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Old 05-14-2013, 01:11 AM
 
Location: Austin/Houston
2,930 posts, read 5,241,330 times
Reputation: 2266

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I almost got in a traffic accident when I first moved to Houston at an intersection with a horizontal traffic light. It was so poorly lit to the point that you couldn't see it until you got right up on it. I ended up not seeing the light until I was already half way through the intersection. I would've been t-boned from the the intersecting traffic had the other car not had the reflexes to swirve his car around to keep from hitting me. He came less than 4 inches from hitting my car and I would've been at fault.

If i could've, I would've thanked that man. I probably would've gotten the finger, but he saved my pocketbook and a ticket!
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Old 05-14-2013, 06:59 PM
Status: "America first!" (set 3 days ago)
 
Location: Suburban Dallas
52,577 posts, read 47,720,859 times
Reputation: 33659
Quote:
Originally Posted by stoneclaw View Post
I almost got in a traffic accident when I first moved to Houston at an intersection with a horizontal traffic light. It was so poorly lit to the point that you couldn't see it until you got right up on it. I ended up not seeing the light until I was already half way through the intersection. I would've been t-boned from the the intersecting traffic had the other car not had the reflexes to swirve his car around to keep from hitting me. He came less than 4 inches from hitting my car and I would've been at fault.

If i could've, I would've thanked that man. I probably would've gotten the finger, but he saved my pocketbook and a ticket!
It probably just needed new bulbs. Glad you're alright.
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Old 05-15-2013, 12:24 AM
 
296 posts, read 1,242,229 times
Reputation: 289
Quote:
Originally Posted by cy_flembeck View Post
I spend some time in Dallas on occasion and if you have a lifetime of your eyes and brain being trained on vertical lights, the horizontal lights can be a little tricky. A couple of times as I approached an intersection, I simply have not "locked onto" the lights like I normally would for vertical lights. I have had no real problems but it is definitely an adjustment.
This is exactly it!
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Old 05-15-2013, 12:28 AM
 
296 posts, read 1,242,229 times
Reputation: 289
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaybb View Post
No--I believe in Texas the lights work differently. Red means proceed with caution, yellow means do not proceed because a school bus is approaching, and green means you are operating an unsafe car that is not environmentally friendly. Every State has its own rules.
Haha thanks smarty pants I was double checking because where I am in CA, there's a few intersections with horizontal lights, but each of the lights is for the lane the light is above. So one lane gets green, while another still has red. I've only seen it a few places and mostly only at huge intersections where the toll roads cross at main streets, but I wasn't sure if it was the same idea as that, or just normal traffic lights hung sideways!
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Old 06-26-2013, 09:43 PM
 
1,089 posts, read 874,406 times
Reputation: 782
States along the Gulf of Mexico use horizontal signals because they can be mounted more securely to a mast arm. This keeps them from being torn away in a hurricane.

Other places use horizontal signals where the vertical clearance is reduced. I have seen several in Indianapolis where railroad or freeway overpasses are next to intersections.
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Old 06-27-2013, 12:42 AM
 
Location: San Antonio, TX
1,361 posts, read 2,257,287 times
Reputation: 1889
I have to apologize for my post. I could have sworn the lights in my area were horizontal because the poles are but I noticed I was completely wrong the other day. I'll have to keep my eyes open now and see if there are any in SA. Oh we'll at least I know my colors and when to stop unlike alot of local drivers
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Old 11-14-2016, 06:39 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
16,787 posts, read 48,835,400 times
Reputation: 9477
Quote:
Originally Posted by taraox View Post
I'm moving to Texas in the next 2 weeks, and noticed while I was visiting that the traffic lights are sideways.. I'll be picking up a Texas drivers handguide at some point but I was just wondering if these work the same as vertical traffic lights (red everyone stops, green everyone goes etc), or if each light is for a certain lane?? I've never seen this before and found it kind of confusing. Also, is there a special reason they're sideways? Or is it 'just because'?
https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/intern...Forms/DL-7.pdf
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Old 11-18-2016, 11:47 AM
 
Location: Daleville, VA
2,276 posts, read 4,015,578 times
Reputation: 2412
In Houston, GREEN is go, YELLOW is go faster, and RED is stop unless you think you can make it more or less.
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Old 11-20-2016, 09:40 AM
 
Location: Chicago
6,160 posts, read 5,643,350 times
Reputation: 6193
Quote:
Originally Posted by Troubleshooter View Post
States along the Gulf of Mexico use horizontal signals because they can be mounted more securely to a mast arm. This keeps them from being torn away in a hurricane.

Other places use horizontal signals where the vertical clearance is reduced. I have seen several in Indianapolis where railroad or freeway overpasses are next to intersections.
This doesn't make any sense because Florida and North Carolina get more hurricanes than other states. The traffic lights there are mounted vertically on cables.

Here in DFW, it might be because of the potential for tornado and strong storms.
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Old 11-21-2016, 08:14 AM
 
194 posts, read 302,834 times
Reputation: 363
I see them both ways, depending on the intersection and the city, I guess.
I do appreciate a couple of left-hand signal lights I've noticed — they're placed nicely to warn you of a signal around a blind curve, so you can slow down if needed. (one is heading east on NW Hwy at Inwood, the other is south on either Hillcrest/Beltline or Preston/Beltline). I pointed one out to hubby one day — he hadn't noticed.
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