5.8k
u/slimjimmy613 Nov 29 '22
Treat it like a stop sign lol
2.5k
u/SinopicCynic Nov 29 '22
Best legit answer. When in doubt, err on the side of caution.
1.2k
u/dishwashersafe Nov 29 '22
Agreed. Doubt and caution aside, it's simply just the law. Signal is clearly defective. Defective signals are to be treated as a 4-way stop.
475
u/Tarquinn2049 Nov 29 '22 edited Nov 29 '22
In this case, because it's a more unusual defect, would be a good idea to see what the other directions lights are telling the other drivers to do so you know what they will be doing. In the case of the more common power outage or defaulting to blinking because it lost it's timing instructions, all directions will have the same lack of instructions.
But yes, treat it as a stop sign, just don't assume in this case it is a 4-way stop until visually confirmed.
228
u/Woostag1999 Nov 29 '22
I would also notify the police as well because the confusion that arises from that could cause an accident.
130
u/snapwillow Nov 29 '22
In most places, 911 dispatch won't mind if you call 911 to report a dangerous traffic condition. They see it as an emergency waiting to happen. They'd rather hear it from you now than get a call from the accident victims later. When they pick up just say "I'm calling to report a dangerous road condition. There's a malfunctioning traffic light." I've also reported debris on the highway via 911 and they appreciated the tip.
79
u/KairuByte Nov 29 '22
I’ve called in any number of “technically not an emergency yet” situations, and I’ve never had any complaints from the cops.
→ More replies36
u/ghandi3737 Nov 30 '22
I've called 911 dozens of times about road debris on the freeway.
Pallets, ladders, all sorts of stuff that falls off cars, trucks and whatever.
43
u/KairuByte Nov 30 '22
Dude, I called in a full bed once. Middle of the road covering both lanes. Mattress and all. To make it worse, it was pitch back out, I barely avoided it.
→ More replies4
u/HelljumperRUSS Nov 30 '22
I called in a barbeque once. It was sitting right in the middle of the road in a very twisty section, propane tank on it and everything. Thank God someone less careful didn't find it first.
→ More replies47
u/bjanas Nov 30 '22
Yup.
When I was bartending I always tried to call the non emergency dispatch number; I had it committed to memory and I don't need to tie up the real line with drunk chuckleheads.
That said, in a pinch, the 911 operator never minded any good faith calls. Really, they're the same person, just seeing a different priority call come in.
22
u/OsmeOxys Nov 30 '22
With how well people drive in the best conditions, a signal like this is an emergency roughly on par with someone running around a mall with a live grenade and no pin.
7
→ More replies4
u/Able-Customer9133 Nov 30 '22
As a supervisor for a traffic signal maintenance shop, please make that call. You are eyes in the field I, or any other agency, don’t have. 911, or your local emergency response number is required to notify us to end this dangerous situation. Also, that should have automatically made it flash red in most municipalities. Thank you for this smart reply!!
32
u/NoneYours Nov 29 '22 edited Nov 29 '22
Shouldn't it also be reported to the DOT (or whoever is in charge of maintaining the lights)?
66
u/Woostag1999 Nov 29 '22
When the cops arrive, I think it would be a pretty safe assumption to assume that they’ll send the DOT as well. I mean if you called them because you saw wires down or a car accident, I think they would probably ask the power company or a tow service to come respectively.
→ More replies54
u/Skydude252 Nov 29 '22
Plus the cops can direct traffic accordingly until the DOT takes care of the problem.
37
u/Woostag1999 Nov 29 '22
Exactly. I remember vividly studying for my driving test and one of the questions was “You see a policeman, directing traffic at a light. The light conflicts with the cop’s instructions. What do you do?”
75
18
u/mtled Nov 29 '22
I had that question many years ago too. The answer is to follow the cop's instructions, but I would add to take a moment to slow down slightly to gain the proper situational awareness and verify for yourself that you can proceed. That doesn't mean a full stop if they are waving you through, but check your speed a little, look around and go through. You shouldn't be driving at a normal speed through such a situation anyway.
→ More replies→ More replies11
u/Zombie_SiriS Nov 29 '22
Answer C: Put on the COPS themesong on your cassete player and hit the gas!
