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Peanut President posted:
CDOT built a half-assed one of these in Golden;  The volume is pretty low, except when the School of Mines is very busy. It is missing one movement that you have to cross the highway and go all the way down to the next block for: 
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Apr 8, 2023 18:08
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| # ? Apr 20, 2024 01:39 |
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They redid the traffic lights at a nearby intersection and it’s very annoying.code:The traffic light was recently replaced as part of an effort to replace all the traffic lights on the state road with fancier LED ones on strung wires rather than poles. Part of this work gave the restaurant parking lot a traffic light. But because the driveway isn’t quite aligned with the opposite road, it needs its own phase. And for whatever reason, they didn’t put a sensing loop in the restaurant parking lot, so they always get their phase, even though they barely have any traffic. The net result is that the fancy new light means everyone going from the side road now needs to wait an extra 20 seconds where the intersection is getting no traffic.
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Jun 22, 2023 12:52
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smackfu posted:Part of this work gave the restaurant parking lot a traffic light. But because the driveway isn’t quite aligned with the opposite road, it needs its own phase. And for whatever reason, they didn’t put a sensing loop in the restaurant parking lot, so they always get their phase, even though they barely have any traffic. Camera detectors are pretty cheap these days, so this was probably an issue where the existing signal controller box wouldn't accommodate the new connection. There's probably plans for the signal to be replaced/upgraded in the near future and upgrading the controller now was considered not to be a good use of funds. Complaining to the DOT might get them to move that schedule up. For example, they could upgrade the controller now to what the new signal would need anyway. A bit of a pain, but not super unreasonable if the current condition is causing delays (or worse, backups where it takes more than one cycle to get through). Or it might just be as simple as adjusting a poorly aligned camera sensor that was already installed - that can happen, where if the sensor can't read cars it defaults to calling the signal every cycle for safety purposes.
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Jun 22, 2023 17:15
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Cool, I will try writing to the DOT and see what they say.
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Jun 22, 2023 17:23
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smackfu posted:They redid the traffic lights at a nearby intersection and it’s very annoying. Interesting that the road controlling authority decided to upgrade the restaurants access from their own money (presumably without a cent paid from the restaurant).
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Jun 23, 2023 02:38
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Carbon dioxide posted:Ireland. Speed limits aren't intended to be a suggested speed, right?
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Jun 23, 2023 03:08
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AreWeDrunkYet posted:Speed limits aren't intended to be a suggested speed, right? I consider them to be the minimum
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Jul 3, 2023 19:30
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I was driving with my dad the other day and I gave him poo poo for stopping more than a car length behind the stop bar in a left turn lane. He went on to tell me that the detector is one car length back, and if he stops there instead of at the stop bar, he’ll get a dedicated left turn phase as opposed to an unprotected phase. I just shook my head and filed that away for whenever I have to design some traffic signals.
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Jul 4, 2023 00:14
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I don’t quite think traffic loops are utilized like that but at the same time… they could? Most of my stuff is radar based now anyways we’ve been phasing on asphalt detection for a while now.
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Aug 7, 2023 21:59
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Happy Noodle Boy posted:I don’t quite think traffic loops are utilized like that but at the same time… they could? Most of my stuff is radar based now anyways we’ve been phasing on asphalt detection for a while now. My jurisdiction went straight to video detection at least 10 years back for new work. I'm pretty sure they can view it all remotely too - when we asked about using the cameras to do some traffic counts, one of their guys started responding about why it would be difficult before the boss gave him the "ixnay" look and he changed tact and said they didn't have that capability.
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Aug 7, 2023 22:05
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Devor posted:My jurisdiction went straight to video detection at least 10 years back for new work. Traffic signal networks tend to be janky as hell, also usually pretty broken. Letting someone else in might expose the fact that some of their critical stuff is not working. Varance fucked around with this message at 23:04 on Aug 7, 2023 |
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Aug 7, 2023 22:46
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Varance posted:Traffic signal networks tend to be janky as hell. Letting someone else in might expose the fact that some of their critical stuff is not working. My theory is that they pinky swore at some point that the system couldn’t record, to assuage invasion of privacy concerns. When in reality it’s that they choose not to record, not that it’s technically infeasible.
