Are You Being Watched?? Installing NEW Traffic Light Cameras!!

[@stevedomanski31]

37 years working in the fascinating world of traffic signals. I learned that using the bucket truck to hoist the old cabinet off and dropping the new one on works really well. It doesn't slip and fall or get a sore back

[@SassafrasPaul-cq7uw]

Nothing like experience 😊. My dad's an electrician and thankfully was my boss for years and a helluva teacher. I was normally the only female on the job. He'll be 80 this year and I wish at 14 I would have listened more instead of being a selfish know it all teen that was more concerned with having fun than appreciating what a gift my dad truly is.

[@cfwebdeveloper]

Just like the other channels i like to watch, heavy tow trucker drivers, this one is one of them. It is awesome to see what is involved to fix what we take for granted each day we drive. Thank you!

[@dudepokemon5027]

"Make shit happen" cool catchphrase lmfao

[@lylelanley18]

And all this time I thought the ‘walk’ buttons were just mechanical placebos!

[@cfwebdeveloper]

gotta hit them 10 times to register jk lol

[@grayrabbit2211]

many are not connected.

[@BartlettTFD]

Walkie-talkies would sure have come in handy❗️

[@LungeloGigaba]

Some are.

[@stephenfry-gdot]

@@lylelanley18 many times the ped phases are set up to run when vehicle calls are placed. Likewise, ped calls will trigger the associated vehicle phase. To really see the cycle response to pushbuttons in action, you probably want to visit the intersection at night. At that time, there are few enough vehicles that pushing the button may be the only call that brings up either the ped or vehicle phase.

[@kens.3729]

WOW! A Very Impressive Update at this Intersection. Thanks for your and the Team’s strong 💪 efforts to keep the Roads and Public, Safe. 👍🙏

[@Trafficlightdoctor]

Thank you!!

[@mikem1633]

Looks like a rewarding career. I envy guys like you who have an understanding of the physical world. I can barely change a light bulb.

[@jovetj]

When it got dark here last night, I was thinking about ya, and how your work day is just starting. Good job!

[@GilbertTalamantez]

True for real really work s thanks.

[@whatcurve7574]

“You said headache” “it was already on the ground when I said you need to be looking out prior” the truest statement ever.

[@NOTINTERCEPTER01]

Question when the lights are out do you stop traffic for emergency services?

[@powersb]

Is there a standard as to what phase number refers to what lane of traffic?

[@stephenfry-gdot]

NEMA Phase numbers: They are assigned such that 2&6 are the major throughs and 4&8 are the minor throughs. Lefts are odd numbers (1,3,5,7). Overlaps (rights and special transit or bicycle phases) don't get assigned a phase number (each is given a letter and assigned to one, two, or three parent NEMA numbers). Pedestrians are assigned the NEMA number of their adjacent through (P2, P6, P4, P8). For a N-S mainline, whether the 2 is southbound or northbound depends on the jurisdiction's preference. Once that is set, the other even numbers are assigned either clockwise or counterclockwise according to the jurisdiction's rules. If you have side-street split-phasing, all lefts-throughs-rights on one side will be Phase 3, while the other side is Phase 4. The whole thing is arranged to enable lefts to go with their non-conflicting throughs, while preventing conflicting movements from timing together.

[@bluetheta]

So an overlap is where a road that just came out of the green phase gets a green right arrow while the cross street has a protected left turn (green left arrow - non-flashing yellow arrow set up). The confusing part is when you have the flashing yellow arrow within the overlap function. In Illinois they been experimenting with putting the protected left turn at the end of major phase (main road going to side road) to basically empty out the queue (left turn lane) that didn't make it during the permissive phase; I think it make the intersection more efficient. I like the camera system since it'll pick up bicycle riders (when they actually use the lights properly and not run it). At least I now know what is in the mast arms, it not just power for the signal heads. Please keep posting more videos. One question is: Why don't they let you use some advance warning signs like "Stop ahead" with those yellow strobe reflector (like on regular road work signage) while you cut power to change the enclosures; especially with a blind hill with people doing 50+.

[@streetsmartstraffic]

We use the protected left turn on the backside of a FYA at some locations. It can be more effecient. Depends on location of signal. Coordination can dictate how its used as well.

[@westaymoving]

I thought you were Mr Subaru 😭

[@rwarren4757]

In your area do you have no right turn on red?

[@macmedic892]

I’m next door in Louisiana: both states allow right turn on red after stopping unless otherwise posted.

[@fredpartida]

Shout out to the drywall eaters that flash their lights thinking that makes light green

[@macmedic892]

If the doghouse signals are in good shape, does your company rebuild them into 4-light FYA or are they scrapped?

