Traffic lights without sensors...

[G-ManBart]

Have you ever been driving along towards a stoplight early on a weekend morning only to have it turn red before you get there, but there isn't another car in sight? Of course that usually means that you won't be able to get to the next one before it also turns red and you end up stopping half a dozen times for no good reason at all. I know they didn't have this option years ago, but now they can put them on a sensor so that the main flow of traffic is only stopped when there is cross traffic waiting. Yeah, yeah...it would cost more, but I always feel like a mouse in a maze being watched from above when I'm stopped for a light without a single car anywhere near me....is some evil traffic god watching and laughing?

[JThompson]

Here here!

[JimmyZip]

I just look both ways and go. I used to wait, but once as I was waiting, a Sheriff's deputy pulled up alongside and said, "You'll wait forever if you don't go." So now, if I can't see any cross traffic, I just go.

[The_Vigilante]

There are a couple of intersections just like that in El Paso. Light turns green against me even though there are no cars present. Didn't use to be like this-light only turned green if a car trips the sensor.

[h2osport]

I just look both ways and go. I used to wait, but once as I was waiting, a Sheriff's deputy pulled up alongside and said, "You'll wait forever if you don't go." So now, if I can't see any cross traffic, I just go.

I did this once with a Deputy behind me. Knew I would wait forever for a green light. No cars comming for as far as the eye could see. Deputy was not far behind me and with his lights on. Said he had to pull me over since there was a car next to me in the other lane. He agreed with the action I had taken and said have a nice night.

We have one intersection in town that will not turn green on the cross street unless there is traffic on the primary street. You can sit there forever if no traffic is comming, and then when a car finally comes through the light will change. Poor civil engineering!!

Randy

[sargenv]

(adding to the hate on stoplights)

I hate that my jeep wrangler more often than not is too short to trip the sensors that we do have here.. I will sometimes wait two cycles.. if no cars are around me, I back up and try to land back on the "pad". The other day I did this three times before just turning right and trying to trip the sensors on the other corner.. 90 degrees from where I wanted to be. Finally it tripped.. Ugh!! I feel bad for guys on bikes..

Edited August 24, 2009 by sargenv

[COMATZD]

Happens to me all the time on my motorcycle even if there is a sensor! I drive thru them too

[Jim Norman]

This is a pet peeve of mine. When one thinks of all the hoopla regarding wasted energy and then we all have to sit at a light for over 2 minutes idling while no cars area around....

And here if one were to do as some of you, ie., blow through the light as if making a RTOR, I can assure you, you'd not get a 'havce a nice night', but rather a hefty fine and some points (In most cases)

The technology exists to not only set up sensors that actually work, but also to time the lights on a highway so that one doesn't get a major back up because three lights are just not synchronized properly.