http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Traffic Light Timings en Mon, 18 May 2026 18:50:56 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13817#post-170509 Sat, 01 Nov 2014 10:16:03 +0000 crowriver 170509@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Is the crossing on a bus route? If so, you've no chance.</p> <p>I tried to get the two=stage crossing on the way to my children's school adjusted so the green man stayed on for longer: as it is there's barely enough time to cross the four lanes of traffic going south, as the southernmost green man stays on for insufficient time.</p> <p>The response was that this part of the crossing was only on for a short time to "aid bus priority", despite the fact that, at the time, only two peak time express services travelled that way (now changed due to Lothian Country Buses 104). I found it a poor excuse as the vast majority of bus services were travelling on the other part of the junction, where the green man stayed on for significantly longer. Nevertheless the distinct impression was "go away, wee man, you'll no get anything oot of us except this officious letter".</p> <p>So if it's on a bus route, forget it: they won't be changing the timings. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13817#post-170483 Fri, 31 Oct 2014 20:54:48 +0000 bdellar 170483@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I'm sure when they were adjusting the Porty High Street lights, they had engineers out to do it. You'd hope that more modern ones could be adjusted remotely though! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13817#post-170429 Fri, 31 Oct 2014 14:30:07 +0000 slowcoach 170429@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Was this, from the Active Travel Action Plan, followed up on?<br /> "Develop an Urban Traffic Control (UTC) strategy/action plan to increase provide priority to pedestrians at traffic signals (eg pedestrian phase delivered at next signal stage at quieter times of day). Pilot at one or more junctions by the end of 2011. Apply similar principles at stand-alone traffic signals."</p> <p>Re UtrechtCyclist's question, I guess most of the signals are controlled centrally, but others, especially remote from other signals, will be standalone? Some standalone signals would need visits on-site to re-programme the controller.</p> <p>Google found <a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:nYcKrZ5SntEJ:https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/site/custom_scripts/proxy.php%3Ffile%3D/documents/3883/EDIR%25203883%2520Response.pdf+edinburgh+utc+traffic+signals&amp;cd=1&amp;hl=en&amp;ct=clnk&amp;gl=uk">this cache</a> but the link to CoEC website dint't find the original. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13817#post-170404 Fri, 31 Oct 2014 13:06:01 +0000 steveo 170404@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>Of course an extra/new factor is 'waiting for trams'.</em></p> <p><em> I always suspect it was to do with trams, even though it happens when there are none to be seen.</em></p> <p>Definitely is. I spent ages on the bus the other day waiting at a straight on light on Princes St. Turns out the right hand light going up Fredrick St and the straight on light are linked but the right turn could not go because the west bound tram approaching, so nothing East Bound was moving either. </p> <p>What a person could see but the computers couldn't cope with is that the tram was stuck at the junction with Charlotte St due to cars. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13817#post-170402 Fri, 31 Oct 2014 13:02:52 +0000 neddie 170402@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The simple solution to all these slow responsivity ped crossings is to block off more roads to cars. Now that's real priority to peds.</p> <p>The lights at Market St/Mound have an appallingly long wait for peds. 50 or more can be waiting while a handful of cars go through.</p> <p>And have you tried to cross from Brougham sT to Lady Grey @ Tollcross whilst obeying the green man (as you *have* to when with young children) - it will take you up to 6 minutes to cross the 4 carriageways </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13817#post-170393 Fri, 31 Oct 2014 12:48:36 +0000 kaputnik 170393@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>Of course an extra/new factor is 'waiting for trams'.</em></p> <p>A number of the new Princes Street crossings have an infuriating setting where every light on the junction (vehicle and pedestrian) are held at red, so nobody can go anywhere. I always suspect it was to do with trams, even though it happens when there are none to be seen.</p> <p>Damn the trams and just go. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13817#post-170389 Fri, 31 Oct 2014 12:28:15 +0000 chdot 170389@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"I've lost count of the times I've waited for ages (on foot) at junctions such as Princes St/Lothian Road with dozens of other peds, while hardly any vehicles come past."</p> <p>Of course an extra/new factor is 'waiting for trams'. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13817#post-170386 Fri, 31 Oct 2014 12:26:34 +0000 panyagua 170386@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>If driverless cars are on their way, then I would have thought it should be possible to apply some of the same technologies to traffic signals - for example detecting the volume and speed of approaching traffic (motorised and human powered, wheeled and shod) and make suitable adjustments. I've lost count of the times I've waited for ages (on foot) at junctions such as Princes St/Lothian Road with dozens of other peds, while hardly any vehicles come past. As noted above, why should the default always be 'go' for cars? