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Eko: A Red Light with a Twist
15 Crazy Traffic Signals

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Turboner
11/30/09

In reply to Eko: A Red Light with a Twist
Sweet, when do we get to see yellow lights with the same "warning?" :)
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High Speed Indeed
11/30/09

@Turboner: My first thought as well.
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tonyola
11/30/09

In reply to Eko: A Red Light with a Twist
When I was a small child riding with Dad, he would occasionally blow through a light that had just changed from yellow to red. Once when I had the temerity to say that the light was red, he said "It's not red yet. It's pink". Afterwards I thought something was wrong because I could never see the pink-to-red transition. Dad wouldn't ever lie to me, would he? When, seeking an unimpeachable source, I mentioned it to Mom, her reaction was an irritated "Oh, he told you that, did he...?" Dad subsequently never mentioned the pink light again.

As for the countdown light, it's cool but I have to agree with others here - there's serious potential for hoonage and mayhem.
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Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
11/30/09

@tonyola: I went out with a girl who blew through red lights all the time. After a while, I asked what she was doing. She explained that these were 'Soft Reds', because they had only just turned red, and therefore there was no need to stop for them.
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Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
11/30/09

In reply to Eko: A Red Light with a Twist
Great concept with nice execution. With most traffic lights transitioning to LEDs this will be pretty easy to engineer and develop.

In Germany, the Red light will also briefly illuminate the Yellow light, before cycling to Green. People start a rolling start when they see the yellow. Always reminded me a bit of a drag strip christmas tree.
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Mark-S
11/30/09

In reply to Eko: A Red Light with a Twist
But won't that will take the kid's eyes off the phone while they're texting at the light?
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that ain't the way to have fun, son
11/30/09

In reply to Eko: A Red Light with a Twist
While wholly unnecessary, it's a really good idea...one too good to spring (read: waste) on US "drivers".

There is something already kind of in-place which does this, just look at the light facing the cross street. If it's green, you've got a bit of a wait. If yellow, you've got a few seconds.

If you really want to narrow it down, watch the crosswalk lights. They blink DON'T WALK, or the 'talk to the hand' icon, 16 times, typically, before going solid. Solid = yellow, or damned close to it.

Tip: When in Vegas, if it's gonna turn, do yourself a favor and make certain cross traffic is going to stop before proceeding. There are some particularly nasty T-bone wreck there due to people blatantly ignoring reds.
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AmishJohn
11/30/09

@that ain't the way to have fun, son: A lot of lights, at least around Chicago, have polarized lenses so you can't see the other lights.
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that ain't the way to have fun, son
11/30/09

@AmishJohn:

Nice to see the area around Chi-town using money wisely.

Sigh.
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British_Looks_British_Reliability
11/30/09

In reply to Eko: A Red Light with a Twist
Say it with me...
"Everything old is new again."
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FTGDWolverineEdition'09
11/30/09

In reply to Eko: A Red Light with a Twist
China and India have had this for a while now (apparently). Not just red light but also for the green lights so you can prepare and slow down (or speed up) appropriately. Saw a couple in Shanghai last year. Maybe not as elegant, but still does the job.
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laxmax613
11/30/09

@FTGDWolverineEdition'09: Yeah, when I lived in Israel there was one red light that we went through often with this sort of system. Combined with the fact that the lights go yellow in between red and green, it was a good system.
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McMike
11/30/09

In reply to Eko: A Red Light with a Twist
Countdown to horn blow in 5...4...3....2.....
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mechimike
11/30/09

In reply to Eko: A Red Light with a Twist
I think they should extend the idea to the yellow and green lights, while they're at it. This would actually provide far more environmental benefit, as you could see if a light were a "stale green" about to turn red and begin slowing down for it, rather than having to tromp on the brakes at the last second. It would also tell you how much yellow you can expect. This last feature would hold municipalities accountable and make it hard for them to pull shenanigans with short-cycle yellows meant to boost revenues from red light cameras (D.C., I'm looking at you!)

Of course, I share the general pessimism of the commentariat that any of this will ever actually see the light of day on US streets, anywhere. Or that the typical American driver would actually be smart enough to benefit from it, were it enacted.
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Axel-Ripper
11/30/09

@mechimike: that would be the best design ever, and should be mandatory for all stop lights... a timer for each light, since of course different areas have different times for yellow (Flint is about 3-5 seconds per light). This would allow you to know if indeed you can make the light, and if you should stay on the gas or let off because that red isn't changing any time soon
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petersterncan
11/30/09

In reply to Eko: A Red Light with a Twist
Awesome idea.

It's awesome because:
1. it facilitates hyermiling
2. it facilitates drag racing
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Sloop_John_B
11/30/09

In reply to Eko: A Red Light with a Twist
I see enough people complaining that people would time the light and t-bone the yellow stretchers. However, don't tell me that nobody here looks at the opposite lights to time their launches on red. We all know it's close to a 2 second delay once the opposite light goes red. Not to mention the fact that nowadays the countdown cross walks are everywhere. These essentially do the same thing.
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pauljones
11/30/09

@Sloop_John_B: I do. I seriously do look at the opposite lights when I drive, and more than once is has damn near gotten me T-boned by some asswipe trying to run the light.
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brandegee
11/30/09

@Sloop_John_B: An interesting twist when driving in Spain (or Barcelona, at least) is that nearly everyone jumps the red light. On the big thoroughfares you have no choice but to jump with them.
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GreenN_Gold
12/01/09

@pauljones: If you're looking at the cross lights, you're probably also monitoring the cross traffic (I hope) to make sure everyone is stopping at the red light. That's why you were only "damn near" T-boned...and being an observant, active driver saved your life.
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Mobius
11/30/09

In reply to Eko: A Red Light with a Twist
Imagine this on an F1 circuit!

But imagine this on a public roa..

*crash*

Never mind, actually.
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D0rk
11/30/09

In reply to Eko: A Red Light with a Twist
Fantastic idea, very well designed too.

Sad it's going to be used in the wrong intentions and probably cause more loss of life than the minimal environmental improvement by the few people who think to use it to shut the engine off.

I know I would use it more just to throw it in park and stop cooking my brake pads against the rotors.
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Bertone77
11/30/09

In reply to Eko: A Red Light with a Twist
I good idea but it could prove to be very bad in a lot of states (like CA,MI and CO). In these states (that I've lived) you literally need to wait a sec or two after the light changes to allow for all the people running the red light to go or to allow all the people caught in the center trying to take a left to get through.
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DooDaBeeDooBaa
11/30/09

@Bertone77: Well I know here in Jersey they have delayed greenlights, exactly for this problem.
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A strolling player got drunk and
11/30/09

@DooDaBeeDooBaa: Yeah, they do that at certain intersections around New Orleans, too. Difference is that we don't have those garish "DELAYED GREEN" signs which, I think, would just encourage more people to run the light because they know the other side is going to be waiting longer.

Good one, Jersey.
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DooDaBeeDooBaa
11/30/09

@A strolling player: Yea, you know we're know for our...um...exceptional drivers up here.
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JimmyFo
11/30/09

In reply to Eko: A Red Light with a Twist
An awesome idea that should never be implemented. Where my mom lives, and I used to, I would never roll forward at a green for a few seconds. The number of people who run red lights is astounding... I stopped looking for the glow of yellow lights in perpendicular lanes so I didn't have to have a complete stop; too many times I slammed on my brakes when my light was green so that I wouldn't get t-boned.
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Bertone77 promoted this comment Edited by JimmyFo at 11/30/09 10:15 AM JimmyFo was starred JimmyFo was unstarred

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