Can adding a countdown improve? Visiting the streets of Shanghai: Right turn signal lights make many drivers "take medicine" at intersections | Signal lights | Shanghai

In order to improve the efficiency of intersection traffic and ensure the safety of pedestrians and vehicles at intersections, right turn signals have been set up in more than 200 intersections in this city. This has played a clearer role in controlling pedestrians and vehicles at intersections with high traffic volume.

"But at many intersections, the right turn signal is set very unreasonably." Lu Lei, a representative of the Municipal People's Congress, noticed that during the process of prohibiting right turns and allowing right turns, the red light for right turns will suddenly go out without any transition, leaving unfamiliar and inexperienced drivers at a loss. It is because the signal lights are not clear enough that many drivers take medication. Some drivers have reported that they have deducted points and fined money for right turn signals.

"Right turn signal lights should have clearer and more user-friendly prompts." After Lu Lei submitted suggestions during this year's two sessions, the handling department's Public Security Traffic Police Corps gave a "solution and adoption" response, promising to orderly promote signal light software upgrades throughout the city, such as adding a countdown function for right turn red lights.

Is the right turn signal light at the intersection reasonable? Can the traffic indication function be improved by adding a countdown function? The reporter conducted a field visit on the street.

I was about to turn right when the red light suddenly came on

Lu Lei has been concerned about the issue of right turn signal lights for over a decade. "In order to achieve refined management, some intersections in Shanghai have set up signal lights to control the right turn lane, but the current setting may confuse some drivers."

In Lu Lei's view, the reason is that only one light was installed and there was no prompt. "When it is possible to pass, this light does not light up. When it is prohibited to pass, this light will suddenly light up without any transitional time or sign action, making it difficult for people to react in time, resulting in delayed vehicle start and affecting road traffic. When a red light suddenly lights up, it may cause inconsistent judgment between the front and rear vehicles, greatly increasing the risk of accidents."

Is the right turn signal setting reasonable? The reporter also conducted on-site visits to some sections of Shencheng. At the intersection of Wanping Road and Jianguo West Road, the reporter saw that a right turn signal light was installed here. Most cars passing through this intersection can understand the signal of the right turn light, but there are also cars who hesitate for a moment when the red light goes out. "Especially for drivers from other cities who come to Shanghai, when they see the red light for a right turn turn turn off, they will suddenly 'get stuck'. Last time I saw that the red light had already gone out, but someone stopped at the intersection 'foolishly waiting'. When it was time to turn right, they didn't turn right and were honked by the rear car horn," said taxi driver Chen.

Suddenly turning right with a red light will catch some drivers off guard

Ms. Li, a novice driver, told reporters that she had encountered a situation where the right turn signal suddenly turned red on Hongmei Road. "The experience was very bad, especially at night when I couldn't see clearly because the right turn signal was not on by default. However, when I turned a corner, I suddenly realized that the right turn signal was red, which startled me and I immediately stepped on the brake.". Ms. Li said that she was very careful every time she arrived at the intersection, fearing that she might not see the right turn signal. She also mentioned that a colleague was at a loss when he encountered a right turn signal for the first time and ended up running a red light, resulting in a deduction of 6 points.

Not only beginners, but also Mr. Liu, who has over 20 years of driving experience, has taken medicine for the right turn signal. Once, while driving around Dongchang Road, he said, "At that time, the right turn signal was dim. I saw that there were not many people on the sidewalk, so I prepared to turn right. As soon as I turned right, the light suddenly turned red. Later, I received a ticket."

The reporter saw a post on social media such as Xiaohongshu saying, "When can I get through this right turn control light?" The location was marked as Zhou Pu Wanda. There were many followers, some of whom also recalled their experiences of being punished: "There was no yellow light prompt, no countdown, and no green light. When I reached the stop line, the previous car quickly crossed the line. When I crossed the line, the red light lit up and I was stopped. I was deducted 6 points and fined 200 yuan." Others expressed sympathy and suggested that administrative reconsideration could be carried out.