[@bradylepage]

How do you decide between cameras and induction loops for detection?

[@Manbearhorsepig]

It can depend on weather in the area, curvature/design of the intersection. And overall visibility. Also if it is a railroad intersection or not. Also some jurisdictions just prefer one over the other

[@stephenfry-gdot]

In Georgia, we use radar pretty heavily. Some locals have even started using magnetometers. The other reply covered most of the decision-making. We also prefer video or radar when the detection zone is on a bridge deck or approach slab or touches a private driveway. In the former case, cutting for loops or magnet pucks is a structural hazard and maintenance nightmare. In the latter case, we never wan to place hardware outside the right-of-way if we can help it (extreme cases might use permanent easement, but we'd rather use video and not pay for easement anyway). Additionally, loops are terrible when we've got ongoing construction. In those cases, radar is universally preferred.

[@zephyrsman]

What are the little black box-looking devices on the arms? Looks like some type of cameras, or sensors.

[@Trafficlightdoctor]

Opticom preemption devices!

[@KatTheFoxtaur]

18:27 Holy sh*t, I've been working with Cat5/6 cables for nearly a decade now (for work, been working with them long before that for personal), and I never knew about the flathead trick...I just got so used to unwinding the twisted pairs manually lol. Although, respectfully, that was also *quite* a lot of the Cat6 unsheathed, I usually only pull an inch or so off the jacket.

[@moosescorner]

Y'all need walkies lol

[@cadentheis]

Can you talk about overlap phases?

[@streetsmartstraffic]

Just to jump in here...overlap phases are movements of indications the mirror a parent phase. Example) Northbound Right Turn overlap = Northbound Thru + Westbound Left Turn. Meaning the RT movement can come up with either the NB thru OR the WBLT. The RT only mirrors these movements, it won't come up by itself. Hope that make sense

[@cadentheis]

@@streetsmartstraffic thanks that makes more sense now! What about when there is 2 left turns (NB+SB) but they have different number of cars in line so then the side that has more demand goes to green arrow+thru, then both NB+SB go to green thru. how does that work? Hope that made sense.

[@streetsmartstraffic]

@@cadentheis In this example--as long as the SBLT is up, the NBRT would not come up as this is a conflicting parent movement. If the NBLT had more vehicles still after the the SBLT gapped out AND there was demand for NB thru, the SBLT indications would drop out allowing the NB thru to come up. At this time, the NBRT would illuminate. Did you follow that? It can be confusing when explaining overlaps since they can't come up by themselves.

[@stephenfry-gdot]

@@streetsmartstraffic You can imagine the time I have when I try to explain this to PEDP students who are learning about signalization and critical movement analysis (most of whom are

[@streetsmartstraffic]

@@stephenfry-gdot uh-oh! Time to break out the crayons! lol

[@tombaker8445]

Love the videos. Do all devices need to have dedicated surge protection or only some of the more critical or expensive items within the intersection? Curious to hear your thoughts on how often those surge protectors take a hit and whether you think they're worth installing or more just a precaution. Thanks!

[@gordonshumway9675]

How do the pedestrian heads know what to display? Do you program each head and they get a signal from the controller? Or is there a controller just for the pedestrian heads? Thanks for the great content!

[@rabidraccoon9]

What does your background/education/experience look like? How did you get to where you are now career wise??

[@cfwebdeveloper]

Splicing ethernet cables (and other cables), understanding of what buttons to push (for the ground stations), road safety and lots of dedication to road transportation safety. Just my guess lol

[@keithshort688]

What is the weight of the control box enclosures that you had to swap? It had to be heavy if it took four guys to lift it. I'm guessing that traffic signals are more complex today requiring a larger size control box than what traffic signals required say 40 or 50 years ago.

[@ItsTheCostanza]

What’s the worst dangerous traffic light setup you can show us?

[@cody7135]

Honest question, If cameras don't record and cannot be used by authorities. Then why are they not just IR sensors? This makes more sense as they would pickup motorcycles better as well.

[@theamaturepro]

I don't know the official answer, but my best guess is that they use cameras and live feed to make it easier to program and service.

[@Distress.]

How would they deal with daytime heating a rainstorms?

[@ProtoV33MK1]

I would bet some intersections (like the ones that have a protected turn arrow but no dedicated lane) use them to detect turn signals so they know when a protected turn is needed

[@biga4800]

Do you have traffic signals for bus lanes like Virginia and North Carolina?

[@Trafficlightdoctor]

We don’t have many or if any bus lanes in Mississippi besides pickup areas so I have not dealt with any signalized bus lanes!

