# Traffic Lights



## MirageBistro (Apr 1, 2006)

Post pictures of traffic lights from your town/city/country.
Thanks


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## xlchris (Jun 23, 2006)

Traffic lights in The Netherlands;


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## rick1016 (Jan 16, 2005)

Ahh Love Traffic lights around the world!! Used to draw them as a kid!!


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## RON-E (Sep 25, 2007)

major intersections only


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## TheCat (Apr 21, 2006)

Heh I am sometimes obsessed with this topic as well, but I actually had opened a thread like this a long while ago on the Highways & Autobahns forum:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=445388


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## -Corey- (Jul 8, 2005)

yes, in most intersections only..


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## goschio (Dec 2, 2002)

I prefer round abouts.


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## aswnl (Jun 6, 2004)

The less traffic lights, the better.

You'd better think of reducing the number of at-grade junctions for citydevelopment and more effective roadinfrastructure.


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## spongeg (May 1, 2006)

you can see some traffic lights in this pic - pretty typical for this city and area of the country (canada)


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## sun&sun (Dec 26, 2004)

I had some problems with traffic lights in America (Argentina&Uruguay) In Europe lights are before the intersection and in America after the intersection so I stopped some times exactly on the intersection because I am used to stop directly in front of the traffic lights.


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## jamietoronto (Oct 22, 2007)

I think they should have lights at ALL intersections, but they should time them properly. There are lights here in Toronto where I wait over 15 minutes to get through during rush hour. 

(Bathurst and Rutherford, , Bathurst and the 407, Bathurst and Centre St [especially with the construction], and Bathurst and Steeles.) -> for the locals.


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## FREKI (Sep 27, 2005)

I like traffic lights and think they belong in as many crossings as posible..

They have started to use roundabouts in the suburbs and on smaller streets here in Copenhagen - but there's always lights in main intersections..


A few Copenhagen intersections:





































Here they are controlled by sensors registrering the amount of traffic and set up together to create "green zones" for the incomming or outgoing traffic depending on the time of day and flow..

As you can see we also have tons of bikes here and they have their own paths on pretty much every street and road and own traffic light in intersections where it's needed for various reason ( such as individual turn lights and such )

Buses also have their own signals who many places allowing them to cross the intersection before the cars so the public traffic flow as much as posible.. ( the also have their own lanes where there's room for it..as seen in picture 1, 2 and 4 )


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## eomer (Nov 15, 2003)

Traffic lights are not necessary any longer: they produce anxiety and don't give priority to pedestrains. Interchange and Roundabout are better outside city centers. 
Inside cities, intersections don't need any signal at all.


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## FREKI (Sep 27, 2005)

^Dude you are crazy! No signals would bring gridlock at levels ever seen in Europe...


I've spend my time driving around Iraq a place where there's no light signals in use ( atleast not in the south ) and let me tell you - NEVER AGAIN!


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## TheCat (Apr 21, 2006)

Well, it also depends on the size of the intersection. If you have a grid of tiny streets that intersect every 50-100 m, putting a stop/yield sign or roundabout does the job wonderfully. But on major streets, and minor streets where the volume of traffic on the crossing street would prevent a safe left turn/passing through, lights are necessary.

However, as I've been saying before, I believe all traffic lights should provide dedicated left turns (or right turns in left-driving countries), and turning across heavy oncoming traffic should never be allowed.


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## eomer (Nov 15, 2003)

Mr_Denmark said:


> ^Dude you are crazy! No signals would bring gridlock at levels ever seen in Europe...


That's absolutly wrong: some tests were made in the Netherlands and they showed that many poeple drive more carrefully without signal.
Traffic light are bad: it is not necessary to wait when there is nobody (pedestrians, cyclists, other cars...) on other streets. The worst thing appears when a driver see a green light between 50 and 100 m ahead: more than 90% have to reflex to go faster...and generally, they have to brake 5 seconds after.
There is more stress, more anxiety, more speed, more polution, more wasted time. If you don't believe me, you should just make comparaison during normal time and during time when traffic light are out of order: traffic conditions are better in the second case.


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## FREKI (Sep 27, 2005)

eomer said:


> That's absolutly wrong: some tests were made in the Netherlands and they showed that many poeple drive more carrefully without signal.


And in a city slowing down will create gridlock gridlock gridlock..

Roundabouts are fine for rural or suburban areas - but not narrow city streets or main roads packed with ruchhour traffic - nothing good will come from that!




eomer said:


> Traffic light are bad: it is not necessary to wait when there is nobody (pedestrians, cyclists, other cars...) on other streets.


True for rural areas but in cities they are *very much needed*!

See:


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## .bmr. (Sep 17, 2007)

There are some of the traffic lights in Guadalajara.


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## theworldshallcry (Mar 8, 2007)

Here's one from Houston:


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## goschio (Dec 2, 2002)

sun&sun said:


> I had some problems with traffic lights in America (Argentina&Uruguay) In Europe lights are before the intersection and in America after the intersection so I stopped some times exactly on the intersection because I am used to stop directly in front of the traffic lights.


