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Dr. Leo Spaceman posted:i'm sure you have anwsered these questions before but.. A flashing red light means the same thing as a stop sign does. There are a few reasons why a normal signal would flash: 1) In off-peak hours, to save energy and reduce delay. 2) If a signal is new, it'll be put on flash for a week or so to get people used to its presence before it's "put on colors." 3) If the conflict monitor detects a fault. quote:What kind of schooling does this require is it a school of engineering which requires physics and such? If you're interested in what I do, traffic engineering, then a degree in civil engineering is the way to go. If you prefer the more electrical aspects, then electrical engineering would be better. Either one is going to require some pretty basic physics: kinetics, E&M, thermodynamics, depending on the school, before you get fobbed off to the engineering department to work on some more specific subjects like statics, dynamics, mechanics of materials, fluid mechanics, etc.
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Jan 6, 2011 13:26
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Dr. Leo Spaceman posted:What does it mean when a regular street light is flashing red, and why does this happen? Street light or street signal? A street light flashing red could be a sign of the apocalypse or it could be a sodium vapor light that is failing. A BS in civil engineering, BSCE, is math and science heavy so make sure you can handle calculus or at least get tutoring. In the real world very few engineers use advanced math but it shows you have some level of competency at handling difficult problems.
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Jan 6, 2011 15:07
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Millstone posted:OP has one of your signals ever hosed up where it displays a green signal to all intersecting roads
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Jan 6, 2011 23:24
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You know what I hate about American signals is that they're usually hanging from wires, with the signal heads dangling right over my car. Like what the gently caress, how am I supposed to see that?
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Jan 6, 2011 23:25
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Millstone posted:You know what I hate about American signals is that they're usually hanging from wires, with the signal heads dangling right over my car. Like what the gently caress, how am I supposed to see that? That's not usually the case if you stop behind the white line.
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Jan 7, 2011 00:05
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Crackpipe posted:That's not usually the case if you stop behind the white line. It depends on the span. Diagonal spans can put the heads all over the place, but well designed spans will put signal heads on the far side of the intersection. We shoot for 40-120 feet from the stop bar.
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Jan 7, 2011 00:36
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Millstone posted:You know what I hate about American signals is that they're usually hanging from wires, with the signal heads dangling right over my car. Like what the gently caress, how am I supposed to see that? We seem to be okay at it in Canada.
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Jan 7, 2011 00:43
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I'm sure it's just some effect of the photo used there, but the wires look somewhat purple.
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Jan 7, 2011 03:50
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Millstone posted:You know what I hate about American signals is that they're usually hanging from wires, with the signal heads dangling right over my car. Like what the gently caress, how am I supposed to see that?
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Jan 7, 2011 03:58
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Crackpipe posted:That's not usually the case if you stop behind the white line. no man I stop behind the line and if I'm first or second I immediately break my neck trying to keep an eye on the signal e: NY, OH
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Jan 7, 2011 11:08
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Millstone posted:You know what I hate about American signals is that they're usually hanging from wires, with the signal heads dangling right over my car. Like what the gently caress, how am I supposed to see that? I have the same problem on other lights though because I'm fairly tall and the roof blocks the view.
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Jan 7, 2011 11:12
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less than three posted:We seem to be okay at it in Canada. I think Ontario has this one in the bag pretty much. (Usually Mississauga has lenses that are too small for the application IMO) Hamilton likes the black/green on yellow approach, but it's very rare to see anything strung by wires unless it's temporary. And it's never dangling right over your head. 
Joe 30330 fucked around with this message at 11:33 on Jan 7, 2011 |
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Jan 7, 2011 11:16
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Millstone posted:I think Ontario has this one in the bag pretty much. (Usually Mississauga has lenses that are too small for the application IMO) I don't recall seeing any high signals in the median like those around here. Neat!
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Jan 7, 2011 11:29
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less than three posted:I don't recall seeing any high signals in the median like those around here. Neat! I encourage as many lights as possible. I envision one day there will be a 38 foot wide LED bar of light across the entire intersection.  It would be like Times Square in signal form. You may be blind, but god drat you will know if you're stopping or going.
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Jan 7, 2011 11:35
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nm posted:I think that's a least coast thing. Never seen it in Minnesota or California except during construction for temporary lights. It varies. I've seen it in the suburban Detroit area used quite often. I always disliked it for the same reasons.
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Jan 7, 2011 15:11
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less than three posted:I don't recall seeing any high signals in the median like those around here. Neat! Does this let them lower the lights to a more reasonable level for people to see? There are a few lights that I quite literally cannot see unless I drop the top on my convertible, and this is stopping behind the stop bar, mind you. I have to open the window and stick my head out, which is just plain asinine.
