[reaperexpress]

In the exotic location of Oshawa, the countdown shows how much time is left for the walk signal.
[sarcasm] How silly of them.[/sarcasm]

If they can count down from the beginning of the phase to the end, it means that the phase duration is not determined based on the users currently present at the intersection.

If you try to put a countdown on a signal which does determine green durations in real time, you end up with something which certainly is silly:

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

If they can count down from the beginning of the phase to the end, it means that the phase duration is not determined based on the users currently present at the intersection.

If you try to put a countdown on a signal which does determine green durations in real time, you end up with something which certainly is silly:

Forces the people to actually LOOK at the traffic signals, and NOT ASSUME.

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

What else do Montréal and New York City have in common? Both are on islands! Except for the Bronx when it comes to New York City.

Toronto can have a canal running along its city limits so that Toronto can become an island.

I'm pretty sure the entirety of new York State is a no right on red jurisdiction, unless that's changed in recent times..

I distinctly remember signs when crossing the border stating as much.

 

[nfitz]

I'm pretty sure the entirety of new York State is a no right on red jurisdiction, unless that's changed in recent times..

I don't recall ever seeing turns on red restricted anywhere in the USA except New York City, going back to the 1980s.

There did used to be signs on the border from New York to Quebec, when the entire province used to restrict turns.

Edit - looks like New York state changed in 1975, as part of the oil crisis - https://www.nytimes.com/1977/04/11/...-many-in-new-york-and-new-jersey-finding.html

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

It seems in Toronto and Ontario, they do not want to EVER change their "guide book". I'm sure in Europe, if they want to try something new, they'll just experiment despite the "guide book", and if it works, then the change the "guide book" based on the experience.

Wasn't always that way. Used to be a time where we had "ADVANCED GREEN WHEN FLASHING". That was replaced with the green arrow. BTW. In Québec, their "advanced " turn sometimes occurs AFTER. Some places still don't have arrows, so some are more slow to change than here.

Re the ny driver.
Meh I'd rather someone have the attitude "when in doubt wait it out" rather than just assume other drivers will make way for them. Driving in a foreign jurisdiction can be confusing.

We rented a car while in Curacao and couldn't for the life of us understand what the yellow diamond signs meant (clearly I haven't played enough cities skylines) which indicated that we were on a priority road and that crossing streets were supposed to yield to us. Here there would be at least stop signs for the side streets if not all way stops.

We were also used to our roundabout laws where you yield to the vehicles in the round about and had a few friendly drivers literally stop to let us in bc, I guess, we had the right of way?

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

I don't recall ever seeing turns on red restricted anywhere in the USA except New York City, going back to the 1980s.

There did used to be signs on the border from New York to Quebec, when the entire province used to restrict turns.

Edit - looks like New York state changed in 1975, as part of the oil crisis - https://www.nytimes.com/1977/04/11/...-many-in-new-york-and-new-jersey-finding.html

Hmm . I've never been to NYC bit we would travel to Syracuse to visit relatives fairly regularly in the 80s and I swear back then N.Y. state had no right on red laws.

I blame the Mandela effect.

 

[Towered]

New lights installed at Dupont and Huron.

 

[mike0001]

Speaking of dangerous crossings I wonder if there are any plans for this crossing that seems incomplete. On the West side there is very clearly a path but currently no traffic signal.

So I was cycling Southbound along here this afternoon (August 27) and saw that they installed a new traffic signal for the crossing! It hasn't been activated yet but it's something to look forward to!

 

[Towered]

New lights installed at Islington and Finchley. This breaks up an exceedingly long stretch of Islington from Dundas all the way to Rathburn that previously had no traffic lights. I would certainly add some more.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

New lights installed at Islington and Finchley. This breaks up an exceedingly long stretch of Islington from Dundas all the way to Rathburn that previously had no traffic lights. I would certainly add some more.

Obvious locations should be at bus stops. Maybe adding a few corner stores in the process.

 

[DSCToronto]

Obvious locations should be at bus stops. Maybe adding a few corner stores in the process.

The TTC has been closing stops NOT at traffic light controlled intersections, though there still are some, I think.

 

[Monarch Butterfly]

The TTC has been closing stops NOT at traffic light controlled intersections, though there still are some, I think.

The TTC wants to eliminate closely spaced stops. For safety reasons, we want traffic lights at transit stops, since crosswalks tend to be ignored by motorists. Worse are the transit stops without any crosswalks or traffic signals.

 

[Towered]

Obvious locations should be at bus stops. Maybe adding a few corner stores in the process.

Good luck changing the yellowbelt designation along this major "avenue".

 

[Towered]

New traffic light finally being installed at Dundas and Quebec in the Junction. This one has been a no-brainer to me for ages, so I'm baffled why it took until now for it to actually happen.

 

[reaperexpress]

I happened to notice in Streetview that they were installing a new traffic signal at Yonge & Price/Marlborough, which is insanely close to the existing signals at Yonge & Scrivener Square (75 metres) and at Yonge & Macpherson/Rowanwood (88 metres). To put that into perspective, each of these minor intersections is about 30 metres wide, which will leave about 45 metres of space between them.

I couldn't believe that City staff would approve such a nonsensical location for a traffic signal, and it tuns out that actually they didn't.

Councillor Mike Layton requested a signal at that location, since a guy who works on Price Street (a dead end with 8 buildings) is worried traffic will increase with the condo development on the south side of Scrivener Square, and it will take him too long to turn left on Yonge when he drives home at the end of the day. Staff rejected the request for a signal, because it's exceedingly close to the other existing signals, and that traffic from the Scrivener Square development can use the existing traffic signals at (you guessed it!) Scrivener Square.

From the staff report:

But then during the City council meeting regarding the signal, Councillor Joe Cressy motioned to build the signals anyway, and the motion was passed without a counted vote. So the signals got built.

If this is the way that transport planning occurs - by untrained elected officials disregarding the engineers and planners who have spent their careers learning how to make streets safer - then it should not be any surprise that traffic safety is so poor in Toronto.

In places where Vision Zero programs are implemented thoughtfully and systematically, the intersection would have been evaluated for a variety of intersection changes to improve safety, not just a yes/no on signals. In this case, running a median along Yonge Street would prevent the left turns which were apparently the problem at this intersection, and it would make it safer for pedestrians to cross Yonge. The safety of pedestrians walking along Yonge could also be improved by extending the raised sidewalk across Price/Marlborough, slowing down turning car traffic.

Of course the councillors didn't consider any of these options, because they're not traffic engineers. But apparently they think they are, because they approved the installation of these signals in the name of safety, despite being told by their own traffic engineers that the signals would make the road network less safe by eroding the respect that citizens have for traffic engineering.

It's not just drivers who are frustrated by unnecessary waits, it's all people, especially while walking and cycling. Many pedestrians and cyclists along Yonge aren't going to stop at this signal, they will look at it and decide that it was stupid to have a signal anyway and just walk/bike across when there's no traffic.