The Buckets by Greg Cravens for February 20, 2025

I used to work in a town where I had to go through a four way stop to go to work. If you actually stopped, you were in danger of getting hit.

Actually – all the evidence is that, when you take the lights away, junctions become safer. Probably because they feel more dangerous, and people take more care. Some places don’t use lights at all (Paris is one famous one). And you’ve only got to experience a busy junction where the lights are temporarily out of order to discover just how cautious people get. The issue, I believe, is that they also slow overall traffic flow.

(Annecdote: A large roundabout close to my last home had large sight screens installed between the entrance and exit lanes at each point, stopping drivers approaching it from seeing what traffic was actually on it for the last 30 yards or so of their approach. Some locals were up in arms about it being “a death trap” – but what ACTUALLY happened was that you automatically slowed right down when you got to the screens, and made sure you could see what was coming round towards you before you entered. I have no figures for it, but I have no doubts whatsoever that it was WAY safer – the mental pressure to not throw yourself out into unknown traffic was HUGE.)

I watch accidents on You Tube and when the lights are out, people just smash into each other. There is an intersection in Fresno CA where people don’t even bother to look at the lights when they work. There dozens of videos of crashes.

Driving is like shopping; some people just can’t wait. Only difference is, an auto weighs FAR more and can do MUCH more damage, than a cart!

The problem with 4-way stops is when people stop at the same time then neither one knows who goes first. Both sit there waiting and then both start to go at the same time.

I’ve noticed that anytime a lighted intersection is instead flashing red, the intersection tends to run better.

My issue with traffic lights are the ones that turn red when there is no cross traffic to allow to proceed. Where is this vaunted AI I keep hearing about?

And the No Turn On Red mean nothing to some people (making a left turn from a 2 way street, crossing a 2 way street and into a 6 lane road).

We had a light that stayed green for about three seconds before it blinked very quickly back to red! The yellow light was purely subliminal…

But that only works for people that obey traffic lights.

The rule is that when in doubt, the vehicle on the right goes first, at least that is how it is in Canada.

Tell the Trust!!!!!!!!!! That is a world problem.

we should use more Round Abouts / Traffic circles.

There’s a light when I leave work that has one of the sensors on the pole to only turn if there are people waiting. It faces west. There are a couple of weeks twice a year when the sun blinds the sensor and it won’t change. Everyone has to turn right, go down to the next light and make a U-turn. I can never remember to take the other exit from the lot during those weeks and go down one more light.

Dad missed the opportunity to explain that complex traffic systems need control mechanisms because of the number of lanes, options and drivers (who are each in their own cars and can’t easily communicate with each other). This is a few steps above “taking turns” when you’re playing a board game with two or three of your friends.

(I know, this is a comic strip. Apologies for injecting a bit of reality into the discussion.)