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Jan 7, 2011 17:07
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grover posted:That looks rather nice, too, for oversized vehicles that couldn't ordinarily fit under the stoplights. Our signal heads have to be at least 16 feet above the pavement, so they're visible when a tall truck's beneath them. In France, they mount supplemental signal heads on the mast arm/span pole, which I found quite useful, given the cramped nature of most intersections and the small cars.
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Jan 7, 2011 18:10
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So one of the Bulldog pedestrian signal buttons at the intersection by my house is broken. (Gasp!) Annoying because the light isn't long enough to cross if you don't call the ped phase. Turns yellow halfway through the intersection (and I walk fast.)
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Jan 9, 2011 04:51
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less than three posted:So one of the Bulldog pedestrian signal buttons at the intersection by my house is broken. (Gasp!) You should give Maintenance a call before someone gets creamed. Ped buttons don't often get checked, so they mostly rely on citizen complaints.
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Jan 9, 2011 17:18
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Here's my "deathtrap interchange" submission: I can only imagine how many deaths that onramp to I-94E has caused. I avoid it at all costs. It is so out of spec that I wonder how it got built in the first place, especially since there are plenty of other interchanges in the area.
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Jan 13, 2011 17:53
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Gail Wynand posted:Here's my "deathtrap interchange" submission: I just pulled the on-ramp up in Street-View. It looked bad enough before I realized that they have a tree-line obscuring the on-ramp from the highway. At least it has a bit of time before the eventual merge, I guess? Sundae fucked around with this message at 21:00 on Jan 13, 2011 |
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Jan 13, 2011 20:56
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Sundae posted:I just pulled the on-ramp up in Street-View. It looked bad enough before I realized that they have a tree-line obscuring the on-ramp from the highway. At least it has a bit of time before the eventual merge, I guess?
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Jan 13, 2011 21:44
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Gail Wynand posted:A little bit, but the sightlines behind you are terrible because of the curve in the interstate, so you really have to cross your fingers that there isn't some speeding and/or drunk driver coming around the bend. There is a prominent warning sign on the interstate leading up to the onramp, but that doesn't mean people pay attention to it. I'm betting the reason it's in its current location is because of the cemetery. That's really no excuse for the bad sight line, though. The accel lane looks far too short. The building east of the ramp looks to be abandoned; maybe they could bulldoze it and improve the curve, as well as widen the bridge over Jackson Ave to get a longer accel.
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Jan 13, 2011 22:01
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If that entrance ramp absolutely needs to be there, what about something like this? It's not ideal, but I seriously doubt the weave conflict it creates would be worse than that ramp. Basically, turn Jackson and Wagner through Jackson and Lakeview into a big diverging diamond, reverse the flow of traffic on Jackson for the length of the split, and eliminate some U turns. I drew it a bit wrong, I should have kept the crossover to the intersection with Lakeview rather than west of it. If the entrance ramp were a street I would have made an unholy hybrid of a diverging diamond and continuous flow. 
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Jan 14, 2011 03:05
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I guess this is why you always put some landscaping in the center of a roundabout? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzZHyTwjPug
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Jan 14, 2011 15:32
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GWBBQ posted:If that entrance ramp absolutely needs to be there, what about something like this? Also, people in Ann Arbor are crazy about trees, and tend to object any time a construction project cuts them down. This is probably why the trees obstructing the sightlines on the current onramp haven't been cut down.
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Jan 14, 2011 16:26
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GWBBQ posted:If that entrance ramp absolutely needs to be there, what about something like this? How would you treat the intersections at either end of the crossover? We try to limit all intersections to 4-leg. bgack posted:I guess this is why you always put some landscaping in the center of a roundabout? Oh man, only one hour and dozens of near-misses? Raised center islands increase the target value hundredfold, and they also provide one more function: they block the sightline to the opposite approach, which actually helps the decision-making process for drivers entering the roundabout. Cars they can't see are too far away to yield to; it somewhat makes up for lack of experience.
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Jan 14, 2011 16:37
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Gail Wynand posted:Also, people in Ann Arbor are crazy about trees, and tend to object any time a construction project cuts them down. This is probably why the trees obstructing the sightlines on the current onramp haven't been cut down. All you have to do is break out the "we've had ## preventable accidents here in the last three years. How many people must die for the sake of a few trees?" argument, and then the tree-crazy folk suddenly become the bad guys.
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Jan 14, 2011 16:38
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Cichlidae posted:they also provide one more function: they block the sightline to the opposite approach, which actually helps the decision-making process for drivers entering the roundabout. Cars they can't see are too far away to yield to; it somewhat makes up for lack of experience.
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Jan 14, 2011 17:30
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Entropist posted:But it's less ideal if you want to cross one of the legs on foot when cars don't have to yield to you. You can't see cars coming from the other side, and as a pedestrian you'll have to walk drat fast if a car does appear from behind the scenery right after you checked if it's safe to cross. Cars always have to yield to a pedestrian and at the average speeds in a roundabout they will have enough time to stop when they see you.
