In-Car Traffic Lights

The continued presence of a problem has a tendency to inure one to it. So it is in the case of traffic lights, which doubtlessly serve a useful purpose, but nonetheless are a problem, in that they are really very ugly. They destroy the scenery, perhaps not in the U.S.A. where there is no scenery to speak of, but most certainly in quaint little European towns and villages. They also contribute to light pollution, which any astronomer will tell you is a serious threat facing civilization today.

Power cables and phone lines are buried underground. What can be done about traffic lights? The answer is to put them inside your car.

When you approach an intersection, a monitor -- perhaps a HUD (Head-Up Display) -- mounted within your vehicle will display either a green light, a yellow light, or a red light. You know what to do. If the light is red, you stop at the white line painted on the asphalt.

Needless to say, the information of whether a light is red or green is transmitted from each crossing. When cars come within a specified distance of a crossing, the information is manifested in the on-board display. Perhaps you could have two or three rows of lights displayed in your car, to indicate the current status of the next two or three intersections, respectively.

In addition to traffic light information, the on-board display could also provide information currently only available in the form of brightly painted metal plates on posts, such as 'Falling Rocks', 'No Overtaking', or 'Merge Left'.

The result: No ugly traffic lights anywhere. No more garish signs all over the place. And a much better world for film crews working on movies set in the Middle Ages.