Road safety idea, reuse motion activated signs

burnthesheep

The signs already exist and are used for other purposes. So it isn't a new invention. Usually if there is an entrance or exit to the road from a construction site with heavy machinery a sign will flash before you reach it IF a vehicle is exiting the facility. Also the same for those signs that flash once your car is detected.

This idea could be used for blind corners or areas on busy cycle routes where riders are in more danger with vehicles.

The sign could somehow either sense the rider's flashing headlamp, a standardized device riders carry, or a sensor that knows it is a cyclist. Then as the rider is between that sign and the next sign, they flash for motorists until riders have left that more dangerous section (or a maximum time).

To me, painting lines on the road of a symbol of a bike people get used to. It isn't dynamic. This sign wouldn't always be flashing. So when it did, you'd know something to be different.

Just thinking aloud. The signs already exist. You wouldn't put them everywhere, just the most dangerous corners or areas. I looked but couldn't find this being used for this purpose.

Garry H

Motion activated signs and lights use microwaves as far as I know. It works with cars because they are relatively big and travel at speed. It would be difficult to 'tune' them into picking up a cyclist, without them picking up pedestrians, cats, penguins etc as well.

manglier

Garry H wrote:

Motion activated signs and lights use microwaves as far as I know. It works with cars because they are relatively big and travel at speed. It would be difficult to 'tune' them into picking up a cyclist, without them picking up pedestrians, cats, penguins etc as well.

Agreed, how often have you sat at an unchanging set of traffic lights because the induction loop hasn't sensed your carbon lovely?

Lookyhere

Judging by the numbers of drivers who ve clearly seen a cyclist/horse rider, yet still dont slow down or give enough space, let alone the numbers who over take on blind bends and with on coming traffic, a flashing sign would make absolutely zero difference.

Careful drivers would take note and the rest would'nt give a toss.

I read in a comments section the other day that this particular car driver referred to cyclists as "road lice"
perhaps if his/her son was killed by a car, their opinion would change.

Need more police enforcement.