Originally Posted by
Miele Man
I find the inconsistency to be annoying as I'm approaching a light and the count down light is nearing zero and I think there's going to be a lengthy pause before the main traffic light turns red but then the count down light reaches zero and the traffic light immediately turns red. That light is just beyond the light that stays green for some time after the count down light reaches zero. I think drivers are surprised by that too and there are a fair number of accidents there when a driver enters the intersection only to have a red light instead of the longer green light they were expecting.
Cheers
But let's face facts. No matter what is done to improve safety, drivers are going to get annoyed. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the traffic lights are actually synchronized so you can actually drive right through them only if you drive at the speed limit. But who drives at the speed limit?
As for those count-down lights, when I see one count-down, I slow down a bit and prepare to stop. If I don't have to then I can go back up to traffic speed. If I do have to stop, then I've done good. That's why I think they are programmed that way to keep drivers alert. However, I also don't think other drivers may be behaving the way I do.