Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

vrt.be

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

121–130 of 190 posts

Re: 200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

#121

Post by Ajedi32 »

PeterStuer wrote: post #42

Just in case you wonder, these are apps of commercial data-sharing/selling businesses, not some 'official' gov app for the benefit of the citizens. They are the products of https://ndrive.com/ , https://www.flitsmeister.nl and https://be-mobile.com/ . They also focus on toll collecting and parking fees, so "pay to play" is in a sense already in their DNA. Why do these commercial entities get to influence public traff…

Very glad to hear that. If the apps are made by commercial entities then presumably I get a choice of which one to use, which means in the absence of any artificial barriers I can choose one that respects my privacy (possibly something open-source).

If it were a single, government-made app then there would be no such choice.

Re: 200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

#122

Post by prmoustache »

gruez wrote: post #90
rob74 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My experience as a cyclist contradicts that: many motorists will still (riskily) overtake you just to reach the red light sooner. Some people apparently just can't stand to have anyone driving before them. See also: people passing by you on a multi-lane highway and then promptly slowing down once they have returned to your lane...

>My experience as a cyclist contradicts that: many motorists will still (riskily) overtake you just to reach the red light sooner. Some people apparently just can't stand to have anyone driving before them. ??? Seems like the far more plausible reason is that drivers don't want to be held up by a cyclist traveling at 10mph in front of them? Moreover if it's really true that lights only turn from red once a car reache…

You are not held up by a cyclist riding at 10mph if your average speed is at 5mph because of the traffic lights.

Besides there is a good chance you are the one holding up the cyclists creating a mini traffic jam with fellow drivers at every traffic lights.

Re: 200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

#123

Post by gruez »

prmoustache wrote: post #122
gruez wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>My experience as a cyclist contradicts that: many motorists will still (riskily) overtake you just to reach the red light sooner. Some people apparently just can't stand to have anyone driving before them. ??? Seems like the far more plausible reason is that drivers don't want to be held up by a cyclist traveling at 10mph in front of them? Moreover if it's really true that lights only turn from red once a car reache…

You are not held up by a cyclist riding at 10mph if your average speed is at 5mph because of the traffic lights. Besides there is a good chance you are the one holding up the cyclists creating a mini traffic jam with fellow drivers at every traffic lights.

>You are not held up by a cyclist riding at 10mph if your average speed is at 5mph because of the traffic lights.

At a normal traffic light, maybe. But the whole premise of this thread is that the lights that only turn green when a car is approaching.

>Besides there is a good chance you are the one holding up the cyclists creating a mini traffic jam with fellow drivers at every traffic lights.

???

Re: 200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

#124

Post by robocat »

rob74 wrote: post #66
kuon wrote: post #56

Here (switzerland) lights turn red on purpose to slow down traffic. The idea is that if you see a green light in the distance, you are motivated to speed up to catch it before it turns red. If it is red in the distance, you slow down because you eventually have to stop, and when you are like 20m from it, detectors will see you and turn it green.

My experience as a cyclist contradicts that: many motorists will still (riskily) overtake you just to reach the red light sooner. Some people apparently just can't stand to have anyone driving before them. See also: people passing by you on a multi-lane highway and then promptly slowing down once they have returned to your lane...

The faster you get your car to the inductive sensor in the road, the faster the lights change.

And plenty of turning lanes in New Zealand will not trigger the green turning arrow unless a car is waiting. If you don't get onto the sensor before the phase completes for the cross traffic, then you need to wait a full phase of lights before the green arrow is enabled (which can be quite a while, depending on pedestrians and other turning lanes etc).

It depends on time of day and wether cars coming the other direction are waiting to turn.

A few intersections are very cycle unfriendly, because they separate induction sensors for cycles are not installed for all lanes.

Not saying that your explanation is wrong, just saying that in some circumstances, hooning up to the light can reduce wait times for drivers.

The same thing can happen when walking (pressing the pedestrian cross button in time can reduce the waiting time before you can cross), or cycling (sometimes you need to get onto the cycle induction sensor to get the green cycle lights faster).

Re: 200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

#125

Post by jovial_cavalier »

Why does this need to be an app at all? Wouldn't it be simpler and more accurate to just use computer vision or other sensors? Isn't this just a cartoonishly obvious ploy to get you to install some malware on your phone that tracks where you go and when?

Re: 200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

#126

Post by gruez »

robocat wrote: post #120
helsinkiandrew wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The drivers don’t “fiddle with an app”. The apps use geo location to notify the traffic control system when they are near an intersection. https://www.brusselstimes.com/512118/flemish-traffic-lights-... > As soon as a driver approaches an intersection with smart traffic lights, a signal is sent via their app and the cloud to the computer controlling those traffic lights.

And the reason only some maps apps work, is that Apple don't allow a background App to keep running that tracks GPS and reports location over data??? I'm guessing

AFAIK background location is opt in, but only requires the developer to check a box in their xcode project. It's not like you have fill out a form and have apple approve it or something.

https://developer.apple.com/documentation/corelocation/handl...

Re: 200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

#128

Post by mike-cardwell »

bluecalm wrote: post #75
phkahler wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't understand why they need apps for this either. The infrastructure should be in place to detect cars approaching from the side street. Once they have the ability to detect cars, it's simple to assume everyone would be requesting a green light.

We have those in Poland. Sucks if you are on a bike. You need to wait for a car to turn it green for you.

Since when did cyclists take notice of traffic lights?

Re: 200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

#130

Post by fn-mote »

robocat wrote: post #120
helsinkiandrew wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The drivers don’t “fiddle with an app”. The apps use geo location to notify the traffic control system when they are near an intersection. https://www.brusselstimes.com/512118/flemish-traffic-lights-... > As soon as a driver approaches an intersection with smart traffic lights, a signal is sent via their app and the cloud to the computer controlling those traffic lights.

And the reason only some maps apps work, is that Apple don't allow a background App to keep running that tracks GPS and reports location over data??? I'm guessing

Surely the reason is that neither Apple Maps nor Google Maps is willing to add the code to interface with the special Flemish Traffic Signal API.

The market is too small, and there’s no profit to be made. Unlike the “you could take an Uber” ad in Google Maps.

Post reply on HN