Smart Traffic Lights and Pollution
Discussion
Do these exist in 2024 ?
Last night about 11pm roads were quiet and myself and approx 10 other cars were stopped by the next 6 sets of Traffic lights, each one just as we had accelerated up to the 30 or 40 mph limit. At every single set of lights nothing was coming the other way.
Thats 10 vehicles having to fully accelerate and stop 6 times. Older vehicles also sat idling for 30-45 secs waiting to accelerate back up to speed until the next set of lights.
Why are traffic lights not fitted with detection for the amount of traffic approaching and a capability to change the light sequence accordingly ?
Would be interested to know the CO2 emissions that are created by this stopping/starting of the 10 cars, especially as the government push this very important figure back at us the motorist telling us how to cut it. A cynical part of me thinks lots more Petrol and Electric being wasted is good for HMRC.
Apologies for the rant i'm getting old
Last night about 11pm roads were quiet and myself and approx 10 other cars were stopped by the next 6 sets of Traffic lights, each one just as we had accelerated up to the 30 or 40 mph limit. At every single set of lights nothing was coming the other way.
Thats 10 vehicles having to fully accelerate and stop 6 times. Older vehicles also sat idling for 30-45 secs waiting to accelerate back up to speed until the next set of lights.
Why are traffic lights not fitted with detection for the amount of traffic approaching and a capability to change the light sequence accordingly ?
Would be interested to know the CO2 emissions that are created by this stopping/starting of the 10 cars, especially as the government push this very important figure back at us the motorist telling us how to cut it. A cynical part of me thinks lots more Petrol and Electric being wasted is good for HMRC.
Apologies for the rant i'm getting old
I have the same thought every morning when I’m at work stopped sitting at traffic lights with no other cars around.
Traffic management in this country is a joke.
Whether it’s reducing available lanes on major roads for buses and cycle lanes, introducing bottlenecks and give way chicanes that basically create traffic and changes in speed for no reason and then complaining about emissions and particulate pollution.
That’s not even talking about motorway protocols that create miles and miles of traffic for often low risk reasons.
The other week I saw the motorway traffic officials cone off a lane approaching a lay-by on the a12 and they were just stood watching the cars have to merge into 1 lane at that point and then back into 2 lanes after the entrance to the lay-by. That caused at least 10miles of traffic. Thank god I was going the other way.
Also the m25 farce roadworks from south mimms to m11 why they can’t start from one end and gradually reduce the length of the road works as they go on or even do one side at a time instead of f
king up both ways.
Absolute ste.
Traffic management in this country is a joke.
Whether it’s reducing available lanes on major roads for buses and cycle lanes, introducing bottlenecks and give way chicanes that basically create traffic and changes in speed for no reason and then complaining about emissions and particulate pollution.
That’s not even talking about motorway protocols that create miles and miles of traffic for often low risk reasons.
The other week I saw the motorway traffic officials cone off a lane approaching a lay-by on the a12 and they were just stood watching the cars have to merge into 1 lane at that point and then back into 2 lanes after the entrance to the lay-by. That caused at least 10miles of traffic. Thank god I was going the other way.
Also the m25 farce roadworks from south mimms to m11 why they can’t start from one end and gradually reduce the length of the road works as they go on or even do one side at a time instead of f
king up both ways. Absolute s
te. HertsBiker said:
Tinfoil hat on....
it's to raise congestion at all parts of the day, so they can justify charging for it.
Having watched over the years as efficient and well planned road layouts have been replaced with complete dogs' dinners and bad traffic light phasing, which have caused queueing and gridlock where previously there was none, and motorists then blamed for it all, I can only surmise that this isn't far from the truth.it's to raise congestion at all parts of the day, so they can justify charging for it.
It’s all about making driving unbearable so we stop using our cars.
Some years ago, driving down the Embankment at 5am on Christmas Day, all the pedestrian crossings were red to cars and green to pedestrians, yet not a single pedestrian in sight. Clearly no one was pressing the buttons, they were just red for cars to slow them down.
Other countries I have lived in (Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, UAE) try and help keep traffic moving and invest in roads to do just that.
UK seems intent on grinding the country to gridlock for some bizarre reason.
Some years ago, driving down the Embankment at 5am on Christmas Day, all the pedestrian crossings were red to cars and green to pedestrians, yet not a single pedestrian in sight. Clearly no one was pressing the buttons, they were just red for cars to slow them down.
