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In the United States, traditionally most toll plazas used regular red/green ball lights for indicating if a lane is open or not. However, as of the 2009 MUTCD standard, the symbolic indicators (red X and green down arrow) are now required, since the use of the red/green ball lights are contrary to their traditional meanings of stop and go. Eventually all toll plazas will be required to convert to the symbols.
So, does anyone know of any examples of toll plazas that still use the red/green ball lights? I know one example are the toll plazas on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, which surprisingly were not upgraded when the plazas were renovated in the late 1990s. I have also heard many toll plazas in the northeastern United States still have the ball lights as well.
The toll plazas on the Autopistas in Puerto Rico were upgraded with the symbolic indicators in 1996. The toll plaza on the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge in San Juan retained the ball lights longer, however, they may have since been upgraded when AutoExpreso was implemented (since the AutoExpreso lanes use a special indicator with both the red X/green arrow and a green AutoExpreso logo next to it); I haven't been on the Teodoro Moscoso Bridge in several years.
The problem with ball lights isn't necessarily due to color blindness in some people, it is due to ambiguity of the meaning of the lights. A red ball light on a tollbooth doesn't indicate stop, it indicates the lane is closed. At the same time, unless you have an electronic toll collection transponder, a green ball light doesn't indicate go, as you have to stop if you are paying cash.
Location: ๏̯͡๏﴿ Gwinnett-That's a Civil Matter-County
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Andros 1337
The problem with ball lights isn't necessarily due to color blindness in some people, it is due to ambiguity of the meaning of the lights. A red ball light on a tollbooth doesn't indicate stop, it indicates the lane is closed. At the same time, unless you have an electronic toll collection transponder, a green ball light doesn't indicate go, as you have to stop if you are paying cash.
Oh I hadn't thought of that.
I be sure to remember that if I ever get pulled over for flying through the toll booth without stopping to pay.
But officer... the light was green! Green means GO!.
Actually, when we lived in Virginia Beach, we drove through that toll plaza each time on our way home driving from NYC. I remember that toll plaza having the ball lights the last time we were there.
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