I live near a big avenue that has 12 lanes (6 for each direction). There are two local lanes (that you can enter or exit only on a few places).
It has been this way probably for longer than I'm alive (30 years). There is a huge traffic light for the central lanes with a visual timer (like all others in this avenue: green horizontal lines that fade one by one when the signal is closing soon) and a smaller one for the local south lanes on a given crossing.
After some road paving, pedestrian crossings were made accessible, but for some stupid reason changed the behavior of the local traffic to a deadly combination. The speed limit is 60km/h for both central and local lanes (but people drive from anything between 50-100km/h).
Previously for 30+ years: everything turned green/red at the very same time.
Since around some date before 1 January: central lanes turn green first. Smaller traffic light for the local lanes turns green after 10 seconds. Local lanes turn red a few seconds after the central too. In some places, it might create an incentive for you to swift to local and back (while hitting the gas pedal) after 30s-1min if you see traffic ahead and that you can't make it in the central lanes - not sure if I consider this a feature or a safety risk.
First time I passed by after the change I didn't stop (5.a.m. new year's eve) because I was watching the central lane semaphore and it was too late when I noticed they changed it. A second time, I had to hit the breaks.
During the first weeks after the changes, I saw a dozen or more cars either running the red light without stopping or after waiting for the [central] lane bright traffic lights go green.
Six months afterward, a reckless military driver killed a disabled woman in a wheelchair nearby. Probably unrelated but I'd be surprised if a related road design fault played a role.
It has been this way probably for longer than I'm alive (30 years). There is a huge traffic light for the central lanes with a visual timer (like all others in this avenue: green horizontal lines that fade one by one when the signal is closing soon) and a smaller one for the local south lanes on a given crossing.
After some road paving, pedestrian crossings were made accessible, but for some stupid reason changed the behavior of the local traffic to a deadly combination. The speed limit is 60km/h for both central and local lanes (but people drive from anything between 50-100km/h).
Previously for 30+ years: everything turned green/red at the very same time. Since around some date before 1 January: central lanes turn green first. Smaller traffic light for the local lanes turns green after 10 seconds. Local lanes turn red a few seconds after the central too. In some places, it might create an incentive for you to swift to local and back (while hitting the gas pedal) after 30s-1min if you see traffic ahead and that you can't make it in the central lanes - not sure if I consider this a feature or a safety risk.
First time I passed by after the change I didn't stop (5.a.m. new year's eve) because I was watching the central lane semaphore and it was too late when I noticed they changed it. A second time, I had to hit the breaks.
During the first weeks after the changes, I saw a dozen or more cars either running the red light without stopping or after waiting for the [central] lane bright traffic lights go green.
Six months afterward, a reckless military driver killed a disabled woman in a wheelchair nearby. Probably unrelated but I'd be surprised if a related road design fault played a role.