Dutch Town Installs LED Pavement Strips to Alert Distracted Smartphone Users

Megalith

Megalith

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What was wrong with letting stupid people walk into traffic and kill themselves? In what is being (accurately) described as a “reward for unsafe behavior,” a town is wasting everyone’s time and money by installing fancy light strips by intersections so smartphone users won’t actually have to look up before crossing.

Officials in the town of Bodegraven are running trials of new traffic lights which warn pedestrians staring at their mobile phones that they are about the cross the road. The new traffic light consists of a led lighting strip in the pavement which officials hope will alert "zombies" who are looking at the road not at traffic. "Social media, games, WhatsApp, and music are major distractions in traffic," said town alderman Kees Oskam. "We may not be able to change this trend, but we can anticipate problems." The +Lichtlijn, as the traffic light is officially called, is linked to existing traffic lights and changes colour at the same time. Dutch road safety organisation VVN said it did not think the new lighting would be a solution. "What you are doing is rewarding bad behavior," a spokesman said.
 
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To be fair, it will also help those who are hard of seeing, folks who have had a drink or three, and possibly children. On these bases alone, I think the costs (monetary and time) saved those individuals and the vehicles that would hit them is well worth it.
 
The pics are shot in the dark. Does that mean no cell phone use during the day. :)
 
We have similar lights on our fork lifts at work, blue in this case, for people that walk around looking at the ground. I've even caught myself doing it when I'm deep in thought, thinking about how im going to solve this problem or the steps I need to take, and they've been handy. Similar idea here.

I've always said you can't change the people around you, but you can change yourself. This seems like they're taking that mentality which is ok with me.
 
rgMekanic said:
They keep trying to fend off Darwin.. but he will always find a way.
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I was watching a documentary about the future of human evolution, and that's what they got sooooo wrong.

They were saying people will evolve to lose their pinkie toes for example, because they have no value now, but that's not how that works as people don't want to have sex with other people that have missing digits.

Traits that favor greater reproduction are passed on, but these days that trait is usually just cultural or irresponsibility dumping accident or welfare babies on the population, for the rest to take care of via tax subsidy. People that need less oxygen or can tolerate saltier diets and the like really don't have higher reproduction rates, and even our weakest and dumbest often have PLENTY of kids.

Even in the animal kingdom, often traits that have no practical value (or are even detrimental) are promoted just because they aren't harmful enough to cause extinction and the females find it attractive (like a peacock's feathers). With socialist welfare nets in even the most capitalistic of nations, almost nothing is harmful enough to regularly kill before they reach breeding age, even people dumb enough to walk mindlessly into oncoming traffic.
 
I don't want to be the one to deal with it when someone steps in front of my car, I think this is protecting drivers from pedestrians.
 
AaronGant said:
I don't want to be the one to deal with it when someone steps in front of my car, I think this is protecting drivers from pedestrians.
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in Denmark (y)

On a serious note, I'd want to hold my judgement on the result of the trials.

My initial thoughts are that anyone who is so intent on their phone that they walk into traffic, this ain't going to help them.
 
There are too many stupid people in the world as it is. Take away the warning labels and things like this and let the problem sort itself out.
 
AaronGant said:
yeah?
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Yeah, in Denmark, this article is about a Danish town testing out these lights. Therefore, it might make a difference there, in Denmark. It isn't going to make a difference in Budapest unless they also install them there as well.

Danish, it's not just for breakfast.

And I did say "On a serious note" right after, which means I was just kidding around previously
 
lcpiper said:
Yeah, in Denmark, this article is about a Danish town testing out these lights. Therefore, it might make a difference there, in Denmark. It isn't going to make a difference in Budapest unless they also install them there as well.

Danish, it's not just for breakfast.

And I did say "On a serious note" right after, which means I was just kidding around previously
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ok, I just didn't understand what you were saying. I think I still don't really understand. I didn't say it was somewhere else, and the article was clear on it's location. Maybe I just don't understand jokes.
 
lcpiper said:
in Denmark (y)
.
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lcpiper said:
Yeah, in Denmark, this article is about a Danish town testing out these lights
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I am unsure if you are joking about Americans horrible geography knowledge.. or is one of said persons.
If it the first one, you have my a giggle reading it and I got your point (y)
If its the second one, either you or I misread the article cause its says its a dutch town.
 
