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how can we reduce traffic jams on the roads

i hav been workin on a theme that our old traffic lights and not able
to control traffic situations .
i hav thought of a sensor system rather than a pressure system
presently available.i need ur suggestions
 
J

Jim Thompson

Jan 1, 1970
0
i hav been workin on a theme that our old traffic lights and not able
to control traffic situations .
i hav thought of a sensor system rather than a pressure system
presently available.i need ur suggestions

"Pressure system" ??? ROTFLMAO :)

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | |
| E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat |
| http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

Global Warming is God's gift to the Blue States ;-)
 
P

Phil Hobbs

Jan 1, 1970
0
Jim said:
"Pressure system" ??? ROTFLMAO :)

...Jim Thompson

Jim, Jim, you've obviously got *way* too much business. You need to get
out more. Even in Phoenix there must be funnier things than that going
on within a block or so. ;)

Cheers,

Phil Hobbs
 
J

Jim Thompson

Jan 1, 1970
0
Jim, Jim, you've obviously got *way* too much business. You need to get
out more. Even in Phoenix there must be funnier things than that going
on within a block or so. ;)

Cheers,

Phil Hobbs

Virtually EVERY traffic control here in Phoenix is via buried-loop
sensors, but some new installations are using imaging/motion sensors.

I don't think I've ever seen "pressure" sensors used for traffic
lights... at least not for around 40 years.

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | |
| E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat |
| http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

Global Warming is God's gift to the Blue States ;-)
 
J

Joerg

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hello Jim,

I don't think I've ever seen "pressure" sensors used for traffic
lights... at least not for around 40 years.

He said "pressure system". Very common in southern Europe and other
countries. Drivers in front are pressured into moving it by a concerto
of horns, cussing and the occasional tap of bumpers. Can, on occasion,
also be experienced in NY. On the Van Wyck Expressway, for example.

Regards, Joerg
 
J

Jim Thompson

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hello Jim,



He said "pressure system". Very common in southern Europe and other
countries. Drivers in front are pressured into moving it by a concerto
of horns, cussing and the occasional tap of bumpers. Can, on occasion,
also be experienced in NY. On the Van Wyck Expressway, for example.

Regards, Joerg

ROTFLMAO! Do that around here and you will be shot at ;-)

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | |
| E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat |
| http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

Global Warming is God's gift to the Blue States ;-)
 
A

Anthony Fremont

Jan 1, 1970
0
Jim Thompson said:
"Pressure system" ??? ROTFLMAO :)

Don't laugh too hard, there are some still scattered around Houston. I
don't know if any are still active, but the rubber covered sensors are
still in place. Of course, you couldn't prove by me that any of the
loop sensors work either. Houston has to be the worst city in the US
for congestion caused by so-called "smart" traffic lights that seem to
be completely brain-dead. Come to houston and stop at >90% of the
lights that you encounter. It sucks big time.
 
C

Charlie Edmondson

Jan 1, 1970
0
Anthony said:
Don't laugh too hard, there are some still scattered around Houston. I
don't know if any are still active, but the rubber covered sensors are
still in place. Of course, you couldn't prove by me that any of the
loop sensors work either. Houston has to be the worst city in the US
for congestion caused by so-called "smart" traffic lights that seem to
be completely brain-dead. Come to houston and stop at >90% of the
lights that you encounter. It sucks big time.
Or, you can live in a city like Irvine, with very expensive 'smart'
controllers on the traffic lights. They will optimize them for 'one
direction' of travel, which basically means that the other direction
WILL STOP AT EVERY POSSIBLE LIGHT!

Also, I have found out that they sometimes INTENTIONALLY schedule two
lights to stop all the drivers. Seems, they didn't want it to be TOO
convenient to zip through town. They wanted folks to go around if they
weren't intent on shopping there...

Charlie
 
J

Jim Thompson

Jan 1, 1970
0
On Thu, 02 Feb 2006 12:47:16 -0800, Charlie Edmondson

[snip]
Or, you can live in a city like Irvine, with very expensive 'smart'
controllers on the traffic lights. They will optimize them for 'one
direction' of travel, which basically means that the other direction
WILL STOP AT EVERY POSSIBLE LIGHT!

Also, I have found out that they sometimes INTENTIONALLY schedule two
lights to stop all the drivers. Seems, they didn't want it to be TOO
convenient to zip through town. They wanted folks to go around if they
weren't intent on shopping there...

Charlie

Or like Phoenix... turn off the left-turn-arrow functions during rush
hour.

"Traffic engineer" is an oxymoron.

...Jim Thompson
 
K

Ken Taylor

Jan 1, 1970
0
Charlie said:
Or, you can live in a city like Irvine, with very expensive 'smart'
controllers on the traffic lights. They will optimize them for 'one
direction' of travel, which basically means that the other direction
WILL STOP AT EVERY POSSIBLE LIGHT!

Also, I have found out that they sometimes INTENTIONALLY schedule two
lights to stop all the drivers. Seems, they didn't want it to be TOO
convenient to zip through town. They wanted folks to go around if they
weren't intent on shopping there...

Charlie
That can be a valid traffic control solution, *if there's an
alternative*. And that's the key. In Melbourne (Australia, not the cheap
imitation in Florida) they re-hashed the intersection construction and
the light sequences to make going around the CBD easier, and unclogged
the city in the process. Years later it's all screwed again, but that's
progress for ya!

Here in New Zealand we have dysfunctional traffic, an 'intelligent'
light control system which doesn't work and no public transport to speak
of. One argument I hear pretty often is that trains aren't required to
be put in because no-one uses them here.

