#Traffic light countdown timers drivers

#Traffic light countdown timers drivers

However, the idea that all of these drivers were reckless was implausible: according to Gastaldi himself, 'what was wrong was the traffic light system as a communication language.' Īnother problematic aspect of traditional traffic lights is the sudden change of aspects, without prior notice. FundamentalsĪccording to the civil association Luchemos por la Vida, Buenos Aires is one of the cities with the most vehicles in the world In his research, Gastaldi points out that, at that time, in a period of three days each of these cars violated a red traffic light, and that in the City of Buenos Aires alone, more than 57 million red lights were violated monthly to this it can be added that public transport is also part of the problem, with statistics indicating that every nine minutes, a bus transposes a red light. In those cases in which the time per aspect is greater than 99 seconds, the countdown timer is activated when this value is reached. After installation, only two complete cycles are required to calibrate the counter time. The timer is based on the frequency of the alternating electric current in Argentina, which is 50 Hz. The new indicator incorporates high luminosity light emitting diode lamps (more than 5 cd / led), and is compatible with all existing vehicular traffic lights. The countdown traffic light mounts over any existing vehicular traffic light after installation the remaining time is automatically displayed without the need for any special driver. In respect, then - Secretary of Transport and Transit City, Guillermo Dietrich, said: Gradually, both countdowns were implemented throughout the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Īfter certifying its efficiency through various measurements and statistics, the Director of Illuminated Signaling of the Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires made the first direct contract for the provision of forty equipments of this new traffic light model. Developingįrom the presentation of the invention, the engineer Fatala decides its implementation in the Buenos Aires road space The Directorate of Illuminated Signage of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires, in conjunction with the company Dyna Group, developed the first prototype that was placed on the corners of Sarmiento and Pellegrini Street, Sarmiento and 9 de Julio Avenue, and Sarmiento and Cerrito, in 2003. A meeting between José Luis Calvo, Abel Fatala, Alfredo Bravo and Esteban Gastaldi takes place on the ninth floor of the Del Plata Building.

After a consultation with the socialist deputy Alfredo Bravo, a meeting is organized with Abel Fatala, head of the Ministry of Public Works of the City of Buenos Aires (at that time Secretary of Public Works). .ĭuring the year 2000, an attempt was made to implement the countdown at the traffic lights of the City of Buenos Aires, but there was resistance from the road authorities. To solve this problem, Gastaldi proposed incorporating a countdown to existing traffic lights, which provides precise information on the time remaining until the appearance change. Gastaldi warned that traffic is governed by a time - speed - distance algorithm, which is determined by the laws of mechanical physics in turn, the traditional traffic lights are not enough to establish the temporary variable, since drivers have information about speed (through the speedometer ) and distance (using the extension of the blocks as a parameter) but not about the time remaining for the appearance change. It was created by Argentine Esteban Gastaldi advertising -Creative obtaining the title of patent, granted by the State of the Nation Argentina through the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) in March 2001 and who previously recorded in the early 80 in the National Directorate of Copyright advances and changes in the project through various records, in a context in which More than 57 million red lights were violated per month in the City of Buenos Aires.