NYC traffic lights

[surferdude]

I know in PA, PennDOT is not resposible for maintaining the traffic signal after it is installed.  That responsibilty falls on the Township/Borough/City that the traffic signal is located..  The cost in savings is two fold, first electricty usage will go down and the second is less replacement of incadencent bulbs which they are not cheap to replace and have to hire a contractor to come out and install the new bulbs.  There is some other major benefits like the signal being brighter and one can also see it in the sun, which is a safety concern when sun is behind the singal.  I know that there is a problem in the winter with them being iced over since they generate virtually no heat and happens in Minnesota and Wisconsin (I think).  I have also seen them in OH and NY. 

[M3019C LPS20]

Simple reason. Energy consumption.

Originally, N.Y.C.D.O.T. replaced incandescent red and green signal indications with red and green L.E.D. module inserts. The amber indications were untouched, due to the reason that they were not illuminated for a long period of time (only a handful of seconds). Although it was not until in later years that a new requirement was established. A new traffic signal must have all three L.E.D. indications. The older traffic signals that still have incandescent amber indications are fine, but when one dies, it'll ultimately be replaced with a L.E.D. module insert.

The city's D.O.T. originally installed Cooper L.E.D. module inserts, which are not exactly great signal indications. One has a lifespan of typically seven years. Most in New York City have reached the end, and many have been replaced over the years.

[SignBridge]

Where is that new requirement? Is it in the 2009 MUTCD and would you know the section?

[M3019C LPS20]

Where is that new requirement? Is it in the 2009 MUTCD and would you know the section?

I would not know, since I once had a short conversation with a technician from the city several months ago.

[vdeane]

Where is that new requirement? Is it in the 2009 MUTCD and would you know the section?

Why would it be in the MUTCD?  The MUTCD regulates what information is displayed.  It does not regulate energy consumption.  This would be a city or state law.

[Duke87]

Yeah, sounds like just DOT policy. But still, makes perfect sense. If you're going to go through the bother of replacing a signal head, might as well make the whole thing LED. The business of replacing just the red and later the green (this has been done by many jurisdictions all over the country, by the way, not just New York City) was retrofitting existing heads with new lamps.

[SignBridge]

Well Deanej, he said a new traffic signal requirement. Those are normally in the Manual. And if it was, I would want to check it for myself, since so much misinformation gets talked about re: what is or is not in both the MUTCD and state traffic laws. That's why I keep a current copy of both the MUTCD and the NYS VTL, so I can read and verify for myself, okay?   

[M3019C LPS20]

Well Deanej, he said a new traffic signal requirement. Those are normally in the Manual. And if it was, I would want to check it for myself, since so much misinformation gets talked about re: what is or is not in both the MUTCD and state traffic laws. That's why I keep a current copy of both the MUTCD and the NYS VTL, so I can read and verify for myself, okay?   

I apologize for the confusion.

The technician that I talked to a couple of years ago mentioned this requirement to me. I didn't specifically ask him if this is merely a requirement from N.Y.C.D.O.T., but it is likely. It was at the spur of the moment. New York City developed interesting things over the years. One of them that I am fond of is the left turn on red (if posted).

[SignBridge]

No problem; I was just trying to pin down the source and answer deanej's question.

[vdeane]

Well Deanej, he said a new traffic signal requirement. Those are normally in the Manual. And if it was, I would want to check it for myself, since so much misinformation gets talked about re: what is or is not in both the MUTCD and state traffic laws. That's why I keep a current copy of both the MUTCD and the NYS VTL, so I can read and verify for myself, okay?   

The Manual also relates to the information displayed on traffic control devices, of which LED vs. incandescent is not a part.

[M3019C LPS20]

I recall that after the L.E.D. conversion in New York City in the early 2000s, the city continued to install and use the incandescent amber indication in new traffic signal heads that the city installed. Red and green indications were each L.E.D., of course. It was a common practice for quite a while until the mid 2000s or so.