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Roads: Traffic Signals

Traffic improvements coming to West Queen West Triangle, including a new traffic signal at Queen/Beaconsfield:

http://www.anabailao.com/wqw_triangle_traffic_management_plan_update_february_2016

  • Abell Street (once open), to operate in a "1 way South" direction: approved and awaiting installation;
  • Lisgar Street (Queen St. West to Sudbury Street), to operate in a "1 way North" direction: approved and awaiting installation;
  • Removal of parking spaces adjacent to driveway entrances on Sudbury Street to improve sightlines for motorists entering/exiting underground parking lots: approved and installed in fall 2015;
  • "All-way stop control" (sign) on Sudbury Street, at Lisgar Street: installed in December 2015 - white pavement markings to be painted this summer;
  • "All-way stop control" (sign) on Sudbury Street, at Abell Street: approved and awaiting installation;
  • Speed humps on Dovercourt Road (Queen to Sudbury) with 30 km/h speed limit: approved and awaiting installation;
  • Speed humps on Subdury Street (Queen to Dovercourt) with 30 km/h speed limit: residents polled and resident petition received, awaiting approval at Community Council;
  • "Pay-and-Display" parking on the west side of Abell Street: approved and awaiting installation;
  • Loading zone on the west side Abell Street: approved and awaiting installation;
  • Accessible parking space on the west side of Abell Street: approved and awaiting installation; and
  • Installation of a "traffic control signal" (light) on Queen St. West, at Beaconsfield Ave: installation feasibility study forthcoming from City staff.
 
ottbike said:
Traffic improvements coming to West Queen West Triangle, including a new traffic signal at Queen/Beaconsfield
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As if the Queen streetcar wasn't slow enough already...

The proposed signal is halfway between Gladstone and Dovercourt, a distance of just under 400 metres. The resulting signal spacing will be under 200 metres on both sides.

Perhaps they could relocate the streetcar stop at Gladstone to the new signal at Beaconsfield. The Gladstone stop is extremely close to the stop at Dufferin, with nothing between other than the railway overpass (i.e. no trip generators).
 
reaperexpress said:
As if the Queen streetcar wasn't slow enough already...

The proposed signal is halfway between Gladstone and Dovercourt, a distance of just under 400 metres. The resulting signal spacing will be under 200 metres on both sides.
Click to expand...
Right! I don't understand this obsession with adding more and more traffic signals and streetcar stops. I think this may have something to do with the fact that they planned to eliminate the Abell/Beaconsfield stops (because it was too close to Gladstone). Instead Ana Bailao fought it and doubled down with adding a traffic light. City council members should be kept out of this.
 
Napoleon said:
Right! I don't understand this obsession with adding more and more traffic signals and streetcar stops. I think this may have something to do with the fact that they planned to eliminate the Abell/Beaconsfield stops (because it was too close to Gladstone). Instead Ana Bailao fought it and doubled down with adding a traffic light. City council members should be kept out of this.
Click to expand...

This may be a result of the new TTC stops policy which states that surface stops should be located at pedestrian crossovers (PXOs) or traffic signals wherever possible, to ensure that there is a "safe" crossing opportunity for people to get to the stops. That safety argument has helped eliminate many redundant mid-block stops, but it also has the unintended effect of incentivizing the installation of unwarranted traffic signals.

As for this case, we could give her the stop at Abell/Beaconsfield, but at the same time take out the stop at Gladstone/Sudbury to achieve the initial goal of reasonable stop spacing. In that case, the stop spacing on either side would be:
EB: 353 m / 165 m
WB: 374 m / 205 m
all of which are less than 400 metres.
Plus, the eastbound stop at Sudbury/Gladstone is on the "naughty list", being a far-side stop despite not having a platform (contrary to guidelines).

Admiral Beez said:
I remember seeing a variation of this in Bermuda and thinking what an improvement over Toronto's set-up. My then eight year old kid quickly figured it out.
Click to expand...

Does your eight year old kid have difficulty understanding pedestrian signals in Toronto?
 
