🚀 go-pugleaf

---and without  knowledge of what it is, the honest driver is at a real
disadvantage.  Do I make a hard stop, risking a skid (and rear-ending by the
guy behind me who isn't maintaining "Assured Clear Distance"? (Yeah, I know,
he shouldn't -- but I can't stop him).  Or do I assume that the timing is
such that a relatively easy stop is required -- and if I'm too close to the
intersection for that, then I should go thru?  How do I know?  (This is the
kind of dilemma drivers face every day.)

Paul R

"Paul S. Wolf" <paul.s.wolf@alum.wpi.edu> wrote in message
news:3B1D6A91.F737FA93@alum.wpi.edu...
> Paul R wrote:
> >
> > Is there a standard for how long a yellow is supposed to last?  Like 2
> > seconds?  5 seconds?  10 seconds?  I guess this translates into "Just
> > how hard am I supposed to stomp my brakes to get stopped?"  Please
> > note:  I agree that Yellow means "Stop if safe to do so", but without
> > I knowledge of how long the yellow is, how do I know what that means?
> >
> > Paul R
>
> There is no fixed length.  The Yellow is calculated based on the speed
> of traffic, width of the intersection, perception time factors, and
> sometimes the distance between the detector and stop line.
>
> TYPICAL lengths are between 3 and 5 seconds.  If the yellow is much
> longer than that, then people will assume the signal is malfunctioning.
> If a longer clearance period is needed, the All-Red period can be used
> or extended.
>
> The "dilemma" zone is one of the hardest factors to calculate when
> developing a timing pattern for signals, especially on high speed rural
> or suburban highways.
>
> --
> Paul S. Wolf, PE                       mailto:Paul.S.Wolf@alum.wpi.edu
> Traffic Engineer,  Cuyahoga County Engineer's Office,  Cleveland, Ohio