06 Nov 2003
A Bad Idea

I've seen tidbits on this for a couple of weeks now: a company in Minnesota is marketing a device that forces traffic lights to go green, the same device sold to emergency vehicles as an aid in clearing an intersection.

Clearly this is a bad idea ... every commuters wildest dream and worst nightmare, rolled into one. Adn of course, these devices will shortly be illegal, just like radar detectors. So I've not had much to say on it.

But the Slashdot thread below is rather interesting - along with all the other cruft and silliness, there are some really insioghtful folks out there proposing solutions. Some are clever, some aren't. Here's an excerpt:

Simple solution (Score:4, Insightful)

by stubear (130454))
...have the change event turn all the lights in the intersection go red. Emergency vehicles will allowed to pass through the intersection AND the intersection will be cleared of any vehicles. Who would want a device that turns lights at an intersection all red? Problem solved.

Re:Simple solution (Score:5, Funny) by Anonymous Coward
"Who would want a device that turns lights at an intersection all red?"

Try the millions of teens who watch 'Jackass' all day.

Traffic Light Switcher Makes Critics See Red [Slashdot]

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