6
u/angrydeuce Nov 29 '22
Plus the cops can direct traffic accordingly
Dude I can count on one finger how many times I've seen cops directing traffic in the event of signals failing or becoming damaged. Usually it's just a total fucking free for all and if there's even a cop present, which is rarely ever, they're just sitting there in their cruiser watching the clusterfuck waiting for an accident to occur. Not doing anything to prevent the accident, of course, just waiting to drive over and block shit up even worse when it inevitably happens.
Maybe in some major cities cops still direct traffic in these cases, but in my medium sized city, it just does not happen. I've watched cops throw their lights on to get through an intersection with down traffic lights, but actually trying to unfuck the traffic? They couldn't be bothered.
4
u/AMSAtl Nov 29 '22
The majority of times I've seen a light out there haven't been any cops directing traffic, but it's still something I've seen quite regularly throughout my life. I've seen it both in the suburbs of metro Atlanta as well as in the city itself.
→ More replies10
u/Ponicrat Nov 29 '22
I know 911, the cops know the other guys and can direct traffic while they wait for a fix
→ More replies→ More replies7
u/IHateMashedPotatos Nov 29 '22
yep. we had one of these a while back at a busy intersection. state dot was like yeah we’ll get to it maybe by the end of the day, definitely by the end of the week. we called the local police and it was fixed with haste.
15
u/NES_SNES_N64 Nov 29 '22
Even one step further, as it's hard to see the other directions at some intersections, I would assume that the other direction could be solid green and be extra careful before proceeding after stopping.
→ More replies→ More replies9
u/RespectableLurker555 Nov 29 '22
treat it as a stop sign, just don't assume in this case it is a 4-way stop
A while back in reddit I got a bunch of people who didn't know there was a difference between "a stop sign" and "a 4-way stop sign"
For those who are still confused, a 4-way stop (or all way stop) is where everyone stops and then takes turns going. You know it will be your turn to go very soon, because other people are planning to let you go next.
A regular stop sign is like when you're trying to leave a parking lot. You know the main road will not stop or yield for you, so your stop is indefinite until traffic is safe to proceed. You cannot simply assume it will be your turn anytime soon. During heavy traffic, you may be waiting for several minutes before there is a safe clear gap for you to cross.
→ More replies34
u/snapwillow Nov 29 '22
Don't treat this one as a four-way-stop because the cross traffic might be seeing a normal green light.
It might not be broken in all directions. Unless you can see the perpendicular signals, treat this one like you're the only one with a stop sign.
→ More replies→ More replies9
u/criket2016 Nov 29 '22
Dishwasher safe and traffic safe too?? I love you today, stranger. Keep on being safe :)
18
24
→ More replies24
u/tooold4urcrap Nov 29 '22
It was on all of my testing for a drivers license too..... I'm a little concerned this isn't how it's supposed to be.
11
120
89
u/OZeski Nov 29 '22
Exactly! Just roll on through.
→ More replies10
u/mowbuss Nov 29 '22
But at double the posted speed right?
10
u/SplitOak Nov 29 '22
Get through as fast as possible to limit the potential for an accident. Makes perfect sense. Right?
→ More replies→ More replies4
86
u/mrbkkt1 Nov 29 '22
you have no idea, how many people don't know this. So frustrating, especially during power outages.
→ More replies120
u/feor1300 Nov 29 '22
In my experience most people know to treat a faulty traffic light as a four-way stop.
However, that doesn't mean they know what they should be doing at a four-way stop...
→ More replies31
u/dustinsmusings Nov 29 '22
How often do you encounter four way stops with dedicated turn lanes and four lanes in each direction?
35
→ More replies6
u/LocuraLins Nov 29 '22
A couple of times and almost everyone had it down by the time I got there without cops directing them. Each lane lets one car go from one direction at once then you go in 4 stop order. If you are coming from the same direction turning left or right or going straight doesn’t affect the others. Only “problem” is the occasional jackass behind the person that should be going also going but I have never seen more than 2 cars going and as long as it’s only 1 jackass it doesn’t disrupt anything.
