Flashing your headlights at temporary traffic lights

https://optraffic.com/blog/headlights-and-temporary-traffic-signals-myth/#:~:text=Experts%20agree%20that%20the%20myth,of%20which%20include%20flashing%20lights.

I particularly like (it's a US site):

Such events contribute to the myth’s endurance, even spreading to places like Britain in 2004.

So I think that's a no then! It's a good myth because it suggests that the person who's telling it has a secret power, and the fact it doesn't work for us is only because we didn't flash them quite the right way...you can only disprove it by actually being in a car with the person who's saying they can do it and happen to come to a set of temporary traffic lights...and even then I'd bet it'll be "oh, my mate in the police told me that it doesn't work with this type"! 

My experience with emergency services is also that they will tend to just plough through anyway, I can't imagine them waiting for some dodgy electronics to respond to a particular light flash.  

Traffic myths always remind me of someone I worked with years and years ago who was a part time motorbike instructor who proudly told us that if we were ever stopped for speeding we could always get out of it by saying we were "making maximum safe progress". I'm afraid we found it somewhat satisfying that he was stopped and successfully fined for speeding only a couple of weeks later...

having worked on the electroncs of the sensors for traffic lights and crossings...

Mostly they are microwave doppler based - so if you approach very slowly you will be missed. There is no magical over-ride by light sensors, though some can be programmed by vhf radio, and others have a sim card and can be sent a text message, as can some of the digital roadworks signs. The Doppler sensors sense in both directions, so know when things going the other way have passed and it is safe to change the lights.
There are some that use an infra red lidar type arrangement but again no flashing lights over-ride.

Static lights often use metal detectors in the road, loops of wire facing up looking for the change in inductance. These often miss things that are not cars - bikes, traps, horses etc. and one can make (ssh, legality uncertain..) things that receive the metal detector signal and create a giant emulated target. " for educational purposes"

Mike.

Hello Mike:

Having driven multiple million miles on US roads I have never seen a "stand alone" relocatable 3 lamp traffic signal lamp like you have in the UK.

I have seen "odd ball" permanent signal lights like ones with only two lights (missing yellow) or where the red light is at the bottom and green up on the top .

Peter Brooks

so, what happens at roadworks and so on when there is a need for single lane working ?

Ours can be programmed to be 2 way or 3/ 4 way or remote controlled junction, and the older ones have a data cable between the units and newer ones use a UHF telemetry link at 400 and something MHz. These default to all red if the link between the sets   is jammed or fails for some reason, which is rare but very annoying as then one waits for ages and wonders if one should break the law and pass at red...

The config is by text message or by plugging in controller that comes with the kit usually co-sited with a genset. The smaller radio ones have self contained batteries and need no cables.

M

PS some literature for folk using them with standard configurations etc.

https://artsm.org.uk/media/ARTSM-Guidance-on-Use-of-Portable-Signals-1-1.pdf 

Concerning the need for controlling one lane traffic  here in the US it all depends if it is a short term or long term situation. If it is a long term situation situation (like fixing a sink hole in Orlando) 

NOTE: Orlando is the home of numerous lakes formed from sink holes, while where I live the ground structure does not support sink holes).

They usually close the road completely while they dump massive amounts of dirt from trucks. The rerouted traffic (sometimes miles around the shut down road ) use signs showing the detour.

Here where I live, two weeks ago we had a massive 35 year old sewer line break, involving 3 million gallons of contaminated sewage going into the creek. They had a massive clean up using commercial sewage pumping trucks (we have a lot of houses with septic tanks) and they recovered up an estimated 2 million gallons from the creek. 

They used red traffic cones to redirect traffic with men with flags/signs to stop/start traffic when the pumping trucks were arriving and leaving the area. 

Peter Brooks

Concerning the need for controlling one lane traffic  here in the US it all depends if it is a short term or long term situation. If it is a long term situation situation (like fixing a sink hole in Orlando) 

NOTE: Orlando is the home of numerous lakes formed from sink holes, while where I live the ground structure does not support sink holes).

They usually close the road completely while they dump massive amounts of dirt from trucks. The rerouted traffic (sometimes miles around the shut down road ) use signs showing the detour.

Here where I live, two weeks ago we had a massive 35 year old sewer line break, involving 3 million gallons of contaminated sewage going into the creek. They had a massive clean up using commercial sewage pumping trucks (we have a lot of houses with septic tanks) and they recovered up an estimated 2 million gallons from the creek. 

They used red traffic cones to redirect traffic with men with flags/signs to stop/start traffic when the pumping trucks were arriving and leaving the area. 

Peter Brooks