[@odiecoyote106]

Could you review the technology used by emergency vehicles that allows the light to change to green as they approach an intersection?

[@jsncrso]

It's called Opticom. It's a traffic signal preemption system developed by 3M and now owned by Federal Signal. Lots of videos on KZbin explaining the system

[@gwaeron8630]

That's the next thing he has to come back on Monday for. So hopefully he'll go over it then.

[@apollosnydertrains9206]

@Trafficlightdoctor i work in IT and networking and my question to you is, what would be the use case where you would use Cat6(e) and Cat5? I would love to know! Thanks!

[@wolphin732]

18:47 - using that tool to pull the pairs, it moves them in the sheath. Each one are twisted differently for not having cross talk. I also never need more than a couple inches to cut the sheath to do it, so don't have much with it. I only untwist the minimum I need to feed into the connector.

[@fidikvien7682]

And yet, it still works

[@grayrabbit2211]

what happens to the old equipment? it seems like it would still be serviceable

[@robertt8273]

So, do these new cameras have a feature that filters rain on the lens? Here in Fort Lauderdale I have noticed first on the intersection by my home then seem to note it all over that if we get a good rain the cameras do not recognize anything and the signals get all messed up. Like the left turn light that usually is 15 seconds stays on forever where the main lanes change quickly. Seems to be a major issue with these camera sensors.

[@EmergencyServicesWestVictoria]

the walk buttons look so bad. in australia is like music. and like how do they operate it? cause in australia we press it and it starts to beep and than when it green it starts beeping faster and than slows down when its flashing red (Most dont count down/ only things that count down are like the big streets near major places in big cities

[@NumberStations_LiveUK]

What do you film on and what do you use to edit your vids also love your channel?

[@holzwajo]

What kind of bus or signal is it in between those multiple devices? Must be something special that these devices can communicate only with setting up some parameters. never seen something like that and im working with different bus systems last 15 years. Greeting from Germany. Love your Videos! Keep going man.

[@tlhIngan]

Do those controllers ever count how many times someone pushes the ped button? I know lots of people just love to keep pushing them while they wait. Might make for an interesting statistic on how many times a button is pushed before it's cleared. Also, what's a doghouse light or a FYA? I don't think we have those here.

[@Manbearhorsepig]

The controller doesn’t keep track of how many times a button is pushed to my knowledge. A doghouse light is a 5 section head where you have 2 - 2 sections next to each other with the red ball above them centered. The shape is akin to a doghouse so to speak. An FYA is a flashing yellow arrow.

[@stephenfry-gdot]

Actually, some controllers now have packages with the ability to do that. I've seen research projects presented which use the button presses as a proxy to measure pedestrian demand. Of course, they have to be factored for button-mashing, group-use, and red-light-walking. These packages also include the ability to turn vehicle calls into traffic counts when the right detection is in place.

[@Celica-86]

Also I've noticed they're starting to replace the 5-Section Doghouse signal with FYAs

[@powersb]

Those phase overlap cards. Is there a reason they use solder instead of just pins with jumpers. Seems like it would be easier to do.

[@kakurerud7516]

probably reliability. Im guessing the conflict monitor is one of if not the most important device in there.

[@Celica-86]

Im still not on board with FYAs. Coming from Houston, TX; I grew up on the standard double red Left Turn Signal.

[@lylelanley18]

Once you get used to them (doesn’t take long I promise!) they’re great.

[@marktubeie07]

I know you do, but stay safe brother :)

[@kings2284]

I have common sense so I follow most signs on the road, but it is good to know that these have a use past pedestrians

[@shaggy7927]

Has anyone ever dropped any tools while they're up that high off the road fixing the traffic lights?

[@NikoBellaKhouf2]

Definitely lol

[@TheSmilecamera]

Why doesn’t MissDOT use yellow outline reflectorized backplates? Thanks for your great videos.

[@Josh-of-all-Trades]

I heard a news story today about AI controlled stop lights. Should I start trying to make them my friends so they don't try to kill me?

[@jeffreykoerber6595]

AI is an overused term. When a company comes out with AI, they are usually rebranding existing features as AI. I saw a washing machine with AI and it’s just using the same sensors that they use to determine how long the cycles should last.

[@federicopuricelli273]

love your work bro, but please get electrician scissors ahahhah

[@jovetj]

27:58 Yeah, those signs are pretty dang faded.

[@xavierg.]

Do you have to be a certified electrician to do all that?

