Smart traffic lights which turn red if approaching drivers are speeding are to be trialled in Britain.
The council which stripped out all its speed cameras is testing the new lights.
Swindon will start the trials in the Autumn on two sites in the town where speeding has been identified as a problem. It will be the first authority in the country to do so.
The lights work by placing a sensor in the road a short distance ahead of the traffic light which logs how fast traffic is going.
If cars are going too fast then a message is sent to a control box, which turns the light to red.
Automatic number plate recognition cameras are used to detect emergency vehicles.
tinyurl.com/3kjvzsf - link to The Telegraph website
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Had them in Spanish villages for many years, enter too fast, lights go red.
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"Had them in Spanish villages for many years, enter too fast, lights go red."
But being replaced by speed humps as most drivers were ignoring the traffic lights since there was no camera back-up.
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At what distance away do they judge speed from? Could be entertaining trundling up to them then flooring it to make them go red for everyone behind you ;-)
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sounds like a recipe for disaster especially if the guy at the other lights (waiting at crossroad / junction) is quick off the mark
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"Could be entertaining trundling up to them then flooring it to make them go red for everyone behind you"
There are a few sets outside the schools near me and that's exactly what happens, even without trying. It's always the guy behind that gets the penalty. The sensors are too close to the lights. Really naffs me off.
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I recall the traffic light timings on a road into Cardiff used to be set so if you did the 40mph limit you'd probably get green lights all the way in to the city centre. If you sped you'd find the lights were on red and you got there no faster.
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HJ has petitioned for this sort of thing for yonks.
I've experienced them in Spain and have no problems with them being introduced over here.
Those that ignore 'keep left' bollards and red lights will ignore them anyhow.
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The Bath Road in Slough used to be set up like that as well, 29mph IIRC.
well.....29, and 58................
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>> "Could be entertaining trundling up to them then flooring it to make them go red
>> for everyone behind you"
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>> There are a few sets outside the schools near me and that's exactly what happens,
>> even without trying. It's always the guy behind that gets the penalty. The sensors are
>> too close to the lights. Really naffs me off.
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It would make a police chase more risky for the pursuit vehicle, the perp goes through fast, changes the lights and the pursuit vehicle gets held up or risks hitting the traffic about to move off across the juction. I reckon they should leave normal juctions as is and introduce these speed lights in place of speed cameras and humps.
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I believe that many of the traffic light cameras in Edinburgh have been modified to include a speed trap function.
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Smart traffic lights to stop speeders - Old Navy
