Yes, this intersection has that. The problem is the sensor starts a timer that's set to 2 or 3 minutes for most of the day. This becomes a minimum wait time even when there are no oncoming cars for the entire wait period. At this intersection, the wastefully pointless "idle there for 3 minutes with no other cars anywhere in sight" scenario happens quite often.
There's also an even more perverse failure mode: we often end up waiting for 2.5 minutes with no other cars anywhere in sight, then when a lone car is randomly approaching the light that's been green for no cars (going its way) for 2.5 minutes, that one car gets stopped and waits as we finally get our turn arrow after 3 minutes. If the light was the least bit "smart", it would have changed for us right when we pulled up and no other cars were in sight. The turn arrow is only 10 seconds, so we would have been long gone and the intersection back to green by the time that other car was approaching - no car would have needed to wait and everyone would have been better served.
My local municipality decided that it would be more appropriate for lights to flash yellow and/or red on a couple of low-traffic intersections along major routes between 11 PM and 6 AM.
There's a few intersections like that here in Dublin.
But they aren't marked. So what sometimes happens is I cruise up on a bike, in the middle of the road because none of those have bike lanes.. and the bike, naturally, never triggers the lights. Neither does the car behind me.
mrandish|1 year ago
There's also an even more perverse failure mode: we often end up waiting for 2.5 minutes with no other cars anywhere in sight, then when a lone car is randomly approaching the light that's been green for no cars (going its way) for 2.5 minutes, that one car gets stopped and waits as we finally get our turn arrow after 3 minutes. If the light was the least bit "smart", it would have changed for us right when we pulled up and no other cars were in sight. The turn arrow is only 10 seconds, so we would have been long gone and the intersection back to green by the time that other car was approaching - no car would have needed to wait and everyone would have been better served.
xattt|1 year ago
Filligree|1 year ago
But they aren't marked. So what sometimes happens is I cruise up on a bike, in the middle of the road because none of those have bike lanes.. and the bike, naturally, never triggers the lights. Neither does the car behind me.
WalterBright|1 year ago
The climate activists should be focused on solving that problem.
hanszarkov|1 year ago
quickthrowman|1 year ago
jamiesonbecker|1 year ago