City Trials Traffic Light That Only Turns Green When You’re Under Speed Limit
By Alexa Heah, 12 May 2023
Brossard in Quebec, Canada, has recently unveiled an experimental traffic light it plans to trial in the city. Unlike the usual signals that turn from green to amber to red based on a timer, this special one will only turn green for drivers that keep under the speed limit.
The district will be the first in the country to test the innovation—dubbed feu de ralentissement éducatif (educational traffic-calming light)—that remains red until it senses an oncoming vehicle. It will then switch directly to green if the car isn’t speeding.
According to StreetsblogMASS, engineers decided to put the technology to the test near a school zone that has a history of throttle-happy drivers. While this is the first time such measures have been deployed in Canada, it appears similar signals have been used in Europe for years.
Since the traffic light has begun its 90-day trial period on the two-lane street, Brossard Mayor Doreen Assaad reported that average vehicle speeds have dropped significantly from 25 mph to 18 mph.
Could this be a viable idea to force speeding drivers to slow down at dangerous junctures? Or will it cause an inconvenience for others who typically keep to the speed limit? Let’s see how the rest of the test goes.
[via Boing Boing and Jalopnik, images via Signalisation Kalitec Inc]