Camera like sensors on top of traffic lights
 

Colin McKenzie wrote:
Peter Fox wrote:
Following on from David Cowie's message. . .
Seems that might be the only way I can get the light to change ! How
about a foil vest :)

Bit annoying waiting at the light (for it to change) knowing that
there's no way to activate a sensor and wait for a car to approach
before it'll change.

They are _speed_ sensitive with a cut-off at about 15mph. Complain
to the appropriate highway authority who should be able to tweak it
to cotton on to your approach..

Meanwhile, since bikes are traffic too, if it doesn't detect you it's
a failed traffic signal within the meaning of the act. This means,
once you're sure it's ignoring you and isn't set to change anyway at
some point, you can ignore it too (treat it as a give way).

Colin McKenzie

Yeah but most traffic lights will go through their sequence (and thus give a
green light to all exits) eventually ... they just give priority to the
major route and take ages to get around to the minor route when they have no
external influences (i.e. the sensors) telling them someone is waiting on
the minor route.

Besides, these traffic-light-top sensors detect me on my push bike fine -
but then I'm a big fat guy ... whoohoo, there are some advantages!

Camera like sensors on top of traffic lights
 

On Sun, 17 Aug, I@n-N wrote:

Yeah but most traffic lights will go through their sequence (and thus give a
green light to all exits) eventually ... they just give priority to the
major route and take ages to get around to the minor route when they have no
external influences (i.e. the sensors) telling them someone is waiting on
the minor route.

Not in my experience. The lights on teh one-way system near me sit at
all-directions-red, with no sequence at all, unless they detect
something. Convenient in a car, because they get to green quicker
than if they had to complete a cycle, pain in the neck on a bike
because (depsite repeated complaints to teh council), they don't
detect me and I have to go through a red (or wait for a motor vhicle,
and who nows how many hours that might be?).

regards, Ian SMith
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Camera like sensors on top of traffic lights
 

In article ,
(Peter Fox) wrote:

[Microwave traffic light detectors]
They are _speed_ sensitive with a cut-off at about 15mph.

Do you have evidence for that speed cut-off? They have been used for
detecting pedestrians at puffin and toucan crossings for some time.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Camera like sensors on top of traffic lights
 

Sensors / detectors are a very good idea and should be put into all
signal-controlled junctions, not just to detect the presence of a
vehicle, but to detect any traffic-pileups and use this to rephase
traffic lights where necessary to ease the congestion.

There should be a way to detect the presence of cyclists, even if this
means the cyclist has to push a button at the junction.

Camera like sensors on top of traffic lights
 

On 22 Aug 2003 08:26:55 -0700, (nmtop40) wrote:

Sensors / detectors are a very good idea and should be put into all
signal-controlled junctions, not just to detect the presence of a
vehicle, but to detect any traffic-pileups and use this to rephase
traffic lights where necessary to ease the congestion.

They're not suitable due to their localised nature.

SCOOT UTC can do this - used extensively in London

http://signalsystems.tamu.edu/docume...B2000Part1.pdf


Rob.
--
rob at robertwoolley dot co dot uk

Camera like sensors on top of traffic lights
 

Had another look and they have
Micro-Sense
printed on the side.

Hell of annoying, knowing the only way I'll get through on my bike is
with cars.

Camera like sensors on top of traffic lights
 

On Fri, 22 Aug 2003 23:59:58 +0100, David Cowie
wrote:

Had another look and they have
Micro-Sense
printed on the side.


That's the name of the company that makes them.
Microsense also make triaffic signal controllers.

Details at: http://www.microsense.co.uk/

Rob.
--
rob at robertwoolley dot co dot uk

Camera like sensors on top of traffic lights
 

I don't know exactly where these signal controllers are used.

But they certainly should detect when a carriageway is completely
empty and therefore does not need to remain on green while there is
traffic waiting at other junctions.

Also there should be a maximum time anyone should have to wait at a
red signal, and in my opinion this should usually be no more than 45
seconds.

In addition, signals should be synchronised with other signals so that
if travelling along a main road (in the North of London that means A1,
A41, A10 and A503, just 4 roads, can't be that difficult surely), you
will generally come up with a succession of green lights, i.e. each
light should turn green for you as you approach.

Camera like sensors on top of traffic lights
 

On 24 Aug 2003 03:42:44 -0700, (nmtop40) wrote:

I don't know exactly where these signal controllers are used.

The microwave detectors are for queue detection at the lights.

Signal controllers are the grey boxes which drive the traffic lights.

Rob.

PS Please please more careful when trimming - it removes the context
of your comments and makes it hard to understand them.

Rob.
--
rob at robertwoolley dot co dot uk