Traffic light experiment in Zelenograd, Russia

[WhiteBlueRed]

A few days ago, in the city of Zelenograd, Russia (which is an administrative district of Moscow), the Moscow Traffic Organisation Centre (MTOC from now on) decided to conduct an experiment with traffic lights.
Traffic lights at several junctions no longer flash green for 3 seconds before changing to amber, and instead change from green straight to amber.
Most drivers found out about the experiment when they were surprised by the sudden change from green to amber. It was an unexpected and an unpleasant surprise: over the years drivers have developed a habit of braking only when the green light flashes, and continuing without braking if it's not flashing.
The sudden change to an amber light forces drivers to either brake sharply (which could result in a crash), or enter the junction when the light is already red (which if there is a camera or traffic policeman nearby, can lead to a serious fine, or even a ban from driving if prior to this the driver had already been fined for this offence)
Dissatisfied drivers began to gather in local social media communities, and soon enough a comment from the MTOC appeared there: "Yes, an experiment is underway to improve traffic safety."
The explanation did not remove the questions, but only added more. Now the residents of Zelenograd are perplexed as to why they were not notified about the “reform”, and are anxiously waiting for winter: on slippery roads there is a much higher risk that sharp braking before an intersection will end badly.
"The flashing green light informs drivers that they should slow down because soon the amber light will turn on.", the MTOC explained. However, in practice, drivers instead speed up in an attempt to "beat" the light.
According to a representative of the MTOC, such actions lead to collisions, and high speed significantly reduces the chances of survival of those involved in an accident.
"If a pedestrian is hit at a speed of 80 km/h, the likelihood of their death increases to 60%. For children, the situation is even worse”, the MTOC noted. -
To solve this problem, as part of the experiment, the operating mode of traffic lights at three dozen addresses in Zelenograd was changed. Instead of the flashing green indication, an all-red period has been provided. At the same time, the duration of green remained the same.
As noted by the MTOC, flashing green is not required by federal standard GOST R 52289-2019 "Technical means of organizing road traffic." Thus, its absence does not violate the law, but can improve road safety.
The MTOC advises: when approaching an intersection on a green light, you should slow down instead of speeding up. If it is not possible to stop at a yellow light without resorting to emergency braking, you should drive through the intersection - drivers have this right under rule 6.14 of the Road Rules.
Original article
As a transport enthusiast, I personally like this change, because it brings the traffic lights more in line with the rest of the world, where apart from a few countries (mostly post-soviet ones) there is no flashing green light. The length of the amber light might need to be extended though (at the moment the GOST specifies at 3 seconds) to take winter conditions into account. (or alternatively, the amber light can be extended during the winter months, and otherwise be at 3 seconds)
Zelenograd is used by the MTOC as a test bed for various innovations, such as actuated traffic lights (which until recently were rarely, if ever used). So if this experiment turns out to be successful, the flashing green light might disappear from Russian traffic lights.

[jgharston]

So they've changed to "normal" signalling, where the change to amber indicates that the light is about to change to red.

When I visited Ireland in 2017 I was really caught out by their lights that jump straight from green to red, with NO warning at all. tootle tootle driving along, tootle, light's on green, tootle, argh, red, slam on brakes. WTF???

[Chris Bertram]

So they've changed to "normal" signalling, where the change to amber indicates that the light is about to change to red.

When I visited Ireland in 2017 I was really caught out by their lights that jump straight from green to red, with NO warning at all. tootle tootle driving along, tootle, light's on green, tootle, argh, red, slam on brakes. WTF???

Ireland, like quite a few European countries (and Jersey) does red to green without intervening red+amber, but I'm sure it has amber before red, or at least it did last time I visited. Any of our Irish correspondents like to comment?

[wallmeerkat]

So they've changed to "normal" signalling, where the change to amber indicates that the light is about to change to red.

When I visited Ireland in 2017 I was really caught out by their lights that jump straight from green to red, with NO warning at all. tootle tootle driving along, tootle, light's on green, tootle, argh, red, slam on brakes. WTF???

I've never experienced that driving in the south, unless it was a broken amber.

