In Québec, a New Traffic Light Only Turns Green for Safe Drivers
mass.streetsblog.org
mass.streetsblog.org
https://globalnews.ca/news/9785851/quebec-transport-ministry...
Focus groups showed that drivers are more responsive to traffic lights named Earl, than Fred. Probably.
And I think that was the right call. These were just "slow down" lights styled to look like stop lights, but a stop light-looking thing must in all cases actually be an enforced stop light. Otherwise, you're just training drivers to run red lights once they figure it out.
> Is it easy to spoil for safe drivers by coming up behind them?
What? No. You are first in line, at the correct speed, so why would the light react to somebody coming behind you? The other car cannot go through you, so they will have to slow down no matter what.
You get a green while you’re still a ways back, and proceed forward. A speeder crosses that same trigger point before you’ve gotten through the intersection. They’re trying to catch up with you so they get through the light right behind you. Do they get a free green or do they make your light turn red while you’re far enough back to have to stop?
Have you used it, by the way? My question was about the specific timing and placement of the trigger.
I have not used FRED no, but living in Europe, I have frequently come across dynamic stop lights, yes.
> A speeder crosses that same trigger point [..] Do they get a free green or do they make your light turn red.
Normally they are not controlled via a single trigger point, but with a dynamic radar system. So even if you come in too fast, turning the light red, it can still switch back to green if you slow down in time.
I don't know how the beam discrimination works if it detects scatter from a faster moving object behind you, but in practice I've never encountered a scenario where I was forced to stop because someone was coming in faster from behind.
Don't issue fines, issue points.
Including for turning right on a red - you don't drive ahead on a red, so why is driving into a crossing tolerated.
San Francisco could ban right-hand turns on red. Could L.A. soon follow?
I can’t tell if you are aware, apologies, but right on red is legal in all of North America outside of a few municipalities, Montreal being one, with NYC being the largest.
But when there's a turn into a pedestrian crossing, and the light's red, no stop is required.
That's madness, yet it's an often accepted default.
If you’re turning right on a red (at least in Ontario and Quebec) it’s like a stop sign - you are required to come to a complete stop before you proceed into the intersection.
Fines are a valid tool but they should scale with your revenues
I generally like the idea, expect there are two nearby that are somehow poorly calibrated are require you to get even below the speed limit to get green, and this is particularly frustrating.