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reaperexpress said:
...
Does your eight year old kid have difficulty understanding pedestrian signals in Toronto?
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I seen grown twenty-year old men to elderly women who don't understand the difference between red light and green light at traffic signal intersections. I've seen them cross against their pedestrian stop signals many times, ignoring them completely. And we wonder why we have pedestrian deaths at signal intersections.
 
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W. K. Lis said:
I seen grown twenty-year old men to elderly women who don't understand the difference between red light and green light at traffic signal intersections. I've seen them cross against their pedestrian stop signals many times, ignoring them completely. And we wonder why we have pedestrian deaths at signal intersections.
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Given that you describe these people as "ignoring" the indication, you know full well that it has nothing to do with the question I asked.

And besides, I fail to see how the people who decided to proceed in a gap of traffic rather than waiting for the walk signal have anything to do with the large number of crashes (may be the majority but I don't have time to check right now), which are due to drivers failing to yield to legally-crossing pedestrians.
 
I personally don't like the near side signal thing. When waiting to cross, you are facing the other side of the intersection. Having the signal where the button is just isn't intuitive or practical. Not to mention it will have people focusing on the signal instead of traffic conditions ahead of them.
 
Tuscani01 said:
I personally don't like the near side signal thing. When waiting to cross, you are facing the other side of the intersection. Having the signal where the button is just isn't intuitive or practical. Not to mention it will have people focusing on the signal instead of traffic conditions ahead of them.
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Exactly and we already have enough problems with poel crossing at streetcar right of ways because they don't see one coming so they think it's ok to cross it even at a pedestrian crossing. I think the TTC should start a program thath tells people they should treat them like a railroad crossing.
 
We now have technology that can detect the turn signals on motor vehicles, and react accordingly. See link.

In older parts of the city, we have intersections that do not have a left turn lane. Keele Street and Dundas Street West, Weston Road and Denison Road, etc. are examples.
2000px-Street_intersection_diagram.svg.png


Vehicles making a left turn from a road that does not have a left turn lane, can cause backups. Unless there is an left turn advance signal. However, it would be wasted if there are no vehicles making the left turn.

With a left turn detector, the technology could activate the left turn signal or not, depending if the first vehicle in the facing lane has its left turn flashing or not.
 
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W. K. Lis said:
With a left turn detector, the technology could activate the left turn signal or not, depending if the first vehicle in the facing lane has its left turn flashing or not.
Click to expand...
This would require drivers to actually signal, which many Toronto drivers don't bother doing.
 
W. K. Lis said:
We now have technology that can detect the turn signals on motor vehicles, and react accordingly. See link.

In older parts of the city, we have intersections that do not have a left turn lane. Keele Street and Dundas Street West, Weston Road and Denison Road, etc. are examples.

Vehicles making a left turn from a road that does not have a left turn lane, can cause backups. Unless there is an left turn advance signal. However, it would be wasted if there are no vehicles making the left turn.

With a left turn detector, the technology could activate the left turn signal or not, depending if the first vehicle in the facing lane has its left turn flashing or not.
Click to expand...

This is really interesting, and you're definitely right that it could improve efficiency at intersections without left turn lanes. The linked article is talking about deployment on cars to detect other cars, which is basically facial recognition but for cars. In a car, it would be used to "read" the car directly in front, so it's easy to identify the turn indicators. Looking at a line of cars from above would be a bit harder. Probably not unsurmountable, but it would need to be adapted for this particular application.

LNahid2000 said:
This would require drivers to actually signal, which many Toronto drivers don't bother doing.
Click to expand...

In which case this technology would be even more beneficial because it gives people an incentive to signal properly. Install it at a few intersections and tell drivers that some traffic signals detect their turn indicators to call the left turn phase, and suddenly everyone will use their turn indicators.
 
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Traffic light located at the intersection of St-Jacques and Mercier streets in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec.


1. All the pedestrian signals have their separate time, and at the same time. When the pedestrian signals say to wait, the traffic moves (including right turns) without fear of pedestrians.

2. Double red lights. The double red lights are also square.

3. The single amber light is diamond.

4. The single green light is round.
 
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