I first got this idea a few days ago while (during the night) there was -almost- no traffic. I brought the car to a stop by some some traffic lights - they also had a countdown timer, so I knew when I was supposed to drive by them. So after a few seconds I decided I could go faster than the cars on the other lanes. so I put the car in reverse, and went back some 25 meters, and when the countdown reached 5 sec I naturally started increasing the speed, and by the time I reached the traffic light's line it turned green and my speed was the maximum allowed speed around. I kept the speed constant, and as I looked in the rear-view mirror, I saw the other two cars about 50-60 meters behind, and they were just getting into the intersection area, and they were still going slow..
What I'm thinking now is to set up consequent traffic lights on the same street before the same intersection, that help speed up traffic. the purpose is during rush hours to have all cars zoom at maximum allowed speed by the traffic lights.
The first traffic light the cars encounter is a secondary traffic light which indicates the stopping-line, and the recommended starting moment. then, there is the main traffic light, of which indications are compulsory.
The main traffic licht must have a countdown timer, so the drivers can estimate the moment they start driving, though it would be better if all the cars had about the same speed.. No one is allowed to neglect the indications of this traffic-light.
As for the gain of using this traffic-light sistem, try to compare the number of cars going 15 mph/25 kmph by with the number of cars going 40mph/60 kmph. I think it's ( I DID count that a few times) about 15 compared to 40 on a 2 lane street, on a 30 seconds timeline. It even looks weird to me now that people stop exactly by the traffic light and start going really fast a f t e r it turns green instead of doing this..
there are safety aspects that I'm worried about. It's very important for every driver not to go faster than allowed before the main trafic-light after he had just went off from the trafic-light, nor is any driver that enters the intersection on the green light allowed to go slower than... [maximum allowed speed minus ten]. these rules taught to every person learning to drive, and some kind of trafic-light-safety-delay, would make the Anti-Jam traffic lights sooooooo possible..-- sweet, May 24 2004 High speeds + everyday citizens = crashes.
The old folks would have SUPER-HIGH insurance rates. The key is finding a good over-all, fluid, uniform speed through town, not necessarily just the highest speed ...-- Letsbuildafort, May 24 2004 50km/h , 40miles/h are hardly high speeds-- sweet, May 24 2004 >Ambulance appears at junction just as lights go from green to red
>Ambulance decides its flashing lights allow it to proceed
>Cavalry charge of commuters started 5 seconds ago and 12 cars are on cusp of junction doing 40mph
>BANG!-- suctionpad, May 24 2004 Anything that makes it more blatantly perilous for motorcyclists earns fish from me ... though I can CERTAINLY appreciate the logic ...-- Letsbuildafort, May 24 2004 I wish they would just synchronize the lights so that when you are staying on one roadway and driving the speed limit, the light is green when you get to it. I think this would reduce a lot of speeding because it would be more advantageous to drive at posted limits.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, May 25 2004 Actually most lights are set this way already, at least in bigger cities. If you hit a red light then once you get going again, if you are going at the speed limit, you hit multiple green lights in a row, if not all of them. This is part of the job that civil engineers have to do, and some do it better than others, as in all things. However, in some cities, this only works in one direction and if you are going the opposite direction, the lights can easily be timed so that you hit a red light every time.
Last thing, any light system that is timed for you to go 30mph will also work at 60mph, 90mph, or 120mph, or so I've been told.-- lunaras, May 25 2004 I hate something like this gets a fishbone just because of the "old folks" and ambulances that, as you say are presently iresponsably driven.
on the other hand I'm lucky I haven't got an "It's so stupid I think I like it (+)".
[DrCurry], I think that's the definition of traffic-jam actually: all the cars coming to a complete stop.-- sweet, May 25 2004 The traffic lights in my neck of the woods (I don't live in the woods) are on sensors, not timers, and they are set up in such a way. i.e. You get off the highway, you're guaranteed the next greenlight. To speed the flow of traffic.-- yabba do yabba dabba, May 25 2004 (drivers who like to run "pink" lights) + (leadfoots using this idea and occasionally getting to the intersection a bit ahead of the green) = (more accidents) = (slower traffic due to rubbernecking and waiting for the wreckage/bodies to be cleared out of the way)
[2 fries] - I'm with [lunaras] on this. Most big cities in the states have their lights timed to go with the flow of traffic (into town during the morning, and out of town in the afternoon). Of course this doesn't work for every street in every direction, but if you get on a large road that is fairly straight, you shouldn't hit too many reds.-- luecke, May 25 2004 everybody, I feel forced to remind you that the subject isn't really traffic, its traffic JAMS!, which has little to do with the way normal trafic goes. I agree with you all, but your comments are soooooooo irelevant. traffic JAM....
Focus!-- sweet, May 31 2004 I’ll give this a croissant, but...who wants equality? The pleasure is in beating those other drivers. So, first in line in my lane, I carefully study the yellow for the opposing traffic. Even though it is shielded, I can often make out the faint change, then...one beat, two, start the roll, accelerate, yes!-- ldischler, May 31 2004 I love that feeling, even though in most cases I'm the only one competing.. the whole idea is to set this kind of T-Lights only in really heavy traffic areas (the only places they are really needed). so there would still be other areas where you usually fast-accelerate that remain untouched. not to mention that you wouldn't be able to do something as thrilling as that in a traffic jam..-- sweet, Jun 01 2004 Terrible. Even today some people screw up red=stop. Who's really gonna have the presence of mind to time out stoplights and keep their attention on gridlock traffic.
Anyway, from my own traffic jam experience, several factors like idiots who block intersections and turn lanes, metro busses, and the overall fact that rush hour is by definition trying to fit ten pounds of shit in a five pound bag affect the flow of traffic in ways no lighting system could.
If you don't like it, don't drive to the city, and chuckle at the thought of those rats in the pipeline when you're cruising around the bends of a country road at most any speed you like.-- otmShank, Jun 19 2004 Yea the problem with this idea that it is WAY too complicated for the general driving public to grasp. Never underestimate the sutpididy of the general public Red=stop Green=Go is the most you can expect from them. The Yellow light confuses a lot of people as it is.-- tedhaubrich, Jun 19 2004 otmShank: you suck - no wonder your parents are getting divorced. Ed O'Neil is Soccer Mummy! (Spare rib Smoothie)-- yabba do yabba dabba, Jun 21 2004 this is just way too dangerous... right! still there's RED and GREEN. there's stop and go. it's the same concept with a higher effeiciency enhancement. acceleration increases when the light is green, decreseases when it's red. even the most lacking-in-skill person can sort that out. the design of timing and street-light placement handles the risk and efficiency.
as for the omnipresence of stupidity in traffic, I must say: the average idiot liable to block a crossroad during a traffic jam will think "there's a bunch of wackos coming fast from both sides.. I could respect the law just this once and don't cross the red light.. so I'll let those guys pass just because they have the green light... oh, well."-- sweet, Aug 15 2004 random, halfbakery