War on Short yellow lights.

"att" wrote in news:xqwHl.1471$ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:

Semoran Blvd.(SR436) in Orlando is 50 MPH in many places,lots of RLs.

has speeds of up to 70 mph on it,too. B-)

"att" wrote in news:ptwHl.1477$ snipped-for-privacy@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:

when they install the RLC,they alter the yellow timing as part of the "integration" with the signal. And no gov't official bothers to check afterwards.

"Paul Hovnanian P.E." wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@hovnanian.com:

some of ours count down from 30. but we have a lot of elderly in Florida.

I've seen many where the people turning left on the green arrow nearly run down the crossers.

Those crosswalk signals are great for telling when a light change is imminent. I always look for them.

US Route 23 south from Columbus, Ohio, also has traffic lights like that, BUT there is a sign located at least a few hundred yards before the light that begins flashing "Prepare to Stop" when the light is about to go yellow. I never once had a "close" call there, even though I was going well above the limit ;-)

...Jim Thompson

I have to wonder what municipalities will do when the preponderance of computer controlled vehicles hits the streets. I mean, why the hell else does anyone think DARPA was sponsoring challenges to build and operate autonomous vehicles?

Know that the talent in the winning group will filter out into industry. You're already seeing vehicles that control braking, it's just an actuator to control steering and acceleration too.

I'd say within a decade we'll see fully autonomous vehicles on our roadways. Just get in, tell it where you want to go and sit back.

Would be nice, but don't expect them anytime soon. The technology is there, but the liability insurance for the manufacturer would add $20,000 to each vehicle!

Charlie

Add another $20,000 for the greenie weenie tax ;-)

...Jim Thompson

And the Microsoft campus has a lot of people who live in front of a PC screen on nothing but soda pop and pizza.

You mean jaywalkers (with apologies to those who are too old or handicapped to make it across the intersection within the time allotted). I've never seen a crosswalk signal wired to conflict with a left turn signal.

$20,000 is cheap. Normally they fall off shortly after turning green.

Cheers, James Arthur

The standard stopping distances assume just over twice that (21.5 ft/s/s), but they assume an emergency stop, whereas traffic lights should be based upon more moderate braking.

If a vehicle can't manage 10 ft/s/s, it probably isn't legally roadworthy. Some vehicles (e.g. tractors, horse-drawn carriages) are exempt from normal roadworthiness standards, but someone driving such a vehicle would be expected to account for its handling, i.e. keeping their speed in line with their braking ability.

Only when they slow down to change a flat tire. :(

Where did you find this value? Are you a traffic engineer, by any chance?

Do roadworthiness standards presume some value of deceleration capability?

What can a Model T do? They're allowed on the road.

"Paul Hovnanian P.E." wrote in news:fpqdndQDJ-P-63LUnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@posted.isomediainc:

just because YOU haven't seen one,doesn't mean they don't exist. I personally have encountered them. And if they are crossing with the walk signal and are in the crosswalk,they are NOT "jaywalkers".

is

Is there any definitive paper setting standards for deceleration during "normal" and "collision avoidance" stops?

...Jim Thompson

I'm quite "stop minded" when it comes to yellow lights. The question I ask myself is simply "can I stop before I reach the line?"

This obviously involves a judgement about how hard I should brake (I tend to take a look in the rear view mirror to see whether I'd get hit from behind).

If I were to find myself encountering short yellow periods, such that I were unintentionlly running red lights, the effect would be to cause me to be inclined to brake harder, and thus form the view that I can stop despite being closer to the line.

No doubt one consequence would be an increased risk of my being rear-ended.

I can't imagine I'm anything like unique. If authorities are reducing yellow times to revenue raising purposes, they need to be aware that they'll be causing accidents as well.

As an aside, I've only been rear-ended once. I was already stopped at traffic lights, and was rear-ended by a vehicle that was itself already stopped before it was in turn rear-ended. The level of inattention of the driver at fault in the third vehicle beggars belief. As was the level of self delusion - at the scene she said she'd "just clipped" the vehicle she hit, despite having totally caved in its rear.

Sylvia.

is

Check DOT they have rules about it.

No, just 52% of the voters. Mike

Much to simple.

- state your destination to traffic control,

- Motivate reason for displacement (must be sufficiently valid to warrant transport)

- state the level of urgency

- wait for traffic controller to allot you a timeslot in accordance with urgency

- money is transferred to traffic control dpt.

- Transportation pod starts to move when slot opens.

- State political affiliation