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Going Green - Bad Idea

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PatM

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We recently had a very heavy wet snow fall.
Last year the public works department had converted the traffic signals to LED's
Due to the fact that LED's do not generate heat like normal incandescent bulbs, the stop lights were covered with snow, which did not melt, causing many traffic accidents.
Now crews must be sent out with scrapers on a pole to clear the lenses of all the stop lights.
Figuring the cost of the accidents and the extra man hours doing the clearing, it looks like going green in this case was a bad idea.
 
This story seems overblown by the likes of Fox News. Freezing snow has always been a problem with traffic lights, made maybe incrementally worse by the high efficency of LED lighting. On the other hand, the added visibility and reliablility of LED lighting is most likely making traffic generally safer. Being "green" isn't the primary reason for using this lighting technology.
 
how long it snows versus how long it doesn't- that's not gonna make them greeners change their mind.

LEDs consume waaaaaaaay too little power compared to those heat bulbs (99% converted into heat, right?). Doesn't make sense to revert to those glowers.
 
So put a small thermostatically-controlled electric heater (100W lamp) inside each LED traffic light. The few days it has to operate to melt snow will still save a lot of power over standard incandescent traffic lights. This doesn't impune Green ideas, just piss poor engineering...l
 
traffic collisions will always come down to the fact that people will not drive according to the conditions they are in! people are always late/in a rush or think they can drive better than they can.
drink increases this attitude...............particulary this time of year lets all take care and get home safe to our famillys each day ;)
merry holidays to you all take care on the roads
 
traffic collisions will always come down to the fact that people will not drive according to the conditions they are in! people are always late/in a rush or think they can drive better than they can.
drink increases this attitude...............particulary this time of year lets all take care and get home safe to our famillys each day ;)
merry holidays to you all take care on the roads

Not being able to see a stop light is much worse as it causes problems for the most diligent driver who knows how to drive in severe conditions.
It seems that there is always a cold front just after a snow fall and the snow quickly turns to ice, making removal very difficult
Perhaps the engineers can find a solution quickly.
 
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I'm color blind and can't see stop lights worth a crap. The red is exactly the same color as the street lights, and the green is white, just like most other lights.

It just means I have to work harder to determine what is going on. I think that's the part that most people don't get. Sometimes you just have to slow down and look harder at what is going on around you when your not in ideal situations.

Oh, and I haven't been in any accident in 16 years, and that one was me being young and stupid racing down a very windy country road at 1:30am. No stop lights for miles. :)
 
A lot of people think "no red visible" is the safe time to cross an intersection.

But this is very distinct from "green is visible" which is actually what's required.
 
Around here I have no trouble picking out the Red, Yellow, and Green LED's with a little snow on them. I dont ever recall having seen traffic lights completely covered to the point that all three colors where not visible to some degree.
Thats what they put those little hoods and blinders on the individual lights for. Just so snow cant build up on them to any depth. Its not like traffic light fixtures where just invented last week and have never been used in harsh winter climates.

To me this just sounds like more excuses for being a bad driver that tries to make jack rabbit starts and stops on bad road conditions. ;)

We have an air base near here and every winter the non locals are the ones who cause the majority of the driving problems. Even the teenagers stay away from the air base people!:eek:
 
I don't get it. I have no idea where you live, but our lights have those little covers over them so snow doesn't land directly on the light, blocks sun glare, and the light is not visible to people coming from side streets. I thought that was pretty much universal.

Snow/freezing rain would have to be going upward to get there. We have LED lights pretty much exclusively and I've never seen this problem.

**broken link removed**
 
I don't get it. I have no idea where you live, but our lights have those little covers over them so snow doesn't land directly on the light, blocks sun glare, and the light is not visible to people coming from side streets. I thought that was pretty much universal.

Snow/freezing rain would have to be going upward to get there. We have LED lights pretty much exclusively and I've never seen this problem.

Let me google that for you
 
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I think this issue should have been at least discussed among the engineers, but probably shot down by the people who hold the purse strings, any fix would need to have heaters in the fixtures, able to turn on when snow is blowing...
 
We more northern living folk have a few simple rules. If the conditions are so bad you cant see the traffic lights slow down!

If the lights are in some way completely covered or off treat that intersection as if it was a 4 way stop. I think that is still covered in the drivers ED and actual rules books. :)
 
What do they do in countries that have the electricity turned off for most of the time? Then the traffic lights don't work and also the street lights don't work.
 
This story seems overblown by the likes of Fox News. Freezing snow has always been a problem with traffic lights, made maybe incrementally worse by the high efficency of LED lighting. On the other hand, the added visibility and reliablility of LED lighting is most likely making traffic generally safer. Being "green" isn't the primary reason for using this lighting technology.

I think BrownOut nailed the problem, This story seems overblown by the likes of Fox News. This probably seldom happens, but Fox can fill a minutes time up with, the sky is falling, the sky is falling:eek::eek:
Kinarfi
 
Like Canada?
Quebec is the French part of Canada. Their electrical transmission lines had no backup. An ice and wind-storm destroyed them and some places were without electricity for weeks.
My electricity is very reliable. Every few months when it goes off for a few seconds then we cheer.
 
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