Cheers.

Ken
 
R

Richard Henry

Jan 1, 1970
0
Jim Thompson said:
Or like Phoenix... turn off the left-turn-arrow functions during rush
hour.

Three rights makes a left.
 
J

Jim Thompson

Jan 1, 1970
0
Three rights makes a left.

That's what the clown in traffic school kept harping about. I think
he's just afraid to turn left ;-)

...Jim Thompson
 
N

neil

Jan 1, 1970
0
i hav been workin on a theme that our old traffic lights and not able
to control traffic situations .
i hav thought of a sensor system rather than a pressure system
presently available.i need ur suggestions
How about using 'roundabouts' - think they are called 'circles' in the US.
Seem pretty efficient in UK at keeping traffic flowing
- most places
no power, no software, few failure modes ...
 
P

Puckdropper

Jan 1, 1970
0
How about using 'roundabouts'
*snip*

no power, no software, few failure modes ...

No power, no software, no one bothering to look before entering,
starvation (ie if traffic from across the intersection is streaming
through to the direction past you (270 degrees) you may not have a chance
to go for a long time.)

Traffic problems are going to exist, no matter what you do. However,
there's no reason that I should stop at all 9 traffic lights between the
interstate and my destination at an off-peak time.

Puckdropper
--
www.uncreativelabs.net

Old computers are getting to be a lost art. Here at Uncreative Labs, we
still enjoy using the old computers. Sometimes we want to see how far a
particular system can go, other times we use a stock system to remind
ourselves of what we once had.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm
 
R

Richard the Dreaded Libertarian

Jan 1, 1970
0
That's what the clown in traffic school kept harping about. I think he's
just afraid to turn left ;-)

...Jim Thompson

Doesn't it mean that it takes three right-wingers to be equal to one
left-winger? ;-P

Cheers!
Rich
 
J

John Perry

Jan 1, 1970
0
Ken Taylor wrote:
....
That can be a valid traffic control solution, *if there's an
alternative*. And that's the key.

In fact, only one technique has ever solved traffic problems, or even
made them manageable, for any length of time.

http://www.uitp.com/publications/brochures/better/pics/solutions-en.pdf

Of course, you have to have a reasonable mass transport system in place
first. But nothing else has ever worked.

BTW, I'm not an adherent to city life -- I despise cities. The bigger
they are, the worse I hate them. But they're a necessary evil, given
our population levels.

John Perry
 
P

Paul Hovnanian P.E.

Jan 1, 1970
0
Puckdropper said:
No power, no software, no one bothering to look before entering,
starvation (ie if traffic from across the intersection is streaming
through to the direction past you (270 degrees) you may not have a chance
to go for a long time.)

Traffic problems are going to exist, no matter what you do. However,
there's no reason that I should stop at all 9 traffic lights between the
interstate and my destination at an off-peak time.

They already have 'smart' traffic lights with sensors, controllers,
variable timing, etc. But it seems to me that the traffic engineers
don't really have a good handle on how to coordinate signals over a
large area.

Interesting observation: One of the worst stretches of road, in terms of
signal coordination, that I travel on frequently enough to observe, is
the one that runs right through the main Microsoft campuses. Perhaps
they have developed systems that can propagate software bugs by mere
proximity ;-). Some of the light changes are so poorly timed that
pedestrians have to make a run for it. Its actually pretty funny to
watch some of them trying to cross between the campuses, since many
Microsofties (known for their diet of pizza and Jolt cola) don't move
too fast.

Another interesting observation: One other signal timing 'disaster' is
at an intersection leading into a small residential neighborhood just
off a local freeway exchange. It seems that the traffic engineers have
set the signal logic to give the neighborhood residents a green light
without any delay when they approach the intersection. In fact, the
intersection has been fitted with a second sensor loop about 100 yards
back, so that an approaching vehicle from the side street doesn't even
have to slow down to switch the signal. During rush hour this has the
effect of backing traffic up on the freeway off ramp and onto the
freeway. From time to time, the signal timing seems to get 'fixed' to
improve the off ramp flow. But without fail, within a few weeks, the
signal priority gets switched back to favor the side street. The moral
of the story is that traffic flow is often more dependent on political
favoritism or bribes than common sense.
 
T

Tony Williams

Jan 1, 1970
0
Puckdropper said:
No power, no software, no one bothering to look before entering,
starvation (ie if traffic from across the intersection is
streaming through to the direction past you (270 degrees) you
may not have a chance to go for a long time.)

Roundabouts rarely have that problem. Streaming
straight across is never continuous and every
time a vehicle turns right or left off the main
stream it 'pauses' the roundabout, and allows
you to jump into the gap.... jump being the
usual operative word these days though.
 
Puckdropper said:
No power, no software, no one bothering to look before entering,
starvation (ie if traffic from across the intersection is streaming
through to the direction past you (270 degrees) you may not have a chance
to go for a long time.)

Traffic problems are going to exist, no matter what you do. However,
there's no reason that I should stop at all 9 traffic lights between the
interstate and my destination at an off-peak time.

Puckdropper

The reality is roundabouts give more flow than triffid lights, much
less driver delays, and share flow effectively between all entrances.
This is why Britain, with one of the most cars per mile of road in the
world, has converted extentsively to roundabouts.


NT
 
M

Michael A. Terrell

Jan 1, 1970
0
Richard said:
Three rights makes a left.


Not always. Sometimes one of the right turns isn't possible, or it
will take you a lot of miles out of your way. Then you can add road
construction, one way streets, and dead end roads.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida
 
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