According to an evironmental programme I heard recently, it takes the entire output of a small power station just to keep the UK's traffic lights running.
If we changed to LED lights, available for years, the consumption would be reduced to a small fraction of that currently required, and costly maintenance would be reduced to a miniscule amount owing to the extremely long life of the LED units.
Singapore have, apparently, replaced all their old traffic lights but our 'Kyoto committed' lot haven't because there is no incentive for them to do so - local councils 'get the electricity free' (in other words, we pay for it) so do not have to even consider the cost, not even when installing new sets of lights.
Another splendid example of 'joined up government' !
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Most of the traffic lights in and around manchester have already been converted to LED. The lights are much brighter and a slightly different colour to the old bulb ones.
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All of the lights at J32 M4/A470 near Cardiff have been converted and are much easier to see. It doesn't stop any of the d***heads around here still driving through them after they've turned red though !!! (3 - 4 vehicles everyday day\every light by my observations)
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Also about time they got rid of the red/amber phase on traffic lights, which do nothing other than encourage the ambler gambler, and just held the red for longer.
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Tom
I am 100% behind you on this one.
No need to hold the red for longer though, that would go off at the same time as now, it's just that it wouldn't be joined by the amber for the last few seconds of its phase.
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Also about time they got rid of the red/amber phase on traffic lights, which do nothing other than encourage the ambler gambler, and just held the red for longer.
Isn't the amber light stating that you can go if the road is clear from pedestrians crossing? If that is the case then it's best to keep it.
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CM
NO NO NO
The amber light means STOP, whether on its own or in conjunction with the red.
Only, and ONLY, the green means "go" (and that's only if safe to do so.
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sorry - misread what was written!
I did read that in the US they have a system to combat red light jumpers crashing into others. Not only does it take your mug shot it also holds all the other traffic lights on red for a bit longer. Surely this is a simple device that should be incorporated into the worst junctions.
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I want to know why they have never consider a countdown system in the UK. You would be given a 3 second countdown before the lights go to Red-Amber, Green.
Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure I saw this system running in Ireland this year. It would lead to smaller queues at the lights as people were engaged in gear, ready to go when the lights change.
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Isn't the amber your warning to get in gear?
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If you are in the first three at the lights you can generally see when the opposing lights change and then select your gear. Further back and it doesn't matter anyway.
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You should already be in gear, it's your warning to have the clutch biting against the hand brake (not that it will do you much good against a potent automatic)!
Tomo
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Tomo
Is this a good idea if your clutch cable goes or you sneeze?
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I want to know why they have never consider a countdown system in the UK. You would be given a 3 second countdown before the lights go to Red-Amber, Green. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure I saw this system running in Ireland this year. It would lead to smaller queues at the lights as people were engaged in gear, ready to go when the lights change.
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PhilC
Experienced this in Turkey this year. A lot of their lights not only count down close to the green, they start a countdown as soon as they turn red. The counter is placed about 1.5 m off the ground and simply consists of a two digit display in yellow. The reasoning for this was that Turkish drivers had been shown to be so impatient with red lights that they just got bored after a while and drove through, but if they could see only 20 seconds left then they would tend to wait for the green.
Don't think it would work here though, I think the length of our red phases would be off the display!!!
Cockle
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There must also be an awful lot of power wasted on street lighting on from dusk to dawn, particularly on dual carriageways and motorways.
The use of lighting on such roads seems to have expanded enormously in recent years - I wonder if the statistics actually show a reduction in accidents during the hours of darkness on lit sections compared to unlit?
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There must also be an awful lot of power wasted on street lighting on from dusk to dawn, particularly on dual carriageways and motorways. The use of lighting on such roads seems to have expanded enormously in recent years - I wonder if the statistics actually show a reduction in accidents during the hours of darkness on lit sections compared to unlit?
Don't know about accident rates, but I do know that an awful lot of energy is wasted with badly designed streetlight sending light other than where it's needed. Ask any astronomer about it -- we call it light pollution.
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In terms of accident rates vs lighting, I only know the figures for Motorways. Apparently, the savings in one year on fatal accidents alone on the motorway network would pay for the erection of the new high quality lighting across the entire motorway network.
Next time you're on a motorway and you come to the sections with the newer type lights, see how much better you can see than under the old type (though even those are better than nothing). Also, note just how much easier it is to see trouble brewing up ahead.
Then, gasp in horror as you plunge into the abyss of darkness that envelops most of the motorways in the UK and reflect on the short sightedness of not lighting them.
As to the question of lit motorways being scars of light across the countryside, another benefit is that the new lights themselves are nigh on invisible when you're more than a couple of hundred yards away - all their light is directed downwards.
V
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As to the question of lit motorways being scars of light across the countryside, another benefit is that the new lights themselves are nigh on invisible when you're more than a couple of hundred yards away - all their light is directed downwards.
Yes, they are a lot better, and the DOT has a policy of reducing light pollution. What gets me, though, is that high efficiency full cut-off luminaires (as they are called) have been available for ages, but councils all over the country persist in erecting fixtures that send just as much light up as down.
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The other advantage of LEDs is that they can be arranged in 'batteries' of a dozen or so into one 'bulb', so if one (or more) fails, the light still works. (and is easy to check)
How often do you see a traffic light out of order, for want of a new bulb, and causing chaos at the junction?
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Hey, we have a way round that one in the UK. We just duplicate the signal, maybe put one this side of the junction and another one 30ft. away on the far side. And sometimes one on the right hand side of the road, another one 6ft. higher up the pole as well, that kind of thing. Some of our junctions can have 5, 6 or even more traffic light heads for each direction of approaching traffic! When you reach one of these, you're bound to find at least a couple of the lights working...
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I always wondered why we had sooooo many lights at junctions these days. Dave must be right - its to save changing bulbs when one, or even three, fail!
Mind you I reckon they are far, far too bright. I sit at some junctions at night facing a barrage of maybe 6 megabright red lits focussed at me and its like being under interrogation.
I can't see anything esle at all. When its time to set off my eyes hurt. And on a busy road there could be repetitions od the damm things all along it. Shouldn't they reduce the intensity at night? Might save a few amps of current too.
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Funny, I thought that quite a few lights had a "night" setting?
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Not that I've ever seen, and I look at the things all day and most of the night! Not sure if that would be easy (or indeed necessary!) with LEDs though.
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