Incandescent Flashing Yellow Arrows

[Hobart]

Alrighty so I was riding my bike in downtown Milwaukee.

I noticed that at Lincoln Memorial Drive and Michigan Street, there was a temporary signal using incandescent bulbs, which is quite normal in Wisconsin. What makes this more interesting is that they assembled a flashing yellow arrow signal out of incandescent sections.

Is this strictly a Wisconsin construction phenomenon, or do other states also smash together FYAs out of incandescent signals in a pinch?

[roadfro]

Alrighty so I was riding my bike in downtown Milwaukee.

I noticed that at Lincoln Memorial Drive and Michigan Street, there was a temporary signal using incandescent bulbs, which is quite normal in Wisconsin. What makes this more interesting is that they assembled a flashing yellow arrow signal out of incandescent sections.
<snipped vid>
Is this strictly a Wisconsin construction phenomenon, or do other states also smash together FYAs out of incandescent signals in a pinch?

It's probably fairly rare to see an FYA with incandescent bulbs, since the FYA came about after many jurisdictions were already converting to LED bulbs for all types of signal displays.

I'd guess that this was a case of having a four-section display handy and retrofitting it to accommodate FYA operations using existing bulbs. There certainly is a different nighttime look using an incandescent bulb!

[kalvado]

Enjoy it while you can. Incandescent doesn't like power cycling, so I don't expect the bulb to last.

[steviep24]

Enjoy it while you can. Incandescent doesn't like power cycling, so I don't expect the bulb to last.

That may be true but before LEDs incandescent flashing beacons existed for decades with no issues.

[jeffandnicole]

Enjoy it while you can. Incandescent doesn't like power cycling, so I don't expect the bulb to last.

That may be true but before LEDs incandescent flashing beacons existed for decades with no issues.

And that's true well beyond traffic control devices. Simple signs in front of businesses with an arrow, to Vegas and New York-style huge marquees, all used incandescent flashing lights.

[jakeroot]

Reminds me of the old Seattle-style protective/permissive left turn signals, which are only different in that they used a flashing yellow orb as opposed to an arrow. Most were incandescent until later years; only a couple still remain.

https://youtu.be/bOEy3BARK1c

Newer version but LED instead of incandescent:

https://youtu.be/Ey27vyMxea4

[Hobart]

Reminds me of the old Seattle-style protective/permissive left turn signals, which are only different in that they used a flashing yellow orb as opposed to an arrow. Most were incandescent until later years; only a couple still remain.

https://youtu.be/bOEy3BARK1c

Newer version but LED instead of incandescent:

https://youtu.be/Ey27vyMxea4

So in true Seattle fashion, they did something before it was cool. Very appropriate for a hipster town. I wonder if they foresaw the issues everyone realized doghouses had in the 2010's.

[jakeroot]

Going through old posts...

So in true Seattle fashion, they did something before it was cool. Very appropriate for a hipster town. I wonder if they foresaw the issues everyone realized doghouses had in the 2010's.

It's a good question. I think this may have been the case, yes. An example would be northbound Boyleston Ave at Roanoke St. Boyleston is southbound-only north of Roanoke, so traffic going northbound must turn left or right at Roanoke. To reduce the need for southbound traffic to stop, one of these Seattle-style left turn signals was placed to allow left turns to constantly proceed as long as southbound Boyleston was also green, even when the northbound traffic had a red arrow for their right turn.

Technically speaking, a regular green orb could have been used here, as a green orb still means "yield", and the red arrows would have blocked right-turning traffic from proceeding while southbound Boyleston proceeded with their protected left turn. But, this setup doesn't strictly require red arrows like a green orb might, which is a good thing as red arrows really didn't exist in any fashion for a long time, certainly not before the Seattle-style left turn signal was created. And, with a green orb, you would have a green orb and a red orb for the same approach, which I don't think has ever been kosher anywhere. Not least without louvers.

And yes, the signal is still there, decades later. I believe it was replaced at some point in the early 2000s, hence the all-12 inch displays. It's one of only two left that I can think of; the other is on the east side of the UW campus, where Pend Oreille Road intersects 25th Ave NE.

[fwydriver405]

I saw this video about a demo of an incadescent FYA below a while ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6upSFO3NyNI

As for examples in the field... for left turns, there's this one in Plymouth MI in all four directions (location, in operation). Also, this 3M in Memphis I'm not sure if the bulbs are incadescent or FYA - the left turn signal here used to be an offset doghouse.

There's also this 3-section right turn permissive only FYA at Dupont Circle in Washington DC. Again, not sure if the 3M still has incandescent bulbs or has an LED retrofit - passed by this in February.

[paulthemapguy]

This is probably only something you'll see on a temporary signal thrown together by a construction contractor.