Unique Traffic Signals

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traffic-light-man
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by traffic-light-man »

L.J.D wrote: Tue Apr 12, 2022 20:39 Here is a bit of an odd situation <snip> a give way whilst the rest of the junction is under signal control.
Here's a similar situation in terms of the traffic signal arrangement. There does appear to be a loop cut for this one, presumably to demand the signals, but it relies on motorists taking heed of the secondary signal. I suspect this give way approach is probably more heavily used in comparison to the other example, but I personally don't like the idea of either of them in any case!
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AlexBr967
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by AlexBr967 »

Similar thing here and here. The second I always found intriguing that there is detection there so I don't know if the lights are changed to red on vehicle detection or not. I ride a bike and never noticed it change for me.
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by tom66 »

traffic-light-man wrote: Sun Apr 24, 2022 19:37
L.J.D wrote: Tue Apr 12, 2022 20:39 Here is a bit of an odd situation <snip> a give way whilst the rest of the junction is under signal control.
Here's a similar situation in terms of the traffic signal arrangement. There does appear to be a loop cut for this one, presumably to demand the signals, but it relies on motorists taking heed of the secondary signal. I suspect this give way approach is probably more heavily used in comparison to the other example, but I personally don't like the idea of either of them in any case!
I assume there's in fact no obligation at all to follow the secondary signal as it's well past the stop line. Red or green you may proceed provided you give way to traffic on the main line.

I used to frequent this industrial estate and I've posted before about how the exit to the estate has no signal.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.80604 ... 384!8i8192

Similar situation, you just have to take caution, though I would often wait for the opposing flow to have a red before proceeding. There are no detectors for the estate (of course - no signal, so why would there be?) so at busy times it would often be faster to turn left and spin around at Regent St roundabout.
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MotorwayGuy
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by MotorwayGuy »

You'd have thought that when they replaced the old stone bridge with that awful steel one, they would have made it wide enough for two lanes.
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by MotorwayGuy »

Never seen this type of signal border used in combination with normal signal heads before, normally only used for ramp metering and tunnels:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.72428 ... 6?hl=en-GB
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by pjr10th »

WhiteBlueRed wrote: Thu Apr 21, 2022 08:13 This is not in Britain (it's in South Africa) but this is really strange.
https://www.google.com/maps/@-25.757638 ... 312!8i6656
I don't understand why would a grade-separated interchange need traffic lights.
This is not particularly unique.

Here's an example in Gateshead:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Uu92dbT5kLy2a29d6

Another in Merseyside:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/2jXvDgfRkjULupwg7

A third in Manchester:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/rEE34pEQm8gnkevo8
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L.J.D
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by L.J.D »

MotorwayGuy wrote: Mon Apr 25, 2022 14:53 You'd have thought that when they replaced the old stone bridge with that awful steel one, they would have made it wide enough for two lanes.
I think even the new permanent bridge they've recently installed only takes one lane at a time its so bizarre that they'd put in a permanent bridge this day in age that needs signals either side.
Jonathan24
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by Jonathan24 »

How common is it for (pedestrian) lights to have louvres added to every lens? It seems to render the lights pointless in this example because none of the aspects can be seen!
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by jnty »

L.J.D wrote: Fri Apr 29, 2022 00:15
MotorwayGuy wrote: Mon Apr 25, 2022 14:53 You'd have thought that when they replaced the old stone bridge with that awful steel one, they would have made it wide enough for two lanes.
I think even the new permanent bridge they've recently installed only takes one lane at a time its so bizarre that they'd put in a permanent bridge this day in age that needs signals either side.
https://cumbriacrack.com/2020/10/23/uks ... 0resilient.
The bridge was designed as a single span structure to avoid the need for piers in the river, thereby reducing the flood risk and making the structure more flood resilient.
Increasing the capacity to carry motor traffic into the Lakes NP goes against the current objectives of the NP authority too and would have presumably increased the cost significantly.
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by L.J.D »

Odd setup here in Snaith. Having two primary heads as opposed to primary and secondary.
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

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L.J.D wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 03:17 Odd setup here in Snaith. Having two primary heads as opposed to primary and secondary.
Ugh. Same on all three approaches, with stop lines muddled up with give way lines and other markings because they're part time, with a mini roundabout within the signalised area, and with an unsignalised road joining at a give way line. Looks like a real mess. I guess the idea is to have part time (peak time?) signalisation of the single file working section.
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by MotorwayGuy »

This rather knackered set in Edinburgh in unusual in that it has two "ahead" phases. I'm not sure how they would go about replacing these as I don't believe modern signals have the ability to angle the arrows at anything other than 90 degree angles. Having a right arrow would cause an issue due to the no right turn restriction, even though technically you are making a right turn into Lauriston Place.
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by jnty »

MotorwayGuy wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 16:13 This rather knackered set in Edinburgh in unusual in that it has two "ahead" phases. I'm not sure how they would go about replacing these as I don't believe modern signals have the ability to angle the arrows at anything other than 90 degree angles. Having a right arrow would cause an issue due to the no right turn restriction, even though technically you are making a right turn into Lauriston Place.
This junction used to give me the fear as a new driver and although I find it quite simple now I do wonder what the uninitiated think of it - it's not much simpler coming the other direction although the bus lane acts as a bit of a splitter island to make things more obvious.

