Current Events > I believe that stop lights should have count down timers on them.

(+) Yeah! (+)

To let you know how long until it turns to the next color.

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No, just increases the likelihood that someone will dangerously run the red light when it gets "close enough" to zero and *appears* as if nothing is coming from the other direction but someone is actually racing to beat a yellow light and pops out of nowhere.

It's a good idea on paper, but people are assholes.

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Phantom36 posted...

No, just increases the likelihood that someone will dangerously run the red light when it gets "close enough" to zero and *appears* as if nothing is coming from the other direction but someone is actually racing to beat a yellow light and pops out of nowhere.

It's a good idea on paper, but people are assholes.

Well, people around here go through red lights for a couple of seconds after they turn red anyway, and they also treat them like stop signs.

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That's what the yellow is for
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All this promotes is people revving their engines and peeling out as soon as it hits green.

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Other countries do it and it's quite practical. Great for pedestrians walking around too.

There's actually cars that have a countdown feature

i can definitely see it being appropriate for the yellow to be a timer.

my idea is to paint a yellow dotted line across the lanes at the distance where you can get through the intersection at the speed limit when the light turns yellow. but i'm sure there's some human psychology bullshit that makes it actually make people drive worse somehow.

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I notice yellow lights are longer when the speed limit is higher.

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I use the crosswalk to tell when its going to go yellow. Works pretty well

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Phantom36 posted...

No, just increases the likelihood that someone will dangerously run the red light when it gets "close enough" to zero and *appears* as if nothing is coming from the other direction but someone is actually racing to beat a yellow light and pops out of nowhere.

It's a good idea on paper, but people are assholes.

I guess it depends on where you live. some places have drivers with lewis hamilton level skills & a countdown timer wouldn't pose a issue.


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All of the main crossroads around me have countdown timers and everything is fine.

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https://today.oregonstate.edu/news/traffic-signal-countdown-timers-lead-improved-driver-responses

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How do people feel about there being a yellow light after the red light and before the green light as well?

I've been to other countries that do this and I like it.

Yes.

Were not babies. They even look like theyre child safe, dont they?

Waiting for the bus?

Medussa posted...

i can definitely see it being appropriate for the yellow to be a timer.

I agree with this. I understand that red/green can be variable based on traffic flow, but when the yellow feels erratic, there is a problem.

Have this intersection I drive through every night I go to work. I sit at the red, and then it goes green. Sometimes it turns yellow before i'm through the intersection. When I check the rearview mirror. Sometimes it is still yellow, others it seems to have changed to red before I've passed the crosswalk.

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wbloechel posted...

You can already pretty much tell when it's gonna change if you're any good at driving.

For the most part, but some cities that also have cameras and have the orange lights a few seconds shorter.

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