[@samuelmontypython8381]

I’m gonna say no. I do something similar but for commercial properties like warehouses and residential communities. Everything they touched here was coax and Ethernet and the power supplies are considered low voltage. The high voltage coming into the enclosure’s GFCI outlets would be where the electrician work ends

[@Manbearhorsepig]

In all of the states I am aware of you need to be a card carrying electrician to work on traffic signals. But I assume it could also be state / region dependent. You also need to be IMSA certified in my region.

[@digitalclown2008]

In this instance, he had very little reason to pull forward that way. In MANY instances, the lines are placed diagonally, in the OPPOSITE angle they should be for those who are turning with the traffic to SEE the oncoming traffic. So you inch forward. And then the guy next to you inches forward, sometimes to see around YOU!!! Othe times, its a yellow arrow... and you are having to fight for your chance to go as everyone else will literally RUN RED when they know they have to stop and its a 4 way intersection.

[@WhoKares7]

How’d you get this job sir asking for me I am definitely interested

[@TheSegacampGamerandWerecamp]

I envy you for working Traffic Lights at a Busy Intersection I wish I had a Job like this...... I do know a Few Things of Electronics but this is like Next Level for me and going into Uncharted Territory so I rather not! but again I wish I had a Job like this!

[@808jpm]

Are phases standardized? Hope you can spend some time talking about what a phase is in a future video.

[@Haarschmuckfachgeschafttadpole]

Yes generally everything is in the federal MUTCD - Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Big textbook that covers standards for traffic lights, road signs, crosswalks, road design, etc.

[@stephenfry-gdot]

MUTCD has little to say about how phases are assigned. NEMA and NCHRP 812 are the best-practices for that.

[@edward-jk4ol]

Why are your lights on the truck white and green?

[@SeanReigle]

Make it happen!!!

[@AddieDirectsTV]

Y'all need walkie talkies.

[@jesse00pno]

What are you doing? What? Why? What’s changing? Why is the new way better? Trying to learn from you and this video.

[@cjkokay]

So unfortunately safety is topost but you missed the guard that should be fitted to the grinder

[@damonabets3779]

Can I have the old cameras?

[@Paulo-bi5cm]

Why do you guys use white and green light

[@gwaeron8630]

He talked about that 2(?) videos ago. Can be seen from the furthest distance. Here in Australia he'd be limited to amber only I believe.

[@DJDXD]

11:30 why dont you just have walkies

[@LoveyCee]

They tried this in Texas and we voted them out.

[@Jonathan_O]

Wow!! When you said jumper I thought you meant a jumper like you use in a PC motherboard. Didn’t realize you had to solder a jumper on a PCB. BTW… what’s is a “doghouse”?

[@xsellx7707]

Bros gonna get fired

[@polypolyman]

Flux-core solder is actually good for the tips - the flux cleans the tip and the solder protects it. However if you use enough solder to help with heat conduction like you’re doing there, typically you’ll end up with some burnt flux within the solder - not only does it look like the tip is bad, but if there’s any trapped against the tip itself, it can cause corrosion like you say. The solution is to carry around a soldering sponge (usually a small natural sponge, you can get them in little tins for field work) - it needs to be wet but wrung of extra liquid, and you just wipe the tip clean of extra solder and flux gunk. If every time before you turn the iron off, you add some solder to the tip and wipe it off, until you get a nice thin, even coating of solder on the tip, you’ll help prevent corrosion, and prolong the life of the tip.

[@ahnbra]

all non Loop Detector Intsections SUCK! At least in the State Capital area of Minnesota! If It Aint Broken Do Not Fix It!! All intersections should be converted to double detection. The cameras are best used for visual traffic control not detection. Wedrivers do not know how eaxh camera is set up, so how can we know where to bein the intersection?

[@stephenfry-gdot]

Unfortunately, loop detectors depend on drivers not trying to "outsmart" the traffic engineers. Video is much easier to adapt to driver behavior. Radar is probably the best of both worlds. It doesn't have shadow or image processing problems, and its zones can be modified much easier than loops. Once a loop is in the pavement, the only way to fix it is to tear up the pavement and sidewalk. Not fun for anybody.

[@ahnbra]

@@stephenfry-gdot Iguess it just seems like the loops worked better. may be it's the way the programs are set up or thingsdo not sdjusted to traffic patterns as pften as they could or even should be.thank you for the educational reply and you and all the other employee's out in the fiel stay safe aspecially at night! That way you can go home to your loved ones.

[@stephenfry-gdot]

@@ahnbra as it turns out, I spend 99% of my time in the office designing the stuff, as I'm a roadway engineer, not a field engineer or technician. Of course, I have to know how the stuff works to design it! Thank you for the kind words, but our field personnel really are a different breed.

[@lqdtrance]

I hate Siamese coax

[@DanWeecks]

Watching this feels illegal