GREENSBORO, N.C. — Let's talk roadways, but specifically stoplights.
You know those things that keep you from getting to work on time?
Francis Grant from Greensboro wants to know ff stopping on the broad white line makes the stoplight change faster.
To get an answer, we spoke with Chris Spencer Interm Director of Transportation for the city of Greensboro.
He says the answer to this one is not so cut and dry.
"So it's a little bit more complicated than yes or no," Spencer said.
Here's why. Traffic signals can operate a few ways: one is on a fixed time.
This means there is no detection mechanism and driving to the white line does nothing. The lights go on a timer that can vary by both time of day and day of the week.
"Most of our signals downtown operate fix time so they just run a set time for each approach," Spencer said.
Then there are lights that detect cars from the ground.
"Most of our intersections we have what are called electromagnetic inductance loops. They are actually sawed into the pavement," he explained. " You can sometimes see the grooves in the asphalt. And when a vehicle with the metal disrupts that magnetic field it sends a signal to the intersection."
But Spencer says driving up to the white bar over the loops doesn't mean you will get a green light immediately or an additional green.
"But if you don't pull up to the stop bar we are not going to know that you were there so we could serve you," Spencer said.
He says the stoplight will continue in whatever part of the cycle it's in.
The loops in the ground just serve as a way to let the signal know someone is waiting.
Spencer adds that some intersections have cameras that work the same way as the loops.
So stopping at the white line won't necessarily make your light turn green faster, but it will let the light know you are there.
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