Idea: Drive-on Flashing Red system

Also on YouTube for fullscreen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVbDYHSeCLI

RH:
1. Having commuted by bus most of my younger life, then also by metro trains when these were built, and lastly driving my wife's car in recent years, I have most of the usual experiences of a pedestrian and a driver.

2. As a pedestrian, I appreciate the pedestrian-push-button-controlled Traffic Light Controlled Pedestrian Crossings. As a driver, I am annoyed when I have to stop at one of these when there's nobody crossing; or when someone crosses in just a few seconds but I have to wait out the entire Red Light, until it turns Green.

3. In the video above, I have captured a scene when nobody's crossing at the Traffic Light Controlled Pedestrian Crossing just below my flat. I spent only half an hour and got several examples of which this is the best -- or worst. When vehicles waited out the entire ~20sec or so but nobody was crossing. It seems to me that this is stupid. Surely, there must be a better way? Here is one attempt.

4. Paramount is safety of the pedestrians. It is easy to make a rule overnight, to let vehicles stopped at a Traffic Light Controlled Pedestrian Crossing, to drive on when nobody's crossing, or when all the pedestrians have already crossed -- even if the traffic light still remains red. But this could be dangerous.

5. Suppose we do just that: change the rule so that vehicles can drive on through the red light if they see that nobody's crossing or everybody has crossed safely. After all, there are precedents: at Bukit Batok West Ave 3 is a LEFT TURN ON RED sign at the T-junction that allows vehicles to turn left even when the traffic light shows red. However, this is not dangerous because this driving through a red light is only for vehicles approching from the long end of the T and only for the Left Turn [cannot drive through the horizontal bar of the T, so vehicles have to slow for the turn anyway, so quite safe to turn left after having checked that no vehicles are approaching from the right]. A pedestrian crossing like the one discussed is along a straight road, so approach speeds of vehicles will be much higher than slowing for a Left Turn On Red junction. This means that if the rule is changed to allow vehicles to drive on through the red light, drivers will tend not to stop and drive through fast. Besides being dangerous to allow drivers the habit to drive through red lights, there could be situations when a pedestrian may somehow not be seen by the approaching driver and he/she steps onto the crossing when the driver, not seeing the pedestrian, speeds through without stopping. Fatal accidents can happen. This is very possible since the pedestrian will have seen the Green Walking Man light up for him to cross, so may not check for oncoming traffic, while the driver, also thinking he has the right to drive on through the red light, may not see the pedestrian, with tragic results.

6. One way is to retain the injunction to stop at Red Lights. This will avoid drivers developing a bad habit of driving [legally] through red lights. However, we still need to let drivers who have already stopped at the Traffic Light Controlled Pedestrian Crossing to drive on when nobody's crossing or everybody has crossed safely, otherwise the stupid scenario in my video will continue to happen. We can do this by letting drivers drive on when the Red Light begins FLASHING, indicating "Proceed if safe" mode. It is easy to change a circuit board controller to make the red light come on as usual, then after, say, 3 sec, start flashing. This red light of 3 sec followed by the usual length of 'crossing time' [~20sec in my video] will force vehicles to stop on seeing the red or flashing red light, but after the 3sec or so, may drive on when the Flashing Red Light begins, provided of course, nobody is crossing or everybody has crossed safely.

7. All that remains is to ensure that all vehicles MUST stop on seeing the Red Light or Flashing Red light at the Traffic Light Controlled Pedestrian Crossing. After vehicles have stopped, they may drive on DURING THE FLASHING RED ONLY [about 3sec after the Red Light] provided it is safe to do so. This will require mass media announcements, immediate inclusion of this new feature in all the Traffic Rules books or Highway Code books, questions in Highway Code written and oral tests, websites, letters to all driving licence holders, posters at all car showrooms and bus interchanges, etc. If the success of the Left Turn On Red signs are indicative, this new sign should be equally successful. I have encountered now and then, at the Left Turn On Red sign at Bukit Batok West Ave 3, some vehicles which stopped, not knowing they could turn Left on red, but some honking from behind quickly educated them. Make the new signs big and readable from afar as part of the education process. There should be no major problems.

8. This new system not only conveniences drivers and results in higher average speeds throughout the islet, but by so doing, allow even more such Traffic Light Controlled Pedestrian Crossings to be set up thus conveniencing pedestrians as well. Thus, pedestrians will also gain from this new system. So, win-win for all. Proposed sign: "STOP FIRST on Red or Flashing Red, then drive on if nobody's crossing." Happy Chinese New Year.

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RH: ME ON VIDEO DESCRIBING lky lhl wks NUMEROUS ELECTION RIGGINGS:
http://i-came-i-saw-i-solved-it.blogspot.com/search/label/Video%20RH%20on%20LKY%20LHL%20WKS%20cheating%20elections

MY ACQUAINTANCE, MR DAVID DUCLOS, A FORMER POLICE INSPECTOR, AND HIS LAWYER FRIEND, EYEWITNESSED LEE KUAN YEW RIGGING THE 1997 CHENG SAN GRC ELECTION. READ MORE AT MY BLOG ENTITLED "I CAME, I SAW, I SOLVED IT" :
http://i-came-i-saw-i-solved-it.blogspot.com/

MY ONLINE POLICE REPORT ON LKY LHL WKS CHEATING ELECTIONS:
http://i-came-i-saw-i-solved-it.blogspot.com/2009/06/police-report-lee-ky-lhl-wks-cheating_02.html

THE MOST COMPLETE RUBBISHING OF LEEconomics EVER:
http://i-came-i-saw-i-wrote-it.blogspot.com/2009/06/most-complete-rubbishing-of-leeconomics.html

[ALSO AT THE ABOVE BLOG, LIE KUAN YEW's LIES, CORRUPTION, WRONGFUL JAILING, TORTURE AND BEATING TO DEATH OF INNOCENT POLITICAL PRISONERS LIKE MR CHAN HOCK HUA]

READ ALSO MARTYN SEE's INTERVIEW WITH ME AT:
http://singaporerebel.blogspot.com/

ALSO AT:
http://i-came-i-saw-i-wrote-it.blogspot.com/2007/03/filmmaker-martyn-see-interviews-robert.html

FOR QUICK, IRREVERENT REASONS WHY LIE KY DESERVES A NOBEL:
http://i-came-i-saw-i-solved-it.blogspot.com/search/label/Not%20nominated%20for%20a%20Nobel%20so%20LIE%20KY%20gives%20himself%20many%20others

MY ARCHIVE OF WORKS AT:
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PHOTOS OF LIE KY SCRATCHING MY WIFE's NEW CAR:
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NOT GUILTY BUT TORTURED, DEGRADED 15 YEARS FOR PUBLICITY, FUN
http://i-came-i-saw-i-solved-it.blogspot.com/2009/05/not-guilty-but-tortured-degraded-15.html

WHY SINGAPORE HAS NO ECONOMY
http://i-came-i-saw-i-solved-it.blogspot.com/2009/10/why-singapore-has-no-economy.html
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