The 6 second green light from traffic lights

gurramok

We've seen this before in a range of locations. Here is an example on Townsend st at the busy junction of Townsend st and Lombard st East in Dublin. These lights are famous for only giving seconds to move off probably every 2nd turn of green while the Lombard lights give far too much green time as in the road does be deserted when their traffic has well passed!!

On levels of traffic, Townsend probably has 40% to Lombards 60% at peak hour.

A bit of thought would of been given to give the Townsend ones a little more time than at present? Traffic was well built up behind me towards Tara st causing congestion! The 77A didn't get far in this scenario

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppGvJg1A83E

rgfuller

Why not report it to Dublin City Council, maybe they can review the timings - http://www.dublincity.ie/RoadsandTraffic/ReportFaultyTrafficSignals/Pages/default.aspx

gurramok

Thought that link was for lights out of action? How do you define faulty, does sequencing count?

gurramok

gurramok wrote: »

Thought that link was for lights out of action? How do you define faulty, does sequencing count?

It could be a faulty road sensor (assuming they actually factor them in) not seeing vehicles and just giving a short green for cyclists & vehicles not stopped on the sensor.

monument

Could it just be that it's very heavy traffic and the other road is the priority to keep flowing? Or that the traffic light were going red when there was little or no room on the section of road directly ahead?

It's not clear that there's anything wrong with the traffic light system here. There's a load of other factors we don't know.

n97 mini

The traffic lights on Main St Leixlip are also on a 6 second green from about 4pm in the afternoon.

Google traffic shows one leg of the junction as red when this schedule comes in.

gurramok

monument wrote: »

Could it just be that it's very heavy traffic and the other road is the priority to keep flowing? Or that the traffic light were going red when there was little or no room on the section of road directly ahead?

It's not clear that there's anything wrong with the traffic light system here. There's a load of other factors we don't know.

The other road does have priority from experience at all times of the day. As what I had said, it seems to have too much priority for the volume it carries, it does be empty alot at times while the above street does be packed!

Also, regarding traffic. The above street(Townsend st) carries far more buses than the other street, at least 13 bus routes(2,3, 15X, 44, 44B, 44C, 48A, 49X, 50, 50X, 56A, 77, 77A) to a possible ZERO bus route for Lombard st coming from City quay. Shouldn't this fact weigh in its favour to have the priority more balanced out?

LXFlyer

The bus routes are slightly less than that now after recent Network Direct changes:

Routes 1, 2, 3, 44, 61, 77a and 77x are all that are left now on Townsend Street, but your point stands.

Tarabuses

monument wrote: »

Could it just be that it's very heavy traffic and the other road is the priority to keep flowing? Or that the traffic light were going red when there was little or no room on the section of road directly ahead?

It's not clear that there's anything wrong with the traffic light system here. There's a load of other factors we don't know.

Sandwith Street, which is the road beyond these lights heading down Townsend Street, is never backed up as far as this junction. Lombard Street E, however, can frequently be congested back to these lights. This results in no traffic moving on the road with the green light and Townsend Street traffic held at red. Very frustrating.

John R

gurramok wrote: »

The other road does have priority from experience at all times of the day. As what I had said, it seems to have too much priority for the volume it carries, it does be empty alot at times while the above street does be packed!

Also, regarding traffic. The above street(Townsend st) carries far more buses than the other street, at least 13 bus routes(2,3, 15X, 44, 44B, 44C, 48A, 49X, 50, 50X, 56A, 77, 77A) to a possible ZERO bus route for Lombard st coming from City quay. Shouldn't this fact weigh in its favour to have the priority more balanced out?

From experience this junction does have active induction loops which can cause their own set of problems, particularly when combined with the crappy driving that is exibited across the city.

Numptys that ignore the stop line, rolling their car into the cycle/pedestrian areas and those who are so slow as to leave a gap long enough for the sensor to register no activity and cut the cycle short are the biggest problems for active junctions.

That's not to say the lights themselves are not at fault, having returned from abroad it was immediately frustrating having to deal with the awful programming and seemingly random nature of the operation of traffic control across the board. I guess for someone to take responsibility for sorting out what in actuality is little more that some simple computer programming is just to logical and efficient to happen in good ol' Ireland.

There are countless examples of badly programmed junctions, one issue that really annoys me is the amount of junctions where part of the traffic is halted by lights but the pedestrian lights for that section remain red. This has pedestrians waiting to cross a road with stopped traffic who inevitably get tired of waiting for no obvious reason and eventually decide to cross by which time the lights have cycled and the traffic gets a green.

sdanseo

John R wrote: »

Numptys that ignore the stop line, rolling their car into the cycle/pedestrian areas

In fairness, I could begin spieling off junctions where there is no cycle area marked and where there is enough room between the stop line and pedestrian line for one if not more cars.

With Lombard St. being one way, the cycle should really be longer here - I rarely see it backed up very far from this junction.

John R

sdeire wrote: »

In fairness, I could begin spieling off junctions where there is no cycle area marked and where there is enough room between the stop line and pedestrian line for one if not more cars.

The stop line is still the stop line and it is not up to the individual motorist to decide if they should obey them or not.

Chances are there is a very good reason for the line to be where it is, many junctions are marked like this to give large vehicles room to turn into the road. By ignoring the line and pointlessly proceeding right up to the edge of the junction motorists are causing an obstruction. Ironically these same motorists who are so desperate to gain an extra few feet at a red light are usually the same ones who take an age to react when the light does turn.