Futuristic traffic light system for Jozi

WTF they have been here over a year already old news
 
well if i read correctly its not just the lights(which was switched in cpt since last yr or the yr before) but also housing for camera traps within the robot and the entire thing is plastic, pole and all thus easier to repair in event of collision.
 
I saw the new ones being erected in Sandton. The poles are much thicker and not just the LED lights. If you see one you will see that it is different from the rest of the lights out there.

If they work as advertised I can see the city replacing all the lights across the city with the new ones. Just like they are slowly replacing all the street lights.

Interesting with the street lights they used concrete poles in Fairlands and metal ones in Berario. I can only think that they are testing different systems to see which one is the most effective. (They might just be replacing the wooden poles) Always glad to see some of my money being put to good use.
 
Surely, with today's technologies, they can create 'intelligent' traffic lights.

Using the cameras installed within these new lights, why can't the lights analyse the traffic conditions and change their timings accordingly?

If the lights see that traffic is backing up in one direction, then they can give that direction a longer green cycle to get more traffic through.

It would ease congestion quite significantly I would think.
 
I want traffic lights with battery backup, damn near got wiped out by a polo occupied by 4 black ladies at the light that is out at Atterbury Value Mart, if I hadnt been careful I would not be typing this. And why is it almost always the same lights that are out?
 
swim said:
WTF they have been here over a year already old news
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exactly even some stops in pta is like this (though little currently), even cops have led systems instead of normal 'cop lights' on car..
 
How about putting some effort into synchronising the traffic lights in Johannesburg. At present we have a random and incomprehensible mess that can only be described as idiotic. You will be stopped by a traffic light 60%-80% of the time. Compare that to Pretoria, where you will get a green light 60-80% of the time.

No wonder we have such huge traffic problems in Johannesburg, when traffic is not permitted to flow efficiently. A few years ago the council rejected a proposal to install a hi-tech R300m traffic light control system on the basis of cost. Given the mayhem that has since ensued on our roads, you have to conclude that their decision was a false economy.

I would certainly take

The progressive and forward-thinking management of the JRA...
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with a large pinch of salt.
 
For those in Pretoria who want to have a shufty at the new lights - there is a set at the new Makro in Silver Lakes.
 
They've had these LED traffic lights allover durban... been around for 4 - 7 years now!... - nothing new!
 
xistenz said:
Surely, with today's technologies, they can create 'intelligent' traffic lights.

Using the cameras installed within these new lights, why can't the lights analyse the traffic conditions and change their timings accordingly?

If the lights see that traffic is backing up in one direction, then they can give that direction a longer green cycle to get more traffic through.

It would ease congestion quite significantly I would think.
Click to expand...

Heh - I doubt its that simple. Queue and path logic and so on can be very complex.
One thing I would like to see, is these lights with goddamn UPSs or similar for the constant "load shedding".
 
Hmmm I bet the guys behind it are making a nice packet out of this deal. :D

If they start putting cameras in the robots then the companies doing the cameras are going to be worrying
 
jetpacman said:
Hmmm I bet the guys behind it are making a nice packet out of this deal. :D

If they start putting cameras in the robots then the companies doing the cameras are going to be worrying
Click to expand...

They're in on it probably.
 
Anything that will make a-holes STOP when the light is RED and slow down when it is ORANGE will make me happy.
 
Futuristic is an overstatement!

UK/Europe started installing these lights almost 10 years ago.

What ticks me off is that none of the traffic lights are linked to work in conjunction with each other and most still use the old-aged timers.
 
Eight paragraphs on how safe it is, and how flexible the construction is. To me, futuristic traffic lights can intelligently determine traffic flow in peak traffic conditions, and change the lights accordingly in low traffic conditions so that people spend less time waiting (to be hijacked) at the middle of the night. If they were more intelligent, we woulnd NEED to break the law so that those new cameraz can take nice pictures of us. Futuristic my a$$!!
 
True - there has been LED-based traffic lights around for some time now but from what I read in the article is a complete replacement, including pole / frame etc. Perhaps the actual delay for country-wide rollout is more directly linked with the one conundrum they are facing:

In the test lights, the entire system is composed of polymer or plastic, with no steel or metal components.

Another benefit of the MTLS, Geer says, is that it requires less labour to install and repair. “[These lights are] extremely flexible and can be used in traffic light and street configurations.”

...

What is outstanding about MTLS, Geer points out, is that they are integrated with the pole and the signal head design. The pole is created from individual plastic segments that stack on top of each other and are then held together in compression by a lightweight new rope, he explains.
Click to expand...
I'm sure in the rest of the civilised world, this would be the ideal solution, but in our context ... how do they keep it cheap and easy to install, but difficult enough to prevent vandalism and theft? How often have we not driven past Stop- / One-Way- / No entry signs and seen it riddled with bullet holes? Plastic recycles, LED's can be reused for cheap lighting ... our electrocity shortages present more problems than just the immediate focus.
 
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