I saw a good article on c/upliftingnews about AI improving traffic signal controllers. It’s good and all, I just can’t help but think of the “look at what they need to have a fraction of our power” meme while reading it

    • Isoprenoid@programming.devEnglish
      3712·
      1 year ago

      Yes, but you don’t need lights if there are only bikes. Lights are there to prevent heavy vehicles from colliding. If there are no heavy vehicles, then the lights aren’t needed.

      • jungle@lemmy.world
        1913·
        1 year ago

        So you’re ok with getting hit by another bike (or several) when you go through an intersection.

        Unless you live in a small town, if everyone used bikes, city centre intersections would be mostly mountains of crashed bikes and people trying to get out of that mess while more bikes continue to pile on.

          • jungle@lemmy.world
            512·
            1 year ago

            I couldn’t watch the first video, all I see is an ad. The second video is not an intersection.

            That said, a roundabout does solve the issue, both for cars and bicycles.

            • Mausbiber@lemmy.world
              132·
              1 year ago

              Just reload and watch the video. Humans evolved for that speed, which is the reason we don’t need traffic lights to avoid people bouncing into each other in busy pedestrian areas. The same translates well for bicycles.

              Only once we start putting tons of metal around us, allow for super fast acceleration, and isolate ourselves from our surroundings by blocking view and and sounds, this becomes an issue.

              • jungle@lemmy.world
                412·
                1 year ago

                So you’re saying bikes going at 30 km/h are the same as people walking. Got it.

                • frostbiker@lemmy.ca
                  101·
                  1 year ago

                  People biking at scramble intersections do not ride at 30Kph. Acting in good faith helps maintaining a friendly discussion.

                • yetAnotherUser@feddit.de
                  1·
                  1 year ago

                  The average speed of bicycles is roughly 20 km/h:

                  The average travelling speed in Copenhagen is 15.5 km/h for cyclists and 27 km/hour for cars. In places with green wave for cyclist the average speed is 20.72 km/h.

                  Source (2013)

        • maynarkh@feddit.nl
          181·
          1 year ago

          I live in the Netherlands. There are so many bikes there is traffic jams out of bikes, there are piles of bikes everywhere.

          No, you don’t need traffic lights for bikes, only if there are high speed heavy vehicles. I wouldn’t even say it’s just the heaviness, it’s the heaviness coupled with speed that makes them necessary.

          • jungle@lemmy.world
            63·
            1 year ago

            Ok, I need to experience this myself, but I’ll take your word for it.

            I was just thinking of the normal speed I cycle at when going to work, which is 25 - 30 km/h, and can’t imagine that not causing issues on intersections if there were no red lights.

            Of course the answer is to slow down at intersections :)

    • kimpilled@infosec.pubEnglish
      101·
      1 year ago

      Yes, but depending on the locality they may only need to treat it as a stop sign (and can proceed if it’s clear) instead of waiting for a green.

    • jeffhykin@lemm.ee
      61·
      1 year ago

      Not always (which I’ll mention in a moment) but:

      • The trivial point was; car wait times are reduced when there are less cars.
      • The main point is; even from a bike perspective its not about stopping/not-stopping, it’s about wait time. I have NEVER had so many bikes in front of me that I missed the cross-walk signal and had to wait a whole other red-light cycle. Comparatively I regularly have that happen to me in a car. Idk if its a 30% improvement but its less time waiting at red lights.
      • Finally, technically no, bikes don’t always have to (legally) wait at red lights. This is only a technicallity but some crosswalks, like several in my town (or the iconic one in Japan), we get the walk signal on red. My town is also unusual by officially allowing bikes on pedestrian paths. So bikes can legally cross on red.
    • 1rre
      1·
      1 year ago

      At least in Central London they have separate lights for bikes that go green a few seconds earlier, so even if you are required to stop then the lights are on for longer

      Often as a cyclist it’s even faster to stop at the lights as you start earlier than the people who edge right up to the stream of traffic as all the cars fo through on amber/red and so are going 10-15mph by the time they start

    • sock@lemmy.world
      19·
      1 year ago

      bikes dont have to do anything. bikes arent cars they just pretend to be to muck up traffic