Any other countries that have traffic lights similar to American traffic lights?

[Lytton]

I know that Canada and Mexico has some lights similar to the ones in American. So as the Philippines (in Manila and Davao).

So, is there any other countries that have traffic lights similar to the ones here in America?

P.S. Feel free to move it if you want. I have no idea where I should put it.

[agentsteel53]

I believe the basic red-yellow-green is universal.  It is certainly defined by the Vienna Convention of 1968.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Convention_on_Road_Signs_and_Signals

Chile and Argentina are almost exactly the same as the US.  I don't remember any difference in the phasing, or the meanings of the lights.

Mexico has the flashing green phase - for US drivers, it is most useful to treat flashing green and yellow combined as the same as a US yellow.

Europe is very similar to the US, except they have a red-yellow phase just before green, which essentially means "push in clutch, put car in gear: green light coming in two seconds".

[NE2]

Alanland does but only when a Goat is around to see it.

[1995hoo]

I'm not sure I understand the question. Do you mean to ask whether the traffic signal equipment itself is of a similar kind to what we have here, or do you mean whether the phases are the same?

The light fixtures in St. Petersburg were quite similar to the ones in Washington, DC, with one notable exception: Sometimes they have arrows marked on the lens. See the second photo below. The green lens has a "straight-or-right" arrow combination. (Picture taken out the front of a bus)






As others have noted, in the UK–and for that matter everywhere else I've been in Europe–the lights had the combined red-yellow phase to tell you the green is coming. I REALLY WISH we had that in North America. The omission of that phase drives me nuts.




The thing that struck me as different about the UK's signals was that often (not always) a turn arrow or other secondary movement would have a single auxiliary light–it was rather different from the "doghouse" signal most of us are used to seeing in the USA. Took this on the way into Edinburgh in April 2006:

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Europe is very similar to the US, except they have a red-yellow phase just before green, which essentially means "push in clutch, put car in gear: green light coming in two seconds".

We don't have that phase in Spain. Traffic lights go straight from red to green.

BTW, this thread should fall under Traffic Control, isn't it?

[elsmere241]

Europe is very similar to the US, except they have a red-yellow phase just before green, which essentially means "push in clutch, put car in gear: green light coming in two seconds".

We don't have that phase in Spain. Traffic lights go straight from red to green.

Italy is that way too, but it has a yellow-green combination instead of just yellow.  It also has four-way flashing yellow lights (and often at night many signals go to that phase) with provisional stop signs for the street that would have the flashing red here.

[cpzilliacus]

Finland has Green+Yellow (means Red is coming) and Red+Yellow (means Green is coming).

[Lytton]

I should have clarified it.

I was talking about the American traffic lights. They would be mounted on mast arms (instead of being on a side-pole or wirespan), and have the street names on the mast arms.

[M3019C LPS20]

Australia used to use signal equipment from Eagle.

With regards to traffic signals, traffic signals from Eagle in Australia are very similar to what were once in use here in the United States from Eagle.

What I should mention, too, is that some old traffic signal sequences that other countries use today were once in use here in the country, such as red and amber and green and amber. Each sequence had the same purpose.

[NE2]

I should have clarified it.

I was talking about the American traffic lights. They would be mounted on mast arms (instead of being on a side-pole or wirespan), and have the street names on the mast arms.

Then many parts of the US don't have American traffic lights.

[Alps]

I should have clarified it.

I was talking about the American traffic lights. They would be mounted on mast arms (instead of being on a side-pole or wirespan), and have the street names on the mast arms.

Then many parts of the US don't have American traffic lights.

But "many parts of the US" are not countries.

[jeffandnicole]

I should have clarified it.

I was talking about the American traffic lights. They would be mounted on mast arms (instead of being on a side-pole or wirespan), and have the street names on the mast arms.

Then many parts of the US don't have American traffic lights.

But "many parts of the US" are not countries.

Wouldn't other countries most likely have varying methods as well?  Are there any countries with an exclusive setup?

I'm sure there are many intersections around the US with a mast arm, wire span and side-pole light all at one intersection, with street signs on arms, wire spans, side poles, separate poles, written in paint, etc.

[agentsteel53]

Finland has Green+Yellow

I never noticed that.  now that I think about it, I don't think I ever saw a traffic light in Finland. 

that said, the most urban place I've been to in Finland is Enontekiö, population 1900.

[1995hoo]

Finland has Green+Yellow

I never noticed that.  now that I think about it, I don't think I ever saw a traffic light in Finland. 

that said, the most urban place I've been to in Finland is Enontekiö, population 1900.

I saw plenty of traffic lights in the Helsinki and Espoo area, but I don't recall seeing a green + yellow phase. In fairness, I was not driving, but I'm sure I would have noticed something unusual like that.

[cpzilliacus]

that said, the most urban place I've been to in Finland is Enontekiö, population 1900.

The Finnish National Highway Administration has (as they call them) a set of weather cameras there on Highway 93.

http://alk.tiehallinto.fi/alk/english/kelikamerat/kamera-C1453201.html
http://alk.tiehallinto.fi/alk/english/kelikamerat/kamera-C1453202.html

[agentsteel53]

apart from it being night, as opposed to day ... yep, looks about the same as when I was there on March 14, 2008. 

[cpzilliacus]

I saw plenty of traffic lights in the Helsinki and Espoo area, but I don't recall seeing a green + yellow phase. In fairness, I was not driving, but I'm sure I would have noticed something unusual like that.

