REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

taylor192 · 12-08-2010, 07:35 AM

Has anyone seen the lighted signs installed on Translink buses? I was wondering how these are legal. There are rules about white/amber/red light being visible to the front/side/rear of the car - how do the buses get around this rule?

Plus it is annoying. Some of the ads are white backgrounds and very bright, your eyes move to it right away to see WTF!

Soundy · 12-08-2010, 08:30 AM

http://www.revscene.net/forums/spott....html?t=591192

skidmark · 12-08-2010, 08:15 PM

Seems to me that they are not legal:

Lighted signs and air deflectors

4.27 (1) A motorvehicle must not be equipped with an illuminated taxi sign except in accordance with conditions set out in writing by the director.

(2) A motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle or taxi, may be equipped with one internally illuminated sign if the sign complies with all of the following:

(a) the sign is securely mounted on the roof of the vehicle, has no moving parts and does not overhang the roof of the vehicle;

(b) the sign does not increase the overall height of the vehicle by more than 50 cm, and the vehicle and sign together do not exceed 4.15 m in overall height;

(c) the surfaces of the sign are illuminated only to the sides of the vehicle and not to the front or rear;

(d) the illuminated surface of the sign is not more than 3 000 cm2 on each side;

(e) the illuminated surfaces of the sign do not depict graphics which resemble any official traffic control device;

(f) the light displayed is uniformly diffused and is a non-flashing light of not more than 32 watts.

(3) Despite subsection (2) (c) and (d), a truck or truck tractor may be equipped with an internally illuminated air deflector mounted on the roof of the truck or truck tractor if

(a) the illuminated surface of the deflector does not exceed 4 700 cm2 in area and is no closer to the road surface than 1.5 m at any point, and

(b) the deflector does not reduce the field of vision of the driver of the vehicle or obscure the clearance or identification lamps.

(4) A public passenger vehicle may be equipped with one or more signs having letters not more than 20 cm in height and illuminated by diffused white light.

(5) For the purposes of section 19.15 (1) (a), a bus may be equipped with not more than one illuminated yield sign if the yield sign

(a) displays, in amber flashes of light, the word "YIELD" so that the word, when illuminated, is visible from a distance of 100 m in normal sunlight,

(b) is mounted to the left side at the rear of the bus,

(c) has an automatic cancellation feature on a timer with a maximum duration of 10 seconds, and

(d) is connected to a tell-tale lamp or device that gives a clear indication to the driver of the bus that the yield sign is in operation

Why not let them know what you think?

http://tripplanning.translink.ca/hiw...tomerComplaint

slammer111 · 12-08-2010, 08:56 PM

The worst thing about those signs is that they don't dim at night. They are 30x worse than HID high beams. Imo they're definitely a safety hazard. I've been blinded / distracted by them (too distracted to even read what the stupid ad said) when they suddenly flash at you in the next lane.

Another sign comes to mind: the one at that hotel on the SW corner of No3 and Sea Island.

sho_bc · 12-09-2010, 03:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slammer111

Another sign comes to mind: the one at that hotel on the SW corner of No3 and Sea Island.

That is indeed an annoying sign when trying to make that right turn at night.

taylor192 · 12-09-2010, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slammer111

Another sign comes to mind: the one at that hotel on the SW corner of No3 and Sea Island.

x3

When I first went by that intersection I thought someone was highbeaming me from behind and I was like WTF is their problem... then I realized it was the sign.

Gumby · 12-09-2010, 11:44 AM

This is so stupid... if we complain, and Translink ends up having to remove them, then it was a huge waste of money. It should have never been approved to begin with.

InvisibleSoul · 12-09-2010, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slammer111

Another sign comes to mind: the one at that hotel on the SW corner of No3 and Sea Island.

LoL... it's got nothing on the sign that's beside the highway somewhere between Vancouver and the Seattle Premium Outlets.

