Why do traffic lights look different in certain parts of the country? (neighborhood, construction)
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Here in most of the East, the traffic lights are yellow and some NYC traffic lights can be green (like the Statue of Liberty lol). The traffic light poles are ordinary looking.
In the South, I noticed that places like Florida or the Houston area hangs their traffic lights sideways and uses the same poles like the rest of the East. Their lights do not hang freely like they do up north and I guess this is due to their high winds when they get hurricanes.
The traffic lights out West are black and are the poles prettier in setup. Also, the West (especially Cali) has more left turn signals at their intersections. Their lights do not hang freely and I assume this is because of earthquakes
Why are the traffic lights black out West? Is it to contrast from the high sunshine they get?
If a traffic light breaks, they will just use the same type of traffic light. I don't think it has to do with anything being more modern than the other.
Mostly it's just preference, a uniformity of color/style within an area. Sometimes cost can be a factor. As for hanging them vertically or horizontally, typically that is dependent on the clearance beneath the signal head. It has to be at least 15 feet above the pavement.
Mostly it's just preference, a uniformity of color/style within an area. Sometimes cost can be a factor. As for hanging them vertically or horizontally, typically that is dependent on the clearance beneath the signal head. It has to be at least 15 feet above the pavement.
I am thinking the horizontal hanging would be so that the flooding wouldn't be able to knock over the light.
Here in most of the East, the traffic lights are yellow and some NYC traffic lights can be green (like the Statue of Liberty lol). The traffic light poles are ordinary looking.
In the South, I noticed that places like Florida or the Houston area hangs their traffic lights sideways and uses the same poles like the rest of the East. Their lights do not hang freely like they do up north and I guess this is due to their high winds when they get hurricanes.
The traffic lights out West are black and are the poles prettier in setup. Also, the West (especially Cali) has more left turn signals at their intersections. Their lights do not hang freely and I assume this is because of earthquakes
Why are the traffic lights black out West? Is it to contrast from the high sunshine they get?
If a traffic light breaks, they will just use the same type of traffic light. I don't think it has to do with anything being more modern than the other.
I've only seen the sideways lights in very modern areas. Most of Louisiana also has the regular traffic lights that are vertical.
Is the criteria that the the light does not hang from a wire, but rather a fixed pole?
If so, these are the new ones they installed on Brookline Blvd in Pittsburgh. I believe the city has been attempting to standardize the design across the city, depending on where it is used, as they try to fit the lighting style to the neighborhood. Historic streets tend to get the older looking lighting albeit with a very utilitarian looking pole (as shown on Brookline Blvd), where regular streets get simple LED fixtures.
Wired lights don't exist here in Wisconsin, I think they're actually banned outside of construction zones. I can't remember seeing any in Minnesota either, but I know the Chicago area has a few.
I've always associated wired lights with the south, not the north.
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