Stangest Traffic Lights

[1995hoo]

Not so much a strange "light" here as what I perceive as a strange configuration. When VDOT replaced the lights at this intersection to install a flashing yellow arrow, they relocated the signal heads for the thru lanes. Instead of all of them being up on the mast arm straight ahead of the lanes to which they correspond, they put one signal head sort of in between the thru lanes and the other on the pole to the right. Can't say I've ordinarily seen this sort of thing in Virginia (and notice in the current configuration the other direction retained a more standard setup, though perhaps that's because of the doghouse signal for the right-turn lane coming the other way).

Current setup: https://maps.app.goo.gl/EvuNLntuwaiv5VTSA

Prior setup from the doghouse left-turn signal era: https://maps.app.goo.gl/KPsMbRFx7DqCHxz59 (I suppose now, looking back, that the signal for the right lane was always placed a bit far to the left and they presumably just retained that when they replaced the lights in 2021.)

[PColumbus73]

Could there have been some weight problem with the mast arm?

[Big John]

What was always weird to me when I lived in Tallahassee (90% horizontal signals) is that the arrangement of the horizontal 5-section signal head is different depending on whether it's for a right or left turn. The left turn arrangement is shown in jakeroot's above post, but the right turn one has the 3 lights on the left and arrows on the right.

The idea is to have the arrow on the corresponding side of the green light, which makes sense, but having the greens not in the same place does look a little weird (example).

That is MUTCD compliant. For the left turn, the lane is left of the through lanes, thus the arrows are left of the solid green light. For the right turn, the lane is right of the through lanes, thus the arrows right of the solid green.

[jakeroot]

Not so much a strange "light" here as what I perceive as a strange configuration. When VDOT replaced the lights at this intersection to install a flashing yellow arrow, they relocated the signal heads for the thru lanes. Instead of all of them being up on the mast arm straight ahead of the lanes to which they correspond, they put one signal head sort of in between the thru lanes and the other on the pole to the right. Can't say I've ordinarily seen this sort of thing in Virginia (and notice in the current configuration the other direction retained a more standard setup, though perhaps that's because of the doghouse signal for the right-turn lane coming the other way).

Current setup: https://maps.app.goo.gl/EvuNLntuwaiv5VTSA

Prior setup from the doghouse left-turn signal era: https://maps.app.goo.gl/KPsMbRFx7DqCHxz59 (I suppose now, looking back, that the signal for the right lane was always placed a bit far to the left and they presumably just retained that when they replaced the lights in 2021.)

Good spot here. I've spent about 1% the amount of time in Virginia as you, but my whole time there (as a signal geek!) I never recall seeing this type of setup anywhere. Having a single primary signal head overhead, and the second primary signal head on the signal mast, is very common in California, and previously common in Wisconsin and Nevada, and maybe New Jersey. But definitely not in Virginia.

Back in my home town, around the mid-2010s, several signals were installed with the second primary signal being on the signal mast, even with two through lanes. (example one, example two, example three, example four, example five). This was intentional, as the engineer in charge was basically emulating the California standards (this is in WA), where overhead signals are always "through lanes-minus-one", with the "minus one" signal being on the signal mast or nearby pole. They eventually went to "signal per lane" but have continued installing pole-mounted supplemental signals, they just aren't the primary signals anymore.

As a side note, once again Virginia coming in clutch with needlessly-long mast arms. Even after installing a dedicated left turn signal, there's about a mile of extra metal sticking out. WTF.