→ More replies10
u/ObamasBoss Nov 29 '22
But watch for others that won't. I watched a ton of people blow through a broken light at 55 mph. It wasn't just a little side road at a big road either. Both roads are always pretty active so not even "obvious" which road people might think is the priority...not that it is supposed to work that way.
Stop, but make sure others do the same.
6.1k
u/againfaxme
Nov 29 '22
•
If I go, there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double
1.2k
u/totallynotantiwork Nov 29 '22
So c’mon and let me know…
→ More replies1.0k
u/bjchu92 Nov 29 '22 •
Should I stay or should I go?
→ More replies369
u/travisfogs Nov 29 '22
This indeceision's bugging me
237
u/AtheistET Nov 29 '22
Esta indecisión me molesta
111
u/SelectFromWhereOrder Nov 29 '22
Si no me quieres dejameeee
→ More replies56
Nov 29 '22 edited Dec 06 '22
[deleted]
→ More replies39
u/jim653 Nov 30 '22
I found out only the other day that the reason he said that was because he was in the recording booth and the other band members pushed in to prank him. He was telling them to piss off – "Split!"
8
u/TheLoreTeller Nov 30 '22
woah this thread could be a song, even this comment can be part of the lyrics lol
→ More replies77
u/Particular-Let-196 Nov 29 '22
If you don’t want me, set me free.
→ More replies33
→ More replies17
17
→ More replies78
u/created4this Nov 29 '22
If the cops see there’ll be a fee
Exactly what’s that meant to be
Don’t know which gaps even fit me
Come on and let me know
Is it a red I’m gonna blow
→ More replies12
15
u/Ganon2012 Nov 29 '22 edited Nov 29 '22
I never understood that line. There's your answer. Would you rather have trouble or trouble x2?
Edit: To be fair though, I suppose if you stay you get to shoot some goddamn guns.
3
u/g00ber88 Nov 30 '22
When I was a kid and heard that song I was so confused because I took the lyrics at face value so I was like "why is he even asking? Obviously he should go, because either way there will be trouble but there will be double the trouble if he stays"
→ More replies25
65
u/guachi01 Nov 29 '22
I came here to make this exact comment and I'm so happy someone did it less than five minutes after the post appeared.
→ More replies15
u/seethruyou Nov 29 '22
Joe Strummer wrote all the socially responsible Clash songs. Mick Jones wrote the catchiest Clash songs, about nothing much, but they were 2 of only 3 to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. (The third was the goofy Rock the Casbah, written by Headon the drummer. How this thing was the most successful Clash song in the US is still an utter mystery to me.)
→ More replies19
29
u/Memory_Glands Nov 29 '22
Rock the Kasbah
→ More replies17
20
→ More replies31
u/BoogieM4Nx Nov 29 '22
Team rocket
9
u/Kujo_Bujo Nov 29 '22
To protect the world from devastation
8
u/FrankHightower Nov 29 '22
To unite all peoples within our nation
8
2.1k
u/Malogor Nov 29 '22
Press both pedals at once
3.4k
u/graymalkin2 Nov 29 '22 •
If you press both pedals at the same time, the car takes a screenshot
299
u/hrv83k Nov 29 '22 •
it's kinda bugged. i recommend to restart from last checkpoint. if it doesnt solve the problem i would send a bug report to the devs
33
→ More replies55
126
8
7
6
→ More replies24
u/zappy487 Nov 29 '22
Fun fact: If you gently press the clit and the g-spot at the same time it works on women too.
24
u/AWildIndependent Nov 29 '22
Funner fact: the gspot is under the clit so really youre just pressing the same button from different sides
→ More replies42
u/Matt-R Nov 29 '22
Both? My car has 3. Do I use my middle leg/foot?
33
22
→ More replies6
8
6
u/thirtyseven1337 Nov 29 '22
I've always wondered what would happen if I did this, but I don't wanna ruin my car...
→ More replies20
u/Elaszat Nov 29 '22
Isn't that how you make a screenshot?
17
u/Gold-Physics448 Nov 29 '22
You were so close to getting it in first (thats what she said)
→ More replies
72
944
u/LivingScratch2722
Nov 29 '22
•
Yesn't
342
51
→ More replies5
640
u/y0urselfish
Nov 29 '22
•
Should I stay or should I go.
