flashing red light
 

What's the deal with flashing red lights at an intersection? If there's power to flash the lights, can't they run a programmed cycle instead? Flashing red lights don't work at an intersection with 3 ahead lanes and 2 left turn lanes in each direction, particularly during rush hour.

Sixto
87 300D

I think sometimes the lights program hits a glitch and it sends them into flash mode.

Insurance Company Bribing Signal Electricians?
 

Here when the lights start "Flashing" one directions is Yellow and the other is RED.[I.E. "Caution" V.S. "STOP"] (You Got It, MULTIPLE CRASHES!)
OR at some intersections ALL four Directions are RED.(Same,Same, Multiple Crashes)
The LEOs come along and put SawHorses,With STOP signs hung on them in
the Middle of the Intersection.(Same.Same,Multiple Crashes)

Occasionally,a suicidal LEO will stand in the Middle of one of these intersections. (Again,You Got It...They Hit the Cop.) But only once!

There is something about the act of Cellphoning whilst driving that make Humans BLIND!

Around here, red means stop unless you can get away with not stopping and yellow means go really fast.

True.

I have also seen traffic lights go into that mode (where magnetic loops at intersections are absent) late at night when traffic is deemed abyssmal...

I expect this is due to the mostly antiquated controls that they use for traffic lights. They typically use PLC's while there is enough market that some inexpensive dedicated controllers would seem to be marketable.

If that -- some cabinets I've seen contain some sort of rotating drum/timer device and a few relays. All mechanical, not a PLC or microcontroller in sight.

You mean ... infinitesimal?

I presume you mean after a storm or power failure and they flash red in all directions.

Yeah, I know what you mean. Suddenly you have a four-way stop with five lanes in each direction. Who has right-of-way? Wait...it's my turn...damn guy turning left...no...go go go go!...inch forward inch forward...100 yards, repeat at next intersection...

Four way stops are so damned confusing :confused::rolleyes:;)

Around here they send certain low traffic intersections into flashing yellow/red after about 12pm. Sure makes it easy to spot the drunks. :)

A regular planned 4-way is nothing, it's the craziness of people not waiting or not going because they're waiting and then going when you don't expect them to when the lights are all suddenly blinking red. Even a red/yellow would be easier.

Two lanes - easy; three lanes - OK; five lanes, with one of them a left/straight like the OP described -- good luck.

And believe it or not, the vaunted trained German drivers don't know how to use 4-way stops. They complained about them in their visits to the US for flight training. In Germany they have the "priority road" so the "main road" doesn't stop even if it's a left or right turn. A four-way stop intersection makes no sense to them.

And on that subject, Europeans are comfortable with "roundabouts" which seem to be an option over traffic lights in some busy intersections.

We have a few here (albeit single-lane negotiating), and it was hilarious to watch newbies try to figure out the whole affair! Fast forward a couple of years, and those same roundabouts have turned into games of "chicken"!

I loathe roundabouts.

- Peter.