When did you first see L.E.D. signal indications?

[M3019C LPS20]

I'll start.

In 2001, I saw red and green L.E.D. signal indications for the first time on Staten Island in New York City, and, additionally, I first saw the hand and man L.E.D. inserts.

Several years earlier, in 1997, N.Y.C.D.O.T. first experimented with the red L.E.D. insert, and all traffic signals throughout Queens in New York City were retro-fitted with the inserts. As a result, they were ideal with regards to energy consumption and performance, and N.Y.C.D.O.T. officially declared to begin the citywide conversion from incandescent lamps to L.E.D. inserts in 2000. The red and green signal indications were originally altered.

The first hand and man inserts appeared in 2000 in Queens and Staten Island, and several intersections in both boroughs were chosen for experimentation. Once again, N.Y.C.D.O.T. came to the conclusion they were ideal for long term usage and began its citywide conversion in 2001.

[freebrickproductions]

I first saw LED indications in the early 2000s when HDOT upgraded the signals at Bailey Cove Road and 4 Mile Post Road to LED.

[thenetwork]

My first encounter was about 10 years ago in Willoughby, Ohio.  What puzzled me at first was why did the yellow segments look white or a very pale yellow, since it was the LEDs and not the lens that was yellow anymore.

Around the same time, I may have seen the city of Cleveland using them in their new signal replacements first, but the lenses were indeed yellow.

[DaBigE]

I think it was around 1998/99, when I saw them popping up around Madison. WI. They were the oddest ones I had seen...matrix-style with a very dense matrix in the center of the lens and up until about five years ago, Madison used LEDs for the green and red indications only. Shortly thereafter, I want to say Fond du Lac, WI was the next location I saw them...a different style with more of a block-style matrix that seemed slower to turn on and off. WisDOT started swapping out incandescents for LEDs (Dialight IIRC, with a circular matrix) around 2000/2001, some of which are still in service.

[roadfro]

No clue when I saw them first, but 1999/ early 2000s would be my guess for the Las Vegas area.

The City of Las Vegas started out converting many of the red incandescent indications first--I think they had a grant for this work. After a year or so, they started converting the greens and the yellows. Slightly before they started converting yellow and green indications, they tested out all LED indications in new signal installations only--I remember many of these new signals had incredibly bright red and green indications, but the yellows were very dim by comparison.

I believe North Las Vegas actually started first in the Vegas area with all-LED indications in newly constructed signals, but they were likely the last to fully finish converting. IIRC, Clark County (which includes much of what is known as Las Vegas outside of the city limits proper) and Henderson were slower to start conversions than City of Las Vegas, but started with all-LED conversions sooner.


I believe a similar timeline of events happened with the area's conversion of pedestrian signals to LED countdowns.

[Scott5114]

Late 1990s in Johnson County, Kansas. They had a lot of those arrows that changed color from green to yellow, too, before the MUTCD tossed those.

[cjk374]

They first started showing up about 2 years ago around here.  But they don't last very long...some have already been replaced with non-LED signals.

[myosh_tino]

They first started showing up about 2 years ago around here.  But they don't last very long...some have already been replaced with non-LED signals.

That's odd because, in addition to being more energy efficient, one of the other major advantages of LED lights is they're supposed to last much longer than standard incandescent lights.

[M3019C LPS20]

They first started showing up about 2 years ago around here.  But they don't last very long...some have already been replaced with non-LED signals.

Disregarding manufacturer, that is strange. The typical lifespan of a L.E.D. insert is between 7 to 11 years.

[cjk374]

They first started showing up about 2 years ago around here.  But they don't last very long...some have already been replaced with non-LED signals.

Disregarding manufacturer, that is strange. The typical lifespan of a L.E.D. insert is between 7 to 11 years.

Not these....the lights, usually the green ones 1st, usually started "pixelating" after less than a year.

[M3019C LPS20]

They first started showing up about 2 years ago around here.  But they don't last very long...some have already been replaced with non-LED signals.

