The Siren Board

SirenkiD wrote:

2t22boy wrote: Around here, we have some bird house lights, but most are being replaced by these ones where there are 4 lights and while the top 3 are regular O lights, the bottom one is an LED Arrow, and changes from green to yellow.

In regards to what Lawrence KS has:

That is quite possibly the most dangerous to out-of-area-drivers setup I have ever seen. Not to mention excessive. Everyone already knows what a standing green is an how to use it. Why complicate it with more lights and patterns when what the rest of America uses works just as well?

Heck I live less than 30 minutes from Lawrence and I was a little confused when I first stumbled apon it. It is just at like 5 locations in town, as they are trying it out and seeing how people react to it.

To the traffic light topic:

It probably has a lot to do with the cost and weight of the old five section lights compared to a four section light with a fiber optic arrow (not to mention that the fiber optic arrow is probably more energy efficient than an incandescent arrow).

The old doghouse, or birdhouse, style is not something that is commonly used in new installations anymore. Why? I don't have a clue, I just know that the majority of doghouse installations I have seen in my life are no longer around. It probably has something to do with the hardware required to arrange the lights doghouse style. You have to have a special connector pipe to do a doghouse, whereas, the standard five section doesn't require any special hardware. The newer installations I see are usually five section lights mounted horizontally, rather than vertically.

In Lubbock, most five section lights in the left turning lanes have been replaced by three sections lights with a red arrow, yellow arrow, and green arrow.

James wrote:To the traffic light topic:

It probably has a lot to do with the cost and weight of the old five section lights compared to a four section light with a fiber optic arrow (not to mention that the fiber optic arrow is probably more energy efficient than an incandescent arrow).

The old doghouse, or birdhouse, style is not something that is commonly used in new installations anymore. Why? I don't have a clue, I just know that the majority of doghouse installations I have seen in my life are no longer around. It probably has something to do with the hardware required to arrange the lights doghouse style. You have to have a special connector pipe to do a doghouse, whereas, the standard five section doesn't require any special hardware. The newer installations I see are usually five section lights mounted horizontally, rather than vertically.

In Lubbock, most five section lights in the left turning lanes have been replaced by three sections lights with a red arrow, yellow arrow, and green arrow.

Well most installations are flat and horizontal back where we originate from. (Which I personally feel are the best setup. They are the least obtrusive, and make the most sense when it comes to clearance, and order/flow of the signal.)

SirenkiD wrote:

James wrote:To the traffic light topic:

It probably has a lot to do with the cost and weight of the old five section lights compared to a four section light with a fiber optic arrow (not to mention that the fiber optic arrow is probably more energy efficient than an incandescent arrow).

The old doghouse, or birdhouse, style is not something that is commonly used in new installations anymore. Why? I don't have a clue, I just know that the majority of doghouse installations I have seen in my life are no longer around. It probably has something to do with the hardware required to arrange the lights doghouse style. You have to have a special connector pipe to do a doghouse, whereas, the standard five section doesn't require any special hardware. The newer installations I see are usually five section lights mounted horizontally, rather than vertically.

In Lubbock, most five section lights in the left turning lanes have been replaced by three sections lights with a red arrow, yellow arrow, and green arrow.

Well most installations are flat and horizontal back where we originate from. (Which I personally feel are the best setup. They are the least obtrusive, and make the most sense when it comes to clearance, and order/flow of the signal.)

I have seen traffic lights in Ontario that the left turn signal actually flashes. Pretty strange but cool hehehe

PGM wrote:

SirenkiD wrote:

James wrote:To the traffic light topic:

It probably has a lot to do with the cost and weight of the old five section lights compared to a four section light with a fiber optic arrow (not to mention that the fiber optic arrow is probably more energy efficient than an incandescent arrow).

The old doghouse, or birdhouse, style is not something that is commonly used in new installations anymore. Why? I don't have a clue, I just know that the majority of doghouse installations I have seen in my life are no longer around. It probably has something to do with the hardware required to arrange the lights doghouse style. You have to have a special connector pipe to do a doghouse, whereas, the standard five section doesn't require any special hardware. The newer installations I see are usually five section lights mounted horizontally, rather than vertically.

In Lubbock, most five section lights in the left turning lanes have been replaced by three sections lights with a red arrow, yellow arrow, and green arrow.

Well most installations are flat and horizontal back where we originate from. (Which I personally feel are the best setup. They are the least obtrusive, and make the most sense when it comes to clearance, and order/flow of the signal.)

I have seen traffic lights in Ontario that the left turn signal actually flashes. Pretty strange but cool hehehe

Heh, thats pretty crazy. I remember back in Glen Rose, TX, the traffic lights had two reds that would both be on at the same time. Pretty odd...

I guess we should back on topic though.

I'm actually surprised that some of you guys have found Eclipse8s in the wild elsewhere, but still none here in Texas that I know of.

It probably has a lot to do with the cost and weight of the old five section lights compared to a four section light with a fiber optic arrow (not to mention that the fiber optic arrow is probably more energy efficient than an incandescent arrow).

Most of the new installations in Oregon have a bi-color green/yellow LED arrow with an yellow arrow above it. It will change from green to the upper yellow (since a position change is required for the color blind), then after a few seconds, the lower arrow will flash yellow.

I have seen traffic lights in Ontario that the left turn signal actually flashes. Pretty strange but cool hehehe

Weird things involving green lights: In some parts of Canada, a protected left turn is indicated by a flashing green light (not an arrow) with or without a steady red. In other parts of Canada, signals change to flashing green at night, rather than flashing amber. In many parts of Mexico, the green light will begin flashing a couple of seconds before the yellow comes on as an additional warning. In northern Indiana, the MONON railroad had a unique system for warning drivers of approaching trains at grade crossings: a single green traffic light which stayed lit except when a train arrived. No light meant stop. Sadly, all of these were removed a few years ago.

Heh, thats pretty crazy. I remember back in Glen Rose, TX, the traffic lights had two reds that would both be on at the same time. Pretty odd...

Those are also quite common in northern California. Unlike Eclipse sirens, of which northern California has none that I've seen.

The flashing green traffic signal in Ontario is called an "Advance Green". It means that traffic from your direction is getting a green light, while traffic from the opposite direction still has a red light. It's like their variation of a protected left turn, except that traffic proceeding straight from your direction can go as well -- the traffic in the other direction has all red lights.