Do red light camera lights have different timing?

[Gurpy]

This might just be my mind playing tricks on me, but I swear they do. I tend to judge lights, like most others I imagine, by looking at the crosswalk symbol. Downtown they turn yellow as soon as it goes to the solid hand, but they have the timer on it to let you know how long that's going to be. Lights without the camera elsewhere seem to turn yellow well after the hand goes solid, and the yellow light lasts a decent amount of time. I'm not sure exactly how long as I've never actually timed it.

With red light cameras they seem to all turn yellow as soon as the hand goes solid, and the yellow light seems to last half the time it does elsewhere. Does anyone have any actual numbers for this?

Before anyone asks, I didn't get a ticket. Just got a little angry about it on crowchild yesterday. Going exactly the limit, watching that hand, and I had to hit the brakes pretty hard as soon as it turned solid. I was sure there wasn't anyone behind me, but there was a bit of ice, so if there was someone behind me they could have rear ended me as well. If I kept on going I would have entered on red for sure.

[badatusrnames]

I think one jurisdiction in the US got busted for shortening the yellow light on intersections equipped with cameras. I think accident rates were higher at those intersections as a result too...

[TYMSMNY]

yes, they do. it depends on the intersection (how long) and what kind of foot traffic it gets. Best not to time your lights by looking at the walk signs lol.

[DayGlow]

I've counted on yellows as I drive since this was last brought up and my observations are that <70km/hr lights yellows are 3 seconds and >70km/hr lights yellows are 4 seconds and they are the same at camera locations.

[Gurpy]

Thanks guys. Thanks DayGlow, that makes sense. I guess the one on crowchild was 3 seconds since it was a 70 zone, but it must have felt shorter since it was right on the edge of the limit adjustment.

[DayGlow]

No idea if that's the policy on it, it's just me counting steamboats in my car because I was curious.

[syritis]

I noticed that you can't trust the pedestrian lights at all. some say walk for 7 seconds, others stay as walk until the light has a need to change. others i've seen are just retarded. they give 5 seconds to cross 7 lanes plus a median. (16ave by cop) i don't think i could do that in a full out sprint let alone carrying a snowboard and all my gear.


a couple years ago i noticed that some red light camera's were disabled during winter (turned 90 degrees) this year i noticed non of them are.

[J-hop]

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[adidas]

It might also have to do with the size of the intersection. For example on 17th ave from the stop line to the light is on avg like 25 ft?! where opposed to barlow and mcknight going north on barlow the stop line to lights dist is close to 100ft!

[syritis]

Originally posted by adidas
It might also have to do with the size of the intersection. For example on 17th ave from the stop line to the light is on avg like 25 ft?! where opposed to barlow and mcknight going north on barlow the stop line to lights dist is close to 100ft!

doesn't matter. the stop line can be a mile away from the lights (if you can see them) as long as you cross that line before the lights turns red. you have not run a red light.

I saw a semi truck turning left from northbound barlow to westbound peigan trail. he started turning when he was given an advanced green. the light stayed green for all of 3 or 4 seconds. the semi truck was in the middle of the intersections when the light for oncoming traffic turned green. the truck had done nothing wrong when some fucker in a mustang decided he wasn't waiting. drove straight through in the path of the truck missed by a couple feet. the semi truck slammed he brakes is now at a complete stop again in the middle of the intersection. now the rest of oncoming traffic has to wait even longer for the truck. I was irate for the driver of the semi, if it was me i wouldn't have stopped.

[clem24]

On a related note, whatever happened to speed on green cameras? Are they operational? Anyone getting tickets? Topic seemed to have died down quite a bit.

[Mibz]

They're definitely operational and they are definitely handing out tickets. I was rushing to a work emergency on Thanksgiving and got one on NB MacLeod @ 162nd. Cheap asses wouldn't pay for it either.

[89s1]

Originally posted by clem24
On a related note, whatever happened to speed on green cameras? Are they operational? Anyone getting tickets? Topic seemed to have died down quite a bit.

Go test one.

They are still working.

[dexlargo]

I heard on the radio that the Police Comission was offering to the City an extra 2 million because of the higher than expected revenues from the speed on green cameras. They later backpedaled and said that the city couldn't rely on fines as a stable source of income, but I think that shows they're in full effect. As I recall, they also mentioned that the number of speed on green cameras was expected to go up by a bunch in the next year - they quoted the numbers that are in operation now, and how many are going to be in operation by sometime next year, but I don't remember what those numbers were.

[Gurpy]

Originally posted by Mibz
Cheap asses wouldn't pay for it either.

Take your time next work related emergency, when they get pissed say you didn't want to risk another speeding ticket.

[SOAB]

Originally posted by J-hop


makes sense, because if you can't stop in time your obviously driving too fast for the conditions (speed limit is the upper limit given ideal conditions- ie if you do 70km/hr on john laurier in the middle of a blizzard on shear ice a cop can give you a ticket)

umm... no. if you're driving on John Laurier in ideal conditions and you think 70 is the fastest you can drive safely, than you need to hand in your drivers license.

speed limits are set low for revenue purposes.

your safety is not the top priority for the government. if it was, they would have programs that teach people how to drive properly and make it manditory, instead of just collecting fines.

[Gurpy]

^ I don't understand what you're disagreeing with in that guys post.... Are you saying that driving 70km/h in the middle of a blizzard on shear ice is reasonable, and doesn't warrant a ticket even if it is revenue generating?

[DayGlow]

Originally posted by SOAB



umm... no. if you're driving on John Laurier in ideal conditions and you think 70 is the fastest you can drive safely, than you need to hand in your drivers license.

speed limits are set low for revenue purposes.

your safety is not the top priority for the government. if it was, they would have programs that teach people how to drive properly and make it manditory, instead of just collecting fines.

No because then Beyond would be full of people hitching about having to pay $500 for the required advanced driving course when they are great drivers.

[SOAB]

Originally posted by Gurpy
^ I don't understand what you're disagreeing with in that guys post.... Are you saying that driving 70km/h in the middle of a blizzard on shear ice is reasonable, and doesn't warrant a ticket even if it is revenue generating?

he says that the speed limit is the upper limit of travel in ideal conditions, which is not even close to being true.

[Gurpy]

Originally posted by SOAB


he says that the speed limit is the upper limit of travel in ideal conditions, which is not even close to being true.

What kind of vehicle do you drive? Now what other kind of vehicles are on the same road? How comfortable do you feel driving? Now how comfortable do some other people feel driving? How much experience do you have? Now how much experience does somebody who just got their learners have? Don't get me wrong, I've had my fair share of speeding tickets, but I don't understand your argument at all. Just because you don't feel it's the upper limit of travel in ideal conditions doesn't mean it's not. (Also, I think he might have just been quoting what it said in the drivers handbook about speed limits?)