Disregarding manufacturer, that is strange. The typical lifespan of a L.E.D. insert is between 7 to 11 years.

Not these....the lights, usually the green ones 1st, usually started "pixelating" after less than a year.

Pictures?

[cjk374]

They first started showing up about 2 years ago around here.  But they don't last very long...some have already been replaced with non-LED signals.

Disregarding manufacturer, that is strange. The typical lifespan of a L.E.D. insert is between 7 to 11 years.

Not these....the lights, usually the green ones 1st, usually started "pixelating" after less than a year.

Pictures?

I'd have to look around and see if any of the LED lights are still up, and if so find the pixelated ones.

[ARMOURERERIC]

Scripps-Poway Parkway in 2001:  With the rolling blackout energy crisis in California, a system was devised to provide in the controller box battery back ups at major intersections, but for the system to work, the lower energy consumption of the LED's ere required

[mrsman]

I'll start.

In 2001, I saw red and green L.E.D. signal indications for the first time on Staten Island in New York City, and, additionally, I first saw the hand and man L.E.D. inserts.

Several years earlier, in 1997, N.Y.C.D.O.T. first experimented with the red L.E.D. insert, and all traffic signals throughout Queens in New York City were retro-fitted with the inserts. As a result, they were ideal with regards to energy consumption and performance, and N.Y.C.D.O.T. officially declared to begin the citywide conversion from incandescent lamps to L.E.D. inserts in 2000. The red and green signal indications were originally altered.

The first hand and man inserts appeared in 2000 in Queens and Staten Island, and several intersections in both boroughs were chosen for experimentation. Once again, N.Y.C.D.O.T. came to the conclusion they were ideal for long term usage and began its citywide conversion in 2001.

I briefly lived in Queens, NY in 2000-2001 and I remember when they installed LEDs on the block that I lived.  On a rainy night, the LED lights really bounce off the rain drops on the windshield much more than the old bulbs did.  And I thought to myself, wow, what did they do to those lights that I haven't seen elsewhere.  (And why only to the red and green but not the yellow). And then i looked closley and notice the array of lights and figured they were using LEDs.

[US81]

The first ones I saw, around 2002-ish, would "pixelate" within a year or so of installation and often got replaced with non-LED signals. Since about 2008 or so I've seen more LEDs that seem to last. Maybe a change in manufacture or a change in vendor?

[M3019C LPS20]

Why only to the red and green but not the yellow.

In a phase, the incandescent lamp for the amber signal indication was illuminated typically for three seconds. As a result,  N.Y.C.D.O.T. thought it was not necessary to retrofit this section.

Interestingly enough, newly-installed traffic signals had L.E.D. inserts for the red and green signal indications, while the amber section had a new reflector assembly and incandescent lamp. This practice by N.Y.C.D.O.T. was continued for sometime after the successful conversion in 2004 or so. Though it was not until about 8 years ago that the standard was changed. N.Y.C.D.O.T. requires three L.E.D. inserts for only a newly-installed traffic signal. Older heads are unaffected by this regulation; however, if an incandescent lamp is no longer operable in an older traffic signal, then the entire set-up would be replaced by a L.E.D. insert.

[US81]

I tried to get pictures, but my cell phone camera renders the pixelated LEDs as a green blur.

[pctech]

I would guess 8-10 years ago here in Baton Rouge.

[connroadgeek]

They don't do the yellow ones because they are only on for a few seconds per cycle.

[cjk374]

They don't do the yellow ones because they are only on for a few seconds per cycle.

The LED signals I have around here use LEDs for all 3 signal indications.  I need to look at a few more to see if the arrows are LED or not.  I can't remember.

[Duke87]

Stamford, CT, where I grew up, started installing a bunch of new LED signals in 1997 or so. I didn't realize at the time that there was anything different about the light source, though: I was too busy noticing that the housing was different. The old signals were all yellow. The new ones were yellow on the back and black on the front.