Other countries I have lived in (Thailand, Japan, Hong Kong, UAE) try and help keep traffic moving and invest in roads to do just that.
UK seems intent on grinding the country to gridlock for some bizarre reason.
Sensibleboy said:
There's a set of lights near us that are programmed to go to red when it's quiet. This deters cars from speeding along as they know they'll need to stop for the lights. It's a safety thing.
Not much of a safety thing if there's no-one else to hit!Or they could leave the lights on green and put a speed camera up, so the traffic continues flowing, reducing pollution, improving fuel economy, reducing time wasted... am I in the right ideation circle here?
Afaik Audi were trialing some tech that was supposed to align the car with green signals. No idea if it ever made it to their cars!
TX.
PS I worked at road research in the 90's and most junctions should by now have smart lights that change to suit traffic flow. You can see the markings cut into the road as you approach the lights. Perhaps not London as there are so many junctions to alter.
TX.
PS I worked at road research in the 90's and most junctions should by now have smart lights that change to suit traffic flow. You can see the markings cut into the road as you approach the lights. Perhaps not London as there are so many junctions to alter.
Edited by Terminator X on Saturday 28th December 17:42
I think you probably just have stty councils with out dated or broken traffic lights.
I'm pretty sure every traffic light in my area has traffic sensors, I've definitely seen late at night a light going red as I've been approaching then almost immediately switch back to avoid stopping me, first time I saw it was over 15 years ago now.
tty councils with out dated or broken traffic lights.I'm pretty sure every traffic light in my area has traffic sensors, I've definitely seen late at night a light going red as I've been approaching then almost immediately switch back to avoid stopping me, first time I saw it was over 15 years ago now.
Newish one in the area actually works quite responsively to traffic. It’s a reasonably busy crossroads East to West and obviously West to East. The council (amazingly for them because their ineptitude is legendary) seems to have invested in a system that is able to analyse traffic flow and minimise waiting times; before you could be waiting 3 or 4 minutes North/South and the obverse. Now, in quieter periods, it’s closer to a minute or a minute and 15. I’m assuming the local council got lucky.
Busy set locally work pretty well for road users. How well is shown by the queues when the gas people decide to camp there.
No silly strops as reported by others, reasonable wait and usually get through in one phase.
If there’s a bit of a gap in traffic on green they’re onto it and promptly go red.
No silly strops as reported by others, reasonable wait and usually get through in one phase.
If there’s a bit of a gap in traffic on green they’re onto it and promptly go red.
roly79 said:
Do these exist in 2024 ?
Last night about 11pm roads were quiet and myself and approx 10 other cars were stopped by the next 6 sets of Traffic lights, each one just as we had accelerated up to the 30 or 40 mph limit. At every single set of lights nothing was coming the other way.
Thats 10 vehicles having to fully accelerate and stop 6 times. Older vehicles also sat idling for 30-45 secs waiting to accelerate back up to speed until the next set of lights.
Why are traffic lights not fitted with detection for the amount of traffic approaching and a capability to change the light sequence accordingly ?
Would be interested to know the CO2 emissions that are created by this stopping/starting of the 10 cars, especially as the government push this very important figure back at us the motorist telling us how to cut it. A cynical part of me thinks lots more Petrol and Electric being wasted is good for HMRC.
Apologies for the rant i'm getting old
Here's a thought, don't accelerate so quickly and slowly drive to the next set of lights, so they change by the time you get there. Works for me in the mornings, I never stop. Last night about 11pm roads were quiet and myself and approx 10 other cars were stopped by the next 6 sets of Traffic lights, each one just as we had accelerated up to the 30 or 40 mph limit. At every single set of lights nothing was coming the other way.
Thats 10 vehicles having to fully accelerate and stop 6 times. Older vehicles also sat idling for 30-45 secs waiting to accelerate back up to speed until the next set of lights.
Why are traffic lights not fitted with detection for the amount of traffic approaching and a capability to change the light sequence accordingly ?
Would be interested to know the CO2 emissions that are created by this stopping/starting of the 10 cars, especially as the government push this very important figure back at us the motorist telling us how to cut it. A cynical part of me thinks lots more Petrol and Electric being wasted is good for HMRC.
Apologies for the rant i'm getting old
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