Traffic Lights.

[kendor]

the boxes you refer to are microwave detectors, not all traffic lights have them, most use inductive loop

At last, you understand!

no i don't

i have said all along that most have an inductive loop, i also say that iductive loops are there to detect any vehicle, not the services, which is what you said they were for

You do make a habit of misquoting people breezer! I merely stated that the services have devices fitted to their vehicles that use the induction loops to change lights, it's you that said the rest.

 

[AdamW]

Try as he might he couldn't get it to do the top speed as stated in the manual.

I suppose they could get away with it: they generally say "where the law and driving conditions permit" now, so under the trade descriptions act they would be covered. Well, if he was trying it on a motorway anyway.

Has anyone here tried out the 155mph electronic speed limiter in their car? They say it is there to satisfy the greens, but I suspect it just makes life easier for the manufacturers. If you build a car that goes 180mph you need to ensure the brakes, tyres etc. can withstand that. If it only goes 155mph then it is easier and cheaper to build.

 

[breezer]

You do make a habit of misquoting people breezer!

no i dont, i only use what was said, in the order it was written

I merely stated that the services have devices fitted to their vehicles that use the induction loops to change lights, it's you that said the rest.

i still do not think you are right , induction loops are only used to "indicate" a vehicle is present, not that it is the services

 

[AdamW]

You know, on another Forum there was an argument about the definition of an engineer. I was of the opinion that an engineer required either a degree level or higher education in an engineering subject, or chartership from a professional engineering institution. However, I think I have just changed my mind and now suggest the following:

An engineer is one who will argue across 4 pages of a forum as to the intricacies in the implementation and usage of induction loop traffic light systems

 

[securespark]

Has anyone here tried out the 155mph electronic speed limiter in their car? They say it is there to satisfy the greens, but I suspect it just makes life easier for the manufacturers. If you build a car that goes 180mph you need to ensure the brakes, tyres etc. can withstand that. If it only goes 155mph then it is easier and cheaper to build.

Cars with a top speed of 180 have mechanicals to match. Doesn't matter that they are limited. In some markets, the cars have no limiter, so chassis has to cope with full power.

Limiters are there (in UK at least) so that Police can keep up. Seriously. Police vehicles cannot do much more than 155, either.

 

[ZenStalinist]

I have not read most of this thread, but I think it amazing how traffic lights worked before those cameras were attatched. The way in which the red light stopped everyone with such authority, yet often little mechanism to punish those who didn't obey. Apparently the programs that the computers for the traffic lights run are called !SCOOT, !SKAT and !MOVER... or so it said on Radio four, I was kinda dozing off listening to a programme about traffic lights.

I know it's the case with those new digital speed cameras that they can calculate speed between them, read your reg plate, so know if you're speeding between them. They also know whether you are driving a lorry or a car and can administer fines to lorries but not cars if the speed limit for lorries is exceeded, unlike the old analogue ones.

 

[pipme]

............I know it's the case with those new digital speed cameras that they can calculate speed between them, read your reg plate, so know if you're speeding between them. They also know whether you are driving a lorry or a car and can administer fines to lorries but not cars if the speed limit for lorries is exceeded, unlike the old analogue ones.

I find this type 'acceptable', at least they try to limit av speed over a section of road ... not just one very short space. Doesn't it help curb 'road-rage' by more or less ensuring speed limit for all ?

P

 

[AdamW]

I had a thought today (yes, twice in one year )

I was driving up the M3, and suddenly realised that the prevailing speed of the traffic was no less than 95mph. Yes, 95 miles per hour, or 152km/h for those who prefer their steering wheels on the wrong side of the car.

And then I realised that this was not causing any problem. People were generally keeping at a safe distance from the car in front, the traffic was free flowing and there was only one gimp who was continually tapping their brakes because they didn't know the throttle pedal has positions in between idle and loud.

So it struck me... a new way for the motor... way. What you do is, scrap the 70mph speed limit. Have a variable speed limit across every motorway in the country, ranging from 30 up to 100mph or even "unlimited". Install gantries or even just roadside signs, every mile, that give the speed limit at that time on that stretch. Obviously it would take some nifty programming, but you could have a SPECS camera (the "average speed" system) on every gantry to make sure that people were keeping to the speed limit.

This way, everyone will either stick within the posted limit or lose their licence. Also, where conditions prevail you would be able to drive much faster with the benefit that other people would be expecting it. I am sure that many people here have driven down a nearly empty motorway on the exciting side of 100mph only to have someone pull out simply because they weren't expecting (and reasonably so) a car to be travelling at that speed. With this idea, people would see the 100mph signs and be expecting to see cars at this speed.

Plus it would ensure that the congestion-reducing idea of variable speed limits would actually work!

 

[pipme]

In Singapore I was driven in taxis which had an orange flashing light on the roof !! and internal, annoying, chimes .... Both items energised when a certain speed was reached .... You saw the speeders ok .. and knew when to keep clear ...... Also when to have a word in cabbie's shell like !!

95 MPH ! That's only 42.2 m/sec.
21.4 six and a half foot coffins per sec !! for the speedster

Or 186 nine inch bricks per sec for the builder !!

Always thought it would be best to calibrate speedo in ft per sec .... able to relate more to reality I think ... 30 mph = 44' per sec ... over a bus length in reality....

P

 

[AdamW]

The only advantage to f/s or m/s speedos is that you could calculate your acceleration in terms of g.

0-60 in 2.74s is equivalent to 9.8ms^-2 = 1g

 

[pipme]

Ok, so we'll have a 'g' meter too !! Useful for keeping eye on brake efficiency !! better than brick on edge - ok if topples under max braking !

I still believe people would relate to feet or metres per second better than MPH / KPH ..... Knowing your reaction time it is easy to read off just how far you travel in such time.
Perhaps a little more meaningful .. 40 mph >58' sec - a lot of 'people lengths' ie could run over 10 5'8" 'ers lying in road - in one sec !! Thats a lot of damage !

P

 

[breezer]

In Singapore I was driven in taxis which had an orange flashing light on the roof !! and internal, annoying, chimes .... Both items energised when a certain speed was reached .... You saw the speeders ok .. and knew when to keep clear ......
P

That has been out over here for years

except they have a blue light

 

[pipme]

They are :-
About as much use as a one legged man at an a*** kicking party !!

And about as plentiful too !!

P