Saturday night I went to pick up Jake from a birthday party. On the way back home, I was heading north on 185th sitting in the left turn lane to go west on Farmington. I was the first vehicle in the lane and pulled up near the crosswalk and listened to Jake tell me about the party while I waited for our left turn signal to go green. After a couple of minutes, it seemed like we had been there a little longer than we should have--like every other lane of traffic had an opportunity to go, except us. Another 30 seconds to a minute passed and the next thing I notice in the side mirror is a middle-aged man approaching my side of the vehicle. I alternated keeping an eye on the light and this man, confused as to what was going on. Was he in trouble? No, he didn't look like he was in "need". There was purpose in his strides as he stomped up to the driver's side window.
I rolled the window down not sure what to anticipate, though I vividly recall never feeling like I was in danger. I don't even remember what he looked like, but he spat out,
and I quote:
"You've got to get on the DAMN sensors!"
My eyes were wide as I tried to register his words and anger. My response was out of my mouth before I had time to think.
"Oh....Okay."
Once he knew I heard him (as if that would have been a problem) AND understood him, he stomped back to his truck behind me.
As I rolled the window back up, there was silence. Jake quietly piped up from the passenger seat and asked the obvious. "Soooo....you weren't on the sensors?"
"Apparently not."
That's what I don't understand. I was MAYBE 4-6 inches from the beginning of the crosswalk. I thought it was illegal to be in the crosswalk. I slowly pulled up, but not much so I could continue to avoid the crosswalk (which is at a slight angle in that lane, starting further back on the left side where we were). And then, miraculously, we got our green arrow.
Huh. I didn't even know the sensors existed.
I actually had to chuckle on my way home thinking about that guy. Here he is, stuck behind a vehicle whose driver has no clue that she's the reason why there's no green arrow. All the honking in the world wouldn't solve the problem. So he did the only thing he could think to do. Granted, he could have done it without the profanity and anger. It's not like I was avoiding the sensors to purposely antagonize him. All in all, I was grateful this man's display of road rage wasn't any more than it was.
So where are those sensors and why am I just now finding out about this? Are all intersections like that? Is this just a local thing?
3 comments:
Look for the little wire circles in the road. They're induction loops that basically detect the metal of your car. Many traffic lights are controlled by them. If the person at the front of the line isn't pulled up far enough (it sounds like you were, in this case - they're pretty big loops), the light doesn't know there are cars waiting. Most lights I've seen have two sensors in each lane - one at the head of the line, and one further back. They can be problematic when a motorcycle is at the head of the line - sometimes they don't get picked up.
Glad nothing worse happened!
They are everywhere. I always think about them as I pull up. That is why its tricky to turn in snow. There is actually a whole branch of civil engineering devoted just to roads called traffic engineering. It involves lots of things placement of signs, timing of lights, speed limits. I have had friends that have worked for udot and other dot's in other states.
I was behind an ambulance the other day that did the same thing. I thought at least an ambulance driver should know about them! I just went around him instead of swearing at him :)
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