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Whats your opinion on the signals where they put a strobe in the red element? Do they really help? Is there a standard on when they get used? I've only seen them in two places. One is on the NY Thruway (I-90) (It only gets used while the state fair is going on) I get that because you are going 75 on a controlled highway, then holy poo poo ped crossing! They do have a bunch of signs in advance and a state trooper or two but it still seems like a bridge or anything else would be better. The other is on a divided parkway on my university's campus for a ped crossing. Which brings me to my other question. In the winter, the ped buttons get filled with blown ice and snow that holds the button in and causes the ped phase to get called constantly. So late at night when I would cross there, very often the light would turn red right after I crossed and some driver who got caught by it would tell me to go gently caress myself because they thought I pressed the button. For my actual question: Is there some other kind of button that won't get filled with snow? The current ones have some kind of recess for the button that holds the snow. Also, doesn't the controller notice that the button has been held for a week and determine that there is a fault in the button? Or does it, and its just defaulting to a "safe" cycle?
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Nov 10, 2009 03:35
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Choadmaster posted:Every few years they seem to come up with new buttons to install here (they only upgrade a few at a time so we have all different kinds now, yay). That first picture is pretty close to what they have right now. The ones at the intersection have a rubber membrane over the buttons. The others look promising, but I'm not sure how the touch ones would work with a coating of ice over them. This area is pretty exposed, usually as soon as they plow the sidewalk, the wind has drifted 2 inches of snow onto it. Not that any of this matters, they plan on re-doing the whole intersection and putting in a pedestrian bridge.
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Nov 10, 2009 06:40
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 What kind of "New Traffic Patterns" warrant the use of this sign? When I saw this sign I imagined we would be driving on the left or backwards or something. In reality I don't think anything changed.
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Nov 16, 2009 00:28
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Cichlidae posted:Big news! While I was away on vacation, the new edition of the MUTCD was released! How long before the new edition is enforced? When can I ignore the severely undersized stop and speed limit signs in a local shopping plaza? Also, the speed limit there is 5 mph. My speedometer doesn't go that low. I'm sure you've seen the pictures of nonsensical speed limits, like 17 mph. Are those from people asking for the limit to be lowered and the DOT saying "OK but gently caress You"?
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Dec 21, 2009 19:35
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Cichlidae posted:It's a safety hazard to toll collectors when mixed ETC/cash lanes are offered, because then you have some cars driving straight through and some stopping. It would be safe if every car had to stop, even the ETC users, but that cuts into efficiency and would probably result in a lot of rear-end accidents and broken gates. I have to admit, though, that I've never driven on the Mass Pike. I'm more familiar with tolls in New York and New Jersey. In NY, at least on the Thruway, all lanes accept EZ-pass. In the mixed cash/ez-pass lanes, all cars come to a stop. For dedicated EZ-Pass lanes, there is no stopping but the speed is limited to either 5 or 20, depending on the plaza. Full speed lanes are being built soon. Typically there is a dedicated lane on both sides of the plaza at the toll barriers, and usually just one at the extreme right on exits. Many drivers don't realize that EZ-pass works in cash lanes. On busy days they will staff one of the dedicated lanes, making it a cash/EZ-pass lane. In theory this should increase capacity, but with the morons cutting across 8 lanes to get to the dedicated lane, it can't do that much. (It does end up being a cake shift for the guy in that lane, because 80% or so of the people using it are using EZ-pass) Also, there are no gates, just a signal light for EZ-pass users.
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Dec 29, 2009 02:17
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It was an interesting experiment, sure. Personally, I can't stand people who think its their job to enforce the speed limit. Basically, people who do what they were doing in the video, driving next to the person next to them, at or below the speed limit. Just get right and let people pass you. I've heard that on the Autobahn in Germany, you can be ticketed for using the left lane for driving and not just passing. Are there any locations in the US that have similar laws?
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Jan 7, 2010 22:48
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Yes, the good ol' days when people knew how to not hit construction workers. Or maybe not.
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Jan 13, 2010 22:58
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Seeing as I had to look up what HAWK signals were, I figure someone else might too. I found these two videos to be pretty good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW1XYazSNkQ This one shows the signal and pedestrian signal on a bench. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2KVQ_usoZQ This one shows an installed signal. Notice a number of cars running the signal.
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Jan 29, 2010 19:57
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I was going to ask if a Ped Bridge would be warranted here. I know if I were a pedestrian there, I would like seeing it, especially if there were a traffic circle. If were to come up to a circle I'm not sure I'd know the "right" way to cross it. If not a HAWK signal, what would you use at a signalized crosswalk? Or would you avoid the idea entirely? The type I've seen is a flashing yellow in the bottom aspect, with a yellow and red above. The flashing yellow in place of green prevents a dark signal, but is it confusing for some drivers?
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Jan 30, 2010 01:49
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Cichlidae posted:Hybrid ped signals are for mid-block crosswalks, not signalized intersections. At signalized locations and roundabouts, I'd put a normal ped head: the lunar white walking man and the portland orange upturned hand. Very simple to understand. Right, I meant: What signals would you provide for the vehicles at a mid-block crosswalk? (It looks like you answered.)