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13817#post-170372 Fri, 31 Oct 2014 11:33:36 +0000 chdot 170372@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"No real reason to not change this to an instant switch"</p> <p>Of course there's the default position of being red until a <em>car</em> approaches...</p> <p>(Extra default position - 'and the driver has to get out to press the button')</p> <p>Lights <em>could</em> be programmed (OK plus suitable detector hardware) so that if a car approached at or below the legal speed the lights would change and not slow the car/driver. </p> <p>Would be good in 20mph areas... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13817#post-170369 Fri, 31 Oct 2014 11:21:06 +0000 twq 170369@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The ped/bike crossing on Fishwives Causeway to cross Sir Harry Lauder Rd takes ages. No real reason to not change this to an instant switch. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13817#post-170337 Thu, 30 Oct 2014 23:43:40 +0000 Stickman 170337@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It's an interesting point about timings balancing the needs of cars vs pedestrians/bikes. </p> <p>I know for sure that this isn't a new observation, but at the weekend I stood on Princes St at the corners of Frederick Street then Hanover Street. At each corner there must have been around 100 people waiting to cross. The lights take several minutes to go green for pedestrians and in that time around 30 cars went by in total, most of which had only one occupant. </p> <p>If the council was serious about reducing journey times for the greatest number of people then these lights should default to a green for pedestrians and only change to green for cars at intervals. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13817#post-170336 Thu, 30 Oct 2014 23:37:41 +0000 slowcoach 170336@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"that's not how traffic engineers' minds work..." We're not all the same! Some think differently. Eg Some signals have deliberately been put out of sequence to reduce capacity and discourage cars/improve conditions for pedestrians. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13817#post-170332 Thu, 30 Oct 2014 23:01:06 +0000 chdot 170332@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"This absolutely isn't a pinch point for cars, in the morning all the drivers are heading north towards a traffic jam about a hundred metres north of the lights, and so stopping a greater number of cars at the toucan crossing wouldn't actually slow them down."</p> <p>True, but that's not how traffic engineers' minds work...</p> <p>"Or does someone in a fancy control centre just type something into a keyboard?"</p> <p>Possibly in places like that. </p> <p>Ask Lesley Hinds... (She's in favour of pedestrians.) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13817#post-170331 Thu, 30 Oct 2014 23:00:51 +0000 HankChief 170331@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=11708">Also see a previous successful change</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13817#post-170329 Thu, 30 Oct 2014 22:59:10 +0000 SRD 170329@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>You could either contact the relevant team or the cycling guys. Will be fascinating to hear what they say. Is the signal a dummy? Or just slow? </p> <p>I've only used it a few times, but would agree that it could be faster/more responsive. Have also seen several cars rush it on amber, so be careful.... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=13817#post-170328 Thu, 30 Oct 2014 22:52:11 +0000 UtrechtCyclist 170328@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Does anybody know how the process of changing traffic light sequencing takes place? </p> <p>I'm going through a splurge of lobbying for small, easily fixable things that the council could do to improve the Meadows - Haymarket commute, and one thing that really slows me down is the Toucan crossing across the western approach road near Morrison Crescent. </p> <p>At present it takes around a minute for the lights to change after the button has been pressed (I will get proper data). This is far too slow, often I just bolt through any gaps in the cars.</p> <p>This absolutely isn't a pinch point for cars, in the morning all the drivers are heading north towards a traffic jam about a hundred metres north of the lights, and so stopping a greater number of cars at the toucan crossing wouldn't actually slow them down. I'm never alone crossing the road here, even at ten past seven in the morning, I guess quite a few pedestrians and cyclists access Haymarket this way despite the lack of signage of the route. So speeding up the crossing would improve the experience for pedestrians and cyclists without slowing down anyone.</p> <p>So back to the original question, how does the council change the timing sequence on a pedestrian crossing? Do they need to send engineers out, and if so is it a long, expensive job? Or does someone in a fancy control centre just type something into a keyboard? Would be nice to know what kind of job I'm lobbying for before I start lobbying. </p>