Brisbane - Traffic light capital of the world

[Chicken Trader]

Traffic signals make most of us see red - not green

by Bruce Mcmahon From: The Courier-Mail November 03, 2009 http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/traffic-signals-make-most-of-us-see-red-not-green/story-e6freoof-1225793979983
RED lights cost precious fuel. Yet Queenslanders are still not allowed to turn left on the red.

Queenslanders have to cop another set of traffic lights for almost every new housing or shopping centre development dotted across the southeast.

And stop at isolated intersections in the middle of the night when flashing amber lights could suffice.

Queenslanders still have to stop at pedestrian crossings where there is not a person in sight; when someone has pushed the button and scurried across before the walk signal.

How come Los Angeles' drivers are allowed - all by themselves - to work out a four-, even five-way intersection with just a set of stop signs?

How come there, in one of the most motorised cities on Earth, drivers across six lanes will stop for simple flashing pedestrian lights - when there is a pedestrian?

Then, back here, there is the business (or not) of synchronisation of traffic lights.

In all the discussions about saving fossil fuel, in all the mandates hurled at car manufacturers and drivers, there appears to be little talk about the role of traffic engineers and planners and common sense.

As efficient as modern cars can be, stop-start traffic guzzles fuel. Decelerating, accelerating costs energy.

At least the state and Brisbane City Council are working towards a single system of traffic lights with some 1400 sets soon to be controlled by one management system, at an estimated cost of $6 million. A synchronised trial at a dozen lights in the Indooroopilly area found travel times down 13 per cent during weekday peak periods and 17 per cent on weekends. Hallelujah. Less travel time equates to less fuel used.

Anecdotal evidence suggests a two-litre fuel saving over 10km of commute in school holidays when Brisbane roads are less congested.

Still, too many traffic controls and too many rules are framed for the lowest common denominator. Rather than educating drivers, we dumb them down.

Every K over is a killer? That's trite. And tripe. But that's veering off the subject.

If we are going to have motorised transport, even if it becomes all-electric (and to save the planet, that power must come from non-polluting sources), we need progress to be as smooth as possible down the road.

This should mean less stop-start traffic. Why do we have 10 cars idling either side of a minor street while one or two cars dribble out of a shopping centre?

It should mean cars turning left, with care, at red lights.

It should mean fewer traffic lights, less roadside signage screaming dire threats, more 7am-7pm clearways to stop wastage as motorists brake and swerve around parked cars.

Dutch civil engineer Hans Moderman had radical ideas about modern traffic. His view was to make drivers more responsible for their own actions by removing most traditional road markings and signs, creating spaces shared by all.

Moderman's reasoning was that people became more civilised, more thoughtful about the right-of-way principle.

Moderman, who died early last year, managed to engineer 100 of these shared spaces across his native country. Most saw accidents and incidents drop.

So, with less regulation, road users of all types can become a little more caring and sharing. More adult.

And it would save fuel and frayed tempers as Queensland's summer of congestion approaches.

Bruce McMahon is a senior Courier-Mail journalist.


Peak motoring body RACQ said while introducing left turn on red lights would cut down on congestion, a better option would be to install more turning lights and slip lanes on intersections.

“We believe there are generally better options, installing slip lanes and green left turn arrows, they would be the preferred options,’’ a spokesperson said.

“It is not without its merits, but there is a tendency in Sydney and other areas to ignore pedestrians or cycles at the intersections, there is a tendency, particularly in the United States, to overestimate their capability to get out in front of the opposition vehicle coming on their right.’’