SignalTraffic Forums

Hey guys,
I've discovered that the Quebec shaped lens signals for the colorblind are still being used, and new versions made. I thought they were all gone, because they were tested in Quebec and Prince Edward Island, but it was determined that they didn't help the colorblind. In the city of Longueuil, QC, EVERY signalized intersection still uses them. (* there are likely a few exceptions) Take a look for yourself, drop in to any intersection https://www.google.com/maps?q=Longueuil ... anada&z=13

All of the signals have LED indications of red squares, yellow diamonds, and green circles, plus yellow & green arrows.
The horizontal signals are some that are new and some that are old, does anyone know who makes those/what they are made of?
There are also many vertical signals, made of the square ped-signal-type housings, and sometimes regular housings for the yellow, green, and arrow sections.
I am very glad to see that all these classic signals are being used and copied, at least in this one city!
The 4-to-6 aspect signals have many many interesting configurations, and the intersections have many interesting setups, from what I've seen on street view. I have not been there. (I wish I lived there, because all this free time I have could be used actually taking pictures )



Classic Horizontal Signal Examples, click thumbnail


Longueuil, Quebec Shaped Lens Signals - Horizontal Examples



New-Style Vertical Signal Examples (my favorites of which are buttonbacks, made of vehicle & ped signal sections)


Longueuil, Quebec Shaped Lens Signals - Vertical Examples

khardy wrote:When lit at night, does each lense look like their respective shape at a distance or does it just look like a colored light?

I have not been there. But my guess is that you can not tell from a distance (ex. another intersection), which is probably part of the reason they were originally ruled ineffective. Though with LEDs, I think you can tell the shape from far enough away (ex. behind waiting traffic)

When I was up there on a roadtrip 4 years ago it seemed that each city, county or juristiction was making their own choice as far as keeping shapes for LED conversions. Most were changing over to the standard LEDs, but Longueil and Sherbrooke were entirely using shapes.

khardy wrote:That is interesting on the different shapes for the colors of the signals. Square for red, diamond for yellow and round for green. Kind of like different sign shapes for their initial meanings. Curious as to what they look like at night. When lit at night, does each lense look like their respective shape at a distance or does it just look like a colored light?

Cheers!

Sorry for the bump, but since I'm a huge fan of Quebec signals, I feel it's my duty to butt in . To answer your question, from a distance, you can tell the red is a square, because they look slightly larger than the rest of the indications. As far as the yellow diamonds, from a distance, they do just look like a colored light. Both of these hold true for both day and night.

To add input on this subject, I'm really glad that the city of Longueuil is still using these shaped lenses. The rest of the province is slowly phasing them out (though many can still be found), but I'm glad there still will be one town where they are still alive and well. One thing that I don't really understand though is why they're used for the vertical signals. It's common sense that red is always on top and green on the bottom, so I wouldn't think that color-blind people would have trouble deciphering which indication is which.

BTW, the town of Mont-Tremblant (formerly Saint-Jovite) still has some older incandescent versions of these signals...



I'll be back up in Montreal late next month before I head over to UMaine, so if you'd like, I can get some photos and videos of the ones in your post if you'd like.

Ian,

If you have not seen them before, be sure to look for the tiny traffic signals mounted on the pole where bicycle intersections are.

signalkid1 wrote:I'll be back up in Montreal late next month before I head over to UMaine, so if you'd like, I can get some photos and videos of the ones in your post if you'd like.

If the amount of free time I have isn't too scary, check out this list. If you want, you can 'choose' from there.

List: https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/Longueui ... a-6aA&dl=1

I think for verticality you can probably discern the shape sooner than the "position" of the lit indication at night or in inclement weather.

Canuck_in_TX wrote:Ian,

If you have not seen them before, be sure to look for the tiny traffic signals mounted on the pole where bicycle intersections are.

Like these?

signal-in-the-box wrote:Thanks! Feel free only if it's convenient for you. But not the ones in those pictures, those were just the best views I picked from 2 intersections.

I want to try and get a video of one of the signals with the flashing green ball. The intersection in the second photo I posted in my previous post has the flashing green ball, so I might get a video of that.

Like these?

Yep, that's them!