taxi drivers 'able to change traffic lights with GPS systems'

username?!

What is this all about?

Galway County Council has launched an investigation after it emerged that taxi drivers can change traffic lights in the city using their GPS systems.

Councillor Frank Fahy, who is also a taxi driver, made the discovery while he was sitting in his taxi and using his GPS to map his position.

He found the pedestrian lights near to his parking spot changed, though there was no one waiting to cross the road.

Link: http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/galway-taxi-drivers-able-to-change-traffic-lights-with-gps-systems-548091.html

seamus

Sounds like Councillor Fahy doesn't understand the principle of correlation -v- causation.

I would say there's nothing in this.

SunnyDub1

It's bullsh*t - that's what it's about

Anan1

That quote makes no sense.

SunnyDub1

Anan1 wrote: »

That quote makes no sense.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/taxi-gps-can-change-traffic-lights-3085601.html

Anan1

SunnyDub1 wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/taxi-gps-can-change-traffic-lights-3085601.html

That one doesn't make any sense either. Unless he has further information which hasn't been reported, Frank Fahy sounds like a bit of a clown.

What rubbish, the GPS device links up via satellite. The traffic lights are controlled locally by timers and sometimes with detectors.


Ive seen plenty of pedestrian lights which are included in the routine sequence and will go off without any interaction.

So this happened once and its gospel.

Anan1

Anan1 wrote: »

............Frank Fahy sounds like a bit of a clown.

+1

deandean

Move to Conspiracy Theory thread :rolleyes:

langdang

Please tell me this is another hoax along the lines of "galway cloud storage", this guy doesn't really have a hand in running things in Galway does he???

Clouds of confusion as Galway councillor tells another to 'go f..k himself"

A GALWAY councillor has refused to apologise for swearing at a County Council committee meeting after he told a fellow councillor to "go **** himself"
Local area councillor Seamus Tiernan made the amazing outburst after he was told he was a "feckin eejit" for thinking that cloud computing was only suitable in areas with lots of rain.
He had told the Infrastructure Committee meeting this week that his native Connemara would be ideal for cloud computing because it has heavy cloud cover for nine months of the year."
The Independent councillor said that the Government should be doing more to harness clean industries for the Connemara area and he named wind energy and cloud computing as two obvious examples.
"Connemara in particular could become a centre of excellence for wind energy harnessing, as it is open to the Atlantic. Also in terms of cloud computing, we have dense thick fog for nine months of the year, because of the mountain heights and the ability to harness this cloud power, there is tremendous scope for cloud computing to become a major employer in this region."
However his mistake was pointed out by an incredulous Cllr Martin Shiels who said that "this is taking the biscuit. I've heard it all now. You must be a fecking eejit to think that the cloud computing had anything to do with climate."
Cllr Tiernan took umbrage at the remarks of his colleague and called for them to be withdrawn. When Cllr Shields refused to do so, Tiernan said "go **** yourself, Cllr Shields."
Chairman Sile Ni Baoill asked for both councillors to withdraw their comments, but Cllr Tiernan was repentant that Cllr Shields was wrong and that cloud comouting is linked to cloud cover.
"Tell me why large companies are opening server farms in cold wet countries then, he asked Cllr Shields.

Our man in Havana

Moved!

danjo

username?! wrote: »

What is this all about?



Link: http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/galway-taxi-drivers-able-to-change-traffic-lights-with-gps-systems-548091.html

That's daft! Sure everybody knows you can only change traffic lights with an Iphone.

Tzar Chasm

the technology does exist

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_signal_preemption

the linksays that certain GPS systems can be programmed to communicate with specific traffic lights equiped with recievers.

I've seen something like this a few times in Wexford, the lights at the Hospital work that way, what causes the switch to activate is something I dont know, could be any of the methods listed in the link, but I think it is tied into the sirens

badtinegirl

Are GPS that accurate? I believed that they were good to within in 30 or 40 yards?If so Would that not change more than one set of lights at a time?

humanji

Why would a taxi driver want to shorten the journey?

