Traffic lights

[Santofu]

I can't help and notice those metal stands on top of the traffic lights... There are two kinds i saw. One had a triangle and another one looks like a camera aiming down at the intersection.
Everytime I see those, I slow down but I always hold up with the traffic because they were horning at me.

What are those exactly?

[domsme]

oh my god... *facepalm*

[Qmx323]

i think they take pictures

[06TLer]

The one that looks like it's pointing down at the intersection is to observe and detect if there are any cars approaching the intersection so that it can determine if there is a need to change the traffic lights depending on the flow of traffic. I'm not sure what the triangle one is though, maybe someone else can help you out with that one.

[Soundy]

Post pics of what you're talking about.

Some intersections have sensors beside the lights that detect lights and sirens from emergency vehicles and change the signals to help speed them through.

[Santofu]

Well I don't have the pictures, But I google map it.
There is a preview on Moscrop and Patterson facing east that shows two type of things.

[slammer111]

Originally Posted by 06TLer

The one that looks like it's pointing down at the intersection is to observe and detect if there are any cars approaching the intersection so that it can determine if there is a need to change the traffic lights depending on the flow of traffic. I'm not sure what the triangle one is though, maybe someone else can help you out with that one.

Damn, I always thought those were more for news companies so they can tell you which intersections to avoid due to traffic.

[jlenko]

They're cameras alright... but not video cameras to watch traffic, they compare images to figure out when there are cars waiting at the intersection in order to cycle the lights.

Kind of like those coils cut into the road... that set off the light when you're over them. But these are in the air instead and can monitor several lanes at once.

[Soundy]

Yeah, the thing up on the pole high above the light is a camera - they primarily feed video analytics for detecting traffic and controlling the lights, but they can also be monitored by humans.

Dunno what the "triangular" thing is that you're talking about, though.

This is an older-style red-light camera (newer ones are big white triangular boxes perched right atop the pole):
http://goo.gl/maps/ex2b

The little box hanging from the bar beside the light here is a sensor for emergency vehicles - it picks up approaching sirens and strobes so it can change the corresponding light to green:
http://goo.gl/maps/OvXl

[zulutango]

Yep...as long as the siren is on "yelp"...the light will turn in your favour.

[Riddle]

Antennas could be for wireless transmission between traffic signals to synchronize the traffic flow within a corridor or city wide network (costly). Cameras may be for the traffic counts. They can record the vehicle type (passenger/truck), speed, ped counts, etc. This is more for the traffic engineers than the police. They will be able to monitor the traffic condition from these cameras and update the signal timings. Btw, they also put fake red camera boxes to scare the drivers and it works. =)

[Presto]

Originally Posted by Santoku

Everytime I see those, I slow down but I always hold up with the traffic because they were horning at me.

What's your car make/model and license plate? Along with the N that's stuck to the car, that should allow me to spot you easily, and go around your intersection-braking ass.

[wing_woo]

Originally Posted by Santoku

Everytime I see those, I slow down but I always hold up with the traffic because they were horning at me.

Why would you need to slow down when you see those anyways? If you're going with the flow of traffic (and less than 10km over the speed limit) and you thought it was a speed trap device, then you shouldn't slow down, cause you can cause an accident. When they had photo radar, I'd see people slamming on their brakes cause they see the van and I think accidents probably have happened right in front of the photo radar van because of people doing that.

[Soundy]

^I used to work for a company that had the same little Astro vans for service vehicles... the guys liked to park on the side of the highway sometimes and watch everyone slam on their brakes as they went past.

[sebberry]

Ironically those Astro vans used to push road safety were the worst vans on the road at the time for safety:

http://fp.images.autos.msn.com/meris...ery%5C66_1.jpg