Modern day "light timing" I want one for my bike.
Audi (http://www.technoride.com/2008/07/audis_smart_traffic_lights_hel.php)
I see lawsuits
the gauge said I could make it.... I didnt mean to kill that family.
Quote from: Ducatiloo on July 24, 2008, 11:43:02 AM
Modern day "light timing" I want one for my bike.
Audi (http://www.technoride.com/2008/07/audis_smart_traffic_lights_hel.php)
If you can track the lights, then the system can track you. :(
I love Audi.
<3
Quote from: bobspapa on July 24, 2008, 11:48:17 AM
I see lawsuits
the gauge said I could make it.... I didnt mean to kill that family.
Ok so an IQ test will be mandatory with this option.
Quote from: Ducatiloo on July 24, 2008, 12:20:37 PM
Ok so an IQ test will be mandatory with this option.
+1, I worked on Audis and most people couldn't figure out how to use the cruise control of MMI interface let alone be able to figure something like this out though.
Pretty cool feature.
Quote from: metallimonster on July 24, 2008, 12:27:32 PM
+1, I worked on Audis and most people couldn't figure out how to use the cruise control of MMI interface let alone be able to figure something like this out though.
Pretty cool feature.
This is just another gadget for people who should not be issued a drivers license in the first place. Just because a person can "operate" a motor vehicle doesn't mean they can properly control said vehicle.
I think the money invested in designing this system would of been better put to use if you paid a guy to drive around the city and draw up a new traffic light scheme.
Do you ever wonder why the lights are GREEN/RED/GREEN/RED/GREEN/RED every block? Because i cant find an explination for situations like that.
In school we took a traffic engineering class in third year. I was expecting some scientific set of piecewise functions and differentials to determine the optimal timing of lights.
I was wrong. There isn't a whole lot that goes into it. (at least in this town anyway). There a computer simulation programs but they are super time intensive (from the user) and more often than not it's just trial and error. mostly error i think. :-\
Quote from: He Man on July 24, 2008, 01:12:43 PM
Do you ever wonder why the lights are GREEN/RED/GREEN/RED/GREEN/RED every block? Because i cant find an explination for situations like that.
it's how the "man" keeps you in check ;)
Quote from: He Man on July 24, 2008, 01:12:43 PM
Do you ever wonder why the lights are GREEN/RED/GREEN/RED/GREEN/RED every block? Because i cant find an explination for situations like that.
I though for
some optimized streets, you keep hitting red lights if you travel too fast. so if you were going speed limit then once you hit a green, then then next light will turn green right when you get there.
Quote from: CDawg on July 24, 2008, 02:05:37 PM
I though for some optimized streets, you keep hitting red lights if you travel too fast. so if you were going speed limit then once you hit a green, then then next light will turn green right when you get there.
I've tried that in the town I work in, it only works if they reset the timing of the lights as they added new ones.
By learning from the cops I have discovered 45 mph in the 25 will get you 3 out of 6 greens [thumbsup]
They could be actuated lights, based on how the queues measure up, or perhaps it's due to another street being timed and this one being subservient (so to speak). Or they could be dumb signals.
It's a main st with little roads that go to McD's kfc etc. Dumb signals
In NYC, CDwag, you should understand this,
they are ALL computer controlled by a box on every other block. Heres the mental image...
5 miles of busy straight avenue. 3 lanes, a 6 foot wide subway vent as a divder, and then another 3 lanes of opposing traffic. 4th ave brooklyn is a very high voulme traffic route for trucks and cars that come of the verrazanno or just by people who live in the area.
can you speed? not really, too many cracks, bump and kids running into the streets + crazy drivers who think they can make the turn. When the lights are all green and empty, people still dont speed because there are 2 precincts on that stretch. And if you do speed, its nothing crazy. 40-55 in a 35mph zone. Your not likely to get pulled over.
