Weird Police flash thing

laissez-faire · 8 Mar 2008 at 13:27

Walking home coming back from the pub last night in Edinburgh I saw a Merc E class cop car with sirens on, with an ambulance behind it - also with sirens on. The cop car approached a pelican crossing and wound down the window, stuck out his arm and put out what basically looked like a digital camera (it flashed brightly) and then the lights on the crossing turned to green.

What is this? If it is some thing to turn the lights to green then surely it is a waste of time to use it on a pedestrian crossing? Even the most ratted person could see and hear them coming?

Puzzled · 8 Mar 2008 at 13:49

This must be where the myth of flashing your headlights will change the traffic lights comes from. (Although I haven't tried it so maybe it does work.)

ChoÞÞer · 8 Mar 2008 at 14:10

MonkeyMan said:
This must be where the myth of flashing your headlights will change the traffic lights comes from. (Although I haven't tried it so maybe it does work.)

yeah, i heard this and a few of my mates have tried it, they is a sensor at the top of some traffic lights, and in the dark you can make it change quicker, well so to say.

DannyDan · 8 Mar 2008 at 14:10

MonkeyMan said:
This must be where the myth of flashing your headlights will change the traffic lights comes from. (Although I haven't tried it so maybe it does work.)

Except it's not a myth. It does work on some lights (definitely temporary roadwork lights).

Dogbreath · 8 Mar 2008 at 14:13

DannyDan said:
Except it's not a myth. It does work.

Caught your ninja edit

I was going to say it definately works on temporary traffic lights at night, but most normal traffic lights use inductive sensors in the road.

Begbie · 8 Mar 2008 at 16:21

This does work on somelights, there is a few about here that works. Altough when they change them and you come speeding up to them and they don't change is a bit of a crapper.

Jokester · 8 Mar 2008 at 16:24

It only works on the traffic lights with motion sensors on the top (looks like a small CCTV camera).

There's an annoying set of lights near me that sits with both sides at red when there's no traffic, if you flash them from a distance you can get them to change to green by the time you reach if you're doing 30.

Justintime · 8 Mar 2008 at 20:27

Wonder if you take a picture of em (with flash on obviously) if they would change? Must try this.