Traffic Question 16:

How can you make the traffic light turn green faster?

  1. Keep creeping forward
  2. Flash your headlights
  3. Make a phone call
  4. Nothing; you can’t change its timing

Moliner's Answer:

More than likely, you are already on the phone, so....

A. Creep forward

The aliens who live in and control the traffic light will see that you are in a hurry and make the light change faster. Option B would work, too, except the aliens ignore flashing lights.

But of course, if you’re not already on the phone, option C is great for passing the time while waiting.

Note:

  • Some lights have faries or leprechauns living in them instead of aliens.
  • Even if you're several cars away from the light, you should creep up some more, every 10-20 seconds, until you're right on the bumper of the car ahead of you.

 

Conventional Answer

D. Be patient

As long as you have already triggered the sensor, there’s nothing you can do to change the light’s timing.

There are several technologies of sensors, but the only one I recall ever seeing in Moline is the inductive loop. You can see where the sensor is by looking for the cuts in the pavement. An inductive sensor is triggered by the presence of metal, not by movement.

Here's a pretty clear description of how inductive sensors work: auto.howstuffworks.com

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