Are Traffic Lights Needed?

[peaceloveunderstanding]

No, according to a prominent European road engineer. Removing traffic signals makes drivers more more cautious, and aware, and as a result leads to fewer severe accidents.

The consensus is that the creation of uncertainty by taking away the lights and even in some places the road markings has worked

[Recchia]

I wish it would mention if they were using stop signs or any sort of traffic control at the smaller intersections. It mentions a roundabout at a major intersection but nothing at any other ones. Cool concept though. I wish America could be more progressive and try new things like Europe always does.

[tampasteve]

I wish that roundabouts could work in the US, and the COULD, but they are too uncommon in general. Whenever they have installed one around here (three I can think of) it is maham. Two of those still are really bad becasue people totally do not get the concept. One was installed to replace stop signs, two were replacements of lights. The stop sign replacement is terrible, no one gets it, out of the stop light replcaements one is OK because it does not get much traffic and only has three exits, the other is BAD. The second one is in a very traffic prone tourist area that gets thousands of cars on a weekend night and people really have no clue how to use it correctly....it is really too bad.

Steve

[Snowguy716]

Round-abouts are a good alternative to stop lights in areas with medium traffic flow. Also, having frontage roads is a good alternative for large arteries. This way, you can have a minimal amount of traffic lights on the main route, but frontage roads can be utilized for access to businesses, etc.

[Spartan]

With high volume intersections you just need lights. I am a huge fan of round-abouts in low traffic areas (neighborhoods). I HATE 4-way stops, and I don't know of anyone who completely stops for them unless a cop is around.

[FromCityToRural]

I think in some instances, yes, it's good to have them, but an alarmingly large portion of the time, a stop sign or even just a yield sign would do.

As to roundabouts...yeah, I hate them.

[Recchia]

In New England we have tons of 'rotaries', which are essentially just massive, high volume roundabouts. Despite being a transportation planner, I still fail to see how 'modern roundabouts', as they now call them, function better than these old rotaries. Sure they are smaller in physical size and usually have lower traffic volumes, but what else about them makes them safer and better than not only traditional rotaries, but also signalized intersections?

[tamias6]

Not only no but Huh Uh! There are way too many idiots, dumbbells, and morons on US roads for this idea to work. The day traffic signals are removed from the system is the day I move to Antarctica just to get away from the insueing choes surely to be the result.

No, according to a prominent European road engineer. Removing traffic signals makes drivers more more cautious, and aware, and as a result leads to fewer severe accidents.

What do you guys think? Do you think it could work in the United States?

Here's another article on the same idea.

[dixiecupdrinking]

There's a brief article in this week's (or maybe last week's by this point) Economist that mentioned a current push in Canada toward eliminating street lights in favor of roundabouts.

I'm having trouble loading the magazine's website right now but here's a blog that seems to have the whole thing:

http://skarred.blogspot.com/2006/11/rounda...-in-canada.html

[Mith242]

Yeah I think roundabouts are being pushed more here in the US. Not sure if they'll catch on but there are areas of the country where they are somewhat common like the northeast.

[tamias6]

I hear that the state of Mass. has or atleast had alot of round abouts. My parents lived in that state before I was born. They tell me that driving the round abouts was quite a chore.

Yeah I think roundabouts are being pushed more here in the US. Not sure if they'll catch on but there are areas of the country where they are somewhat common like the northeast.

[MZT]

When I lived in Greensboro, there was an episode (I think in the early 1980s) when traffic lights were removed from some intersections.

Most of these were signals that had been installed to quiet complaining residents that wanted to make easy lefts, or slow down cut-through traffic. They were not really solutions favored by traffic engineers to begin with.

[Lance Winslow]

Big Brother and Traffic Light Enforcement Unnerving

In the Phoenix, Arizona area there has been much outcry over the traffic light cameras, which take pictures of you if you run a red light. This often causes motorists to panic and slam on the breaks if they see a yellow light. Once they do this they are rear ended by people who do not expect them to stop, but rather make it thru the yellow and the next two cars behind them. Actually none of the following three cars intend on stopping behind the scaredy cat law abiding, doesn

[Urbane]

Four-way stops are almost always unnecessary. Generally, one road is more prominent than another; if they are both prominent, then use a signal. There are more than 40 signals on several seven-mile routes from downtown LA to my townhouse, but I can't imagine the insanity if even one was replaced by a roundabout.