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Aug 7, 2023 22:53
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Devor posted:My theory is that they pinky swore at some point that the system couldn’t record, to assuage invasion of privacy concerns. When in reality it’s that they choose not to record, not that it’s technically infeasible. Also, our traffic systems are held together by metaphorical duct tape in some cases. It's pretty hard to get bulk parts for older technology right now, to the point where you want to have electrical engineers on staff that can do component repairs. Slowly upgrading aged-out components and moving toward radar detection. Varance fucked around with this message at 23:10 on Aug 7, 2023 |
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Aug 7, 2023 23:05
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Interesting vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G24x26s3Hjg Takeaways: - Roundabouts are great to solve certain traffic situations, but much much less effective if they're just slapped on top of a broken system compared to when they're part of a holistic traffic design from the start. - Traffic design yields much better results when you treat it like a science with unknowns that can be tested and improved upon than based on an immutable 'traffic bible' that everyone takes as absolute law.
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Aug 8, 2023 11:20
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Are induction loops being phased out just because their location means they're very difficult to install/service?
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Aug 25, 2023 01:35
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pkells posted:I was driving with my dad the other day and I gave him poo poo for stopping more than a car length behind the stop bar in a left turn lane. He went on to tell me that the detector is one car length back, and if he stops there instead of at the stop bar, he’ll get a dedicated left turn phase as opposed to an unprotected phase. They're pretty much all like that here. Sometimes they have two induction loops in the left turn lane - one at the front and one three to four cars back. I haven't seen any radar/camera based systems, but I haven't looked too closely at any of the more recently-redone intersections. (There aren't many.)
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Aug 25, 2023 02:52
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The Lone Badger posted:Are induction loops being phased out just because their location means they're very difficult to install/service? That's part of it. Most places have switched to traffic cameras since they offer more utility.
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Aug 25, 2023 10:53
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Armacham posted:That's part of it. Most places have switched to traffic cameras since they offer more utility. Yeah curious about why they're still using them over here. Like, here's an intersection that was completely rebuilt in 2014, still using induction loops: https://goo.gl/maps/t1487ashVUgyLHRe6
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Aug 26, 2023 01:06
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Lead out in cuffs posted:Yeah curious about why they're still using them over here. To a certain extent it may not really matter too much. Detection can allow cleverer phasing and loops can act up, but the intersection can still function adequately (if not perfectly) if they start acting up. Some intersections may not even need detection, if they're running exclusively linked to other nearby intersections
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Aug 26, 2023 07:58
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Overpass engineering question. The local DOT recently built these two weird(-to-me) overpasses, and I’m wondering what’s up with the design  The best I’ve got is that the oblique angle makes it too funky for a “standard” span, so it’s easier to build more but shorter, conventional spans?
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Sep 6, 2023 21:48
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I believe the question with those pergolas is “where’d you otherwise put bridge supports”. I can offhand think of quite a number of them that were built here here over the years.
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Sep 7, 2023 02:50
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Koesj posted:I believe the question with those pergolas is “where’d you otherwise put bridge supports”. We have a winner! Here's an example of how much width you get through with a 45-degree crossing on a *wide* road. Imagine that top road was half the width - you'd still have to build your piers wide enough to support those columns, and it'd look stupid as hell. When you have an even more acute crossing, those concrete boxes become very economical.  https://www.google.com/maps/@39.305...i8192?entry=ttu This is from the Baltimore beltway
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Sep 7, 2023 03:44
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Any way you go, you're going to have to build some comically oversized engineering to cross at very small angles, especially if your area is not seismically stable. Single lane example from Utah using steel girders and oversized single piers:  Multiple lane example from Florida that is similar to a full box tunnel, but it uses outside vertical concrete beams with a horizontal concrete beam across the top to support the bridge structure. 
Varance fucked around with this message at 10:23 on Sep 7, 2023 |
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Sep 7, 2023 10:07
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Who does one call, in the US, to report traffic lights behaving badly? My protected left turn into my workplace no longer senses cars waiting to turn left. You just sit there until someone approaches from the cross street and forces the light to change. Then, it cycles to my protected left turn before opening both directions back up (so maybe it IS sensing me at some point, but it does fuckall about it until there's crossing traffic). But nothing makes that light change if you just sit at it. You just.... sit.