I don't get why they went to the expense of cutting/mounting a light strip in the pavement. Why wouldn't you just use a laser line projector? They are only a few bucks. Both are pretty much defeated by the big fireball in the sky. To really prevent this, you'd need an arm that comes down like on a school bus.

BP
 
Wish they would put LED's in the streets so we can see where the lane dividers are. Maybe even power them off the vibrations of cars driving by + solar.
 
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westrock2000 said:
Wish they would put LED's in the streets so we can see where the lane dividers are. Maybe even power them off the vibrations of cars driving by + solar.
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Now you want to protect the people who are texting and driving by making the lanes light up?

By god man, when will it end!

;)
 
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lcpiper said:
Yeah, in Denmark, this article is about a Danish town testing out these lights. Therefore, it might make a difference there, in Denmark. It isn't going to make a difference in Budapest unless they also install them there as well.

Danish, it's not just for breakfast.

And I did say "On a serious note" right after, which means I was just kidding around previously
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Netherlands ain't Denmark, old man

"One of them D counties" :D
 
dgingeri said:
There are too many stupid people in the world as it is. Take away the warning labels and things like this and let the problem sort itself out.
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It won't. Stupidity is contagious and it seems to be spreading at a faster rate during this past decade.
 
Well, it may be cheaper to pay for led lights then for healthcare for invalids and damages from whatever resulting from "zombies" on the streets :)

Spidey329 said:
Now you want to protect the people who are texting and driving by making the lanes light up?

By god man, when will it end!
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The same for road lines for better visibility for cars - what? why would we need them, drivers can't look at the road and imagine where the dividers are ? Should we get rid of traffic lights too? Speed limits?
You should be thanking for all of them, probably why you were not killed before by some stupid driver.
 
It is also worrying because this is pretty much condoning the already addictive behavior behind smart phones. You mean that these people cant LITERALLY look up from their phone for a couple of minutes? Is it really that detrimental to not look away from your phone? You are going to depend on someone else for your safety while you are feeding your lack of self survival staring at your phone when there is a high possibility a ton or more of metal slamming into your body and destroying you? But HEY! At least you don't have to look up from your phone!

Further advancing the amount of mindless idiots out there who can not think for themselves to such a degree it is literally coming to this. This is sad, like really, this is fucking sad.
 
Probably more to protect drivers who will get stuck in a lawsuit by running these clowns over. They should really let natural selection do its thing. Screen transparency and camera see thru should be a native feature in many phones though. Phone knows when you're walking so this surely can be turned on to help these distracted people if it really comes down to that.
 
If they would only put solar panels UNDER the LED strips, then they could power themselves.
 
dgz said:
Netherlands ain't Denmark, old man

"One of them D counties" :D
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I thought the [H] headline said "Danish town", but it says Dutch, Doh.

Still, it doesn't change the argument. Some feel it's our business and that because these things happen in other countries that the US will naturally follow. I challenge such ideas because I know there are real differences in the cultures and things that can work in Europe and other countries frequently don't stand a chance here.

The American population is too independent and too focused on themselves to follow along.

"These new lights would be much more effective if we could get people to use the crosswalks"
 
when I text and walk, I know my surroundings and I don't don't cross the street, I wait until im in a clear zone then I continue typing. Yet you don't need to type a story to people, texting, shouldn't be like writing an email. This is a cool idea, but c'mon watch what your doing?
 
lcpiper said:
I thought the [H] headline said "Danish town", but it says Dutch, Doh.
Still, it doesn't change the argument
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The fun part is if you are from one of those countries. Exactly that Dutch/Danish mixup is something that is pretty stereotypical American. I can't count how many times I've heard it :D
But you are right argument still holds
 
They should put these on the road so I don't have to run over the local gang thugs, alerting them to oncoming cars. Oh wait, that wouldn't work because they're in the middle of the road to assault people who stop. They like to walk menacingly down a certain road at evening/night and try block it. No brakes - I accelerate every time now, my old DD mostly steel wagon DGAF about your pacific gangster lard ass or the paint and I ain't stopping to be sucker punched and assaulted. Gladly will buy a wrecker bumper if they decide to pull a BLM next time.
 
There's a bar here that just painted brightass yellow footprints on the ground, oddly enough going straight... to... the parking lot o_O, gotta make sure ppl get home I guess lol
 
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