Any traffic engineer who designs a light system like in yesterday's xkcd

[Howard]

deserves to be shot.

That is all.

 

[PhoenixEnigma]

xkcd has already covered that.

 

[Howard]

I don't know why this is in AVHT.

 

[mmntech]

The way traffic lights operate is archaic. Most are on a timer and operate disconnected from the rest of the system. This can be solved using lights that can better detect traffic flow and communicate with lights further up the road. A smart road system. Say you've got 20 cars coming up the road and nobody coming the other way. The light sees this, changes green, and then tells the next light up what's coming. So that light can then use this information to make an intelligent decision whether to stop traffic or keep it moving.



I came up with a basic design for how I could implement this but I have no idea how to make it function.

 

[Dstoop]

The way traffic lights operate is archaic. Most are on a timer and operate disconnected from the rest of the system. This can be solved using lights that can better detect traffic flow and communicate with lights further up the road. A smart road system. Say you've got 20 cars coming up the road and nobody coming the other way. The light sees this, changes green, and then tells the next light up what's coming. So that light can then use this information to make an intelligent decision whether to stop traffic or keep it moving.



I came up with a basic design for how I could implement this but I have no idea how to make it function.

Out by me many intersections work via a combination timer and pressure plate. Outside of rush hour windows, the timer dictates a minimum and a maximum window for the light to stay, and the pressure plates semi-smartly dictate if the light should change early. There's also a totally different set of timers at many intersections past about 8PM, especially on busy highways, the lights stay green for a *while* unless anyone triggers the red light pressure plate at an intersection.

Its not great, but its better than the old straight timer system. The downside being that "new technology" also means "lets put cameras up at every intersection we can"

 

[Howard]

The way traffic lights operate is archaic. Most are on a timer and operate disconnected from the rest of the system. This can be solved using lights that can better detect traffic flow and communicate with lights further up the road. A smart road system. Say you've got 20 cars coming up the road and nobody coming the other way. The light sees this, changes green, and then tells the next light up what's coming. So that light can then use this information to make an intelligent decision whether to stop traffic or keep it moving.



I came up with a basic design for how I could implement this but I have no idea how to make it function.

PLC