We live in a day and age in which there are traffic sensors and cameras that provide real-time information to traffic signals so that those traffic signals can thereby adjust from red to green in order to enhance traffic flow. While this has been a material improvement to those “dumb” traffic lights, there is still ample room for improvement, because those traveling along our streets in which there isn’t any other cross traffic impeding their forward motion, are averse to wanting to stop at a traffic signal for apparently no good reason, which is why traffic light efficiency needs to and should improve even more.
No doubt, there are plenty of times during the day when traffic is heavy and so drivers are going to have to stop at traffic lights, and may even have to cycle through a traffic light sequence more than once to cross an intersection. Drivers understand this, and while they might be somewhat frustrated, they correctly comprehend that busy intersections are an exercise in patience and of which there isn’t much that can be done to improve that flow, except for those traffic signals adjusting to whatever direction at the intersection seems to have more traffic than normal.
However, there are plenty of times during the day, such as in the early morning hours, or the late evening hours, or upon those stretches of road in which there never really is heavy traffic, that drivers typically do not desire that they therefore have to slow down and come to a complete stop when there isn’t any cross traffic in sight. To alleviate this type of situation, traffic signals should incorporate any and everything that would help to make the traveling of those roads more efficient for drivers, such as overhead cameras that pick up vehicles at a greater distance from the light than currently done or devices embedded in vehicles which communicate through GPS or similar with traffic lights, as well as more strategically place sensors embedded in the road.
No doubt, the best way to improve that traffic flow would be to experiment with just about anything that reasonably comes to mind that would represent something that is both reliable and cost-efficient to improve traffic flow, which in its own way, would also help reduce carbon emissions, along with providing to drivers of vehicles a more pleasant driving experience, as well as the appreciation of the efficiency and smartness of those traffic signals.
Look, it has to be said, that drivers believe that they are in command of their vehicles, and therefore whenever they come across an obstruction that seemingly doesn’t seem right, such as a red light, when there isn’t any cross traffic, they rightly feel that their implied right of way has been impeded. So then, in an era of hi-technology, it would behoove governmental authorities to do their level best to see that traffic lights serve their intended purpose better by being more efficient in their duties, which thus makes for a better experience for those so traveling the roads.