• naeap@sopuli.xyz
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    2 hours ago

    At least here in Austria we often have left turning lanes, that have a magnetic sensor/loop in the street and the traffic light only switches, when you’re on top off it.
    People stopping way too early and especially people leaving too much space between cars is really infuriating in the city…

    • marcos@lemmy.world
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      2 hours ago

      Those sensors are the apex of Modernist arrogance, where people just decide they know every detail about any system they look at and can control everything.

      There is no single place where they work. But at least people have been steadily removing them for the last 30 years.

      • naeap@sopuli.xyz
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        1 hour ago

        I’m not really sure, if I understood you

        In streets with high traffic, the left turning red light only goes to green, if someone is actually there waiting. Because else it would make a longer red phase for the opposite drivers going straight

        So, it seems like an improvement to me

        What am I missing?

        • marcos@lemmy.world
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          1 hour ago

          What am I missing?

          Every traffic situation where people would need to cross but there won’t be a car stopper exactly over the sensor.

          Not exhaustively:

          • pedestrians

          • motorcycles

          • bicycles

          • cars stopped at the wrong place

          • naeap@sopuli.xyz
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            1 hour ago

            Ah, I see, thanks

            Well, die pedestrians there is usually a button at the crossover, so they get priority and a green light soon

            Bicycles at such crossings usually have a bike lane, because it’s (usually) only at high traffic crossings - and else they can use the pedestrian button

            Not sure about motorcycles though.
            Haven’t seen issues personally, but I can imagine, that the sensors aren’t trimmed to motorcycles sometimes.
            But have to say, that in every occasion I’ve had a motorcycle in front of me on such a sensor, it worked.
            Statistically probably not relevant though…