Pleasanton finds a way to slow impatient drivers —
Pleasanton is about to turn the fast into the furious.
In a move unprecedented in the Bay Area, the city’s traffic engineers have created a traffic signal with attitude. It senses when a speeder is approaching and metes out swift punishment.
It doesn’t write a ticket. It immediately turns from green to yellow to red.
Residents and commute-jockeys said Tuesday that the light, which the city plans to unveil today on Vineyard Avenue at the intersection of Montevino Drive, is either an inspired leap into the future or a blatant example of government overzealousness.
“It’s kind of big-brotherish, but sometimes it’s the price we pay for safety,” said JoAnne Brewer, 49, who walked her golden retriever past the new signal Tuesday morning and predicted it would be a success.
“I’m not much of a speeder myself,” Brewer added. “It’s my husband that it will catch.”
This wouldn’t work everywhere — I mean what happens when you install it at an intersection and people are speeding on both streets — but NewMexiKen likes the sounds of this.
Of course, some speeders run red lights, too.