What catches me out is that it goes to green from red, no amber to 'prepare', just red, immediate green, and you'd better be ready to move

[jgharston]

What catches me out is that it goes from green to red, no amber to 'prepare', just red, immediate green, and you'd better be ready to move

That's what it was, I was struggling to remember (it was 2017). Now you've prodded my memories, yes it was the sudden "yargh! green light, **** get into gear and sort out my feet".

[Vierwielen]

So they've changed to "normal" signalling, where the change to amber indicates that the light is about to change to red.

When I visited Ireland in 2017 I was really caught out by their lights that jump straight from green to red, with NO warning at all. tootle tootle driving along, tootle, light's on green, tootle, argh, red, slam on brakes. WTF???

Ireland, like quite a few European countries (and Jersey) does red to green without intervening red+amber, but I'm sure it has amber before red, or at least it did last time I visited. Any of our Irish correspondents like to comment?

The UK is the only country where I have driven where red does not jump straight to green. WHen I drove in the UK for the first time (having been brought up in South Africa) this caugh me by surprise. As far as I can recall (I am open to correction), Australia also jumps straight from red to green (can someone confirm?).

[Truvelo]

The UK is the only country where I have driven where red does not jump straight to green. WHen I drove in the UK for the first time (having been brought up in South Africa) this caugh me by surprise. As far as I can recall (I am open to correction), Australia also jumps straight from red to green (can someone confirm?).

I've seen traffic lights in Hungary that show red and amber together before they turn green. This was 15 years ago so maybe they no longer do this.

[Peter Freeman]

As far as I can recall (I am open to correction), Australia also jumps straight from red to green (can someone confirm?).

Yes- confirmed.

[Chris Bertram]

The UK is the only country where I have driven where red does not jump straight to green. WHen I drove in the UK for the first time (having been brought up in South Africa) this caugh me by surprise. As far as I can recall (I am open to correction), Australia also jumps straight from red to green (can someone confirm?).

I've seen traffic lights in Hungary that show red and amber together before they turn green. This was 15 years ago so maybe they no longer do this.

Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Scandinavian countries also do, as does the Czech Republic. And Guernsey, or so I'm told. Don't know about the Isle of Man.

[WhiteBlueRed]

Russia generally also shows red+amber before green, the duration of which is between 1 to 2 seconds according to the GOST. In practice, it sometimes lasts for as long as 3 seconds.
"Generally", because the GOST does not require it, if the traffic light is not part of a coordinated system.
My city has and had always had red+amber before green, and I'm glad that it's still the case. Because some intersections in Moscow, and even entire cities (such as Perm) don't have red+amber. I personally dislike this, because the change is sudden for me. Also, with red+amber, when you're approaching a red light, the amber light may come on, allowing you to simply coast, or brake lightly. Without red+amber, you may end up stopping, only to get a green light when you come to a stop.
It seems though that it now lasts for 1 second; growing up I remember that the amber light came on after the 3rd second of the countdown (there used to be countdown timers at major intersections, now they've been removed at some of them due to safety concerns)
Back in the Soviet Union, there originally was amber after green. The lights changed between red and green through amber.
Then in 1973 or so (when the Vienna Convention was adopted), new indications were added to the Road Rules, which were red+amber, and flashing green (which was not widely used in practice until the 90s).
It seems that my point regarding red+amber was also true in the Soviet Union, since in some areas the lights changed from red+amber to green, while in other areas (in and around Moscow), they changed from red straight to green. Looking at the Soviet GOST, it did permit for a sequence of "red -> green -> amber" to be used, but without the proviso of the set being coordinated with others, as in the current GOST.
Regarding flashing green, I've never heard of it being used back then, even though it was in the rules.
Another quirk of Soviet traffic lights was that until the 50s the red and green lights were positioned the other way round, with red being on the bottom, and green being on top.

[Chris Bertram]

Another quirk of Soviet traffic lights was that until the 50s the red and green lights were positioned the other way round, with red being on the bottom, and green being on top.

