(08-24-2017, 10:20 PM)ijmorlan Wrote: 3) The pedestrian buttons on both sides are in ridiculous locations. They should be placed so that bicyclists can easily hit them by just stopping and reaching out. On the north side there isn’t even pavement in front of the button. Or better yet, have the lights default to green for the trail, with motor vehicles triggering green lights using detectors in the road. Done right, this wouldn’t have to delay most motor traffic at all.
Not much of a delay, no, but a big hit in fuel consumption. Every time you ask a vehicle to decelerate and accelerate, you're throwing away energy. Even my hybrid isn't immune, and takes a hit, (just not as much as other vehicles). Yeah, it can recouperate much of the energy from deceleration, and reuse it for acceleration, but there are still losses in the system (that's physics). This is something I think the vast majority of the public don't understand. Driving at a slow, steady speed is the generally the most efficient. Everyone wants to floor it when the light goes green - that mentality has to change.
It would be a neat experiment to try, though... (flipping the priority of the lights). I guess you could argue it'd be the same net effect if it were a stop sign.
Utopia would be those predictive-type devices they have in Europe, where you cycle along and get a green just as you approach.
...But now we're back to prioritizing one mode over another. I'm torn, since I like both driving and cycling. I think I'm annoyed more by stopping as a driver, than as a cyclist.
A better system yet would be cameras everywhere that could evaluate when a clump of one type of user comes along. A hundred kids get out of class, and one car is approaching - car gets a red. One person comes up when 3 busses and 43 cars are going through - vehicles get the priority.
I agree the buttons are in a very poor location, as a cyclist!