> "David Kerber" <ns_dkerber@ns_ids.net> wrote in message
> > > At a busy intersection near my house, they are putting in one of those photo systems to catch
> > > red-light runners (very few cyclists go thru this intersection). Before the installed the
> > > system they did a test to see how many people ran the red lights there. Over an 18 hour period
> > > about 250 people ran the red lights.
"Buck" <j u n k m a i l @ g a l a x y c o r p . c o m> wrote in message
> This is also an indication that the yellow light is timed improperly. The engineers are supposed
> to time the light so that the traffic has the opportunity to stop from the full speed at which the
> traffic is moving (not necessarily the speed limit). This has been batted around on the internet
> for a while and has now moved to the news media. I saw a "special investigation" about this very
> thing on the news a few nights ago. The intersections that had the highest accident rates also had
> yellow lights timed too short for the speed at which traffic was moving. Of course, there was the
> obligatory interviews with traffic engineering experts from the Texas Transportation Institute,
> the local traffic engineers (no comment!),
not always- for sure. there is an intersection near my dorm that i cycle through about 12 times a
day, easily. its a pain in the ass. when things are moving quickly, drivers will sometimes run a
quick series of lights in a row- one yellow flasher, one yellow at a crosswalk, and then two close
reds in a row. when driving frustrations are up becuase of traffic, ive seen upwards of 15 people
run the red at a single change. its like they dont *care* what color it is. they're Going Through.
in New Haven, i havent seen a red light *not* get run in weeks. you have to be careful at the
intersections when the lgiht changes because drivers running the light are often going faster than
normal as they speed up in the yellow. the cops dont care either. ive watched them watch people run
the lights.
maybe this is how it is everywhere with inner-city traffic. basically a free-for-all.
i wont say its not fun to bike in, 'cause it is. but you have to be hyper alert and fairly
aggressive, not to mention having good self esteem.
"get the f* off the road!" but sir, im goign faster than you..
