So I was just thinking: what are some examples of places where there are traffic lights that only run for part of the year, due to the seasonal nature of the destinations served by the roads in the area? In these cases, the traffic lights would be merely set to flashing yellow or red in the offseason due to much lower traffic volumes.
I can think of several possible places where traffic lights in the area might operate in this fashion, including:
Summer resort towns (Jersey Shore, Great Lakes towns, etc.)
Ski resort towns
Stadium areas outside of game/event days
Entrances to seasonal attractions like waterparks, etc. during the off-season
Fairgrounds when the fair isn't taking place
College campuses during the summer/winter break/whenever school isn't in session
And so on.
Are there any actual instances of such places, where traffic lights are shut off outside of peak-usage periods on a seasonal basis? I'm ready to find out more!
I think that on Long Beach Island on the Jersey Shore, most of the traffic signals switch to flash mode on Labor Day, then back to normal stop-go operations on Memorial Day.
There was also that infamous example in Syracuse, NY, with a traffic signal on Interstate 690. Not only was it only used when the NY State Fair is going on, but the signals themselves were taken down from the span wires the rest of the year. But it looks like they've done away with that since a new overpass was constructed.
https://www.syracuse.com/statefair/2019/08/this-will-be-the-last-nys-fair-with-that-traffic-signal-on-i-690.html (https://www.syracuse.com/statefair/2019/08/this-will-be-the-last-nys-fair-with-that-traffic-signal-on-i-690.html)
Quote from: lepidopteran on September 26, 2020, 11:59:50 PM
I think that on Long Beach Island on the Jersey Shore, most of the traffic signals switch to flash mode on Labor Day, then back to normal stop-go operations on Memorial Day.
It's several weeks beyond Labor Day and several weeks before Memorial Day. And many shore towns are the same way. The Wildwoods, for example, do the same thing.
Quote from: KCRoadFan on September 26, 2020, 05:48:42 PM
So I was just thinking: what are some examples of places where there are traffic lights that only run for part of the year, due to the seasonal nature of the destinations served by the roads in the area? In these cases, the traffic lights would be merely set to flashing yellow or red in the offseason due to much lower traffic volumes.
I can think of several possible places where traffic lights in the area might operate in this fashion, including:
Summer resort towns (Jersey Shore, Great Lakes towns, etc.)
Ski resort towns
Stadium areas outside of game/event days
Entrances to seasonal attractions like waterparks, etc. during the off-season
Fairgrounds when the fair isn't taking place
College campuses during the summer/winter break/whenever school isn't in session
And so on.
Are there any actual instances of such places, where traffic lights are shut off outside of peak-usage periods on a seasonal basis? I'm ready to find out more!
Until this year, there was a traffic signal on Interstate 690 near Syracuse at the New York State Fairgrounds. It was removed outside of the run of the fair, so I guess that makes it seasonal.
The intersection has since be replaced by a flyover, so no more traffic signal on I-690.
The first one that came up on my mind was the US 30 entrance to Deep River Park that only activates during the summer months.
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.4706005,-87.2300831,3a,75y,347.14h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sM311MDQPfAufCNjcllDDHw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
I understand the cost savings in shutting off a signal during the off-season at these locations. I also understand that simply turning off the signals is not enough, because then drivers will treat it like a 4-way stop (such being the rule for any malfunctioning signal which has lost power).
However, I don't understand why in the above two examples (Deep River Park, Ny State Fairgrounds), the traffic signal heads are totally removed, instaed of just bagged or turned around. It seems quite labor intensive to hire a crew to do take down and put up the signals each season.
Quote from: mrsman on September 29, 2020, 09:45:46 AM
I understand the cost savings in shutting off a signal during the off-season at these locations. I also understand that simply turning off the signals is not enough, because then drivers will treat it like a 4-way stop (such being the rule for any malfunctioning signal which has lost power).
On LBI in NJ they used to shut off the lights completely, and Stop signs were placed on the side roads. It was understood by the few that went down there that Long Beach Blvd had the right of way thru the disabled signals. But...that ain't proper, so now the lights are put in flash mode.
School signals come to mind, such as Louisiana, Missouri
Killington's Access Road in VT (east of Rutland), leading to the giant Killington Ski Resort, has several traffic signals that are only used in the winter months. The rest of the year, they flash (yellow for thru traffic, red from side roads).
Quote from: KCRoadFan on September 26, 2020, 05:48:42 PM
So I was just thinking: what are some examples of places where there are traffic lights that only run for part of the year, due to the seasonal nature of the destinations served by the roads in the area? In these cases, the traffic lights would be merely set to flashing yellow or red in the offseason due to much lower traffic volumes.
I can think of several possible places where traffic lights in the area might operate in this fashion, including:
Summer resort towns (Jersey Shore, Great Lakes towns, etc.)
Ski resort towns
Stadium areas outside of game/event days
Entrances to seasonal attractions like waterparks, etc. during the off-season
Fairgrounds when the fair isn't taking place
College campuses during the summer/winter break/whenever school isn't in session
And so on.
Are there any actual instances of such places, where traffic lights are shut off outside of peak-usage periods on a seasonal basis? I'm ready to find out more!
There are signals that are apparently only installed for the summer months and then removed from the intersection of US 14 and Wyoming 24 near Devils Tower.
Dropped pin
Near US-14, Sundance, WY 82729
https://maps.app.goo.gl/9tuKd8F4nHeT3zAi8
Tampa has one for the Florida State Fair that flashes all the time except for the days of the fair. It's is also manually operated by officers.