Traffic signals to be obsolete by 2030 :(

[traffic light guy]

Well since self-driving cars are heading our way there have been articles saying that traffic signals may be obsolete by 2030, since the cars will have sensors and detect other vehicles and know when to stop and go, making traffic signals, my favorite things obsolete, and this is only 15 years away!! Thus ends an interesting part of history.

[peterj920]

I don't see that happening.  What about pedestrians?  People can't be programmed and how are people supposed to know how to cross at an intersection? 

[txstateends]

IDK..... sounds like a know-it-when-I-see-it scenario.  I'm still not convinced of the long-term driverless car viability yet.

[steviep24]

I doubt it.

I may not like stopping for them but I do find them rather interesting.

[Rothman]

And we'll have FLYING CARS, I'm sure.

[jakeroot]

I think the chances that signals will behave slightly different in 2030 is good, but I think it's a stretch to say they'll all be gone.

[M3019C LPS20]

Sounds like science fiction to me.

[SignGeek101]

And what about other countries who are more behind in infrastructure? Cars could also have a 'manual' option (meaning a human driver), which would still need traffic lights. I don't see traffic signals gone for awhile in the future.

[1995hoo]

How about the non-automated cars that will still be on the road?

[corco]

I'd be amazed if that happens by 2030. My thinking on the most optimistic possible timeline:

2030- Driverless car technology perfected to the point that it becomes an optional feature on high end cars
2040- Driverless technology becomes cost effective enough that most new cars have it. There will probably be things similar to HOV lanes that are designed exclusively for self-driving vehicles on limited access highways.
2050- Driverless technology becomes a mandatory standard feature on new cars, limited access highways become more designed for driverless cars than self driving cars
2070- The majority of America's car fleet is driverless, allowing for the banishment of self-driven cars on the majority of roadways. At this point, traffic signals could be retired and we'd be able to fully realize the benefits of driverless technology.

[SignGeek101]

I was also thinking about the future of road signage. If there is no human driver, and each car is 'talking' to each other, why need signs? Even BGS's won't be needed; simply enter an address into a computer, and voila, the car takes you there. Why need lanes? The cars know where they are and where other cars are, so why need dashed white and yellow lanes?

The future of traffic control as a whole could be debated. But by 2030, I don't see anything really huge happening with this.

[noelbotevera]

I'd say let's give it a century. Or better, a thousand years.

[Duke87]

I was also thinking about the future of road signage. If there is no human driver, and each car is 'talking' to each other, why need signs? Even BGS's won't be needed; simply enter an address into a computer, and voila, the car takes you there. Why need lanes? The cars know where they are and where other cars are, so why need dashed white and yellow lanes?

This sort of concept could even be implemented with human drivers if cars have a screen to display signs. Indeed, WMATA runs their trains like this already - they are driverless and there are no fixed signals in the tunnels, but a screen in the cab shows whether the train has a red, yellow, or green light in case of manual operation.

[cl94]

Not gonna happen within my lifetime. Because of pedestrians and other conflicts not created by vehicles, I doubt that we'll see anything of the sort before everything is removed from grade.  Also, what if the automated systems go down? You need a backup.

[freebrickproductions]

I'm pretty sure that even with driverless cars, pedestrian signals would still exist as people would still need to know when it's safe to cross the street.

[jakeroot]

I'm pretty sure that even with driverless cars, pedestrian signals would still exist as people would still need to know when it's safe to cross the street.

Driver-less vehicles will probably drive much faster than we do now, so my guess is that most at-grade pedestrian crossings at major intersections will be eliminated for safety reasons. Not sure how side-street crosswalks (like school zone crossings) will work .

[AlexandriaVA]

I'm pretty sure that even with driverless cars, pedestrian signals would still exist as people would still need to know when it's safe to cross the street.

Or better yet, cars will obey the pedestrian's right-of-way when pedestrians cross the street. Right now humans in the United States have a very bad track record of this. I expect computers will perform better.

[Brandon]

I'm pretty sure that even with driverless cars, pedestrian signals would still exist as people would still need to know when it's safe to cross the street.

Or better yet, cars will obey the pedestrian's right-of-way when pedestrians cross the street. Right now humans in the United States have a very bad track record of this. I expect computers will perform better.

Wait for Skynet...

[vdeane]

Right now I'm imagining "driverless pedestrians".  All people would be implanted with a chip in their head which would take over all brain functions and movement when walking on the road system.  For safety, of course.  It wouldn't be safe for manually-operated pedestrians (or cars) to intermingle with the driverless cars whizzing by at 100 mph.

Of course, the NSA would be able to tap into and override both cars and pedestrians as national security concerns dictate.  Even when the self-driving functions aren't engaged.  You wouldn't want a terrorist to get away by not using the roads, after all.

They would also enforce copyright law.  If you're at a bar or party and a song is playing that you didn't pay for the licence to listen to, the chip would rewrite your brainwaves to erase it.

[jeffandnicole]

I'm pretty sure that even with driverless cars, pedestrian signals would still exist as people would still need to know when it's safe to cross the street.

Driver-less vehicles will probably drive much faster than we do now, so my guess is that most at-grade pedestrian crossings at major intersections will be eliminated for safety reasons. Not sure how side-street crosswalks (like school zone crossings) will work .

Why would they drive faster?  The point of speed limits is to keep speeds down in places where hazards exist, like kids and pedestrians.  If anything, driverless cars will drive SLOWER because the car will automatically adhere to speed limits.

[1995hoo]

I'm pretty sure that even with driverless cars, pedestrian signals would still exist as people would still need to know when it's safe to cross the street.

Or better yet, cars will obey the pedestrian's right-of-way when pedestrians cross the street. Right now humans in the United States have a very bad track record of this. I expect computers will perform better.

Of course, pedestrians in the USA also have a very bad track record of ignoring vehicles' right-of-way and walking whenever and wherever they please.

[US 41]

I highly doubt self driving cars will ever become mandatory. I think for the most part people like/want to drive. I don't see these types of cars ever doing well. Self driving cars will most likely strictly follow the speed limit and not be aggressive. Most drivers are somewhat aggressive and drive 5 or 10 mph over the speed limit. I feel a lot more comfortable with my ability to drive than some computer's driving.

To add to pedestrians. Something Spain does better than the US. Cars seem to have the right a way in Spain. No one is walking out into the street when the light turns green. They also have a separate cycle for pedestrians on the light. The WALK signal doesn't light up unless all the lights are red. Here in the US the WALK signal lights up when the light turns green. It's irritating to me as a driver that people are constantly in the road all the time.

[AlexandriaVA]

I think for the most part people like/want to drive.

Not for me - it's purely a utilitarian task. I view it the same way as a laundry machine; the sooner automation occurs, the better.

Here in the US the WALK signal lights up when the light turns green.

I'd love to have pedestrian-only light cycles at city intersections here in the States. But that will never happen.

[DaBigE]

Doesn't matter what phase you have the walk signal on, people in the US will still only treat that signal as a suggestion rather than a traffic control device. The rise of cellphones, iPods, and ear buds have only seemed to make the problem worse.

[AlexandriaVA]

Doesn't matter what phase you have the walk signal on, people in the US will still only treat that signal as a suggestion rather than a traffic control device. The rise of cellphones, iPods, and ear buds have only seemed to make the problem worse.

MFFY towards pedestrians!

Don't even get me started on rolling-stops when people make a right-on-red.