Torakx

He wouldnt.
But im guessing the thread still has merit.
If possible they could activate the pedestrian light which would block them from going.
I never use taxis anyway so no worries for me

Also that post on the galways cllr's and cloud computing....that was hilarious,but i cant imagine it really happened...

Tzar Chasm

That actually happened

28064212

Tzar Chasm wrote: »

That actually happened

It didn't: http://www.galwaynews.ie/22961-outrage-uks-telegraph-over-fake-story-ridiculing-connemara

Tzar Chasm wrote: »

the technology does exist

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_signal_preemption

the linksays that certain GPS systems can be programmed to communicate with specific traffic lights equiped with recievers.

That's not how it works. There is absolutely NO POSSIBLE WAY for a GPS receiver (the clue is in the name) to communicate with a traffic light.

Either there's information missing (in which case the journalist is a fool), or the councillor story was accurately reported (in which case he and the journalist are fools)

smellslikeshoes

This just reminds me of that fake story of a councillor from Galway thinking cloud computing had to do with rain clouds.

Torakx

Ireland like many other countries is run so badly, that story was close to believable.
The only reason i dont always consider the people running this country or counties as that stupid is because i know there are probably a good few just in it to rape this country for personal gain.

Nearly every law that comes out is for this purpose it appears in some aspect or another.
Either the government actually hires mentally retarded policy/legislation/economic strategists or there is something seriously wrong.
I am leaning more toward the second.
The first doesnt seem plausible enough.Close though.

Made for a funny news story though.Dont see what the fuss is about..most news is bullsh1t anyway,whats the difference.

sbsquarepants

Torakx wrote: »

He wouldnt.
But im guessing the thread still has merit.
If possible they could activate the pedestrian light which would block them from going.
I never use taxis anyway so no worries for me

Also that post on the galways cllr's and cloud computing....that was hilarious,but i cant imagine it really happened...

The cloud computing comment was a hoax i think but, Jimmy Miley, a Wicklow county councillor once famously remarked on a proposal to put gondolas on blessington lake "that's all well and good, but who's going to feed them?":D
Never under estimate the stupidity of local politicians!

Daithi 1

Actually it is possible to change the traffic light using an inferred pulsing device, you can buy them on ebay. Perhaps the device inferred integrated into some phones ?

Apparently these devices are used by ambulances and firefighting crews in some Countries.

There are iphone app's available for traffic light changes, I personally doubt they work though.

http://nittygriddy.com/2010/04/17/traffic-light-changer-iphone-app/

28064212

Daithi 1 wrote: »

Actually it is possible to change the traffic light using an inferred pulsing device, you can buy them on ebay. Perhaps the device inferred integrated into some phones ?

Assuming that the traffic lights system actually have this installed, which, in Ireland, they don't. Not to mention that the GPS device would have to have this explicitly integrated, it's not something that happens "by accident"

Also, the report specifically claimed that the lights changed when the councillor used the GPS device to find his position. Finding your position does not transmit any signals whatsoever. Not infrared, not wifi, not bluetooth. The might as well have said "I changed the channel on my radio and it caused the lights to go green". A GPS device is a receiver (like a radio)

seamus

The link you give above clearly states that it doesn't work

To the best of the my knowledge there are no lights in Ireland which automatically react to traffic lights, the EMS just go through red lights. In the US where people are more used to blasting through big wide junctions at 50mph, this would be necessary, but we don't have many junctions like that in this country. Newland's cross is the only one I can think of, off the top of my head.

There is absolutely NO POSSIBLE WAY for a GPS receiver (the clue is in the name) to communicate with a traffic light.

The only thing I can think of is if the taxi company are using the text-based system that a lot of big companies use. This integrates GPS with their booking system and the driver is shown a list of nearby jobs. They can then accept a job by pressing a button. So these systems obviously incorporate some kind of transmitter.
However I suspect that these would be using the same radio broadcast services that taxi firms have been using for 30 years, so there's no reason why they would suddenly start interfering with traffic lights.