Rules and Guidelines
Want to participate in the discussions? Please read our Community Rules and Guidelines. Need some help? Visit Support and Answers.

  • Replies 26 replies
  • Subscribers 22 subscribers
  • Views 3440 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
You may also be interested in

Flashing your headlights at temporary traffic lights

Lisa Miles

I'd like some of our engineers working in the Automotive and road transport systems industry to settle an argument I've been having with my partner for some time now. 

He's convinced that flashing your headlights at the temporary traffic lights you see controlling traffic flow at roadworks causes them to turn green. Now I understand his thought process in that there are sensors there that will 'see' there's vehicles waiting but I don't think that flashing your headlights makes any difference at all? 

For example one evening last week (it was still daylight) we were out and about and while driving through a local village we came across some roadworks. As we approached the temporary lights you could see that there were no cars waiting on the other side so he starts flashing our headlights and in a few seconds the lights turn green. Now he's convinced that they turned green because he was flashing the headlights whereas I pointed out that 30 seconds before there were two cars travelling in the opposite direction from us that would have just gone through the lights. The fact that they turned green when we got there was purely because we had hit the sequence at the right moment. He on the other hand is convinced that flashing your headlights at them will turn them green if there are no other cars coming through. 

So what is the answer? Does it or does it not? Thinking

  • in reply to Sparkingchip

    Did you find out what University the guy went to? Was it Oxford or Cambridge? 

    Peter

  • https://www.cwplant.co.uk/product/stop-go-boards/

    I drove towards a stop board and muttered about there not being anyone to turn it around, then a guy standing where he could see the traffic approaching from both directions used a remote control to flip both boards.

    Brilliantly simple, no queues at all.

  • in reply to Lisa Miles

    I lived in Spain from 2000 to 2021, and countdown crossings were relatively common.  We also had "zebra" crossings that detected the approach of a pedestrian about to cross, and lit the white part of the road markings with embedded LED panels.

    David 

  • in reply to Sergio Fernandez

    I first saw count down timers for pedestrian crossings in other European countries before they were adopted in the UK. I've seen more of them in the UK now over the last few years but they've been in various countries in Europe for ages. I remember seeing some in Granada, Spain over 20 years ago and thought what a brilliant idea they were!

  • in reply to Andy Millar

    Here you go Andy. Managed to get a short video Slight smile

    And before anyone mentions it, no I wasn't using the phone while driving to record the video, I'm in the passenger seat. The truck is a right hand drive Slight smile

  • in reply to AJJewsbury

    Hello Andy:

    When our "high speed" trains turn from south/north to west towards Orlando there are no more road crossings (roads go under using bridge) then they run at 125 mph.

    The private train company then wants to build rail lines from Orlando down to Tampa.

    I hear they are losing money on the current Miami to Orlando line.

    Peter Brooks

  • High speed means about 80 mph max.

    Really? In these parts 80 mph is the top for local stopping trains - proper intercity ones have been at least 125 mph since the 1970s (and steam powered Mallard hit 126 mph in 1938 (although that was never part of a regular service). And Japan and China are now putting us to shame.

    countdown timer

    Already known on pedestrian crossings here - been there for a few years in London I think and just turned up locally on a busy junction.

    Also some count down clocks have a chirping sound for blind people.

    Many pedestrian crossings here have a ribbed cone underneath the "press to cross" button housing - that rotates when it's safe to start crossing, as well as the bleep - so works for hearing as well as visually impaired.

      - Andy.

  • in reply to Peter Brooks

    I guess by a box crossing you mean what we'd call a gated crossing? There's still a few left in the UK but I don't know of any on high speed lines. For high speed lines it'll be lifting barriers right across the roadway, for lower speeds it may be half barriers across one side of the road. Except at Redcar where there are sliding gates. Then we still have a vast number of "user worked crossings" - i.e. a gate and a sign saying "look out for trains"! We're slowly getting warning lights at least rolled out across those.  

  • in reply to Sergio Fernandez

    Also some count down clocks have a chirping sound for blind people.

    Peter Brooks

  • in reply to mapj1

    I remember seeing similar in Singapore about 20 years ago for pedestrian crossing.  They had a count down timer for the pedestrian to cross the road.

    mapj1 said:
    We'd need a complete reprogramming of road safety culture to do that here

    Agreed.  Maybe we do need to change the UK road safety culture.

Community Rules & Guidelines