Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by 2slowtrek on February 20, 2009 at 4:07am

I think its a great idea. Who cares what it costs? Get the money from the red light runners.
Also, I have lived in many parts of the country. Chicago has the shortest yellow light duration I know of. I am still not acclimated to how short it is after living here for over two years. So, if it were open to public discussion I would ask for another second or two added on to the length the signal is yellow.

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Permalink Reply by E A on February 20, 2009 at 4:33am

In some of the comments to the story on the Sun Times site I read that Chicago's yellow light is a mere 3 seconds compared to 5 seconds in most places. I'd be for a more lenient yellow. But not the timer. I look at the pedestrian cross-walk timer myself. ;-)

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Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on February 20, 2009 at 4:39am

I think it would be good. I've been caught by those red light camera's for misjudging a yellow. People will probably speed up to make lights, but that's what they do when they see yellow now anyway. I've found the pedestrian timers helpful, so why not try a vehicle one too - at least at the lights with cameras.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on February 20, 2009 at 8:08am

I agree that yellow lights are too short at many of our intersections. I've some ugly accidents at some intersections where cars enter the intersection at high speed on yellow and someone on the far side of the intersecting street his the gas the second their light turns green.

I favor the countdown timers at intersections with a high volume of pedestrian traffic, but I don't think it's the most cost effective safety solution citywide. I think that adjusting signal timing by 2 or 3 seconds for a longer yellow would be more financially prudent as an intermediate step before the city spends more money it doesn't have adding hundreds or thousands of countdown timers.

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Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on February 20, 2009 at 10:21am

so speedometers.....?
and it's not seeing the color of the light that's the problem, it's knowing how long it will stay that color.

I doubt the city would implement a longer yellow; catching people off guard and collecting $100 is the real agenda. It's easy revenue. Encouraging people to stop for red lights is a secondary motive for the cameras IMO.

GeorgeBikes said:

I dont like the idea of motorists focusing on a timer while they go through an intersection. They should be focused on traffic. It is easy enough to see the color of the light in your peripheral vision. I dont think it would be quite as easy to focus on changing numbers.

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Permalink Reply by Smash on February 20, 2009 at 10:29am

Agreed on the revenue thing - can't find the source but I recall reading that some cities have *shortened* their yellows after installing red light cameras so as to increase their revenue. The effect? Increased revenue, and increased accidents.

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Permalink Reply by Vondo on February 20, 2009 at 10:40am

This is all typical Chicago. They spent a ton of money on the cameras to increase revenue from light runners. The cameras are catching people left and right, and they are complaining. So now they are spending another ton of money to help alleviate the problems the cameras cause in the first place. In poker we call this throwing good money after bad, shell out money for something, when people don't like it, shell out more money to ease the complaints. I think on top of all this, it will really be a game of beat the light now, we have 3 second yellows, what's a timer going to do?

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Permalink Reply by Anne on February 20, 2009 at 10:56am

I think this is hogwash. Why do we continue to coddle vehicle operators? The system of "Green, Yellow, Red" has been in place for decades, what is the excuse for not understanding this most basic concept? Is it so mysterious that one follows the other

Instead of a countdown light (and the immense infrastructure costs), lets just make the Yellow light five, ten minutes long so that everyone can speed up through the intersection?

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Permalink Reply by 2slowtrek on February 20, 2009 at 11:17am

Is this your constructive input?

Anne said:

I think this is hogwash. Why do we continue to coddle vehicle operators? The system of "Green, Yellow, Red" has been in place for decades, what is the excuse for not understanding this most basic concept? Is it so mysterious that one follows the other

Instead of a countdown light (and the immense infrastructure costs), lets just make the Yellow light five, ten minutes long so that everyone can speed up through the intersection?

I am a biking advocate, but it is necessary for me to own a car, so I am also a driver. Biking in the city has made me a more cautious and conservative driver. But adding 2 seconds will help both bikers and drivers.

Just to simplify this hypothetical I will use 30 and 5
the light turns green you now have 30 seconds until it is red
at 25 seconds (5 is blinking) the light turns yellow
you have a blinking 5-4-3-2-1 now the light is red.

On your ride home today, see how far you travel in 5 seconds. than see how far you travel in 3.
Of the two, which gave you more time to react?

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Permalink Reply by Anne on February 20, 2009 at 11:25am

yeah my 'constructive' input is to say that if people can't properly operate a vehicle and understand basic Green/Yellow/red they shouldn't operate a vehicle. Go on green, slow down when approaching a yellow and stop when it turns red. What's that joke about "yellow really means speed up"? If you run a red light you get a ticket, period.

2slowtrek said:

Is this your constructive input?

Anne said:

I think this is hogwash. Why do we continue to coddle vehicle operators? The system of "Green, Yellow, Red" has been in place for decades, what is the excuse for not understanding this most basic concept? Is it so mysterious that one follows the other

Instead of a countdown light (and the immense infrastructure costs), lets just make the Yellow light five, ten minutes long so that everyone can speed up through the intersection?

I am a biking advocate, but it is necessary for me to own a car, so I am also a driver. Biking in the city has made me a more cautious and conservative driver. But adding 2 seconds will help both bikers and drivers.

Just to simplify this hypothetical I will use 30 and 5
the light turns green you now have 30 seconds until it is red
at 25 seconds (5 is blinking) the light turns yellow
you have a blinking 5-4-3-2-1 now the light is red.

On your ride home today, see how far you travel in 5 seconds. than see how far you travel in 3.
Of the two, which gave you more time to react?

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Permalink Reply by 2slowtrek on February 20, 2009 at 11:34am

http://www.motorists.org/blog/6-cities-that-were-caught-shortening-...


I dont want to argue about what to do when the light turns yellow.

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Permalink Reply by Anne on February 20, 2009 at 12:08pm

oh wow. i just don't think that evil-like!

2slowtrek said:

http://www.motorists.org/blog/6-cities-that-were-caught-shortening-...


I dont want to argue about what to do when the light turns yellow.

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