08-13-2025, 12:46 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-13-2025, 12:49 AM by danbrotherston.)
At least the traffic engineers I’ve spoken to argue the positioning of the traffic signals is a safety feature necessary to make them visible in case drivers do overrun the stop line. It’s a safety feature in the form of permissive safety the same as wide lanes but the same as other permissive safety features it ends up causing the very problem it intends to be resilient to.
However there is an additional problem with stop lights on the far side—in some cases, especially with complex intersections, drivers may cross the bar and enter the intersection, then see the light turn red and wrongly stop in the middle of the intersection because of it.
To me, near side signals make much more sense, it’s the same logic as with stop sign placement.
Unfortunately the OTM requires far side signals. (Maybe it’s possible to have both but both might not be better and would definitely be expensive)
However there is an additional problem with stop lights on the far side—in some cases, especially with complex intersections, drivers may cross the bar and enter the intersection, then see the light turn red and wrongly stop in the middle of the intersection because of it.
To me, near side signals make much more sense, it’s the same logic as with stop sign placement.
Unfortunately the OTM requires far side signals. (Maybe it’s possible to have both but both might not be better and would definitely be expensive)