They are somewhat common there.  I am pretty sure I have seen that type of signal programming in Esbo/Espoo.

Here are two weather cameras in Esbo/Espoo (won't inform the discussion of signal programming, since they are not "streaming" cameras, but snap an image at a set interval).

Highway 101 (Ring I) would be classed as an urban expressway under the U.S. federal system of highway classification.
http://alk.tiehallinto.fi/alk/english/kelikamerat/kamera-C0160000.html

And one at the junction of Highway 1 (motorway) and Highway 102 (Ring II - incomplete), and mostly a Super-2:
http://alk.tiehallinto.fi/alk/english/kelikamerat/kamera-C0156700.html

[cpzilliacus]

apart from it being night, as opposed to day ... yep, looks about the same as when I was there on March 14, 2008. 

The street name there is Knight Road (Ratsu = knight and tie = road).

Hautausmaa means cemetery.

[KEK Inc.]

Mexico has the flashing green phase - for US drivers, it is most useful to treat flashing green and yellow combined as the same as a US yellow.

Europe is very similar to the US, except they have a red-yellow phase just before green, which essentially means "push in clutch, put car in gear: green light coming in two seconds".

British Columbia also has a flashing green phase.  I'm not sure if it's common-place in Canada.

China is pretty radically different with its timer system.  The U.S. probably doesn't want people to treat a light like a drag race light, so that's why the U.S. doesn't adopt the European red+yellow or Chinese timer system.

[Lytton]

Mexico has the flashing green phase - for US drivers, it is most useful to treat flashing green and yellow combined as the same as a US yellow.

Europe is very similar to the US, except they have a red-yellow phase just before green, which essentially means "push in clutch, put car in gear: green light coming in two seconds".

British Columbia also has a flashing green phase.  I'm not sure if it's common-place in Canada.

China is pretty radically different with its timer system.  The U.S. probably doesn't want people to treat a light like a drag race light, so that's why the U.S. doesn't adopt the European red+yellow or Chinese timer system.

Well, they'll still drag race anyway, even if they don't have the Chinese timers. There are timers in Thailand, especially in Bangkok.

[1995hoo]

Mexico has the flashing green phase - for US drivers, it is most useful to treat flashing green and yellow combined as the same as a US yellow.

Europe is very similar to the US, except they have a red-yellow phase just before green, which essentially means "push in clutch, put car in gear: green light coming in two seconds".

British Columbia also has a flashing green phase.  I'm not sure if it's common-place in Canada.

China is pretty radically different with its timer system.  The U.S. probably doesn't want people to treat a light like a drag race light, so that's why the U.S. doesn't adopt the European red+yellow or Chinese timer system.

I think part of the issue could also be that red-light running has become so prevalent that now it'd probably be risky to install properly-phased lights in the US. Whenever I've driven in the UK I've found that people move IMMEDIATELY when the light goes green. At least here in the DC area that'd be pretty dangerous because it seems you almost always have at least one or two cars going through either right as or right after the light turns red. The workaround, of course, would be what already exists at many lights where you have a brief delay between one street getting the red and the other getting the green.

[Brandon]

Mexico has the flashing green phase - for US drivers, it is most useful to treat flashing green and yellow combined as the same as a US yellow.

Europe is very similar to the US, except they have a red-yellow phase just before green, which essentially means "push in clutch, put car in gear: green light coming in two seconds".

British Columbia also has a flashing green phase.  I'm not sure if it's common-place in Canada.

China is pretty radically different with its timer system.  The U.S. probably doesn't want people to treat a light like a drag race light, so that's why the U.S. doesn't adopt the European red+yellow or Chinese timer system.

I think part of the issue could also be that red-light running has become so prevalent that now it'd probably be risky to install properly-phased lights in the US. Whenever I've driven in the UK I've found that people move IMMEDIATELY when the light goes green. At least here in the DC area that'd be pretty dangerous because it seems you almost always have at least one or two cars going through either right as or right after the light turns red. The workaround, of course, would be what already exists at many lights where you have a brief delay between one street getting the red and the other getting the green.

Ever driven around Detroit/SE Michigan?  Green means go, and people do GO!!  Of course, it helps that the signals  are properly timed on roads like Telegraph (US-24) and Eight Mile (M-102).

[TXtoNJ]

Mexico has the flashing green phase - for US drivers, it is most useful to treat flashing green and yellow combined as the same as a US yellow.

Europe is very similar to the US, except they have a red-yellow phase just before green, which essentially means "push in clutch, put car in gear: green light coming in two seconds".

British Columbia also has a flashing green phase.  I'm not sure if it's common-place in Canada.

China is pretty radically different with its timer system.  The U.S. probably doesn't want people to treat a light like a drag race light, so that's why the U.S. doesn't adopt the European red+yellow or Chinese timer system.

What I had heard is that it's not seen as a priority in the US, since most people here drive cars with automatic transmissions, so you don't need the R+Y phase to shift from neutral to first gear.

[kphoger]

I've noticed that left-turn arrows in México look decidedly different than left-turn arrows in the United States.  I guess I would have thought there'd  be less variation from country to country.  How many different manufacturers are out there?

[realjd]

I've noticed that left-turn arrows in México look decidedly different than left-turn arrows in the United States.  I guess I would have thought there'd  be less variation from country to country.  How many different manufacturers are out there?

I haven't traveled much in Mexico so I'm not sure how common these are there, but I thought the straight-left combo arrows in Cozumel were cool:
http://goo.gl/maps/zyhus