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Emergency Greens

All green traffic lights and navigation assistance for emergency vehicles.
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(+3, -6)
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When a 911 call is made and an emergency vehicle is dispatched, just a few seconds can make a big difference. With the assistance of GPS, the vehicle dispatcher can ensure that traffic lights are changed to green for each intersection as the emergency vehicle approaches. Each traffic light would change in advance of the emergency vehicle actually getting there to clear out any stationary traffic.

There are preemptive systems in use which do something similar but they are controlled by the vehicle itself, which may not provide the best results. However, a dispatcher in constant communication with the driver of the vehicle can provide navigation assistance, traffic avoidance, and control the lights accordingly. The dispatcher can also see other emergency vehicles in the vicinity and assist to avoid collisions between two or more responding units.

Another disadvantage with preemptive systems is that tech savvy people can build their own "all green lights" device to make their own vehicle appear as though it were an emergency vehicle. Municipalities have hopefully recognized this and passed laws to penalize those caught manipulating the traffic light system in a such a way.

mosttoasty, Feb 10 2008

MIRT, 3M Opticom®, and Tomar Strobecom® traffic signal preemption http://www.themirt.com/faq.html
[Klaatu, Feb 11 2008]

Traffic signal preemption http://en.wikipedia...c_signal_preemption
[Klaatu, Feb 11 2008]

Mobile GPS benefits everyone, not just emergency services. http://www.calccit....raffic-Sensors.html
[coprocephalous, Feb 11 2008]

[DrCurry], this one? Emergency_20Light_20Remote
[theleopard, Feb 13 2008]

Or this one? Emergency_20Trafficlight_20Switch
[theleopard, Feb 13 2008]

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       What do these gps traffic light controllers do in between emergencies?   

       I know that London already has a traffic control centre and traffic light management. Maybe they have this exact system in place.
DanDaMan, Feb 11 2008
  

       "Help! Help! We need more sprouts over here!..."
ConsulFlaminicus, Feb 11 2008
  

       Don't know where you hail from, [mostoasty], but these have been well baked for years. <link?
Klaatu, Feb 11 2008
  

       Such a system, when not needed for emergencies, could have other more artistic uses.   

       Imagine flying into Heathrow at night and seeing the ghostly image of Concorde traced out in green-on-red in the spillover-light from a million traffic lights..
MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 11 2008
  

       //What do these gps traffic light controllers do in between emergencies?//
They're put on a lower priority queue?
coprocephalous, Feb 11 2008
  

       Some traffic light systems developed under the EU funded ROMANSE scheme incorporated a system called Greenwave used by the Fire Service (in Southampton anyway). The crew triggered a button on the key route from the station to the 'shout' as they took the fire call off the dispatching printer. This was then sequenced so that they shouldn't meet a red light on the key route selected.
oneoffdave, Feb 11 2008
  

       [Consul]..what about some spinach?
xandram, Feb 12 2008
  

       "Garr, this is the life. Sittin on deck out at sea, got a rod over the port bow waiting for a bite, passing the time with my watercolours. I love the waves and the sky, all those wonderful blues, garr indeed. Little Jimmy, up in the crows nest, must be sound asleep, there's nowt around to see for miles."   

       "Land 'hoy!"   

       "Blast! A tropical island! Cursed currents! Where be my emergency greens?!"
theleopard, Feb 12 2008
  

       Someone else just suggested this very thing on the Halfbakery.
DrCurry, Feb 12 2008
  

       [boysparks] I think "someone" is more likely to be "something", but anyway see my link.
coprocephalous, Feb 13 2008
  

       Right you are. So which one was [DrCurry] talking about?
theleopard, Feb 13 2008
  


 

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