That thing is so bright, you can see it illuminating the sky from miles away... no joke. You see the glow of the sky way before you can actually see the sign, and it's like... WTF is that? Why is the sky bright when it's 3am?

taylor192 · 12-09-2010, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skidmark

Why not let them know what you think?

http://tripplanning.translink.ca/hiw...tomerComplaint

Thanks for the suggestion, I did exactly that. This is the response:

Quote:

The British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has granted an Equipment Exemption Permit with a set of guidelines for the 'led signs'. These signs meet the guidelines set out by the permit and are therefore legal.

I have written back and CC'd the MoT and asked for the guidelines, cause the brightness is retarded.

twitchyzero · 12-09-2010, 02:42 PM

Quote:

The British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has granted an Equipment Exemption Permit with a set of guidelines for the 'led signs'. These signs meet the guidelines set out by the permit and are therefore legal.

sebberry · 12-09-2010, 08:53 PM

Oh come on, government institutions letting similar institutions get away with things that most people wouldn't? Are you honestly surprised?

I can't have a dim LED sign on the back of my car that says "Back the eff off" but the bus gets a display fit for a stadium?

What's next, cops getting away with speeding? Oh.. wait..

taylor192 · 03-03-2011, 12:33 PM

Update: I got a reply from the minister!

I didn't notice that the signs were only on the right side of the bus. I'm still not happy with a bright sign appearing infront of me at an intersection, yet the logic at least makes sense.

Quote:

Dear Chris:

Thank you for your e-mail regarding LED displays on the side of buses in Metro Vancouver. Please accept my apologies for the lateness of this reply.

The ministry's top priority is safety, so I'm pleased to have this opportunity to address your concerns. In 2008 the ministry undertook a pilot project permitting TransLink to install LED display devices on the right side of their buses. The outcome of the pilot project was favourable, and as a result in 2009 the ministry's Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement Branch (CVSE) issued an Equipment Exemption Permit to Translink to continue use of these display devices.

However, there are strict conditions on the use of these devices. The intent of the display is for pedestrian traffic only, so the devices can only be installed on the right side of a bus. As well, it is mandatory that they are fade in and fade out displays and content must not flash, blink or include any black to fully lit display. I recognize there may be occasions where the displays may be visible to drivers at intersections; however, in these situations cross traffic is most likely stationary and at some distance from the bus. It's also worth noting no vehicle incidents or accidents involving these devices have been reported to the ministry.

Should you have further questions about LED displays on buses or the ministry's Equipment Exemption Permits, please don't hesitate to contact Brian Kangas, Program Coordinator for CVSE. Mr. Kangas can be reached at 250 953-4008 or by e-mail at Brian.Kangas@gov.bc.ca and would be pleased to assist you. Ed Miska, the ministry's Section Head of Traffic, Electrical, Highway Safety, Geometric Standards, would be pleased to discuss any driver safety concerns related to the LEDs you may have. Mr. Miska can be reached at 250 387-7676 or by e-mail at Ed.Miska@gov.bc.ca.

Thank you again for taking the time to write.

Sincerely,

Shirley Bond
Minister

Copy to: Peter Milburn
Deputy Minister

Brian Kangas, Program Coordinator
Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement Branch

Ed Miska, Section Head
Traffic, Electrical, Highway Safety, Geometric Standards

Phil@rise · 03-03-2011, 01:59 PM

Great I can install a flat screen on the passenger side of my truck to advertise my business and as long as it meets these requirements and I'm sure every officer is fuly aware of these requirements then its legal and I wont get hassled over it.
Thats soooo cool.

I must admit tho that one of these hasn't bothered me in the slightest and is only visible when at an intersection and I'm already at a stop.

Gumby · 03-03-2011, 02:03 PM

Hmm I didn't notice that they were only on the right side of buses either...

But it's great to get an answer on this subject.

Presto · 03-03-2011, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil@rise

Great I can install a flat screen on the passenger side of my truck to advertise my business and as long as it meets these requirements and I'm sure every officer is fuly aware of these requirements then its legal and I wont get hassled over it.
Thats soooo cool.

You'd have to get an Exemption Permit like Translink has. Find out how to get a permit, and go nuts!