Why is that people think that flashing head lights at them will make them change! It Wont!

 

My mate does it and reckon it works, it don`t tho. Do they work the same as temporary lights?

 

good topic , i think flashing at temp lights does work

 

Im a traffic signal engineer and they either have loops in the road to detect vehicles or microwave detectors on top of the heads that detect vehicle moving towards them- these are used on temp lights

 

i do it and it works 4 me its the little box on top of the lights only works at night and if no one is on the other set of lights

 

you should ave waited for lots of replys then waded in with that

 

thats just chance that they change- i work on traffic lights everyday and know exactly how they work and flashing lights 100% DOSENT

 

What's with one's on a major road, that at 4am go red, and just as you stop go green, when there's no traffic at the minor road?

 

lol i just thought that

 

when there is no traffic at night the lights auto go back to red as part of the config most of the time, in theory they should change back to green when you get there unless you are SPEEDING

 

They default to the minor road traffic??
The timing of it suggests there are sensors in the road then, as if sensed your lights would go to red when detects them, which would be crap

 

they default to all red everywhere then when you come along at 4am they go green unless there is a fault, traffic lights work in so many diffrent ways

 

what does it mean when the little red light comes on the grey control boxes at the side of the road then?

 

if its on steady it means that there is a detector fault if it flashes it means a red lamp has failed

 

learn something everyday,

 

Tell us some more interesting facts please

 

I have a traffic light question.Some have cameras on top pointing at the traffic to catch red light jumpers,but some by me have cameras pointing down to the crossing which would only catch pedestrians.


WHY??????

 

ive always thought they worked on motion sensing not light sensing

 

Doesn' this go back years when heat sensors were used? The lights could trigger them

 

They aren't cameras, the ones on crossings detect pedestrians, (PUFFIN crossing).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffin_crossing
Traffic light cameras are on a separate pole from the lights.

.

 

Most traffic lights have those box sensors on the top of them. Got a set locally and I always flash them (normally at night) about 100 yards away and they change to green.

 

Have you tried NEVER flashing them and see if they still turn green.

.

 

I must admit im guilty of this too. Although i knew years ago that flashin doesnt do anything, i still do it out of habit at night if nothings about.

RS LOZWORTH, anyway if your a traffic light engineer mate, is there any chance you can come round this way and sort the timing out on 90% of the traffic lights cos there proper crap!
In fact sort londons centre out too mate cos there just as bad

Seriously though, whoever thinks up some of these sequences need shooting!

 

i think this rumar comes from the theory they detect police cars when they have there lights flashing that makes them change at least that what i heard

 

RS LOZWORTH is 100% totally correct.
The lights are working EXACTLY AS HE SAYS.
The sensors are not CAPABLE OF SEEING LIGHT, they are MICROWAVE SENSORS on temp lights, they are tested with aboard run down a string towards them and they must react at the correct distance.
They do indeed go ALL RED, when they have detected no motion for a set period of time, then when motionis detected by MICROWAVE not LIGHT they run the CLEAR TIME first then go down to green on the appropriate side with the camera that has detected.
This is why some refuse to budge when a camera goes wrong on end will stay green whilst the other stays red.
Normal or permanent lights operate as he says, with induction loops BURIED IN THE ROAD about 10-20 feet before a junction, have a look easily sptted as they are odd angle lines covered over with smooth tar when installed.
Temp lights, roadworks etc, can have thier timings individually adjusted to suit each road for green time, clear time(all red) and red time.
There is a host of legal criteria for setting out temp lights, a lot not adhered to.
If ANY light in the world were activated by light, what di you think would happen in daylight as the sun is a little bit brighter than the average car headlight.
tabetha
ps good explanation by RS LOZWORTH

 

Thanks

Tabetha- how do you know all this ?!?!

 

well i still enjoy flashing and thinking it changes for me

 

lol you keep doing it, but if the police c u it 3pts and a nice fine! DOH!

 

HOW?? it aint illigal to flash your lights.

 

imagine flshing you lights like crazy at a junction and some one thinks that you are giving way to them- crash! plus you are meant to use flashing like a horn- to make people aware that you are there, try explaining that to the police, sorry officer i was trying to make the lights change

 

Sorry officer, i was making the traffic lights aware of my presence!

 

It wont be illegal though surely. If people choose to take it as a giving way flash without being sure its clear, then thats their fault.

 

you probably would be able to explain your way out of it but i have heard stories of people getting done for it

 

tbh i know everyone over here flashes to say they are letting theother person go but every other country does it to say they are coming its thier right off way.

as for the lights.the set near my work are shit.i have to turn right but sometimes i can be sat there while it lets every other coont go 2 or 3 times before its my turn

 

No it doiesn't what happens is you flash your lights like a goon and drive over the traffic loop and as no other traffic is detected on the other approaches it then goes green and you think flashing your lights did it.

I work as a lighting and signing engineer in Hertfordshire and the signals engineers work in the same office. I can 100% assure flashing your lights does nothing

 

Oranoco

with out reading all of the above dont the wires in the road pick up your engine running some how via magnetics a pulse or something

 

No, the presence of a large metallic object (your car) alters the inductance of the loops, which is being monitored by the Traffic Signal Controller.

Neil.

 

cheers

 

I work with temporary traffic lights nearly every day and it amaze's me how many people actually think that flashing your lights will make them change!!!

 

i install traffic lights have done for a few years now and flashing at them dose not make them change lol


RS LOZWORTH who do you work for mate?

pm me if you want