Australia: State Caught Exploiting Short Yellow Signal Times

 

A court challenge forced officials in Victoria, Australia to admit last week that red light cameras at eight intersections have been extremely productive because the yellow warning times were illegally short. The yellows fell short anywhere between 0.5 and 1.5 seconds with the incorrect timing in place, in one instance, for seven-and-a-half years.

http://thenewspaper.com/news/39/3918.asp

A few intersections I am

A few intersections I am familiar in MD outside of DC have also shortened times for yellow.

The intent is quite clear.

Fred

easy

Of course it's clear. It's all about safety. Financial safety of this all "public servants" who can't let to decrease in various governments incomes, as they use to certain standard of living and can't live below them. And paying all those individuals takes more and more money every year. And as there is a crisis and you can't just rise taxes like before than you have to find creative ways to "fine criminals" and make up for diminishing revenue.

A Wish

I wish drivers would just start driving more carefully and drive the revenue to zero on these devices. That would be the ultimate payback. Unfortunately, there are too many idiots still trying to beat the light.

Here in Nassau County on Long Island, the county has reported a drop in revenue from the RLC's and they are not happy. Apparently people are getting the message and are being more careful, at least at the RLC's. Problem is the county is really counting on that revenue so they will be installing another fifty RLC's in the next year or so.

Perhaps they should go back to the old two color traffic lights like New York City had in some places into the early 1970's and eliminate the yellow altogether. Then you will never really know when the light is going to change. You can be driving along and suddenly there is a red light. Ka-ching! More money for the county! (SARCASM)

I should note that the old two-color lights simulated a yellow by displaying both green and red simultaneously before the green when out. All they need to do is eliminate that phase. There is a video of one of these old two-color lights at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCkQbxrDEIY.

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Cool!

Aardvark wrote:

I should note that the old two-color lights simulated a yellow by displaying both green and red simultaneously before the green when out. All they need to do is eliminate that phase. There is a video of one of these old two-color lights at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCkQbxrDEIY.

Thanks for the link. I've never seen one of those before!

~Angela

Cool indeed!

I am pretty old, and don't ever recall seeing a 2 color signal like that. He said there are a handful still in service today. I am surprised people would know how to interpret them for the simulated yellow (both red and green lit).

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NYC

alandb wrote:

I am pretty old, and don't ever recall seeing a 2 color signal like that. He said there are a handful still in service today. I am surprised people would know how to interpret them for the simulated yellow (both red and green lit).

Saw many of them in NYC back in the late 60's.and I had no trouble figuring out the meaning of the lights. I had only seen the 3 color lights up til then.

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