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Jan 30, 2010 04:56
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If we want to talk about Rochester, we should talk about the can of worms. http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=43.143176,-77.54734&spn=0.01,0.01&t=m&q=43.143176,-77.54734 The intersection of I-490 and I-590. I-590 becomes NY-590 north of the intersection. Also present are East Ave and CSX Rail. It was rebuilt in late 80's and early 90's. This page has some before and after shots: http://www.empirestateroads.com/week/week1.html The original design had much more weaving than there is now. Even after the reconstruction, 590 NB has quite a bit of weaving. Coming from 490 WB to 590 NB you can be forced to get off at Blossom if traffic is heavy enough. (Also you are not aggressive enough.) E: I found an aerial shot of the interchange from before the reconfiguration.  Click here for the full 926x861 image. Notice the weaving on 490 WB/EB. Also notice the rail spur N/S parallel to I-590. Guy Axlerod fucked around with this message at 19:32 on Jan 31, 2010 |
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Jan 31, 2010 19:24
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theflyingexecutive posted:"I like it when you drive by slow" sounds like it could be a great hook for a flagger rap song. The album also includes hits such as:
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Apr 12, 2010 02:47
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Looking at the Eastern approach, it looks like it could have been set up "right" but some guy decided to build his house where the road needed to go. Also, what's so special about the blurry part just to the West? It just looks like some fuel tanks, but I guess they could be Gov't fuel tanks with invisibility additives.
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May 1, 2010 19:11
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Cichlidae posted:New York is very zealous about forcing Google to blur its bridges, toll booths, gas tanks, and other moderately important facilities. Protection against terrists, you see. I guess by blurring more than just the really "sensitive" stuff, you stop someone from just targeting all the blurry spots on the map because they must be good targets. I also just pulled along a bunch of thruway looking for blurred toll booths and couldn't find any. Maybe they do it closer to NYC? I only looked in the Buffalo/Rochester area, and Albany 87/90 junction. It did remind me of the last time I was in Albany and took the Northway down to the Thruway. As you neared the junction, they had the normal overhead signs telling you what lane to be in for each route. They also painted the Interstate shields ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:I-90.svg ) on the road surface for each lane. It really helped confirm I was in the correct lane.
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May 2, 2010 00:50
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Cichlidae posted:
 But they left the street view! Ah, my tax dollars/tolls at work. I did find another, the southern approach to the south grand island bridge. That also has some fuel storage surrounding it. The approach to the north bridge is not blurred out and does not have fuel storage. Could their intent to be to blur something else nearby? Or might they be avoiding armchair engineering, by not providing angles not normally obtainable? Or am I just trying to rationalize something that can't be rationalized?
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May 2, 2010 04:33
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Yeah, the duck appears to be hovering, with it's feet dangling. The cow appears to be escaping it's sign. Also, Open Range? Do parallel lists mean nothing to these people? Even "Equestrian Crossing" isn't quite right.
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May 18, 2010 02:09
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 Click here for the full 1059x642 image. This is on the campus I work at. The two red dealies are my feeble attempt at stop signs. When do private properties have to be up to federal standards again? Or at least the signs? There are some other areas that have some poor signs.
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Jun 2, 2010 01:57
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Driving in some construction today got me thinking about signal lights. An intersection's lights were out. The normal rule would be  "Treat it like an all-way stop." However, when was the last time you saw a 4-way stop with 3 lanes in each direction? (If anyone has, it would be Cichlidae) Also, no one else is treating it like a 4 way stop. No one directing traffic until I came back the other way.So, my thought is, Do signal lights have any kind of backup power? I don't imagine that they do, the current draw for the lamps can't be insignificant. I suppose the controllers might have a UPS of some sort, but then whats the point? Also, am I right in thinking this was a fuckup? They wouldn't intentionally turn off the signals at an intersection like this at lunch hour would they?
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Jun 8, 2010 23:20
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TMMadman posted:Yeah. I love the I-Pass system in Illinois (compatible with the E-ZPass of the Northeast) and it generally makes for much smoother commutes. Of course it is almost required to get the I-Pass now if you do any driving on the Illinois tollways because not having an I-Pass means you have to pay double the toll. Wow, thats quite the discount/penalty. The discount in NY is about 5-10% percent. Do they charge any kind of membership fees? I don't use my EZ pass as much as I used to, but I keep it because there is no downside.
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Jul 6, 2010 20:24
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I think I mentioned earlier in the thread how nice those were when I was traveling a while ago. I'm from NY, but I'd be happy to send an email to say I like them in your state. Locally, there is a big stink over the entrance to a shopping mall. It's the typical 4 approach intersection, where the people entering don't have a stop sign, all other approaches do. People seem to assume that the un-stopped approach does have a sign, and it causes accidents. They don't want to put a stop in, as it will cause backups into the main road. People are blaming it on stupid, but lack of omnipotence is not the same as stupidity. My thought is to just put the 4th stop sign in, but what would you say? Guy Axlerod fucked around with this message at 01:51 on Jul 22, 2010 |
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Jul 22, 2010 01:47
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So a road near me got resurfaced and painted. Before the road had 2 lanes in each direction. Now, it has 2 northbound and 1 southbound and one turn lane. That struck me as strange that the capacity for each direction wasn't the same.
