Automobile Enthusiasts
Related: About this forumWhite traffic lights, adding a fourth colour.
I hadn't heard of this concept before.
Since AV can communicate wtih themselves there needs to be a way for them to communicate with human drivers.
The white light will mean follow the car infront.
https://www.traffictechnologytoday.com/news/intersections/researchers-propose-fourth-light-on-traffic-signals-white-for-avs.html
Three-colour traffic signals have been in use for over 100 years with little change to their functionality, but now researchers at North Carolina State University believe the time may have come for a change they propose a fourth white light to signal to human drivers when it is time to let autonomous vehicles dictate traffic flow.
The proposed new system would enable autonomous vehicles to help control traffic flow and let human drivers know whats going on. In computational simulations, the new approach significantly improves travel time through intersections and reduces fuel consumption.
This concept were proposing for traffic intersections, which we call a white phase, taps into the computing power of autonomous vehicles (AVs) themselves, says Ali Hajbabaie, corresponding author of the paper and an associate professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering at NC State. The white phase concept also incorporates a new traffic signal, so that human drivers know what they are supposed to do. Red lights will still mean stop. Green lights will still mean go. And white lights will tell human drivers to simply follow the car in front of them.
Old Crank
(5,151 posts)This sounds like an effort to further marginalize active transportation since road usage will be geared towards some kind of automobile.
Bernardo de La Paz
(52,062 posts)Renew Deal
(83,394 posts)Wouldnt the white light be more of a signal to non-human drivers by simplifying their calculation? And how does human nature factor into the practicality?
Scrivener7
(53,683 posts)sop
(12,180 posts)Scrivener7
(53,683 posts)Renew Deal
(83,394 posts)There's the Waymos, and there's other major car companies trying to get there.
Scrivener7
(53,683 posts)Renew Deal
(83,394 posts)And the research that was cited was published in a scientific journal. It's not some corporate press release. Also, cities and roads changed significantly through the years as transportation changed, with innovations like traffic circles, parking rules, and yes, even traffic lights.
I'm skeptical about the white light theory, but I haven't read the paper. How do they control for human nature? What is the mix of human driven cars vs. driverless cars that is required for this idea to be effective?
Think. Again.
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