Talking Traffic

Topics: LEDs, Newspapers, Funding

 

 Episode 30 - LEDs, Newspapers, Funding [13:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Through a set of odd circumstances, I became aware of Smackover, Arkansas, the location of the self-proclaimed “…only center of the road traffic light in the state of Arkansas….”

If you go to the google maps link above and click on streetview, you can see not only a “center of the road” traffic signal, but also a pump jack sitting in the median of one of the side streets!

I’m curious to know how this signal is controlled. Looking at streetview, I can’t see any controller box and it doesn’t look like enough equipment is sitting on the pole itself to do the job. I suppose the grey smudge I see on the image could be doing it, but I’ll have to ask a signal expert to find out.

(I’m also curious about how many times this signal gets struck by errant vehicles)

Smackover, AR official website

A story from Pennsylvania is misusing their words. This is a typical misuse, though, and everyone (sort of) knows what they mean:

Gettysburg’s new synchronized system of traffic signals has caught more than just commuters by surprise.

I discussed the difference between “synchronized” and “coordinated” in the very first podcast. Unfortunately, they’re using the term in an egregious manner in this story.

When the square is gridlocked, the system activates green lights for traffic heading out of town. But in the meantime, traffic heading toward town can be sitting at a red light wondering whether oncoming traffic is breaking the law.

So the signals aren’t synchronized at all! Alas, we should all be used to reporters misusing terms under the pressure of deadlines.

It seems like PennDOT is using an adaptable signal system to coordinate a number of signals on a grid network in order to optimize flows through Gettysburgh. This is not a simple task. In fact, it’s a downright difficult one. Right now, they’re receiving a lot of complaints from drivers about “gridlock” and other issues. I’m willing to bet (from my chair here in Marietta) that PennDOT is still doing the tweaking and massaging phase of the system installation. If they are given the chance, and drivers pay attention to the traffic signals instead of relying on memorized timings, the traffic flows in Gettysburgh will get much better compared to the previous conditions.

Topics: National Traffic Signal Report Card, 2007 Fataliity Rates, ITE Annual Meeting

 

 Episode 24 - National Traffic Signal Report Card [15:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Topics: Red on Top, Traveling with a Traffic Engineer

 

 Episode 18 - Red on Top [9:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Topics: Red Light Enforcement, Red Light Running, Clearance Intervals

 

 Episode 17 - Red Light Enforcement, Red Light Running, Clearance Intervals [10:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Topics: Signal Installation, Signal Warrants, How to Annoy a Traffic Engineer

 

 Talking Traffic Episode 12 - How to Get a Signal Installed -or- How to Annoy a Traffic Engineer [15:47m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Topics: Signal Detection and Actuation, Inductance Loop Detectors, Video Detection

 

 Episode 8 - Signal Detection & Operation [14:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

New Traffic Forecast Model in the Works: Bristol University is developing a new traffic forecast model. This is something that is decidedly non-trivial and depends upond good data. To quote from the article:

However, if you are using inductance loops that are close enough together, you can identify the driving patterns of individual vehicles and, with such data from the millions of vehicles on the motorway, you can build up really quite detailed models of driver behaviour.

The fundamental problem isn’t the modelling, or even the application of the model, it’s gathering enough real time data and crunching it within a useful amount of time. The first, gathering the data, is expensive and hardware intensive; the second still has some computing issues to overcome. Go Bristol, I say, because if they can make it work, my job becomes easier.

Conventional Traffic Signal Timing is So Last Century: Professor Helbing at ETH Zurich proposes a new type of compensative signal timing. The proposed system could work wonders, but only if government and drivers would buy in.

Don’t Shoot and Drive: Man is caught shooting out video detection cameras.

There was a news article yesterday about wire theft causing a signal outage in Washington state.

This comes on top of continuing news that copper piping is being stolen from construction sites (both before and after installation).

Like petty theft, muggings, and liquor store robberies, I wonder if the benefit-cost ratio of these activities is greater than 1.0 (for the thieves)?