Roads: Traffic Signals

[Johnny Au]

Some of the crosswalk buttons are just placebo at best.

 

[TOareaFan]

Sorry, TOareafan, but if you can't deal with pedestrians walking downtown, with the right of way, and creating "gridlock" maybe you shouldn't be driving downtown.

How many times do you see cars going through an intersection on a yellow light?

As someone who, both, walks downtown ( a lot) and, yes, often drives to my destination downtown I think I have a fairly balanced view on this....not sure why you don't.

Where, for instance, do you get that I "can't deal with pedestrians"? All I said is that pedestrians and their handling of/reaction to the countdown is contributing to gridlock at intersections. Unlike you, I am not willing to apportion blame entirely to one of the groups that use our intersections....everyone has a contribution to make to gridlock. Yes, cars going through on yellow is a factor, yes cars entering an intersection when it is clear they can't get clear before the light changes and cars turning right on a red into that last bit of space that prevents the traffic with the green from getting enough (or any) cars through an intersection are all factors (and nowhere did I say they do not).....but so to do pedestrians that enter intersections after the countdown begins and prevent those intersections from clearing cars (particularly right turning cars) and backing up traffic more than it should.

The pedestrian that steps off of the curb once the countdown has begun is "breaking the rules" just as the car entering the intersection after the yellow is.

I'm not seeing pedestrians in the intersection when it goes green in the other direction. Are you?

Every day I do....really.

 

[Tuscani01]

As someone who, both, walks downtown ( a lot) and, yes, often drives to my destination downtown I think I have a fairly balanced view on this....not sure why you don't.

Where, for instance, do you get that I "can't deal with pedestrians"? All I said is that pedestrians and their handling of/reaction to the countdown is contributing to gridlock at intersections. Unlike you, I am not willing to apportion blame entirely to one of the groups that use our intersections....everyone has a contribution to make to gridlock. Yes, cars going through on yellow is a factor, yes cars entering an intersection when it is clear they can't get clear before the light changes and cars turning right on a red into that last bit of space that prevents the traffic with the green from getting enough (or any) cars through an intersection are all factors (and nowhere did I say they do not).....but so to do pedestrians that enter intersections after the countdown begins and prevent those intersections from clearing cars (particularly right turning cars) and backing up traffic more than it should.

The pedestrian that steps off of the curb once the countdown has begun is "breaking the rules" just as the car entering the intersection after the yellow is.



Every day I do....really.

As a driver also, I don't care if pedestrians are crossing during the countdown. In fact, I support it and think it should become legal. I am still going to get from point A to point B much faster than them, I am much more comfortable in a protected environment, and I'm already at a major advantage over them simply by being in a vehicle.

Is it annoying? No, not at all. It's expected downtown. I purposely avoid making right turns at intersections where I know pedestrian counts are high as it just doesn't make sense to be hindering the flow of traffic behind me. The extra minute it adds to my commute is negligible at the end of the day. I also support no right turns on red lights, as is done in Montreal as a method of improving pedestrian safety.

That's just life downtown.

 

[nfitz]

Every day I do....really.

I don't see this walking along Front every day. Well, occasionally there's someone who is clearly mentally ill, but it's not the countdown timer that's the issue there ...

And I do see this at a quiet light with not traffic. But that's nothing to do with the countdown timer as well - and not an issue for cars (there being none ...).

 

[Napoleon]

Just back from Amsterdam. Unfortunately I did not get some great photos, but signals work so well there! Some observations:

• The trams/buses have their own signals and are almost always in a protected laneway. Interestingly, this laneway seems to also be usable by taxis and a few government vehicles.
• The tram signals as have been noted are the 9 point white light design which means drivers, never, ever look at them. Many intersections also have an additional display which indicates to the tram driver which way the switch has been set in the intersection. TSP seems active by default.
• Bicycles sometimes have their own signals and sometimes don't. If they have their own signals, they are bicycle shaped and positioned at bicycle height.
• Interestingly, pedestrian walk buttons are located on an island on the far side of the bike path before traffic. Pedestrians are very aware of the bicycle paths and even tourists seem to avoid straying into them.
• Pavement markings are never subtle.
• I saw a motorcycle cop driving down a grassed-over ROW. Proof that it can be done.
• Tram stops are much more widely spaced than here. It makes getting places so much faster!

Overall, I say we put our transit planners on the next plane to Amsterdam. Things are working much, much better there!

 

[Tuscani01]

Overall, I say we put our transit planners on the next plane to Amsterdam. Things are working much, much better there!

Im sure most of our transit planners have already visited Amsterdam and many other cities where things are working much, much better.

The problem is our bureaucracy doesn't allow us to make the same changes here. We move at a glacial pace when it comes to changing the way things are done.

 

[AlbertHWagstaff]

Im sure most of our transit planners have already visited Amsterdam and many other cities where things are working much, much better.

The problem is our bureaucracy doesn't allow us to make the same changes here. We move at a glacial pace when it comes to changing the way things are done.

Glacial is pretty generous.

 

[reaperexpress]

Some of the crosswalk buttons are just placebo at best.

Correct.

A large and increasing number of crosswalk buttons exist solely for the purpose of activating the Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS) audible tones.

The problem in Toronto is that there is no visual distinction between the buttons that exist purely for accessibility reasons and the buttons that actually call the pedestrian phase. When I was in Waterloo Region a few months ago I noticed a recent signal installation that did make this distinction: the buttons that don't actually call the pedestrian phase have a blue icon of a walking person with a cane, as opposed to the "push button to cross" sticker we're all familiar with.

 

[nfitz]

That does explain the placement of pedestrian signals at intersections that I have absolutely no doubt always have a pedestrian phase.

Now I'll have to press the button for longer than 3 seconds and see what happened.

 

[doady]

They should change green lights to blue lights, because most colour-blind people cannot see green. This is not new knowledge, blue traffic lights should have been implemented a long time ago.

Green isn't even the opposite colour of red, that is actually cyan. Opposite colour of green is magenta.

 

[nfitz]

Have there been accidents because of this? It's normally pretty clear which one is green from the location on the lights.

And there are other solutions ... the lights with green as round, yellow as diamond, and red as square.

 

[salsa]

They should change green lights to blue lights, because most colour-blind people cannot see green.

Then perhaps those people shouldn't be driving in the first place.

 

[muller877]

but so to do pedestrians that enter intersections after the countdown begins and prevent those intersections from clearing cars (particularly right turning cars) and backing up traffic more than it should.

The pedestrian that steps off of the curb once the countdown has begun is "breaking the rules" just as the car entering the intersection after the yellow is.
.

And a really silly rule is now being taught to new drivers. You are not allowed to turn left or right until ALL the pedestrians are out of the intersection. Say for example you are trying to turn right onto University at King. You have to wait until all pedestrians are out of all 6 lanes of traffic (3 lanes each way) before you can turn right.

And if someone is turning left and right at the same time King would be backed up for miles.

I understand pedestrian safety but this is way too extreme.

 

[W. K. Lis]

The red signal should be larger than the green or yellow signal. The red stop lights should be in an octagon shape. Where green and red arrows are used, the left or right turn stop lights should be in a red arrow.

 

[nfitz]

Then perhaps those people shouldn't be driving in the first place.

That seems as prejudicial to suggest that we shouldn't provide transport for those with wheelchairs, because perhaps they shouldn't leave their houses.