I would be surprised if it lasts much longer in its current form. The space the junction occupies was cleared to accommodate a interchange with the ill-fated Inner Ring Road and the current layout is a relic of the sort of thinking that drove that scheme, increasingly becoming an outlier in Edinburgh for its hostility to pedestrians and cyclists. From experience, you can easily take several minutes to successfully cross if you wait for the green men (which is advisable as if you try and go on red a car will always seemingly appear from nowhere.) The revised junction will likely occupy a smaller footprint, look a bit more conventional and probably be a bit more amenable to 'right angle' signals.
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by traffic-light-man »

Jonathan24 wrote: Sun May 01, 2022 23:52 How common is it for (pedestrian) lights to have louvres added to every lens? It seems to render the lights pointless in this example because none of the aspects can be seen!
I'd say it's pretty uncommon to have every aspect louvred on an exit ped like this, but I have seen it done before. I'm yet to see a situation where I fully understand why it was done, though, and you wouldn't routinely louvre a red.
L.J.D wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 03:17 Odd setup here in Snaith. Having two primary heads as opposed to primary and secondary.
What is that?! :shock: I suppose it satisfies the regulations at a bare minimum, having two heads on each phase...
MotorwayGuy wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 16:13I'm not sure how they would go about replacing these as I don't believe modern signals have the ability to angle the arrows at anything other than 90 degree angles.
Point them whatever way you like. There was a spell with the early LED units where anything other than 90 degree angles required a fully populated board and a mask instead of a board populated with an arrow's worth of LEDs, but that's the only restriction on positioning and it was easily overcome.

Without thinking, here's some modern Siemens ones and some modern Peek ones.
Peek ones set an angle.
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by OliverH »

This Mellor has now gone but it has a bus roundel and had a bus-only sign right underneath the roundel.
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MotorwayGuy
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by MotorwayGuy »

OliverH wrote: Wed May 04, 2022 09:15 This Mellor has now gone but it has a bus roundel and had a bus-only sign right underneath the roundel.
That used to be an ahead roundel on the signal, the ones were mounted on the pole later and then the ahead replaced with bus roundels. The whole layout it a bit of a bodge as New Road isn't restricted to just buses, but there is no legal way for vehicles other than buses to enter due to the fact the signals coming from the other side have ahead only roundels on them.
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Chris Bertram
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by Chris Bertram »

traffic-light-man wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 17:39
Jonathan24 wrote: Sun May 01, 2022 23:52 How common is it for (pedestrian) lights to have louvres added to every lens? It seems to render the lights pointless in this example because none of the aspects can be seen!
I'd say it's pretty uncommon to have every aspect louvred on an exit ped like this, but I have seen it done before. I'm yet to see a situation where I fully understand why it was done, though, and you wouldn't routinely louvre a red.
L.J.D wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 03:17 Odd setup here in Snaith. Having two primary heads as opposed to primary and secondary.
What is that?! :shock: I suppose it satisfies the regulations at a bare minimum, having two heads on each phase...
MotorwayGuy wrote: Tue May 03, 2022 16:13I'm not sure how they would go about replacing these as I don't believe modern signals have the ability to angle the arrows at anything other than 90 degree angles.
Point them whatever way you like. There was a spell with the early LED units where anything other than 90 degree angles required a fully populated board and a mask instead of a board populated with an arrow's worth of LEDs, but that's the only restriction on positioning and it was easily overcome.

Without thinking, here's some modern Siemens ones and some modern Peek ones.
Peek ones set an angle.
Signals with arrows pointing NW and NE have always been around, and I've never heard of them being banned
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AlexBr967
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by AlexBr967 »

They're definitely coming out of favour for some reason. Noticed a few places where diagonal arrows were replaced with 90 degree arrows
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by AlexBr967 »

Always thought this and this set of traffic lights were unique. Rather than having a conventional button, the PBUs seem to instead have a solid metal plate that somehow detects a finger. I imagine it's the same tech as any other capacitive button. Never tried them with gloves but I imagine they wouldn't work with gloves. Has anyone seen this anywhere else and maybe knows why it was done? I can't see many advantages other than maybe reduced wear and tear.
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vlad
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Re: Unique Traffic Signals

Post by vlad »

You can't really tell from Street View but this pedestrian crossing also uses a solid metal plate. I've never known it not work but I've never tried it wearing gloves.

I did wonder if it was installed to guard against vandalism - but then there are several other crossings nearby which use a conventional push-button so maybe it's just there because they can.
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