Where's Marty? At the State Highway Traffic Light Shop
Hi Everyone!
Our lives are controlled by street lights and cross walk lights. You may be saying, "Nothing, REALLY, controls my life," but you are wrong.
Driving, or walking, lights tell you when, and when not to.
Think about it.
And now I will bring something to your attention that shows how vast a network of controls this is. Look at the picture below.
First of all, you will see how big street lights and cross-walk lights are just by noting my size verses them in this shot.
But secondly, and most importantly, notice the silver box.
Where ever there is an intersection with street lights you will see one. And in that box is some of the most high tech "stuff" going.
That box, those boxes ALL around us, control the flow of life. They are everywhere.
This morning K2 and I came back to the State Highway facility near BWI Marshall.
We have brought you here twice before to visit the Sign Shop to meet the folks who make all the road, and traffic signs you see.
On our last visit, the Sign Shop folks mentioned that we needed to go right next door to where the Signal Operations crew, (who handles all the traffic signals), reside. And so we did! WOW!
More than 30 state employees are the crew who maintain, and fix, all the "traffic boxes" on all the state roads. AND GET THIS, over the course of just a week a few are damaged by wrecks, or out of control cars.
They told me behind the building they keep the wrecked ones that look like crushed soda cans, a about 15k a pop. That is a big deal. High tech in a big way.
"Signal Ops" are even responsible for the button you push to let the system know you are waiting to cross on foot. Here is one;
I always though the button was just there to keep you occupied while you watched time slip away while waiting to cross.
Nope, they work and are an integrated part of the control of the flow.
And speaking of which these men, and women, can by accessing secure website monitor the exact flow, in real time, of every intersection governed by the state roads.
They know when a turn left light is on.
They can see blocks ahead of you to make sure the proper planned sequence of lights are working.
They can tell how many cars are in-line and if the timing needs to be changed. It is WILD!!! .The map in the picture is Baltimore National Pike. Look closely and you will figure it out. (BTW the background picture is not live it is Google maps for reference.)
A fun look behind the scenes segment for you today. It was our pleasure to hang out with the pro's from State Highways again!
Marty B!