why can't traffic lights all "flash" (non-rush-hour)?

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by Minervah

That's when it's most dangerous to cross these streets. I have seen it time and time again when drivers come to an intersection in which traffic is very light and feel they can just sail through the green arrow signal even after it has just turned red. Traffic is light and there is no one coming at the moment so they feel they can take advantage by slipping through the beginning of the red not thinking that the pedestrians trying to cross the street in which they are turning onto already have the walk sign. I have had to jump back on the curb because of drivers doing this.

This happened to another pedestrian and me just the other day as we got about ten steps off the curb. It happens a lot and always under light traffic conditions.

Not moot at all.

Your examples have nothing to do with shifting traffic signals from cycling to flashing.

I guess I'll have to repeat.

First off, between midnight and 6 a.m., there aren't many pedestrians or cars on the streets. Chances are if you're trying to cross the street, there aren't any cars on the street anyway. Which is why signals are set to flash during lightest traffic hours in the first place.

Secondly, an educated pedestrian knows to look both ways before crossing the street. If I see a car coming, my feet are staying on the curb until it passes.

Thirdly, if the signals are set to blink, the signal on the arterial street flashes yellow during certain hours, in my example from Cincinnati, that would be from midnight to 6 a.m. The signal on the arterial street never cycles; it just flashes yellow for six hours.

Now if we go back, way back, to our driver's ed instruction, we remember that a yellow flashing signal means "proceed with caution". No stopping for red, no waiting for green. Just go, carefully.

Meanwhile, the signal on the cross street - which by definition has much less traffic than the arterial street even during heavy traffic - flashes red, which means ... Yes! It means Stop!

At major intersections, the signals do not shift from cycling to flashing; they continue cycling through red and green as usual.

[nei]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

First off, between midnight and 6 a.m., there aren't many pedestrians or cars on the streets. Chances are if you're trying to cross the street, there aren't any cars on the street anyway. Which is why signals are set to flash during lightest traffic hours in the first place.

Secondly, an educated pedestrian knows to look both ways before crossing the street. If I see a car coming, my feet are staying on the curb until it passes.

Agreed. However, it might still dangerous if the road is very wide and/or high speed. But in that case, neither of them should get flashing lights.

[hurricaneMan1992]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Your examples have nothing to do with shifting traffic signals from cycling to flashing.

I guess I'll have to repeat.

First off, between midnight and 6 a.m., there aren't many pedestrians or cars on the streets. Chances are if you're trying to cross the street, there aren't any cars on the street anyway. Which is why signals are set to flash during lightest traffic hours in the first place.

Secondly, an educated pedestrian knows to look both ways before crossing the street. If I see a car coming, my feet are staying on the curb until it passes.

An educated driver knows to always yield to a pedestrian who is already in a crosswalk, it is the law, PERIOD!!! Even if they are technically breaking the law by jaywalking (which in a non-signaled crosswalk it is NOT POSSIBLE TO JAYWALK--pedestrians have the right to start crossing at any time unless there's a car in front of you that simply wouldn't be able to stop). You wouldn't slam headway in to cross traffic that's illegally blocking the intersection just because you're an SUV and they're a Smart Car, would you??? Those pedestrians are tax-paying residents and get equal protection under the law too and this is NOT a moot point. The fact that you have to suffer the apparently unbearable wait of 30 seconds at a red light--isn't that the moot point here?

And if you have any experience as a pedestrian on busy streets with non-signaled crosswalks, you know what happens is the cross traffic is clear and you start to cross and along comes someone who has just made a turn from a side street or exited from a nearby business driveway. They should yield to you but usually won't, ESPECIALLY if it's after midnight and no cops are around. There is simply NO WAY a pedestrian can see every car that could potentially reach the cross walk in the next 30 seconds. That's why we have pedestrian signals in cities.

Although I do agree that the main direction of traffic should remain green except when cross traffic or a pedestrian triggers the light cycle. When you're driving you know a green light could turn yellow then red, but really nobody expects a flashing yellow to turn red.

[Ohiogirl81]

Wow, no wonder more places don't do this. Apparently it's too difficult of a concept for people to understand.