Cancel the jet to Milan Jeeves, we've got Euro Styled traffic lights now.

So can we take it that these style lights have been deemed a failure? They were installed at the new intersection near the Nishi building, and were terrible – coming around the corner, it was striking just how much less visible the lights were than the old style ones a little further down the road. In the same way that a sight screen is necessary in cricket, the black background makes the lights stand out far more than no border.

Some time this week they’ve been replaced with the old style lights. I wonder whether the other ones will meet the same fate?

Dunno about the Euro style. . But the count down traffic lights in parts of Asia that count down the seconds til the lights change mean that everyone at the lights no matter which way your facing have the same information . . . And hence you are really not keen to run a red light . . Knowing the guy in the opposite direction is revving up to take off . . .

The first time I saw the countdown style lights was in India, and then in Bangkok. The Indian ones were especially entertaining – the traffic stopped at the red would set off with 5 seconds to go on the countdown, while the traffic on the green wouldn’t stop for at least 5 seconds after the red. The ensuing chaos could teach our footballers a lot about how to form a scrum.

I also note that the new lights at Osbourne Drive / Southern Cross Drive don’t qualify for these new style lights – we’re stuck with the old school clunkers. I guess we’re just not urbane enough for nice things out in West Belco…

The anticipation of the light changing is the best part. It’s like a mini adrenaline rush every 200 metres.

Pork Hunt: I thought I was passing through intersections to get from A to B, not to play a game of Spotto

Mr Gillespie said :

Random #1: Hear hear.

Watto #23, so what you’re saying is that we should just be kept GUESSING when the lights will change? No, I prefer it if I knew how long I had to sit there (at the red), or when in advance the green light will change instead of being surprised before making it across the intersection legally.

I, on the other hand, prefer to be pleasantly surprised by the green light when its turn arrives. I suggest you carry a hand held stop watch (not the one on your smart phone) and familiarise yourself with the timings of all your favourite traffic lights. It’s a game like spoto/spotto and all the family can play…

Hoochiemumma, they are sexxy

And people wonder why outsiders call Canberra boring…

Random #1: Hear hear.

Watto #23, so what you’re saying is that we should just be kept GUESSING when the lights will change? No, I prefer it if I knew how long I had to sit there (at the red), or when in advance the green light will change instead of being surprised before making it across the intersection legally.

Those traffic lights with the countdown would be useless in Canberra. It would just let people know to speed up to make the green light 🙂