Botched Traffic Signals
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Re: Botched Traffic Signals
Not only that, but there is no actual "stick" with which to beat a highway authority that IS doing things wrong.
I suppose in theory the SoS could appoint a Traffic Director under TMA, but I cant for the life of me imaginethat ever actually happening. And of course the watering down of regulations even further doesnt help the mish-mash of dog poo engineering that is becoming ever more prevalent.
With a relaxing of regulation should come a tightening up of those permitted to actually put stuff out on the highway. At present, any old tom dick or harriet can start plopping stuff out on the road network with little or no fear of reprisal from the ultimate powers that be.
I suppose in theory the SoS could appoint a Traffic Director under TMA, but I cant for the life of me imaginethat ever actually happening. And of course the watering down of regulations even further doesnt help the mish-mash of dog poo engineering that is becoming ever more prevalent.
With a relaxing of regulation should come a tightening up of those permitted to actually put stuff out on the highway. At present, any old tom dick or harriet can start plopping stuff out on the road network with little or no fear of reprisal from the ultimate powers that be.
Re: Botched Traffic Signals
It's all devolution to the local authorities...
Bryn
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She said life was like a motorway; dull, grey, and long.
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Terminally cynical, unimpressed, and nearly Middle Age already.
She said life was like a motorway; dull, grey, and long.
Blog - https://showmeasign.online/
X - https://twitter.com/ShowMeASignBryn
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@BrynBuck
- ReissOmari
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Re: Botched Traffic Signals
These went green before the conflicting set had turned red this morning.
I assume something has gone wrong, rather than it being intentional so fired an email off to Sandwell council once I got home.
I assume something has gone wrong, rather than it being intentional so fired an email off to Sandwell council once I got home.
Re: Botched Traffic Signals
There is this set near me
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.67016 ... 56!6m1!1e1
which for some reason only have secondary signals for straight on, not left, in each direction. This is fine in the other direction where both directions change together, but heading south left normally goes green before ahead (depending on the sensors).
This means if the person at the front has pulled close to the stop line they often sit there on green, much to the frustration of those behind.
They are also totally rubbish in the sense that the embedded sensors clearly work (change the sequence of the lights) but actually against your favour.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.67016 ... 56!6m1!1e1
which for some reason only have secondary signals for straight on, not left, in each direction. This is fine in the other direction where both directions change together, but heading south left normally goes green before ahead (depending on the sensors).
This means if the person at the front has pulled close to the stop line they often sit there on green, much to the frustration of those behind.
They are also totally rubbish in the sense that the embedded sensors clearly work (change the sequence of the lights) but actually against your favour.
I didn't want to believe my Dad was stealing from his job as a road worker. But when I got home, all the signs were there.
Re: Botched Traffic Signals
Very poor design that. They are treating the left turn as a filter whereas it actually has a full traffic phase so should also have a secondary signal.kit wrote:which for some reason only have secondary signals for straight on, not left, in each direction. This is fine in the other direction where both directions change together, but heading south left normally goes green before ahead (depending on the sensors).
- MotorwayGuy
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Re: Botched Traffic Signals
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.44123 ... 312!8i6656
The signals for ahead and right movements here sometimes have the red ball flash on for a split second whilst in the middle of the green phase.
They used to be phased so that the left turn went whilst the road to the left got its green phase, followed by the ahead and right movements, but now that no longer happens and the red time is ridiculously long.
The signals for ahead and right movements here sometimes have the red ball flash on for a split second whilst in the middle of the green phase.
They used to be phased so that the left turn went whilst the road to the left got its green phase, followed by the ahead and right movements, but now that no longer happens and the red time is ridiculously long.
Re: Botched Traffic Signals
Even if they put a filter on the secondary signal it would be an improvement although rather ugly solution.ianwallis wrote:Very poor design that. They are treating the left turn as a filter whereas it actually has a full traffic phase so should also have a secondary signal.
I didn't want to believe my Dad was stealing from his job as a road worker. But when I got home, all the signs were there.
- traffic-light-man
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Re: Botched Traffic Signals
There's a few of those 'ugly' situations in Knowsley. Here, here and here.kit wrote: Even if they put a filter on the secondary signal it would be an improvement although rather ugly solution.
They all have a left turn 'filter' setup. The second example did have two lanterns mounted on the secondary position originally. For some reason this was changed to the current design before the installation was even switched on. That junction is also the only one that wasn't Mellors installed by Merseyside UTC as the other examples were.
