Some cities and states mount their traffic signals horizontally. And I’ve always wondered why. And evidently, so do you. This is one of the most-asked questions you and other road fans have sent me. So, I dug in and found an answer: Four design considerations engineers in Texas, Florida, Nebraska, and New Mexico think about […]
Category Archives: Signal/Signage
Construction, Freeway, Patreon Locked, Safety, Signal/Signage
So, they’re painting ORANGE LINES on freeways now?
25
Jan
Jan
Sign in with your Patreon account!To view this content, you must be a member of Road Guy Rob Patreon at $1 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.
01
Jan
Jan
Sign in with your Patreon account!To view this content, you must be a member of Road Guy Rob Patreon at $1 or more Unlock with PatreonAlready a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.
22
Oct
Oct
Petar, a fellow road fan, helps us indulge in a highly unscientific experiment: Sending a Tesla Model 3 (loaded with “Full Self Driving” tech) down California’s crookedest street! Sources cited: “Autopilot and Full Self-Driving Capability,” Tesla company statement. Retrieved 18 Oct. 2022. https://www.tesla.com/support/autopilot “SAE Levels of Driving Automation™ Refined for Clarity and International Audience,” SAE […]
Patreon Locked, Safety, Signal/Signage, Urban Issues
Los Angeles THREW AWAY all their RED-LIGHT cameras?
27
Aug
Aug
At one point, Los Angeles had over 100 cameras to catch red-light runners. Then the city tore ’em all out. Here’s why. Research: “Police look to cameras to catch traffic violators”The Los Angeles Times, 13 Jun 2000, p.B4A “Voices: A Green Light on Red-Light Cameras”The Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep 2001, p.B21 “Red-Light Cameras Focus […]
09
Jul
Jul
Some stop lights are broken. Even if every corner had a red-light camera, many people would still run red lights. Here are the three toolkits engineers use to reduce or eliminate red-light running— often without a camera!
01
Jul
Jul
Red-light cameras seem to magically know when a driver runs a red light. Here’s how engineers build real technology to take pictures of cars that don’t stop.
28
Feb
Feb
Crossing the street on your bike should be easy and safe. Stop lights to help you, also invite cars onto your bike route. Engineers in Tucson, Arizona solve this dilemma with two special signals just for bicycles (Toucans and BikeHAWKs).
Patreon Locked, Safety, Signal/Signage, Urban Issues
Can this “HAWK” STOP LIGHT make walking feel SAFE again?
17
Jan
Jan
Middle-of-the-block crosswalks are terrible. Most do not qualify for a stop light. I meet the inventor of the Pedestrian Hybrid (HAWK) beacon, a traffic device that fixes America’s forgotten crosswalks.
06
Apr
Apr
The light turns yellow and you find yourself in a panic. Should I slam on my brakes and risk getting rear-ended? Or should I run the yellow— and possibly in the process, the red too? Every stop light on the planet has one of these “A BAD PLACES.” Radar technology can act like a life […]
03
Mar
Mar
Getting a red light ticket feels really crummy. When yellow lights (“change intervals”) are set long enough, red light runners vanish. For safety, why don’t we double or triple the length of yellow lights? Check out pt. 2: Our brains and yellow lights — https://youtu.be/P_EmAKRrlBc ——————————- Sources cited: ——————————- “Guidelines for Timing Yellow and All-Red […]
10
Aug
Aug
How does a traffic signal knows when to turn green? Especially late at night when you are the only driver on the road. In this video, I chat with two traffic signal experts: Mohammed Bendelhoum, an engineer with the California Dept. of Transportation (Caltrans) and Brian Girardo (Iteris) explore the history of vehicle detection (induction […]
22
Nov
Nov
Signs used to look different at night. Here’s why.
08
Aug
Aug
It’s called a ‘Continuous Flow Intersection.’ I take a quick look at traffic signal engineering and how this new type of displaced left-turn improves traffic flow by 30 percent. Enjoy my video? I wouldn’t say “no” to a chocolate shake 🙂 https://www.patreon.com/roadguyrob
21
Nov
Nov
Ouch! That’s what happens Shaq gets distracted in his Porche 911 convertible and forgets to duck. I phoned it into the city engineer as soon as I saw it. The phone went to voicemail. So I called the police dispatcher, and she says they’d already gotten a lot of calls about this already this morning. I […]
25
Jun
Jun
Have you seen these signs along Wilshire Blvd? I don’t often drive Wilshire. But when I do, it always seems to be the peak of afternoon rush hour. (Maybe Wilshire always feels crowded?) So as I sit at another red light, I look at these signs and just shake my head in frustration. It turns […]