Traffic Lights With Strobes...

[Road Hog]

US 380 through Denton, TX used to have a bunch of red strobes until they widened the highway to six lanes about 10 years ago.

[roadman65]

I have seen some both in AL and GA that have an extra red signal (no green and yellow) between the two main signal heads that allows for three red lights with the added one having the strobe.

US 231 between the FL Border and Dothan and US 19 in some places south of Atlanta I have seen these.

[agentsteel53]

so did the new MUTCD ban them once and for all?

I hate them.

I also hate white strobe lights on school buses. 

[roadman65]

so did the new MUTCD ban them once and for all?

I hate them.

I also hate white strobe lights on school buses. 

I hope so.  I went to school on buses that never used strobes.  I also hate the new strobes that garbage trucks use.  They are fine when they are picking up trash, but when traveling, I think, they should turn them off!

[agentsteel53]

garbage trucks have them now?

here in SoCal, they sometimes have yellow strobes, a la tow trucks.  but at least they aren't on top where they can disturb you from many hundreds of feet away.

[roadfro]

so did the new MUTCD ban them once and for all?

I hate them.

Yes, it did.

Section 4D.06 Signal Indications — Design, Illumination, Color, and Shape

Standard:
03 Strobes shall not be used within or adjacent to any signal indication.

[cpzilliacus]

I also hate white strobe lights on school buses. 

These were pretty common on school buses in Md. and Va., but seem to be going away now.

[cpzilliacus]

garbage trucks have them now?

here in SoCal, they sometimes have yellow strobes, a la tow trucks.  but at least they aren't on top where they can disturb you from many hundreds of feet away.

For several years, U.S. Mail vehicles in the District of Columbia (only) had them, but not any longer.

[hbelkins]

so did the new MUTCD ban them once and for all?

I hate them.

Yes, it did.

Section 4D.06 Signal Indications — Design, Illumination, Color, and Shape

Standard:
03 Strobes shall not be used within or adjacent to any signal indication.

What was the logic behind this?

I, for one, found them useful and would have implemented them more widely.

[BamaZeus]

It may be related to police/fire services.  In Alabama they have it where there are sensors on the strand of lights that detect police/fire/ambulance strobes and immediately throw a red light in the other 3 directions so the emergency vehicle can pass with a green light.

I presume that having a tow truck with similar lights on it could potentially confuse the sensor, but I also imagine that they're already somehow tuned to red/green/blue and not yellow

[hbelkins]

This is one case where I think the states definitely would have been justified in telling FHWA to go self-fornicate and to place the MUTCD in an orifice that is used under normal purposes for elimination of waste material.

(Unless you are in Tennessee, where that orifice is used for the purposes of intoxication.)

[Ace10]

Mississippi had one, but it was so long ago that I have trouble remembering where it was exactly. I want to say it was somewhere near the I-10 and US 49 interchange, but it may have been near the I-10 / I-110 / MS 67 interchange. It is since gone, obviously.

There's another oddity that I haven't seen anywhere else, but it's located on US 90 where I-110 ends. The very next signal going east has a single red signal head that activates when the intersection gets a red light, and there's a white halo around the red ball that flashes on and off, about once per second. It appears to be an LED signal.

I tried finding some web page about it, but search results just returned this weird game named Halo which I've never heard of. :-) I'll try to grab a picture of it one random day.

[swbrotha100]

I've seen a couple strobes in Arizona. The only one I can think of off my head is at the Tempe-Phoenix border. Going southbound on AZ 143, at the end of freeway just after going over I-10.

[Alex]

I know of two in the Mobile area, one posted after the MUTCD revision no less.

Both directions of US 98 at Mobile County 27 north / 68 south in Semmes have them:



Another one is at the intersection of Grelot Road at Somerby Drive, which I noticed two weekends ago. This signal is from 2010 or 2011...

[roadfro]

Section 4D.06 Signal Indications — Design, Illumination, Color, and Shape

Standard:
03 Strobes shall not be used within or adjacent to any signal indication.