Simon
Re: Botched Traffic Signals
Where were you sat to see both sets of signals?urbanfox wrote:These went green before the conflicting set had turned red this morning.
I assume something has gone wrong, rather than it being intentional so fired an email off to Sandwell council once I got home.
Re: Botched Traffic Signals
Doesnt happen. A conflict is a conflict and the signals would shut down. More likely is traffic red-running and is a common cause of "green conflict" complaints I get.urbanfox wrote:These went green before the conflicting set had turned red this morning.
Generally speaking, it is not possible for a "fault" to cause a green conflict (although not entirely unheard of on early microprocessor controllers under certain specific conditions or where by necessity some safety critical timings are carried out by dummy phases).
- Johnathan404
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Re: Botched Traffic Signals
I was approaching this junction in Warrington recently.
The nearest signals were all red and the distant junction was green for going straight, red for turning right. At first glance I saw a few red lights joined by a red light with a green arrow next to it. "Cool", I thought, "a straight on filter arrow".
When I got closer I realised it was two separate junctions. Bad layout or was I having an off day?
The nearest signals were all red and the distant junction was green for going straight, red for turning right. At first glance I saw a few red lights joined by a red light with a green arrow next to it. "Cool", I thought, "a straight on filter arrow".
When I got closer I realised it was two separate junctions. Bad layout or was I having an off day?
I have websites about: motorway services | Fareham
Re: Botched Traffic Signals
It might usually get louvred covers but to be fair the wall is a pretty good visual guide that they are two separate junctions. I'm not a fan of the louvred covers unless needed as they must be a nightmare for lorry drivers.Johnathan404 wrote:When I got closer I realised it was two separate junctions. Bad layout or was I having an off day?
I didn't want to believe my Dad was stealing from his job as a road worker. But when I got home, all the signs were there.
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Re: Botched Traffic Signals
Definitely a bad layout - looking at it from further back shows a complete mish-mash of reds and greens where the driver would be looking - the repeater for the first set on the far right will not be in a drivers direct line of sight.Johnathan404 wrote:When I got closer I realised it was two separate junctions. Bad layout or was I having an off day?
Re: Botched Traffic Signals
Not a botch exactly but...
http://www.imageupload.co.uk/images/201 ... AEJuaG.jpg
They're really going to try and use a Mellor pedestrian lantern and try and pass it off as vintage American?
http://www.imageupload.co.uk/images/201 ... AEJuaG.jpg
They're really going to try and use a Mellor pedestrian lantern and try and pass it off as vintage American?
- Chris Bertram
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Re: Botched Traffic Signals
If it's good enough for Mr Spielberg, it should be good enough for the rest of us. (He's been filming in Birmingham recently.)Gareth wrote:Not a botch exactly but...
http://www.imageupload.co.uk/images/201 ... AEJuaG.jpg
They're really going to try and use a Mellor pedestrian lantern and try and pass it off as vintage American?
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- dragonv480
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Re: Botched Traffic Signals
Here's an interesting crossing "redesign" I came across on socail media just now from Hayle in Cornwall. They seem to have replaced a perfectly usable and modern ped crossing with new furniture, but whereas the old furnature was on poles on the edge of the footway, the new furniture seems to be in the middle of the footway causing problems for wheelchairs, pushchairs, mobility scooters and dare I say, the Friday night drunk!!!
https://www.facebook.com/maria.ellis.14 ... 2470736693
https://www.facebook.com/maria.ellis.14 ... 2470736693
Cheers!
Gaz Wilson
Gaz Wilson
Re: Botched Traffic Signals
Probably quite dangerous as well having something mainly black there. Oxfordshire decided to put a black traffic light controller box in the middle of a cycle lane here - they haven't moved it but they have at least put white edging on it.dragonv480 wrote:Here's an interesting crossing "redesign" I came across on socail media just now from Hayle in Cornwall. They seem to have replaced a perfectly usable and modern ped crossing with new furniture, but whereas the old furnature was on poles on the edge of the footway, the new furniture seems to be in the middle of the footway causing problems for wheelchairs, pushchairs, mobility scooters and dare I say, the Friday night drunk!!!
https://www.facebook.com/maria.ellis.14 ... 2470736693
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.73746 ... 312!8i6656
I didn't want to believe my Dad was stealing from his job as a road worker. But when I got home, all the signs were there.
