Appropiate Roads

Teardown of an LED Traffic Light Module

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Ever wonder how the modern LED Traffic Light module works? Well now you know. It's a pretty conventional beefy switch-mode power supply, combined with eight colored LEDs.

The traditional traffic light bulb that sits behind often rather dirty colored glass is 116 watts, while a modern one with a power supply uses 11 watts for the red light, 13 watts for the green light and 22 watts for the yellow light. It's a pretty big savings in electricity, and replacement (the old traffic bulbs had a lifespan a fraction of the modern bulb).

NPR

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Traffic congestion got much worse in 2022 but is still below pre-pandemic levels : NPR

CHICAGO — Millions of Americans returning to the office but getting there primarily by driving instead of taking public transit led to a significant increase in traffic congestion last year, according to a new report.

The typical U.S. driver lost 51 hours to congestion in 2022, about an hour each week. That's 15 more hours lost to congestion than in 2021, and all that time wasted in traffic jams hit pocketbooks hard, costing the average American driver $869 in lost time, according to 2022 Global Traffic Scorecard by the mobility analytics firm Inrix.

But traffic congestion across the country is still only about half of what it was before the Covid-19 pandemic, as the report indicates the amount of time drivers lost on average in bumper-to-bumper gridlock was about 50 percent below 2019's.

 

Rush Hour

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I really find it hard to understand why they call it rush hour when traffic moves so slow… 🚗 🚕 🚙 🚌 🚓 🚚 🚗

Highest elevation highways in New York State

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Highest elevation highways in New York State

The highest year round highway in New York State is Ulster County Route 47 past the Winnisook Lake Club near Slide Mountain in the Catskill Mountains at 2,640 elevation.

The highest year around open highway maintained by NYSDOT is NY 16 in Knapp Creek, Cattaraugus County just north of the Pennsylvania border 2,370 elevation.