British railway colour-light signals of the multi-lamp variety are arranged that way too, the idea being that the red signal will be positioned for optimal visibility by the train driver, especially when mounted overhead on gantries (ground-mounted signals in tunnels and elsewhere are the other way up). Of course, there should be no other train in between the driver and the next signal. Traffic lights, however, need to be visible over other vehicles, so the red normally goes at the top for that reason. With the increasing number of tall goods vehicles on the road, we now get totem-pole and mast-arm signals too.

[jnty]

Another quirk of Soviet traffic lights was that until the 50s the red and green lights were positioned the other way round, with red being on the bottom, and green being on top.

British railway colour-light signals of the multi-lamp variety are arranged that way too, the idea being that the red signal will be positioned for optimal visibility by the train driver, especially when mounted overhead on gantries (ground-mounted signals in tunnels and elsewhere are the other way up). Of course, there should be no other train in between the driver and the next signal. Traffic lights, however, need to be visible over other vehicles, so the red normally goes at the top for that reason. With the increasing number of tall goods vehicles on the road, we now get totem-pole and mast-arm signals too.

There's some colour-blindness proofing in having the road arrangement be consistent too, is there not? Whereas if you're a colourblind train driver you get the sack.

Many modern two or three (or one) indication LED railway signals now have just one aspect, which looks quite odd.

[Chris Bertram]

Another quirk of Soviet traffic lights was that until the 50s the red and green lights were positioned the other way round, with red being on the bottom, and green being on top.

British railway colour-light signals of the multi-lamp variety are arranged that way too, the idea being that the red signal will be positioned for optimal visibility by the train driver, especially when mounted overhead on gantries (ground-mounted signals in tunnels and elsewhere are the other way up). Of course, there should be no other train in between the driver and the next signal. Traffic lights, however, need to be visible over other vehicles, so the red normally goes at the top for that reason. With the increasing number of tall goods vehicles on the road, we now get totem-pole and mast-arm signals too.

There's some colour-blindness proofing in having the road arrangement be consistent too, is there not? Whereas if you're a colourblind train driver you get the sack.

Many modern two or three (or one) indication LED railway signals now have just one aspect, which looks quite odd.

Yes, consistently having red at the top means there should be no doubt about when it is lit.

One-lamp railway signals are actually quite an old thing. Semaphore signals have a single lamp over which the "spectacles" of the signal move for their night-time indication. And there were also "searchlight" signals, again with a single lamp, where a magnet would determine which coloured lens was in place in front of the white light. These were used in the experimental speed signalling schemes in the Mirfield area and on the Watford DC lines up to 1988. They may still be in use in some other places, but are generally deprecated because of the moving parts required in an outdoor environment (yes, I know semaphore signals have the same issue). The modern signals with a single "lamp" are of course LED signals; they will have red and green LEDs, which in combination will provide the yellow aspect. If a double yellow aspect is required, a second LED display will be provided. But in principle they work in the same way as the "searchlight" signals, different colours appearing through the same aperture.

[FosseWay]

Regarding the OP - I do question the decision of the authorities not to tell anyone about the experiment in advance. But as to the actual idea, it seems nuts for the authorities not to realise that if you essentially give people 6 seconds' warning of an impending red light, they're going to floor it with all the consequences mentioned. Having an amber phase of up to three seconds basically allows a safe choice between speeding up slightly or slowing smartly but in control, with both outcomes completed before it goes red. This is especially true on roads with low to middling speed limits (up to 40 or 50 mph), which is where you generally get traffic lights.

As to what to do when faced with a green light - my driving instructor said "What is the one thing you can guarantee a green light is going to do?"

[exiled]

The UK is the only country where I have driven where red does not jump straight to green. WHen I drove in the UK for the first time (having been brought up in South Africa) this caugh me by surprise. As far as I can recall (I am open to correction), Australia also jumps straight from red to green (can someone confirm?).

I've seen traffic lights in Hungary that show red and amber together before they turn green. This was 15 years ago so maybe they no longer do this.

Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Scandinavian countries also do, as does the Czech Republic. And Guernsey, or so I'm told. Don't know about the Isle of Man.

