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Re: you people drive CRAZY!



In article <jdowning.373.000A00F6@ccmail.gsfc.nasa.gov>,
John Downing <jdowning@ccmail.gsfc.nasa.gov> wrote:
>
>Maybe we should install gates, like at railroad crossings.  
> On the other hand, 
>in this part of the country you often have to wait over a minute for the next 
>green, as opposed to 20-30 seconds in other portions of the country.  This 
>GREATLY increases the urge to run.  Reducing this wait time would be more 
>effective than all the attempts at stricter enforcement.

Seems like a chicken and egg problem.  If people run red lights for a
certain time after the light turns red, traffic authorities make the
lights show all red for almost time period.  This adds a small amount
of time to the light cycle, and also makes it so a long light cycle
is more efficient (since the green time is larger compared to the
all-red), so the light cycle increases, which as you say makes
people more likely to run the lights.

I think the only solution is to actually make people responsible for
breaking the law and give them tickets for running red lights; I hope
the photodetector experiment in Virginia spreads to Maryland soon.
I relish the day that Green means Green again.

-tom


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