And all this time I thought Red Green was on PBS!

Steven M Nelson
Willard Hay
http://citizenshipchronicles.blogspot.com/
Get UP! Get OUT! & GET INVOLVED!!!

Someone on this list wanted to know a particular time (hour, day, minute
I assumed) when the east west traffic lights are green and the bells and
traffic bars are coming down.  I just happened to have my pen and
presence of mind to write down the time when I saw that happen again (I
see it frequently) today.  The time was 6:31 pm today (Monday Oct. 10)
and the location was the 50th street/Hiawatha intersection.  Then at
6:37, when I had gone north 8 blocks on Hiawatha to 42nd street, I
noticed the bells clanging and cars going east through the 42 street
intersection as the crossing arms began to drop.  I assumed that the
eastbound traffic on 42nd was moving because they had a green light when
the bells started clanging too.

It is unnerving to be proceeding through green lights and then all of a
sudden having the train bells and traffic bars start clanging and
dropping.   It triggers that "fight or flee" (hit the gas or hit the
brakes) adrenaline rush.  It's definitely a little thrill that keeps the
blood pressure going almost in the same way a kid's ball bouncing into
the street gets your attention.

But if the east/west traffic lights went to yellow first and then to red
whenever a train is approaching, I believe the wait times for those
streets would be even more interminable than they are now.  I have
thought several times while hearing the warning bells clang during green
lights, that it would be nice if the train signals could silently flash
yellow for a few seconds before the full bore clanging and flashing
erupts.  (And maybe I should patent that idea and then sell it to the
Met Council.)

However, there are in fact contradictory signals that happen when the
train lights flash red while the traffic signals still display green.
And, it is a nerve jangling experience.

Dean Lindberg
Minnehaha
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REMINDERS:
1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait.


For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html
For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract
________________________________

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