ISTR somewhere where most of Europe has red and amber phases when jumping to green, but where most British drivers will drive internationally - Spain, France, Italy, the Benelux, and the Republic of Ireland, do not have a red and amber phase.

[freebrickproductions]

Another quirk of Soviet traffic lights was that until the 50s the red and green lights were positioned the other way round, with red being on the bottom, and green being on top.

British railway colour-light signals of the multi-lamp variety are arranged that way too, the idea being that the red signal will be positioned for optimal visibility by the train driver, especially when mounted overhead on gantries (ground-mounted signals in tunnels and elsewhere are the other way up). Of course, there should be no other train in between the driver and the next signal. Traffic lights, however, need to be visible over other vehicles, so the red normally goes at the top for that reason. With the increasing number of tall goods vehicles on the road, we now get totem-pole and mast-arm signals too.

The vertical color-light wayside signals here in the US generally operated on the same principle as well: red on bottom, green on top. As I understand it, it dates back to wooden balls that were raised and lowered, with a raised ball indicating the line ahead was clear, with "high-ball" still being a term used to describe a clear signal, or a train that's running on clear signals, to this day.

Interestingly, the Chesapeake & Ohio's wayside signals had the standard/upper heads on any install be arrange with the red on top and green on bottom like a traffic light, while the lower heads would also have the lenses arranged like any other wayside signal. This specification has largely been depreciated, thanks to the Chessie System and later CSX mergers, and can really only be found on surviving C&O installs or lines with surviving C&O installs along them (it appears CSX doesn't entirely want to mix their current signal rules & operations with the old C&O ones, understandably).

EDIT to add:
I know that here in the US, the MUTCD bans doing anything to explicitly indicate that a signal is about to turn yellow, such as flashing the green* before turning yellow, or having a countdown until the signal turns yellow, as the FHWA's studies have found that doing so causes people to drive more aggressively and cause more accidents. As such, I ain't too surprised to see Russia is looking at the same thing.

*Flashing green indications are banned as a whole, though Massachusetts did use it to indicate mid-block signalized crosswalks in the past, IIRC. These have largely been removed, and I believe at most there is exactly one left. Interestingly, at the same time, MA was using a red/yellow phase to indicate that pedestrians could cross in any direction they wanted, vehicular traffic was not allowed to drive through.

[nowster]

... and the Republic of Ireland, do not have a red and amber phase.

Except when the local CoCo has bought a lights controller with UK settings, or a work crew has been hired from a firm in The North, using UK-spec temporary lights.

One thing I did like about RoI-spec temporary lights was the countdown in the amber position.

[exiled]

... and the Republic of Ireland, do not have a red and amber phase.

Except when the local CoCo has bought a lights controller with UK settings, or a work crew has been hired from a firm in The North, using UK-spec temporary lights.

One thing I did like about RoI-spec temporary lights was the countdown in the amber position.

My experience of Jersey is the temp lights followed GB practice - red, red+amber, green, amber, red.

If I could start from scratch I'd have the French set up, with lower level lights, but thick stop lines, and the red, red+amber, green sequence. Though I do like the big backing boards they have in the Netherlands and Belgium, and the coloured poles.

[exiled]

As to what to do when faced with a green light - my driving instructor said "What is the one thing you can guarantee a green light is going to do?"

Related I remember my instructor asking 'what light means go?' and then saying 'none of them, green is permission to go if safe'

[traffic-light-man]

Interesting to see that Russia is considering dropping the flashing green period.

I think the only place I've witnessed that in action was in Austria, and not from a driver's perspective. I seem to remember it looking strange (of course), but the way drivers appeared to react being no different to elsewhere without the flashing green, still amber gambling a lot of the time (as you'd perhaps expect given the impending change was clear). Mind you, that was in cities, and people do tend to drive differently in cities anyway so my observations might be slightly skewed!

I notice mention of them adding in an 'all red' at places where they've removed the flashing green. I get the impression then that it's normal to have no all red clearance period because of the flashing green. Is this a general rule (i.e. you never see an all red being used), and is the flashing green time adjusted to suit each junction, or is it always a fixed period of time?