77
u/songoku9001 Nov 29 '22
OP missed their chance at using that as the title of this post
→ More replies26
u/barofa Nov 29 '22
Hope the next repost will not miss it
9
u/Volitank Nov 29 '22
Don't worry I'll repost it in 3 days. The upper memory limit of the average redditor.
→ More replies100
→ More replies3
316
u/OkFury Nov 29 '22
That's a very strong maybe.
→ More replies62
u/Moltk Nov 29 '22
"All I know is my gut says maybe"
42
u/FormerLurker3 Nov 29 '22
“It’s a beige alert, your Neutralness! What should I do?”
“Call my wife and tell her I said hello.”
23
u/Mr_Abe_Froman Nov 29 '22
What makes a man go neutral? Lust for gold? Power? Or were you just born with a heart full of neutrality‽
→ More replies
126
26
215
u/AggravatingGoal4728 Nov 29 '22
Schrodinger's stoplight
61
13
6
u/Tomnnn Nov 29 '22
If you get t-boned while crossing, the body in the trunk can be assumed to be both alive and dead until observed
→ More replies→ More replies8
237
u/essgee_ai Nov 29 '22
Me: God, give me a sign that I'm doing the right thing. The sign...
103
u/OZeski Nov 29 '22
This is like the signals women give me…
79
u/BigBossWesker4 Nov 29 '22
Women: "Guys never pick up on our signals!"
Their signals:
21
u/cybermonkeyhand Nov 29 '22
I tried highlighting the blank space to see if there was invisible text.....
6
19
u/MatterSignificant969 Nov 29 '22
When you get married they will give you this signal every day and then complain when you don't understand it.
→ More replies7
u/A_Soporific Nov 29 '22
Most of the time it's clear what signals they're giving. But then there's this "But you're supposed to ignore the no if I want you to ignore the no". And that's generally when I bail. I'm not a mind reader, and things aren't going to work out if I need to be.
→ More replies
90
84
u/SplatMySocks Nov 29 '22
I didn't think this was possible, maybe the city got ripped off by a contractor. There's supposed to be a supervisory system that looks at the outputs from the main operating system. When it sees a condition like this it's supposed to put it in "fault mode" where the red light just blinks
45
u/morningisbad Nov 29 '22
That's correct. This is a very broken state. A stop light should never be in this configuration.
→ More replies31
u/King_of_the_Nerdth Nov 29 '22
This might be a camera trick. If the exposure happened to cover the transition from red to green, the picture would contain half lit of each.
→ More replies10
u/FavoriteIce Nov 29 '22
There usually some proprietary PLC-esque controller running a safety program that should detect this. It is a fuck up
→ More replies
72
u/Moikepdx
Nov 29 '22
•
Is it actually displaying that way? As a traffic engineer, I have several photos of normal intersection operation that look like this just because the light changed while the camera shutter was open.
In the US, intersections have a hardware device called a "conflict monitor" that sits in the controller cabinet. It's a card filled with diodes, and the only purpose is to watch for unsafe outputs from the controller. If green displays come up simultaneously on conflicting approaches, the conflict monitor will instantly throw the intersection into flashing operation. And they are programmed by physically clipping diodes off the conflict monitor card to allow compatible phases to operate at the same time, so they cannot be over-ridden with software. That's why all the movies showing hackers turning all the lights green to cause crashes are complete Hollywood bullshit. It can't happen.
With that said, there is nothing in this image that shows the cross-street is green. It may actually be possible to see red and green simultaneously on the same head without tripping the conflict monitor, but I'm not sure how it would happen.
9
u/Vincent_LeRoux Nov 29 '22
We had a glitch in a new software that was throwing dual indications on certain overlap conditions. Got the vendor to fix that fast once we figured it out.
4
u/Moikepdx Nov 29 '22
Yikes. I know there are bugs in firmware versions that I've had to work around before, but that's a doozy.
→ More replies30
u/jtraf Nov 29 '22
Former Signal Tech here, you should pop out to the field sometime. The CM only checks for conflicts on green and yellow for each phase. OP is surely looking at a phase with a load switch that has a short in the red, and the conflicting phase is intentionally red. The controller is not malfunctioning.
