Everyone probably has a story about ill-timed traffic lights. It's infuriating to be on a main street, having to pass through a succession of traffic lights, and as soon as the one you're stopped at turns green, the next one ahead turns red - with no speed above 5 miles an hour could you "time the lights".

How much oil is wasted by cars sitting at ill-timed red lights? I realize that the general mutual timing of lights in a system is a complex network problem, but in many cases they could improve things with ad hoc corrections. The government wants to save imported oil by putting everyone in toy cars, but how about them first getting their act together?

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Blade: "more educated and literate people than Justabubba"

Justabubba: "that would include everyone"

http://politicalforum.com/showthread.php?t=27847

That's not a federal issue. It's a local one, and many localities have gotten their acts together. The lights are timed in Manhattan, and it is a beautiful thing to behold. They are not timed down the Boulevard in Passaic where I work, and it pisses me off to no end.

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LET ME SEE YOUR WAR FACE!!!

You always have the option of ignoring the traffic lights altogether.......

I used to do that in the following situation:

You are somewhere late at night. You can see a long way in all four directions - nobody there. The light is going to make you sit there for two minutes. I used to say hell with it and go. But the traffic tickets are getting real expensive. The california state insurance commission changed the law so that insurance is only based on your traffic record. So the company I was with retroactive to the law raised my rates based on a previous ticket I had that it was their policy to ignore. Total cost to me for going 15 mph over the limit? $1,000.

Now I obey all the laws, all the time. Cars whiz by me on the freeway and surface streets.

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Blade: "more educated and literate people than Justabubba"

Justabubba: "that would include everyone"

http://politicalforum.com/showthread.php?t=27847

maybe visit your local neighborhood board meeting and voice your concern; or write or email your city council members.

lights in my area are well-timed. during rush hour the wait is longer, as it should be, so i take another route.

it's probably a small group of people, maybe only one person, who oversees the timing of the lights. find that person.

Also there is something to be said against retroactive law. you may have had a case and been able to save a bunch other people future headaches for the same issue.

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The last time I tried something like that was when I called the city street engineer about a desperately needed "no right turn on red" sign. His whole tone was we know more than you, you're boring me, etc, and of course nothing was done.

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Blade: "more educated and literate people than Justabubba"

Justabubba: "that would include everyone"

http://politicalforum.com/showthread.php?t=27847

Was he bigger than you?

hmm then i suggest you just smoke a joint in that 2 minutes.

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you should appeal that, i'm pretty sure the constitution strictly forbids any kind of retroactive punishment.

Perhaps that slow stop and go timing is in place to promote reduced speed
for safety reasons (knowing that you cant excellerate to catch the next
light), and increase the drivers exposure to the storefronts of main street
businesses (a chamber of commerce issue).

I dont know really, its just the first guess that came to mind.