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Jan 14, 2011 17:39
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Cichlidae posted:All you have to do is break out the "we've had ## preventable accidents here in the last three years. How many people must die for the sake of a few trees?" argument, and then the tree-crazy folk suddenly become the bad guys. And it certainly doesn't help that some years ago the trucking lobby convinced the state legislature to set ridiculously high weight limits. Oh well, this is why I don't live in Michigan anymore..
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Jan 14, 2011 22:40
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Boy, we're taking a lot of flak over my project. I was out for a week sick, and when I got back, there was a stream of emails splattered across my monitor, as well as a few post-it notes on my desk. http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2011/01/13/news/doc4d2f3a0ac40ac174705514.txt?viewmode=fullstory Officials face off over planned repairs to Arrigoni Bridge posted:The audience of local officials listened to that portion of the presentation without objection. But that changed when Cutler said the work would require reducing the traffic lanes from four to two. Most of the comments on the article agree with our approach, fortunately. Those of you familiar with Connecticut know that any news article mentioning the DOT gets flooded with "fire them all" and the like. To be fair, the 8 hours of delay is pretty realistic. I can predict right now how this is going to go down: Day 1: 45-50 minute delays in the morning, 5 mile backup into East Hampton. 50-55 minute delays in the evening, blocking Route 9 for 2+ hours and downtown Middletown for 5+. Day 2: About as much delay as normal for the route, as commuters will decide not to go that way. Day 3: 30 minute delays in the morning and afternoon peaks. Day 4 and beyond: 15-20 minute delays for about 4 hours in the morning and 4 at night. Not all that terrible, really, and this construction really needs to happen.
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Jan 20, 2011 22:59
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Even 15-20 minute delays is still pretty horrible from a commuter POV, as is having to drive 30 minutes out of your way to avoid them. You're a government servant; if the public demands a plan B, you might need to go to plan B.
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Jan 21, 2011 07:40
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Cichlidae posted:Boy, we're taking a lot of flak over my project. I was out for a week sick, and when I got back, there was a stream of emails splattered across my monitor, as well as a few post-it notes on my desk.  hosed up traffic for us in Minneapolis. Not only did people rubberneck at Marine 1, but we had to go miles out of our way to get north.
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Jan 21, 2011 09:37
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grover posted:Even 15-20 minute delays is still pretty horrible from a commuter POV, as is having to drive 30 minutes out of your way to avoid them. You're a government servant; if the public demands a plan B, you might need to go to plan B. Plan B is shutting down the bridge, establishing a 40-mile detour, and finishing the work in a few months instead of 3 years. We looked into keeping three lanes open (two in the peak direction), but the lanes are already substandard width. There is just no room to keep 3 lanes open unless we're willing to go with 9-foot lanes between barriers. That leaves 3 inches on each side of cars between their paint job and concrete. Buses have it worse, because their mirrors overhang the side, and pose a danger to the construction workers as well. It's just not possible. nm posted:Do they realize how much THIS: We had a similar collapse here back in 1983, but it seems everyone's forgotten about that already.
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Jan 21, 2011 13:19
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How much more does it cost to do construction at night / weekends versus during the day?
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Jan 21, 2011 16:10
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Cichlidae posted:Plan B is shutting down the bridge, establishing a 40-mile detour, and finishing the work in a few months instead of 3 years. This sounds so vastly superior to me, as well as a shitload more efficient in terms of overhead.
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Jan 21, 2011 16:43
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Mandalay posted:How much more does it cost to do construction at night / weekends versus during the day? Night, not so much, a night shift doesn't command greater pay than a day shift. Weekends cost more, you're probably looking at time-and-a-half for a weekend shift and double time for weekend overtime. But another issue is pissing people off. Construction noise and traffic during the working day, people are okay with it. Set up a crew near anyone's house at night and they will bitch bitch bitch to every authority they can find. Especially if you're paving and they try to pull out of their driveway over the hot fresh asphalt to be greeted by a large flagman saying NO.
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Jan 21, 2011 16:46
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GDOT here in Atlanta always tries really hard to avoid construction lane closures during weekdays. Even during the big 75/85 repaving jobs there were almost no lane closures during normal working hours, only overnights and weekends. People still bitch about it, of course, but I think they do a pretty good job keeping disruptions to a minimum while still keeping the roads in good repair. Rural Tennessee, on the other hand, seems to take the following approach to road construction: Plan A: Scatter some random cones and barrels around blocking off half the road (usually the half that's actually passable), then wait and see if erosion and/or divine intervention will fix the problem. Plan B: If Plan A fails to produce results within 18-24 months, send a couple guys out in a pickup truck to stare at the road for a few hours and maybe poke it with a shovel once or twice, then try Plan A again.
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Jan 21, 2011 17:27
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grover posted:Even 15-20 minute delays is still pretty horrible from a commuter POV
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Jan 21, 2011 17:35
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