In Zelenograd, authorities are conducting an experiment with traffic lights

As part of an experiment, the Moscow City Hall turned off the flashing green signal at some traffic lights in Zelenograd, which previously lit up before turning on yellow and red. The Moscow traffic police department explained: drivers use the transition phase not to slow down, as is written in the traffic rules, but to accelerate, which provokes accidents. The reaction of at least some residents to the innovations turned out to be negative; some of them are already holding votes and writing complaints. Some experts expect an increase in the number of accidents at intersections in winter, others believe that residents will get used to it over time, and there will be no accidents.

Residents of Zelenograd noticed a new mode of operation of local traffic lights a few days ago; the capital’s Traffic Organization Center (TCOC) confirmed that an experiment was being conducted in the district. At 31 intersections, the switch from green to yellow now occurs immediately, without the “flashing” green as before. “The green flashing light informs drivers that they should gradually slow down,” explained the data center. “But in practice, instead, motorists begin to accelerate in an attempt to pass the intersection. This leads to collisions, and high speed significantly reduces the chances of those involved in an accident to survive.” The data center cites the experience of Spain, Germany, Belgium and other countries, where yellow is immediately turned on after green.

Previously, up to 80% of drivers, driving through intersections in Zelenograd, accelerated when the green light was flashing, Konstantin Antonovich, general director of the Spetsdorproekt company (a contractor for the maintenance of traffic lights, cameras, etc.) told Kommersant. “Pilot is already in its second week, the accident rate has not increased, and the number of people accelerating at the moment of switching the phase from green to yellow has decreased by more than six times,” he said. “We also added an additional three seconds to the red light phase, at this moment it is burning on all sides of the intersection. This is the so-called calming phase. No one is driving and can’t crash into each other.”

The innovation caused an extremely negative reaction from residents of Zelenograd – this can be seen from the reaction in local public pages.

“TsODD, go train on cats, not on living people,” wrote user Artem Zh. “They think that if the yellow light turns on, the cars suddenly stand up, it’s like stopping a pendulum with your hand,” adds Denis F. “This is complete tin, I felt it myself yesterday… at first I thought only one traffic light was faulty, then I realized that the whole system behaves like this,” complains Roman O. “The day of the tinsmith will come earlier,” jokes one of the commentators. The Zelenograd.ru portal conducted a survey among 2.8 thousand people, which showed that 85% of readers do not support the decision of the Data Center. Some have already sent complaints and requests to the organization. The decision on the new operation of traffic lights, according to Kommersant, was not agreed upon with the traffic police, however, the legislation does not require this.

Expert opinion is divided. Coordinator of the “Blue Buckets” movement Pyotr Shkumatov believes that the number of cars hitting each other in the same direction will now increase (a negative trend, according to Kommersant, is already being recorded through the video surveillance system on cameras in Zelenograd). “In winter it will be even worse, because there will be ice at the intersections,” predicts Pyotr Shkumatov. “Perhaps entire “trains” will be assembled from colliding cars.” Leading specialist of the St. Petersburg Traffic Management Directorate Dmitry Popov believes that the innovation will lead to congestion, since in fact the total time of the permitting traffic light signal has decreased, and the red light has increased.

There is nothing wrong with the experiment, says Alexander Shumsky, head of the Probok.net expert center: if the green light suddenly turns off, the driver can still manage to get through to the yellow one – “for residents this is, of course, unusual, there is a lot of negativity now because of this.”

“It’s normal that the decision causes a mixed reaction among residents, because the habit of driving on a flashing green light was not formed yesterday,” adds Konstantin Antonovich. “But habits will have to be changed. Many of my friends from Zelenograd are already saying that they have begun to drive more carefully. And those who do not keep their distance, like crashing into the vehicle ahead at traffic lights, will continue to do so, there is no connection with the cycles.” It will be difficult to evaluate the results of the experiment: if the accident rate begins to increase, then these will be minor accidents with damage to the hardware without injuries, and the traffic police do not record them, summarizes Alexander Shumsky.

Ivan Buranov