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[quote user="Bucyrus"] Instead, these drivers believe that the warning system is advisory.  In other words, they believe the lights and gates; and particularly just lights without gates, are only there to tell drivers that a train is approaching.  And beyond that, they believe that drivers are allowed to use their own judgment as to whether or not it is safe to cross.  When you add this misunderstanding to the fact that drivers don’t want to risk being held up by a train, it is no wonder that there are close calls. I can see several distinctly clear and logical reasons why drivers would believe the warning system is advisory rather than regulatory.  One of the reasons is the traffic control logic defect that I am describing here.  [/quote] What if standard traffic lights were installed in parallel with the traditional flashers? Sure, drivers will still run the yellow part of the cycle, but you don't see many people running red lights. There's a crossing near me in Northborough, MA that has traffic signals working in parallel with standard lights and half-gates. It's not a quiet zone and train speed is 10 mph, but it's a busy road. These lights flash yellow when no train is approaching, then turn red to block traffic in conjunction with the regular flashers and gates. <a href="http://goo.gl/maps/bbT0w">Google Street View link</a> The Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices allows traffic signals to protect railroad crossings on industrial and other low-speed applications but bans them for mainline use. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with using them in parallel with the standard equipment, though. <a href="http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2003/part8/part8d.htm#section8D07http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2003/part8/part8d.htm#section8D07">http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2003/part8/part8d.htm#section8D07</a> Thoughts?
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