In other words, all the reds at this intersection are on, but only OP (and probably oncoming traffic) have greens.
21
u/Moikepdx Nov 29 '22
Again, I specifically acknowledged in my post that the conflict monitor would not throw the intersection into flash here unless a conflicting green was shown. But more importantly, I've seen this photo effect result from normal phase displays just due to shutter timing.
I presume you'd catch any shorts (and fix them) when you test the wiring prior to signal turn-on. Do you actually find operating signals that show this type of display due to faults that develop over time?
20
u/jtraf Nov 29 '22
All good friend, long story short I had a full time job (and typically tons of overtime) doing service calls on traffic lights. I am speculating OP took the photo because it was holding red and green, not just a coincidence that they were photographing a signal and it happened to change. I could be wrong.
Indeed we set the new/replacement cabinets up in the shop and ran them for a week on a test board and configured everything there. Used a jumper wire to test the monitor card. Sometimes intentionally wire in a conflict for the new guys to figure out and test it all over again. Spare cabinets for knockdowns were rotated around to keep the cobwebs out. Field wiring was tested for continuity with a meter and verified with a walk-around on startup.
The 24v and ground from the controller is ok, but the little triacs short closed or out, particularly with weather changes. They are pretty good quality these days, but some have been in operation for decades. Other issues could be the field wiring got old, brittle, and is shorted with another channel or phase I suppose. Squirrels too, I have seen more than my share of barbecued squirrels. It has been a while, but professional opinion says this is a bad load switch, yes.
But yes, most of the time they will go into flash, which is a lot of the calls I used to respond to. I just always hoped it was in flash because of a bad green left turn arrow and not because some schmuck parked on the cabinet.
14
u/Moikepdx Nov 29 '22
Not sure why someone is down-voting you, but I appreciate the stories and feedback. I've probably done more field work than most traffic signal engineers (including implementing coordinated timing plans on corridors, setting up signal priority for buses, programming 170 controllers by hand for non-standard features, etc.). But even so, I know that signal techs have WAY more experience with field conditions and problems than I hope to ever gain! ;)
→ More replies3
44
u/Seekstillness Nov 29 '22
Diverging Clear. Proceed not exceeding prescribed speed of turnout.
→ More replies15
38
u/NegativeFux Nov 29 '22
Chicago?
26
u/Djwhat6 Nov 29 '22
Yes
13
u/epicpandemic916 Nov 29 '22
Berwyn?
24
u/Djwhat6 Nov 29 '22
West side. By the brickyard
10
→ More replies9
u/Ferio9x Nov 29 '22
On Narragansett between Belmont and Diversey? I saw this when dropping my kid off 😂
10
→ More replies6
u/AmazingSpdrMan1 Nov 29 '22
I just dealt with this light by the brickyard on Friday! My buddy lives over there and was like “yea just a heads up about this light”
8
→ More replies4
14
11
10
u/zackattack2020 Nov 29 '22
Girl 1: Wow he didn’t ask for my number.
Girl 2: He much be bad at reading signals.
The signals:
22
8
7
6
6
u/Ken_Danagger Nov 29 '22
Christmas colors; if you celebrate Christmas do whatever you want…if not…wait until the colors change to the holiday you celebrate.
→ More replies
6
6
7
5
5
4
4
u/Beneficial_Being_721 Nov 29 '22
Treat a malfunctioning traffic light like a STOP SIGN… you also have proof. You good ( Former Sheriff Deputy )
5
u/mczarnek Nov 29 '22
If I go there will be trouble and if I stay it will be double! So ya gotta let me know, should I stay or should I go?
4
3
5
4
5
4
8
u/Soviet_Beer Nov 29 '22
Sometime I wonder if people get their driving licenses in a fucking cereal box. In a situation like this, you treat the light as a stop sign, anyone who controls a 3 tons death machine should know that.
→ More replies
7
3
u/BigNorseWolf Nov 29 '22
When in doubt, its a malfunctioning stop light. Which you treat like a stop sign.
So you stop then you go.
3
3
•
u/AutoModerator Nov 29 '22
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.