What do you call these?

[BigMattFromTexas]

What do you call the electronic boxes under BGS's that either have a green arrow, a yellow arrow, or a red X? I know that they tell you what lane NOT to get into, but what are they called?
BigMatt

[Marc]

I'm not exactly sure what they are called, but I know San Antonio uses the yellow arrow to indicate that there is slow traffic in that lane ahead. I have never seen them use the red X for anything yet. On a side note, San Antonio is really the only major Texas city that I've seen that uses them pretty excessively. I have also wondered what the technical name for these is.

[BigMattFromTexas]

I'm not exactly sure what they are called, but I know San Antonio uses the yellow arrow to indicate that there is slow traffic in that lane ahead. I have never seen them use the red X for anything yet. On a side note, San Antonio is really the only major Texas city that I've seen that uses them pretty excessively. I have also wondered what the technical name for these is.

I've seen a red X once in San Antonio, that was for a car that fell off the upper side road down to the freeway and i think hit another car, the people in the car that fell all were from Houston and I think all but one died.
BigMatt

[Chris]

matrix signs

[froggie]

Lane control signals

[2Co5_14]

From MUTCD: Lane-Use Control Signals

[Revive 755]

I've called them lane closure signals; can't remember if I picked it up from MoDOT or not.

[Riverside Frwy]

You Europeans are funny. Here in the US, noone would actually listen to the lane closure signals....

[Mr_Northside]

matrix signs

As in "Dot Matrix" I would assume... (Reminds me of the Nintendo Game Boy I got in 4th grade oh so many years ago)

[deathtopumpkins]

You Europeans are funny. Here in the US, noone would actually listen to the lane closure signals....

Damn right we wouldn't!  We use them on our area bridges and tunnels (though they're just a typical 3-light signal above each lane--no arrows), and unless there's a physical barrier, people keep using the lane.

[Chris]

You Europeans are funny. Here in the US, noone would actually listen to the lane closure signals....

That's exactly our problem, we accept every damn thing the government says, even if it is ridiculous... This left lane could only be constructed if it was to be closed outside rush hours. It's marginally more narrow than a regular lane. Hence, you sometimes see these lanes with a big red X even when traffic is nearing congestion, and nearly nobody drives on it.

[Duke87]

This left lane could only be constructed if it was to be closed outside rush hours.

The logic being...?

[UptownRoadGeek]

This left lane could only be constructed if it was to be closed outside rush hours.

The logic being...?

...to move more traffic during rush hour.

[Chris]

The logic being...?

Well, it just shows how f*cked-up our system is. A regular widening takes between 10 and 15 years of planning and procedures, often being completed 25 years after initially needed. It has become one big maze of regulation, procedures, anti-asphalt clubs, nimby's, you name it. These kind of constructions have been set up to avoid some of the procedures/public participation etc. Shoulder running have been implemented in dozens of places too. Often being intended to relieve 3 - 4 hours a day, now even opened on saturdays and around noon due to traffic volumes.

[US71]

I remember in High School, the church choir took a trip to St Louis. We encountered Lane Use Signals and the bus driver was talking about how lucky he was to be hitting so many green lights