What was the logic behind this?

I, for one, found them useful and would have implemented them more widely.

I seem to recall reading that research regarding use of strobe lights with traffic signals typically did not result in reduced crash rates as expected (and possibly in some cases, increases were found). I'm not sure where I read this, and can't find a source at the moment.

I imagine if there were some documented benefits, the MUTCD would not have moved to specifically prohibit them...

[Alex]

Forgot about this one, but was reminded of it last night with its incessant flash...



Alabama 113 south at the merge with U.S. 29-31 south at Flomaton.

[Alps]

This is one case where I think the states definitely would have been justified in telling FHWA to go self-fornicate and to place the MUTCD in an orifice that is used under normal purposes for elimination of waste material.

(Unless you are in Tennessee, where that orifice is used for the purposes of intoxication.)

Strobes annoy the everloving shit out of me. I assume they've never caused a seizure, although if even one seizure were caused by one, that would be cause for the MUTCD to immediately ban them.

[roadfro]

This is one case where I think the states definitely would have been justified in telling FHWA to go self-fornicate and to place the MUTCD in an orifice that is used under normal purposes for elimination of waste material.

(Unless you are in Tennessee, where that orifice is used for the purposes of intoxication.)

Strobes annoy the everloving shit out of me. I assume they've never caused a seizure, although if even one seizure were caused by one, that would be cause for the MUTCD to immediately ban them.

I mentioned it in another thread, but the MUTCD already bans strobe lights with traffic signals.

[roadman65]

The one in Flomanton I noticed now has black signal heads.  When I was there in 02, they were yellow.
I see AL is copying FL.

[Alps]

This is one case where I think the states definitely would have been justified in telling FHWA to go self-fornicate and to place the MUTCD in an orifice that is used under normal purposes for elimination of waste material.

(Unless you are in Tennessee, where that orifice is used for the purposes of intoxication.)

Strobes annoy the everloving shit out of me. I assume they've never caused a seizure, although if even one seizure were caused by one, that would be cause for the MUTCD to immediately ban them.

I mentioned it in another thread, but the MUTCD already bans strobe lights with traffic signals.

I know, but I'm countering a strobe-lover.

[hbelkins]

Encountered one yesterday, on southbound US 25W/eastbound US 70 at the southern terminus of US 25E. The intersection is located at the bottom of a hill and the strobe is especially useful for calling attention to the red light.

I got lucky and timed my photograph to capture the strobe on:



Take a look at the center light.

[cl94]

Most of the ones in Western New York have been taken out within the past few years (and I knew of at least 10 intersections in northern Erie County and Niagara County alone with them), but they remain on NY 198 and NY 952Q/Walden Avenue at the EB I-90 - EB NY 952Q ramp terminus. Rest were taken out as signals or lamps were replaced. One was on an expressway and at least one other was in a fog-prone area.

[freebrickproductions]

I've seen some signals with filament strobe tubes on US 72 near Stevenson, AL.
There are also some signals with LED strobe tubes on Redstone Arsenal.
US 231 between Montgomery and Florida has a tone of strobes on it as well.

[vdeane]

I've never really understood why they were banned.  Sure, they shouldn't be the standard anywhere, but I would think they'd be useful in situations where a traffic light would be unexpected (such as the former light on NY 17 in Parksville).

[Pete from Boston]

I've never really understood why they were banned.  Sure, they shouldn't be the standard anywhere, but I would think they'd be useful in situations where a traffic light would be unexpected (such as the former light on NY 17 in Parksville).

I think of them as useful in places where congestion and/or road alignment can make red lights easy to blend into the background.  I encountered one of these recently, but I don't recall the location–heavy traffic with many small intersections in an area of heavy visual clutter. 

I'm guessing the argument against them is that there is a set of standards in place to ensure there's a clear approach with plenty of visibility and time to react to a red light.  But if there is not money, space, or whatever else is needed to make this happen, maybe the strobe is a helpful stopgap.