Comments on: Today’s Headlines

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:26:46 +0000

In NY, there is a delay between the Red light coming on and the Green light turning on for the crossing direction. I think this is why everyone in NY runs the just turned Red light in the first second. There is no danger from crossing cars since they still have Red too. This is also why I can cross the street even as Don't Walk has just stopped flashing and is solid Red. The slack gives me plenty of time with my quick pace to cross even 1st Ave. I tried this in California once, and quickly learned that they don't this time slack before the crossing direction gets the Green, as I was almost run down, and this is certainly no incentive for someone to run the first second of the Red light. If the timing was tightened folks would stop running the just turned Red Light.

By: Streetsman

Streetsman — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:23:36 +0000

I'll tell you one thing that prevents speeding at yellows - raised crosswalks and raised intersections. If you have the vertical deflection designed for 25pmh, I doubt anyone would gun it to 40pmh to make a yellow - it could really damage their axles or the underside of their chassis. Trouble is that, to my knowledge, the city DOT won't install them.

By: Cap'n Transit

Cap'n Transit — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:21:28 +0000

The do-nothing NIMBYism from the New York Times article prompted me to write this blog post about through-running of buses. Christine Berthet, I know you read Streetsblog. Do you think we could get Gottfried to advocate through-running instead of do-nothing NIMBYism?

By: Braddy

Braddy — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:05:54 +0000

"In my dreams, cameras mounted on stoplights capture all offenses and tickets are sent out automatically."

They have that where I live for red light runners (Southern U.S.) Of course, drivers hate the whole system! About 6 months back, they caught a guy who was shoting at cameras with a rifle. Everybody has to drive here, idiots too...

By: Mark Walker

Mark Walker — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:10:09 +0000

ddartley: "It would be great if every damn intersection with a traffic light could be redesigned so that drivers simply don't have the room to speed up to a traffic light...."

In my dreams, cameras mounted on stoplights capture all offenses and tickets are sent out automatically. Of course, in my dreams, there is no budget tightening, no spurious arguments about surveillance, no David Gantt. I'm happiest when asleep.

By: Cap'n Transit

Cap'n Transit — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 16:06:39 +0000

Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, whose district includes the Port Authority area, said his office had fielded numerous complaints about the issue.

“Using the streets of the neighborhood for increased bus pickups or parking is a serious problem in Hell’s Kitchen whether those buses are permitted by the city or not,” he said. “This is a community with enormous traffic and pollution problems.”

Yes, enormous traffic an pollution problems, and they choose to kvetch about the vans? Did I just see an elephant in the room somewhere?

By: Mark Abraham / DNH

Mark Abraham / DNH — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:54:48 +0000

More on the New Haven hearing and other related topics:

http://www.newhavensafestreets.org/2008/09/successful-public-hearing-on-complete.html

By: ddartley

ddartley — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:11:27 +0000

The killing of the two women happened at the corner where I live. I wasn't in town the night it happened.

The NY Times has a witness who says one of the taxis "WAS TRYING TO BEAT THE LIGHT."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/nyregion/05hit.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=%22Stephanie%20Dees%22&st=cse&oref=slogin

I don't care if it sounds unrealistic, the City needs to stop people from trying to beat traffic lights.

I said I don't care if it sounds unrealistic. There is no simple, firm reason the City can't set a goal of eliminating that behavior. This story, and the horrifying story last week of Clarente Turner and his mother (in which, similarly, the driver supposedly didn't do anything wrong (my ass) have pushed me over the fucking edge.

It would be great if every damn intersection with a traffic light could be redesigned so that drivers simply don't have the room to speed up to a traffic light, and while that project is going on, it would be good if the behavior could actually be criminalized so that people doing it in the meantime would actually be stopped, and charged with a very costly violation.

Yeah, sounds unrealistic, doesn't it? I don't care, I'm totally sick of this outrageous behavior which stems from moments of stupid selfishness and produces lifetimes of grief.

I'm serious, I would like to hear if people have ideas on how this can be accomplished.

Just because it's an accepted behavior everywhere doesn't mean it can't change. To paraphrase Mary Beth Kelly, wife of Dr. Nacht, this is New York; we can lead the way on this. We can tell the world the obvious--that in cities, speeding up to try to beat traffic lights is too reckless and dangerous to be allowed.

http://www.livablestreets.com/projects/eliminate-speeding-to-beat-traffic-lights/summary