Waiting Patiently at Traffic Lights

I'm very pleased with this post title.  It inlvolves one of these:

That is a patient transport ambulance.  A vehicle that is use to transport infirm people to and from medical locations in a non-emergency situation - for example if they are in a care home and need to go for some tests at a specific hospital.

This post also involves the one-and-a-half minutes of video in this link from BBC News. I tried embedding the link but either the link is rubbish or my browser is rubbish. Incidentally, I've worked out why I don't like the new BBC News Website - it's because they've done away with the ticker at the top highlighting the latest headlines.

Apparently, in Newcastle, there is a trial going on of a device allowing the drivers of patient transport ambulances to change red traffic lights to green as they approach. This seems to be improving journey times by about 10% and "It is hoped the reduction in waiting times at traffic lights could help reduce pollution and save on fuel."

Well it might save them time and fuel and pollution but it won't do anything for those waiting to travel in the other direction so the net gain will be zero.

A better use they describe is that taxi drivers could change the lights when the roads are quiet.  Having driven around at silly o'clock in the morning I can see the logic in this.  It would need some sort of timing control on the device though or taxi drivers would be using it all through the day annoying other drivers more than they usually do.


I wonder how long it would be before these devices went on sale - either via the black market or via Halfords.  Or, more likely, via the Internet.  They may not be illegal.  The device certainly shouldn't be made available to everyone - that way anarchy lies with two drivers approaching the same junction from different directions both trying to change the lights in their favour.

The report also suggests a downloadable app which could predict when lights are going to change and tell you what speed you should drive at in order to get there when they are green.  If that worked it would be a very good idea in terms of fuel efficiency except:

• drivers would be staring at their phones and speedometers instead of the road.
• drivers already at the lights who don't have the app will be queued up causing you to stop anyway.
• patient transport ambulances coming the other way will mean the predictions are wrong.

I don't really get why the patient transport ambulances should get the priority anyway.  Surely it makes more sense to give the devices to the real emergency vehicles.  The report implies that they don't need them because they are already allowed to go through red lights.  But:

• it must be much safer to speed through a green light than a red one.
• other vehicles already at the red lights should not go through them even if a blue-light vehicle is behind them (I refer you back to my post from Feb 2013) so your emergency vehicle can get trapped, possibly waiting for a patient transport ambulance coming the other way.

So, in summary, yes develop the technology.  But be very careful who you give it so.

Seems patently obvious to me.  And patiently obvious