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200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

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Re: 200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

#161

Post by jjcob »

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...

I don't understand this. There is a red light. You will have to stop. Why do people still cross a solid line (which will get you a fine if police sees you) to overtake me and then stop directly in front of me? It makes no sense.

It's even worse when they overtake me and stop in front of me at an intersection with two lanes where they could just stay in the fucking lane they used to overtake me.

I swear some driver are doing it on purpose because they hate everyone else on the road.

Re: 200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

#162

Post by Ajedi32 »

robocat wrote: post #159
fn-mote wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Yes, but why do they want to be integrated with a maps App? If it can work as a background App then why not? And if you're in charge of the Google Maps App, you know you'll get blamed for draining the battery and transmitting location data continuously. It smells like someone in Belgium is lying or is looking for a scapegoat excuse. The reasoning just doesn't sound right, technically. Is there an international standa…

Probably because maps apps can do useful things like tell the light whether you're intending to turn right or not.

Re: 200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

#163

Post by LadyCailin »

Boltgolt wrote: post #48
LadyCailin wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the US, there’s a thing called the Opticom. It’s just an extra light that is installed along with the normal light bar, and the traffic light recognizes the strobe pattern, and changes. https://www.fedsig.com/product/opticom/ No app required.

But highly susceptible to unauthorized use. The app version can also alert drivers directly with an audible alert that an emergency vehicle is close by

Not really a real problem that actually happens, but you could fix it by only making it work with visible light pulses. Sure, people still might use it illegally, but you couldn’t be very subtle about it.

Re: 200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

#164

Post by abdullahkhalids »

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.

I have one in my city in Canada. Basically, on the bike you have to mount your bike from the bike path onto the sidewalk and press the pedestrian walk button. That turns the light green. Extremely annoying.

Re: 200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

#165

Post by Twirrim »

phkahler wrote: post #71
rob74 wrote: post #69

> A simple example: at night, a main road mainly displays green, the side streets only get green for a very short time. If you arrive with the app from a side street, you can get green immediately, provided there is no traffic on the main road. In Germany, there's an established but much more low tech approach to this problem: simply turn off the traffic lights at night! All traffic lights already have yield/stop/pri…

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've had traffic lights like that in the UK for ages. Where I am in the States these days, they're very common. There's one very effective one that manages my turning from the residential street onto to the main road. I was getting irritated at the weekend because I came across some lights that didn't have sensors. 5 cars stuck waiting at the lights for literally no one.

Of course, the other thing they do in the UK is use small roundabouts, that can handle a fair amount of traffic nice and smoothly.

Re: 200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

#166

Post by daveoc64 »

rob74 wrote: post #69

> A simple example: at night, a main road mainly displays green, the side streets only get green for a very short time. If you arrive with the app from a side street, you can get green immediately, provided there is no traffic on the main road. In Germany, there's an established but much more low tech approach to this problem: simply turn off the traffic lights at night! All traffic lights already have yield/stop/pri…

Are there still pedestrian crossings?

That's often overlooked with ideas like this.

Re: 200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

#167

Post by throwawaylaptop »

ergsef wrote: post #138
toast0 wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they're using inductive vehicle detector loops in the pavement, those can be tuned to detect motorcycles and bicycles (probably not carbon fiber bikes though). Where I've seen and used loops tuned for bicycles, they have a different cut pattern and a painted bike to accent positions where the detector is likely to detect you... Sadly, they don't tend to have far back detectors (advance loops) tuned for bikes so an…

My city has inductive bike sensors at specific intersections but many intersections (even ones with bike lanes) lack them. Cycling infrastructure is so half-assed in the US.

Cost per benefit? My friend is a commercial property guy and sometimes has to bring properties up to date for handicapped access.

He jokes that with how few handicapped people use the features, he could probably give people $1k each as an apology for not being able to go into the building and be far ahead.

I started thinking that for the most part most handicapped people would even take that deal. I think I would.

Re: 200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

#168

Post by kuon »

Noumenon72 wrote: post #112
sschueller wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aka Grünewelle (Green-wave)[1] if you drive the speed limit every light you reach will turn green. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_wave

Thanks for explaining, because the OP made it sound like the red light tricked you into wastefully shedding speed instead of letting you stay at the speed limit. Their language makes it sound like they view slowing traffic as intrinsically good, rather than just trying to prevent speeding.

I should have been clearer on two behaviors. What I describe is if you are "alone". Green light often (not everywhere) don't stay green if there is no car. But if there is traffic, it is made in such a way that when you get a green somewhere, you can expect every subsequent intersection to turn green when the head of the traffic arrives. So the first vehicle will see a red light turn green as they approach, and the ideal timing is around the speed limit. Further cars will have a green light, but with no intensive to speed as they are sandwiched between cars.

Also I should say that this is empirical evidence based on about 20 intersections I pass often. I don't know how much of a rule it is country wise as I don't pay attention to that when I go places I don't routinely go.

Re: 200k Flemish drivers can turn traffic lights green

#169

Post by Scoundreller »

dotancohen wrote: post #135
elric wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Flemish person here: no one here understands it either. Probably CV-driven development for someone...

Or the meeting started with the open question: "How can we get our citizens to give us 24-hour location data on their whereabouts? How could we possibly spin it as something beneficial to them?"

So, uhhhhhhh, gps spoofing time?
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