Driving back and forth at the traffic light doesn't work!

     It always seemed to work for me,  so I thought.  I even heard someone honk just the other day.  Like that's gonna work, I remember thinking to myself.  I have always wondered what that was all about.  Now I know and you will too.
     Some use the simpler method with an internal timer that specifies how long a light should stay a particular color.  Other lights are controlled by a device that can be programmed for a specific sequence to handle normal traffic patterns.  The light will stay green longer on the main streets during peak traffic times.  During lighter traffic times the lights are controlled by detectors.  Detectors are basically a few loops of wire embedded in the center of each lane near the intersection.  A magnetic field is created by an electric current sent through the wire loop.
     When your car passes over the wire, the metal absorbs some of the energy causing a signal to be transmitted letting the controller know there's a car in the lane waiting for the light to change to green.  This has been the method of choice for decades for traffic control.
     There actually was a device invented in 1928 by Charlie Adler that could respond to the sound of an automobile horn.  It was placed on a utility pole along with a sign saying...Sound Horn To Clear Signal.  When a driver honked, the light turned green.  This was not favored by the local residents and wasn't used very long.  There was some truth behind the honking thing after all, even though it hasn't been effective for over 60 years.
     Traffic engineers today are coming up with all sorts of devices.  There's a microwave radar unit, video imaging system of some sort and a device being tested in Los Angeles that was designed to prevent collisions between horses and bicycles, which occurs occasionally at equestrian path intersections. 
     The next time you get stuck at stupid freakin' red light forever, know this, many hard-working engineers are looking for ways to give us a green light as quickly as possible.
     Of course this all comes from the same book by McLain I posted about the other day.  The next question to be answered?  Does hot or cold water freeze faster?  The answer is hot, right?