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Sep 19, 2023 20:16
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Most municipalities will have a report webpage or at least a phone number. When I Google “report a traffic light outage” it even uses location services to serve me up the right municipality. Whether they do anything with the report though… 
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Sep 19, 2023 20:43
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The Ferret King posted:Who does one call, in the US, to report traffic lights behaving badly? My protected left turn into my workplace no longer senses cars waiting to turn left. You just sit there until someone approaches from the cross street and forces the light to change. Then, it cycles to my protected left turn before opening both directions back up (so maybe it IS sensing me at some point, but it does fuckall about it until there's crossing traffic). But nothing makes that light change if you just sit at it. You just.... sit. You want to contact your municipal Public Works department. Many cities have set up 3-1-1 numbers and websites that consolidate the various service directories and often offer ways to make reports about local issues with roads, infrastructure, civic infractions, etc. If you can't figure it out or nothing seems to be working, you can contact your local town hall, or call the police / sheriff non-emergency line. Kaal fucked around with this message at 20:58 on Sep 19, 2023 |
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Sep 19, 2023 20:55
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The hard part might be finding out who owns it. It could be the town, county, or state dot. Hopefully you don't get too much "not my job."
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Sep 19, 2023 20:56
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Heh, I contacted the state DOT about something similar on a state road and they said:quote:Although the road in question may be a state road, requests and suggestions of this nature must first be reviewed by the Town’s Local Traffic Authority (LTA) since they are generally more familiar with local issues.
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Sep 19, 2023 21:02
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I called around and left a bunch of voicemails at a bunch of departments and got a callback about a week or so afterwards. Municipal government moves slowly, but they do move. The guy was very friendly and asked if I had questions about any other intersections or projects, so I asked about a couple and he was happy to chat with me about them. I get the feeling they don't have much public interaction and are genuinely pleased to have someone interested in what they do and not just whine that the bridge has been out for six months.
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Sep 19, 2023 22:03
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The Ferret King posted:Who does one call, in the US, to report traffic lights behaving badly? My protected left turn into my workplace no longer senses cars waiting to turn left. You just sit there until someone approaches from the cross street and forces the light to change. Then, it cycles to my protected left turn before opening both directions back up (so maybe it IS sensing me at some point, but it does fuckall about it until there's crossing traffic). But nothing makes that light change if you just sit at it. You just.... sit. I complained at the county here and the next day I got an email from the guy they sent out saying he didn't see a problem but raised the detection camera anyway:  (I had gotten stuck in the left turn lane there for 6 cycles, despite there being a bunch of cars in front of me)
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Sep 20, 2023 01:15
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I don't know if it's kosher to share YouTube channels of TikTok content, but I've been enjoying this guy and his views inside intersection cabinets. https://youtube.com/@Trafficlightdoctor Remember when the thread title was "me love make red light"?
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Sep 22, 2023 14:19
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babyeatingpsychopath posted:Remember when the thread title was "me love make red light"? That's still in the OP's avatar.
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Sep 22, 2023 19:33
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Sep 23, 2023 07:56
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I feel like the severe dutch-o-philia that urban planning opinion-havers get creates unrealistic images of what the world is like and what is possible, and the heavier it is, the less helpful it is for anything regarding the real world. Put away the wooden shoes.
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Sep 23, 2023 17:34
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It's probably a good thing to have a counter balance to all the people who are stuck at the beginning of that comic, though. At least they're being unrealistic in a good direction.
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Sep 23, 2023 17:53
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SlothfulCobra posted:I feel like the severe dutch-o-philia that urban planning opinion-havers get creates unrealistic images of what the world is like and what is possible, and the heavier it is, the less helpful it is for anything regarding the real world. They're are usually examples closer to home to look to, anyway. The Dutch don't have a complete monopoly on it- they're just earlier adopters and more well developed cycle network than most of the rest of the world.
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Sep 23, 2023 21:24
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And the Netherlands aren't that great, they just have a couple of cities with solidly good bike infrastructure.
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Sep 23, 2023 21:55
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KozmoNaut posted:And the Netherlands aren't that great, they just have a couple of cities with solidly good bike infrastructure. Alright, I'll bite. Which cities in the Netherlands would you say have good bike infrastructure and which have bad bike infrastructure?
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Sep 23, 2023 21:58
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Carbon dioxide posted:Alright, I'll bite. They all have amazing bike infra with Amsterdam being a very stark "worse than everywhere else"
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Sep 23, 2023 22:05
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Eh, it's no Copenhagen.
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Sep 23, 2023 22:06
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