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Old 10-09-2013, 06:11 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
1,519 posts, read 2,673,953 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sparrowmint View Post
Couldn't have wondered too much. Some of them do. "Time to Squirrel Hill Tunnel: 10 minutes" etc.
That always seems like a challenge to me. "10 minutes, yeah right, I can beat that..."
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Old 10-09-2013, 06:25 AM
 
Location: Manchester
3,110 posts, read 2,915,413 times
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They also use them to direct people to appropriate parking during days when there are mulitple events going on in the city. I have also started to see them post "Raise the Jolly Roger" on the signs after Pirates win, at least on the Parkway West outbound.

I am curious, what kind of gov't tracking could be done with a road sign that couldn't be done with a stop light or an embedded road sensor? And if there was tracking on it, what would that information be useful other than traffic studies and working on ways to ease congestion.
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Old 10-09-2013, 07:16 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh area
9,912 posts, read 24,645,588 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PghYinzer View Post
I am curious, what kind of gov't tracking could be done with a road sign that couldn't be done with a stop light or an embedded road sensor? And if there was tracking on it, what would that information be useful other than traffic studies and working on ways to ease congestion.
No kind of different tracking with the signs that I can think of. There are already lots of sensors and actual video cameras, and you can watch the cameras online. http://www.dot.state.pa.us/penndot/d.../Web%20Cameras

The signs are useful for relaying info from the sensors as crunched by a computer on the other end (i.e. how long it is taking to certain points ahead), if they would only use them that way more often. Okay, I have gotten a number of general congestion messages. On I-79 sometimes it will say that there is congestion on 279 SB. Also, the 279 one near Camp Horne will sometimes say "Congestion x miles ahead". But that's not really useful for comparison. I want to know time to Perrysville, East St, Rt 65, etc. or something like that, every day. That is a way that you can compare from day to day what the real situation is. Have seen the signs used that way in other places, and it at least sounds like they are working on such use here.
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Old 10-09-2013, 07:28 AM
gg
 
Location: Pittsburgh
26,137 posts, read 25,957,812 times
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Waste of taxpayer money. Sort of like, oh that city did it so we need to keep up. Yeah, whatever. Just another waste of money. Most people have GPS and it shows time of arrival. Soon those stupid ugly signs will be obsolete.
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Old 10-09-2013, 08:34 AM
 
Location: Western PA
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I've also seen them to direct people to exits for college move-ins in the fall. Kind of a nice touch for out-of-towners. One Sunday morning it notified me of an accident on 376 west outbound that was near Robinson Town Centre and I was able to exit at Greentree to avoid it.
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Old 10-09-2013, 01:39 PM
 
Location: Center Township (Pittsburgh), PA
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There is one out by the Business 376 split coming from Beaver that tends to warn us about heavy congestion at Montour Run Road... even at 2am.

Seems like a waste.
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Old 10-09-2013, 03:18 PM
 
Location: The canyon (with my pistols and knife)
14,186 posts, read 22,727,826 times
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The biggest problem I have isn't with the signs, but the gantries. They're less than 160' wide on the Parkway East, and less than 184' wide on the Parkway West, which means they're going to have to be replaced once the highways are widened like they're supposed to be.
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Old 10-09-2013, 04:35 PM
 
4 posts, read 4,058 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PghYinzer View Post
They also use them to direct people to appropriate parking during days when there are mulitple events going on in the city. I have also started to see them post "Raise the Jolly Roger" on the signs after Pirates win, at least on the Parkway West outbound.

Quote:

I am curious, what kind of gov't tracking could be done with a road sign that
couldn't be done with a stop light or an embedded road sensor? And if there was
tracking on it, what would that information be useful other than traffic studies
and working on ways to ease congestion.
A Boston Marathon type of situation. With live visual assistance for law enforcements officials the perpetrators could be ID'd and caught upon attempting to leave the inner city. There are no stop lights on these arteries and embedded road sensors wouldn't help in this type of scenario.
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Old 10-09-2013, 06:35 PM
 
1,051 posts, read 2,611,087 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eyeswideopen1 View Post
A Boston Marathon type of situation. With live visual assistance for law enforcements officials the perpetrators could be ID'd and caught upon attempting to leave the inner city. There are no stop lights on these arteries and embedded road sensors wouldn't help in this type of scenario.
OMG, They're road signs put there as a public service. And if the authorities wanted to put cameras up they would just do it in plain sight like they already do.

Now go back to prepping! I hear Obama is a Muslim Antichrist coming for your guns... run!
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Old 10-09-2013, 07:31 PM
 
4 posts, read 4,058 times
Reputation: 11
[quote=zip95;31746503]OMG, They're road signs put there as a public service. And if the authorities wanted to put cameras up they would just do it in plain sight like they already do.



Im no prepper, nor a concpiracy theorist and fyi a non paranoid Obama democrat. The real point I meant to make and failed to do was that these things, to me at least ,seem to be a giant waste of taxpayer money...some politician returning a govt contract as a favor to some campaign donor. Public service you say??? Even if they eventually perform as "intended" ie "time to squirrel hill tunnel, 10 minutes" or "congestion ahead" ...I mean, come on! Millions of dollars to tell me Im about to be stuck in traffic???? This is your idea of public service?? Its crap like this that frustrates taxpayers. A HUGE WASTE OF MONEY! Which led me to speculate further as to something, ANYTHING that made more sense.
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