Is the addition of a "countdown" function effective

"Setting up right turn signals has a certain rationality, which reflects the refinement of urban governance. However, when planning and setting up, it is also necessary to consider the clarity of instructions and the humanization of functions." Lu Lei believes that right turn signals should have a function setting to remind drivers of signal changes, allowing them to have a psychological preparation and action prediction. He also noticed that some streets in Nanjing and Hangzhou have set up right turn signals. "These cities have a complete set of right turn traffic lights, with red lights stopping and green lights driving, so that drivers don't feel at a loss."

The reporter learned that Lu Lei's suggestion has received attention from the handling department. The traffic police department stated that right turn control signal lights have been installed at 281 large intersections in this city with high traffic flow of motor and non motor vehicles, multiple lanes, and obvious traffic conflicts between right turn vehicles and through vehicles, non motor vehicles in the same direction, and pedestrians crossing the street. The traffic police department has also made it clear that they are actively overcoming technical difficulties and fully exploring and promoting the fine management of signal lights. Starting from the beginning of this year, the countdown software for traffic lights will be adjusted according to the "one by one plan" principle for intersections with different right control methods. For example, adding a red countdown function for right turn signals and piloting it at intersections such as Changning Road/Jiangsu Road, Wanhangdu Road/Wuning South Road.

Does using "countdown" work? The reporter also made a visit. At the intersection of Wanhangdu Road/Wuning South Road, the reporter found that this is not a standard intersection, but a "Y" shape. When entering Wuning South Road from the southeast side of Wanhangdu Road, vehicles turning right at this intersection will cross two zebra crossings. Due to the dense vegetation on the north side of the road, it is not conducive to observing pedestrians, so a right turn signal light is installed at the intersection.

Right turn signal light at the intersection of Wanhangdu Road/Wuning South Road

When the right turn signal is not on, the vehicle can turn right. When the right turn indicator light turns yellow and flashes for 3 seconds, the right turn light will turn red, and both zebra crossings will turn green, making it convenient for pedestrians to pass through. This red light lasts for thirty seconds and a countdown will appear at fifteen seconds. After the countdown ends, the right turn light will turn off and the right turn vehicle can pass again. The driver who frequently passes this road said, "The addition of a countdown function to the signal lights does indeed reduce the probability of errors.".

Changning Road and Jiangsu Road are another pilot project for adding countdowns to right turn signals. The reporter noticed that there are two right turn lanes in the west to east direction of Changning Road, turning to Jiangsu Road, which are the rightmost lane and the second lane on the left. According to the on duty traffic police, the second lane on the left is for the convenience of vehicles that come out of the North Cross Passage and do not have time to merge to the right to turn right. At the same time, vehicles that turn right can be diverted. The reporter noticed that the rightmost lane allows for a direct right turn without waiting for a signal light. You only need to follow the instructions of the on duty traffic police to yield to pedestrians.

Driver Qu said that he was also puzzled when he saw the right turn signal for the first time. Do I need to look at the right turn signal when driving in the far right lane? Then he noticed a sign on the right side of the opposite light post, which read "The rightmost right turn lane is not controlled by traffic lights". However, he noticed that someone did not notice this sign and would "block" the intersection when the red light was on. Not long after, a more prominent sign was added to the nearby light post, making it easier for everyone to see.

The right turn light at the intersection of Changning Road/Jiangsu Road is designed for vehicles turning right on the left second lane. The reporter noticed that this right turn light not only has a countdown function, but also adds a sign for "right turn control". Ms. Li said, "Seeing the countdown in advance makes you more prepared." She also suggested setting a "right turn light control" sign next to the right turn light that can light up at night, "so that you can see more clearly."

The right turn signal at the intersection of Changning Road and Jiangsu Road has added a "countdown" function

In addition to these two sections, the reporter noticed that many right turn signal lights in this city have added a "countdown" function, but some sections do not indicate "right turn control".

"With the countdown function, it will indeed make right turn signals more standardized, and also hope to further clarify the signs." Lu Lei said that he will further supervise the iteration and upgrading of these right turn signals at intersections.

The traffic police department stated that the next step will be to orderly promote the upgrading of signal light software throughout the city, striving to complete all the upgrading work by the third quarter of this year, and better ensure road traffic order and safety.