- Johnathan404
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Re: Botched Traffic Signals
The nearest green signal on Merrion Road appears to be tied in to the two signals behind it. Only problem is the signal is placed significantly ahead of the stop line it's protecting!
All traffic always ignores the red signal and proceeds to the stop line, and it's hard to think of what (in practical terms) is wrong with this, other than it causing a bit of confusion for pedestrians.
All traffic always ignores the red signal and proceeds to the stop line, and it's hard to think of what (in practical terms) is wrong with this, other than it causing a bit of confusion for pedestrians.
I have websites about: motorway services | Fareham
- RichieGraham
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Re: Botched Traffic Signals
This little traffic light setup here where the A3 meets the A306 is a bit strange.
It's quite a straightforward junction really - the A3 west/southbound here has four lanes; the rightenmost lane turns to the right down the A306 while the three leftenmost ones continue straight on. Traffic waiting to turn left has to wait until the traffic coming up the A3 is stopped at the lights. Coming up the other way it's a similar setup, but obviously with the left turn down the A306 being available whenever the mainline A3 is green.
What makes it strange is that the southbound A3 is controlled by a filter arrow pointing straight forward, leading to quite often drivers stopping at the red light. As the vast majority of traffic is straight-on, just seems odd that the lesser-used right turning traffic has the main lights. (What is worse at the moment is that the overhead light's filter arrow isn't working at the moment, so when approaching the junction there is no warning of what phase the lights are on - all you see is red!
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Another slightly odd one here. The light we can see in the middle on the right (with the blue pavement sign propped up behind it) is always on red, even when the one on the stop line is green. It's always confused me when I've driven past, as I tend to see that one rather than the one on the stop line; looking at it here though, I expect that it is a traffic light for the cycle lane and not the road. As I've never seen it in its non-red phases though, I've never seen if it's got the cycle symbol!
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Finally (while I'm at it!), not quite a botched traffic signal, just a bit ambigious - a bit further down here outside Lambeth North tube station, where the A23 meets the A302 and the B300, there's a 'no right turn' sign on the lights. It took a while for me to realise that the sign was prohibiting turning onto the southbound A302 (ie, past the station itself) and not onto the B300 - it would be a very difficult manouvre to make if somebody tried it, but I doubt that would stop anybody from attempting. Google Maps shows it a bit more obvious here, where it's a crossroads and the A23 becomes the B300, but the actual layout is more that the A23 and the A302 both lead onto the A302 NB, with the B300 coming off.
It's quite a straightforward junction really - the A3 west/southbound here has four lanes; the rightenmost lane turns to the right down the A306 while the three leftenmost ones continue straight on. Traffic waiting to turn left has to wait until the traffic coming up the A3 is stopped at the lights. Coming up the other way it's a similar setup, but obviously with the left turn down the A306 being available whenever the mainline A3 is green.
What makes it strange is that the southbound A3 is controlled by a filter arrow pointing straight forward, leading to quite often drivers stopping at the red light. As the vast majority of traffic is straight-on, just seems odd that the lesser-used right turning traffic has the main lights. (What is worse at the moment is that the overhead light's filter arrow isn't working at the moment, so when approaching the junction there is no warning of what phase the lights are on - all you see is red!
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Another slightly odd one here. The light we can see in the middle on the right (with the blue pavement sign propped up behind it) is always on red, even when the one on the stop line is green. It's always confused me when I've driven past, as I tend to see that one rather than the one on the stop line; looking at it here though, I expect that it is a traffic light for the cycle lane and not the road. As I've never seen it in its non-red phases though, I've never seen if it's got the cycle symbol!
----------
Finally (while I'm at it!), not quite a botched traffic signal, just a bit ambigious - a bit further down here outside Lambeth North tube station, where the A23 meets the A302 and the B300, there's a 'no right turn' sign on the lights. It took a while for me to realise that the sign was prohibiting turning onto the southbound A302 (ie, past the station itself) and not onto the B300 - it would be a very difficult manouvre to make if somebody tried it, but I doubt that would stop anybody from attempting. Google Maps shows it a bit more obvious here, where it's a crossroads and the A23 becomes the B300, but the actual layout is more that the A23 and the A302 both lead onto the A302 NB, with the B300 coming off.
I'm so embarassed that I wish everybody else would just die; Bender Bending Rodrẽguez, Futurama