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Aug 16, 2010 00:04
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EoRaptor posted:
I saw someone with the idea of projecting a cop car instead. Sometimes, it will be a real cop. That way you will be kept on your toes. Maybe you could speed actuate it too.
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Sep 8, 2010 22:27
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They solved this problem in NY by making the cycle: Green Arrow Yellow Arrow (End of protected Left, Start of permissive left) Green Ball Yellow Ball Red Ball I'm not sure what I would prefer.
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Sep 11, 2010 14:15
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Robot driven cars means 100 mph and inches of following distance. Or vacuum tubes. Whatever works.
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Oct 2, 2010 16:23
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So Vacuum Tubes then? You seem to be talking about it like I want it done tomorrow. I'm talking about the beep boop future where robot driven cars work and work well. Did you see WallE? Like on the spaceship, but with hopefully fewer fat people.
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Oct 2, 2010 23:51
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I imagine the $1mil accounts for all costs associated with the project, not just construction. Engineer's time to design it, environmental studies, purchasing land rights, red tape, etc.
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Nov 2, 2010 00:32
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The NY Thruway seems to keep finding ways to take on more debt. Usually they buy a new road.
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Dec 14, 2010 22:53
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Do the conflict monitors do anything about a signal showing all red? Or what about a signal that refuses to change, showing green N-S and red E-W for about three days. I called the cops about that signal, they replied "Yeah, we are aware of that situation." Thanks.
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Jan 2, 2011 16:05
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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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Are there two houses on that street, or just the one?
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Mar 28, 2011 03:25
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There is a stop sign on the complex at work, where the word STOP!, well, is like that. The funny thing is, the signs in the warehouse/factory for the fork trucks are normal stop signs, but the one outside is some bizzaro sign. I've been meaning to take a picture but there are always people around and it would be weird.Cichlidae posted:Thanks! If I don't get laid off this summer, I hope to keep it going for some time. If you get laid off, you will just have more time to post!
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Apr 17, 2011 17:14
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What about the bed they sit on? If I put together a paver patio, I have to do quite a bit of prep before I put in the pavers. Wouldn't this require the same? I'm willing to be that this is still less work, but he didn't make any mention of it at all.
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Apr 21, 2011 00:37
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Cichlidae posted:The base and sub-base have to be meticulously prepared no matter what you're putting on top. Generally, the idea is that you build it once, and then you don't need to touch it again. You can just scrape off the pavement and re-pave (or slap down another prefab slab). This doesn't tend to work so well in areas where there's frost heave or flooding, because those can ruin the sub-base stability and require deep reconstruction. What about the case of the utility work under the road, doesn't that disturb the sub-structure? In my work, one of the things I look at is the serviceability of a product, that is, how easy it is to repair or replace components within. Its usually on a scale of "impossible" to "a child could do it." When I question the impossible to replace parts, I often get a response of "Oh don't worry, this part will never fail." Getting back on topic, I'm getting the same feeling about the road bed here as I do about those parts that will "never fail." Don't get me wrong, this looks like a neat idea, I just question his quote of in-and-out in 15 minutes.
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Apr 21, 2011 01:28
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According to this thread, http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5giHrMC9wYlOzOkUg9wNC2jVKugkw?docId=371623ab59694aef9f0a02fe83faca8a, the utilities in the US plan on increasing the tolerance on the frequency of the electricity supply. Of course, they emphasize the impact on alarm clocks and other things that don't actually use the mains frequency to keep time. But what about traffic signals, how many of those still use mains frequency? Or have nearly all signals been upgraded to PLCs?
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Jun 26, 2011 14:48
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It looks like someone knew it would be confusing, so they added the arrows to show which way traffic was going.
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Jul 2, 2011 14:14
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That whole area looks strange. Look at Hoffman Ave, just to the north. It doesn't connect with itself. I'd guess it was all meant to be "fancier", but budgets got pulled back.
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Jul 28, 2011 22:20
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When writing up a construction project that requires one-way alternating traffic, do you provide directions to the flaggers? There was a construction project near me, and they were doing almost 10 minutes at a time for each direction. It was about 1/2 a mile of one lane at most. Does that seem right?
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Aug 14, 2011 20:05
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If you notice, they have lights to show you which lanes are going your way.
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Sep 17, 2011 23:39
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Saw this the other day. http://thedailywtf.com/Articles/Peachy-Real-Time.aspx That's the Georgia DOT's Website. They use variable toll rates, and give live data on their website, using a webcam pointed at one of the signs on the road. http://www.peachpass.com/cam/lawrenceville
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Jul 1, 2012 20:28
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Compare the photo of the truck Cichlidae posted with the truck in the video here: http://www.barrier1.us/ These are basically the carrier plane arresters.
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Aug 8, 2012 22:43
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