How do the lights run in rush hour? Well inmagine your sitting in the car, and the green lights open foward, not towarads you. What does that mean? when YOUR light turns green. The one ahead of you is red. WHAT THE make the beast with two backs. That means YOU STILL CANT MOVE CAUSE THE 6,000 cars ahead of you are still trapped in a redlight. This fultility continues from 86th street all the way to 18th street. Heres another kick in the nuts. on 18th street when the lights are red, 17th street is green, and then comes prospect ave. Prospect ave is another major cross street that is a block away form the entrance to the Brooklyn-Queens express way, that leads to the battery tunnel. That means cars are piling up all 3 lanes to make that left hand turn onto the BQE, and the funny part? The lights here change very often. i mean every 30 seconds often. So trucks are always trying to cut people off, and all yo uget is a massive blair of horns and angry people who dont know how to drive.
Recently they just ditched the whole light system and just left all 4 directions flashing yellow. on 4th ave, it isnt a problem since there are many many gaps due to hte retarded lights. but on 17th street, (the exit to the bqe) there is a never ended trail of cars, and they dont want to let the 4th ave guys past. Then theres a fender bender an neither party wants to move their cars, so the cops and can come take a look at what happened etc.
That audi system would BLOW UP once it hit nyc. "YOU CAN MAKE IT!! NO WAIT AHHH!!!!!!! MALFUNCTION!!!!"
Quote from: He Man on July 24, 2008, 03:48:48 PMThat audi system would BLOW UP once it hit nyc. "YOU CAN MAKE IT!! NO WAIT AHHH!!!!!!! MALFUNCTION!!!!"
I think the moral of this story is that Germany > America and Ingolstadt > NYC.
In Old Town Alexandria, there are signs all over the place. "Traffic lights timed for 25 mph" Why is it that people feel compelled to drive at 15 mph? Even if there is nobody in front of them, they still go 15 mph. Then there are the people who drive 35 mph and get stopped at every light. Between these two groups they royally screw everyone behind them. In fact, the whole place is FUBARd for hours.
In Mount Clemens, MI, 20 Mile is a long straight multi lane road with lights and no left turns. You either have to turn right and then U or U and then right. They set the lights so that if you drove the speed limit, you'd have the ever encroaching yellow. Finally you'd run one right to the bleeding edge of red. If you sped by 20 mph, you'd have the never ending green. Likewise, in the other direction, the only way to get the never ending green was to drive 20 mph below the speed limit, which nobody ever did, so you can imagine what would happen there.
There are actually boxes that pick up all kinds of traffic data for the lights, but nobody actually looks at this data. You can see the boxes on the sides of the road all over the DC area.
If it was 2 way comms between lights and cars, it could work. It's the psychotic inchworm effect that causes all the issue.
What's a traffic light?
Quote from: ducpainter on July 24, 2008, 06:19:09 PM
What's a traffic light?
a kind of lighting system to light up traffic ;D
Anyone else hear the voice of "HAL" emanating from this thing?
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Joel"
Quote from: SolidSnake3035 on July 24, 2008, 04:01:14 PM
I think the moral of this story is that Germany > America and Ingolstadt > NYC.
After living in Europe for seven years, all I can say is: If you only knew how true this statement really is...
I live in San Diego, I used to drive - A LOT - mostly for my work which involved a van full of gear, my hours were 24/7 so I have a lot of experience with the traffic 'system' here, anyways, the point is, the lights in this town are out of control. There'll be absolutely no one on the road and you'll still get stopped at every light. The roads will be completely packed and the lights are still long, which backs traffic up, not short and frequent to disperse and break up the traffic pattern and get all directions moving. I think 'if this isn't deliberate then it's ridiculous'. Something should be modified to work better with the traffic flow. I think they mostly do it to keep people's speed down, but often I question that and think it's probably just a completely overlooked problem, after all what is the city paying these people for?? Oh that's right, going on youtube and looking at pictures of cats on the internet and eating delectable pastry's. Sign me up.
The thing that really rubs me the wrong way with all this is how much worse gas consumption is with stop and go driving. So if you're burning more gas, you must have to buy more gas.. I think I see where this is going. Am I a paranoid lunatic?
what was it that someone told me, once?
"remember: if the light is timed for 35mph, it's also timed for 70..." [evil]
Quote from: zarn02 on July 25, 2008, 09:10:57 AM
what was it that someone told me, once?
"remember: if the light is timed for 35mph, it's also timed for 70..." [evil]
So, I'm not really speeding!