Comments on: When traffic signals take the night off

By: Monte

Monte — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:50:11 +0000

It is an inkblot test. If you see a stoplight your a roadgeek. If you see something else, say a dumbell, you’re not.

By: Joe Schmoe

Joe Schmoe — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:25:33 +0000

I’ve been through that intersection just south of 494/169 many times when it wasn’t working, and I’ve always seen people taking turns.

By: lovetodrivegirl

lovetodrivegirl — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:34:51 +0000

Twice now I have come to the controlled intersection of 169 and that light that is just South of 494, when the stoplights are out. In the early morning rush, northbound/southbound traffic was driving through that light like it never existed at all. Some drivers were stopping to give cross traffic time to cross, but most drivers were not. In order to cross to get from Bloomington into Eden Prairie, I’ve had to lay on my horn just to be able to cross that intersection. Once I laid on the horn, drivers did hear and stopped, but I didn’t think I was ever going to be able to cross.

By: Morg

Morg — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:19:10 +0000

Heard the lights at 494/169 were out after a storm last week. Bet that was a treat for commuters. Good thing we still have that half-a$$ed interchange there instead of a full clover leaf or a (gasp!) stack.

By: Joe G

Joe G — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:08:12 +0000

Interesting, I’ll confess that I didn’t know that was in the current driver’s manual. But, there’s no statute that addresses dark signals in section 169.06 (traffic signal regulations). https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/statutes/?id=169.06
Unless there’s something elsewhere in the statutes, but why would it be anywhere else?

I wonder if the driver’s manual authors were considering the all-red flash to be “not functioning”?

By: Josh R

Josh R — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:09:06 +0000

Actually Joe G, that’s incorrect. I’m looking at a current Minnesota driver’s manual right now. Page 55. “If a traffic signal is not functioning, come to a complete stop and then proceed as you would at an intersection with a four way stop.”

The more you know…

By: Joe G

Joe G — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:27:11 +0000

And of course, if there’s a pedestrian or a bicyclist within in the crosswalk at an intersection where the signal is without power, you *would* be legally required to stop for the pedestrian.

Figured I’d better add that before Matty or someone calls me out on it

By: Joe G

Joe G — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:25:21 +0000

In fairness, the “rules” for a dark stop light are not that it becomes a four-way stop (unless it’s flashing red). It actually becomes an uncontrolled intersection, which means yield-to-the-right. When traffic is heavy, this usually means everyone has to stop anyway just to sort it all out. But if you arrive first and there’s no cross traffic, you’re not required to stop at a dark signal. But be prepared to just in case.

By: Josh R

Josh R — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:04:19 +0000

Generally people are pretty cool when there is a temporary disruption of the normal system of traffic lights. Most everybody plays nice and things run surprisingly smoothly. It’s when the light has been out of order for a day or more that you have to watch out, because by then people are use to it and start reverting to type. Then you get some people still following the rules, while others do whatever they can get away with.

By: DrivingInAKilt

DrivingInAKilt — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:13:17 +0000

I can’t be so positive about the Parkway last night between Chicago and the Falls when the power was out for a few hours.

Cedar was behaved because it was busy, but as for the other intersections, people treated it like a race track. I saw several cars noticing cross traffic coming and then gunning it to get across the intersection first rather than stopping.