[PRCo] Re: Stupid questions....

[Fred Schneider]

They were one and the same.   You did remember them.   But our  
Federal government decided all signals in all states should be  
uniform.   I agree with the Federal government but it stopped short  
of reality.

It still allows Texas and Louisiana to hang signals horizontally.    
We have states which use either solid red (Texas) over a left turn  
lane and others that use red arrows for left turns ... then we wonder  
why we have light rail collisions with cars turning left in front of  
them in Houston.   And we only adopted part of the International  
signage so that people coming on vacation from Europe or moving in  
from Mexico get confused.

I think the framers of our constitution were correct in the 1770s  
when they left all powers now delegated to the Federal government in  
the constitution to the states.   Because interstate commerce was no  
big deal in 1776, it was only proper that the states have it.   But  
for God's sakes guys, the time has come for a constitutional  
amendment to give it to Washington so that all states are forced to  
have one national vehicle code.

I can drive all the way across Europe and have essentially one code  
but I can't drive across the U. S. and have one law the tells me if I  
turn left, which lane of the street I'm turning into I must use.   Do  
I pick the nearest lane and then move over?   Or can I pick the  
first, second or third lane as I'm turning the corner.  Depends on  
the state.   And can I make a left turn on red from a one-way street  
to another one-way street?   Also depends on the state.

I like driving across Germany where they rigorously post the orange  
right-of-way targets at each intersection (other countries are  
sometimes negligent of the rule).   These are roughtly 6 inch square  
orange blocks mounted at a 45 degree angle on a post telling you that  
your side of the street has the right-of-way and that the other side  
of the street has the stop signs or yield signs.   Get that guys ...  
they mark all sides of all intersections ... if you don't see a sign,  
then stop and look.

OK, I'll get off my soap box until someone else triggers me.

On Mar 11, 2007, at 6:08 PM, Mark McGuire wrote:

> I remember those signals Fred, and I'm 44. If I recall, they were
> only in the city limits. Oh, nevermind. I was talking about vehicle
> signals while you were talking about pedestrian signals. Now that I
> do not remember.
>
> -- Fred Schneider <fwschneider at comcast.net> wrote:
> Going back to Marietta, Ohio ... before standardization they used two-
>
> color signals.   The red flashed three times and then the green went
> out and the red came on solid.    Worked fine.
>
> Someone ought to bright this back to Pittsburgh if not for
> trolleys.   Remember the local version of walk / don't walk
> lights.
> Green, then green plus amber for don't walk, then amber, then red.
>
> Am I showing my age guys?
>
> On Mar 10, 2007, at 5:27 PM, robert netzlof wrote:
>
>> --- John Swindler <j_swindler at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Likewise, why do we need a yellow signal at an intersection.
>>> Think of all the money that could be saved with only a two
>>> aspect signal?
>>
>> I seem to recall seeing many such in New York city in the late
> 1950s.
>>
>> Bob Netzlof a/k/a Sweet Old Bob
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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