey, BC. This effectively permits all traffic to keep moving, although it is physically quite difficult for situations where there are multiple turn lanes from the off-ramp.

Slightly off-topic: that Costa Mesa A4 is an example of how, when the signals on the right side of the road somehow don't match those on the left side (or through lanes), you can end up having approaches with only overhead signals, something that is extremely unusual in California. The Irvine example did it right, by having the supplemental through signal on the far left corner, but that Costa Mesa A4 has no supplemental signals for through traffic. Although I don't know the exact rule, CA is quite strict when it comes to providing supplemental signals for each unique movement. In other words, best I understand it, the continuous movement and the through/straight-on movement would be considered two separate movements and both would require their own supplemental signals. Oddly, northbound Harbor used to have a supplemental signal in the median, but it was removed a while ago.

[Scott5114]

The makers of that sign should probably have used an editor...

In Mexico, "right of way" is treated on road signs as "preferencia" (preference).  For example, I've seen [PREFENCIA] placards below roundabout warning signs to indicate that traffic in the roundabout has right of way, and I've seen [PREFERENCIA AL PEATON] signs at crosswalks.

That sounds pretty good for Al Peaton, whoever he is...

[KEK Inc.]

Here's one in Seattle where it even has a yellow and red signal (that is never used).

[kphoger]

The only real issue I see is the potential for traffic to stay right through the continuous green arrow, and then slide over into the straight-on lanes, basically skipping the signals.

Sounds to me like a feature, not a bug.   

[SeriesE]

The only real issue I see is the potential for traffic to stay right through the continuous green arrow, and then slide over into the straight-on lanes, basically skipping the signals.

Oddly enough, for the times I have driven there, the opposite happens more often. People wait at the signal and then cut over after the signal.

[Mr. Matté]

Here's a new one from Jersey installed in conjunction with the opening of the new Wittpenn last October from US 1/9 Truck north onto NJ 7 west. The road to the right has the full signals due to the pedestrian crossing.

[NoGoodNamesAvailable]

Here's a new one from Jersey installed in conjunction with the opening of the new Wittpenn last October from US 1/9 Truck north onto NJ 7 west. The road to the right has the full signals due to the pedestrian crossing.

There's no way that place meets a pedestrian signal warrant. For some reason the designers decide to keep the signal just because it was there before so let's keep it. Stupid.

[rickmastfan67]

Florida seems to have decided to remove those continuous green type intersections statewide, there are some I remember in Jacksonville from the early 2010s that are not that way anymore according to GSV.

There's still at least 3 in Jacksonville along US-17 per StreetView.
US-17 (North Main Street)/Baisden Road (March '21)
US-17 (North Main Street)/Imeson Park Blvd (February '22)
US-17 (North Main Street)/Zoo Pkwy (January '22)

[roadfro]

Northbound Jamboree Road at I-405 in Irvine, CA

Very cool example, I've seen these used for partial cloverleaf A4 interchanges before, but always for the first right turn. Not sure I've ever seen one for the loop on the far side of the interchange!

Also, I think this is the first I've seen with all three corners covered (overhead, near right, far right) for the perpetual green arrow. In true CA fashion, of course.

Here's another two nearby but with concrete dividers between the exit lane and the through lanes:
Northbound Harbor Blvd at I-405 in Costa Mesa, CA
Southbound Harbor Blvd at I-405 in Costa Mesa, CA

I think this is actually a pretty smart way to design Parclo A4s because there's no point for traffic entering the freeway to stop at a stoplight when they are on the right most lane anyway.

(fixed the first link -- it was a duplicate of the Jamboree/405 link)

It's definitely pretty smart. The only real issue I see is the potential for traffic to stay right through the continuous green arrow, and then slide over into the straight-on lanes, basically skipping the signals. It's physically impossible with the Costa Mesa A4 given the concrete barrier, but it's at least physically possible at the Irvine example as there is nothing but mere lines preventing someone from just slipping into the straight-on lanes.

Jake's concern is something several bollards and/or small curbs (or even parking blocks) could easily fix relatively cheaply. Since this is essentially a high-T design, that treatment would actually be preferable than paint alone, so that it would be abundantly clear on the layout (especially so it's evident to the traffic turning from off ramp to the street that the thru traffic in the perma-green lane isn't going to conflict on their green turn arrow).

[andrepoiy]

Ontario doesn't do the above when the ramp is behind the signal, probably for pedestrian reasons?