[nerthus]

It is more like "convention over configuration". In fact, it isn't a hack. It is the simple applyance of putting elements in a system, because of a contract.

Another good analogy in software would be UX and style guides. You'd like the user to have a consistent experience.

The replacement is like running a cron job to do some stuff and forget to check if it makes sense. It can be done better, but on the other hand, it's less complicated this way (and never change a running system).

This one red light has been removed btw. The street is a dead end towards the intersection now. But you can find another one near Wasaplatz.

[majewsky]

When extra3 had a segment on these red lights in their "Der alltägliche Irrsinn" ("Everyday madness") series, they said that there were three such lights in Dresden. I only know the one at Wasaplatz heading into Oskarstraße. Let's see if it survives the upcoming redesign of Wasaplatz this year.

[EugeneOZ]

One more evidence that "convention over configuration" principle should be avoided :)

[golergka]

I think it's evidence to the contrary. We only know how much one street light cost; we don't know (from this article) how effective the overall system that manages the whole country is. I can bet that because of these rules it's much more effective then a system where every single streetlight has to be considered and configured by a bureaucrat who makes an individual decision.