We have a the same thing here in Australia. Traffic lights are before and after the intersection. I generally don't like the German system. Its often very hard to see the traffic light if you are the first car. Why not put an additional one after the intersection?


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

The UK system varies in traffic light placement from what I can remember. I don't mind the German system of placing the traffic light at the intersection though, just don't stop right on the line and make sure you can see the traffic light and you're fine. 

The Kiwis go over the top when it comes to traffic lights. It is very very common to have 5 different traffic lights telling you the signal for your traffic direction, it's rather over the top.


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## TheCat (Apr 21, 2006)

I think it is often overkill to place a traffic light above every single lane, if all the lights (except perhaps for the left lane) show the same thing. However, left turns on large streets and expressways should never be unprotected, like they are in many countries. Regarding the placement, I think placing before the intersection is a bad idea, as sometimes lights are placed in a way that to see them one has to stop very far from the stop line. Some advocates say that this encourages drivers to keep a good distance from the crosswalk, but I think often visibility is simply ridiculously obstructed.

Here are some traffic lights on *Israeli* roads, which are always placed both before and after the intersection, and only allow left turns when oncoming traffic has a red light:



























































































Well, you get the point  The main thing to note is the directional control and dedicated left turn signals - I think this is a somewhat unique aspect of the traffic lights in Israel, which makes them safer. An interesting thing to note is that if a traffic light does not have any arrows above it (a rare situation), it actually means that there is protected travel in all directions, including left, as opposed to most countries, where a lack of arrows would mean that one needs to yield to oncoming traffic .


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## Gareth (Apr 27, 2004)

Like, it would appear, in Israel and Australia, UK traffic lights are placed both at the stop line and a bit further back also.











Our pedestrian signals now have to be placed low down, on the nearside pole. I really don't like this system.


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## Gareth (Apr 27, 2004)

Japanese traffic lights play melodies when it is time to cross. The best known one is this one, Touryanse.






Parts of Poland also have musical traffic lights. In Gdynia, each of the two signals either end of the crosswalk alternate in playing the tune, as shown below.


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## staff (Oct 23, 2004)

I took this photo in Barcelona this summer;











I love the yellow traffic lights as opposed to the boring black ones we have in northern Europe.


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## Dario (Mar 4, 2006)

Here is one for people.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Gareth said:


> Like, it would appear, in Israel and Australia, UK traffic lights are placed both at the stop line and a bit further back also.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I actually kinda like that new system, I saw it being introduced just as I was leaving the UK.


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## Gareth (Apr 27, 2004)

It's awful. You quite naturally want to stand facing where you want to go and look both ways for traffic. This new system involves staring at a pole next to you. As everyone is at a different height, the signal is rarely at eye-level. Plus, all you need is for someone to stand in the way, for the signal to be obscured. Awful things, they are!


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## TheCat (Apr 21, 2006)

Is there a way to somehow merge this thread with the one that exists in Highways & Autobahns? Two parallel discussions are going on in these two threads.


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## eusebius (Jan 5, 2004)

Traffic lights are used for pedestrians and cyclists too! I can't find a photo but we've got traffic lights which tell how much time is left before turning green, they come with an alarm sound as well, as the trolley buses are very smooth, fast and silent.


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## hetfield85 (Jun 18, 2005)

proudly tapatio said:


> Here is one for people.


The video is similar like pedestrian signal light in Malaysia.


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## FREKI (Sep 27, 2005)

eusebius said:


> Traffic lights are used for pedestrians and cyclists too! I can't find a photo but *we've got traffic lights which tell how much time is left before turning green*


We have those in Copenhagen too ( I love them! :happy: )










And some more CPH traffic lights 











In this one you can also see a small light next to a pedestrian one - that is for cyclists










In this old one you can see how cyclists have their own lanes/paths too 
( it's coloured blue in intersections where seperate paths aren't posible )


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## -Corey- (Jul 8, 2005)

I took this pic when i was going to the mall (Downtown SD)


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## eusebius (Jan 5, 2004)

Mr_Denmark said:


> We have those in Copenhagen too ( I love them! :happy: )


Are these interactive? Can you push a button to start the countdown? The ones in this Arnhem park count down by dimming little white lights that shape a circle. The countdown goes clockwise; not by using numbers of seconds but by dimming those little white lights. 

At 'the strike of twelve' the light will turn green. The speed of dimming those lights depends on the amount of traffic. On a Saturday afternoon when people all come to do their shopping, it can be a long wait when you need to cross this boulevard.


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## FREKI (Sep 27, 2005)

No, they just count down using numbers - down to green and then down to red...

They are adjusted to traffic volume


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## gugasounds (Jun 7, 2007)

The traffic lights in San diegao and Tijuana are the same only the difference is the color.


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## -Corey- (Jul 8, 2005)

Traffic lights pics from San Diego..
:hahaha: i couldn't resist and i took this pic..


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## samsonyuen (Sep 23, 2003)

Not always, roundabout can do the trick a lot of the time.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

I heard on the news last night that Bhutan is the only nation in the world with not a single traffic light. They tried it out, but found it too confusing. They ended up removing their lone traffic light and replacing it with a traffic cop.


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