OT - Real Life Traffic Light bug

cjd1965

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Join Date
Apr 2007
Location
UK
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Hi , I was travelling home yesterday, and near where I live is a 4 way crossroads, with traffic lights. Unluckily for me, a car had broken down right by 'my' traffic light, blocking my lane. The traffic light program saw the car, it cycled the light to green, back to red, and sat there on red forever. It is obvious that the traffic light was looking for a signal to say the car had cleared the sensor.

So, educators, please make students consider things like this in your classes.

Cheers
 
Definitely poorly programmed.

The program should fall back to a time delayed cycle in the case you gave, or a failed sensor etc...
 
It is a good Patrice to keep in mind. more over, Cars will broken down holding the signal, as well the sensor also will fail to operates from time to time, if a signal holding ether "low" or "high" for a period of time longer then normal, it should raise a flag for alarming or jump to a alternate sub routine, City if Guelph. The city where I live In Ontario, the traffic light will jump to a sub routine which modify the 4 way intersection become "flashing red" on one side and "flashing amber", on the other. Which understood as a 4 way stop Signe inter-section by all drivers.

 
I read in the news the other day about a light that was giving “weird” problems ... after many troubleshooting trips, the crews working on it finally noticed a pattern ... a certain truck would be going through the intersection whenever the lights suddenly got scrambled ...



the guy had the same type of “remote control” that the fire department uses to give them the “green light” through an intersection ... something that he had purchased over the internet ...



the police nailed him - and his story was that he just didn’t like wasting time at red lights ...
 
I heard that these sensors are also having trouble sensing motorcycles (motorbike). A motorcycle is not large enough for the sensor a the light for the motorcycle stays red not knowing that there is an object waiting for the light to change.


Bud
 
Our city prints a big X at where the sensor is most active, so bicycle rider can know where to stop to trigger the sensor.
 
harryting said:
Our city prints a big X at where the sensor is most active, so bicycle rider can know where to stop to trigger the sensor.
Click to expand...

That sounds civillized! In the countries where I've lived you often have to jump a red light that refuses to acknowledge you are waiting.
 
On my way to work, there is this one traffic light where there is a bit of traffic, usually 2 reds before I can cross, taking 3-5 mins.
Since monday some cop has taken it upon himself to control the lights manually. This morning I spent 27 mins waiting for him to push the button.
Cars were standing still as far as I could see.....except the lanes with the green lights....they were empty......
Liked it better without the cop.......:D
 
gbradley said:
You didn't mention it. Was the Broken down car British? ;)
Click to expand...

The british car industry is foreign owned (Honda, Nisan, Toyota, Ford, GM etc) so the good old unreliable British Leyland cars are long gone.


We don't have that problem as we drive on the right side of the road.
Click to expand...

While you drive on the right, we drive on the Correct side .. lol.
With the price of fuel we will all be walking soon anyway.
 

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