Is CDOT once again using us as a testing ground for traffic-control experiments? The question stems from the warning signals at U.S. Highway 550 and Trimble Lane, where there’s the only stop light in a long section of road on which vehicles travel 55 mph (if speed limits are obeyed, a dubious proposition at best). Naturally, it takes a while to slow down and stop. The warning signal used to be synchronized with the traffic light, flashing a couple of seconds before the green light turned to yellow and then red. Now, the light flashes all the time. Brakes are slamming, tires are squealing, and worse, people run the light. The yellow flashing lights might as well be spelling out “wolf” in Morse Code, since everyone now just ignores them. – Kitty Benzar

If the warning lights did indeed spell “wolf” in Morse Code, traffic would likely come to a standstill, as motorists would be utterly flummoxed by the series of short and long bursts of light.

The light that cried wolf would blink thusly:

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If you were a Morse Code talker, “wolf” would be: dit-daah-daah daah-daah-daah dit-dah-dit-dit dit-dit-daah-dit.

The light would do dit all da doo-dah day.

But let’s get back to the matter at hand.

Why do the once-synchronized warning lights now flash continuously, and is the Colorado Department of Transportation doing some sort of experiment?

We telegraphed our intentions to our good friend Lisa Schwantes, a spokeswoman for CDOT who dashed out to consult with specialists.

Yes, CDOT traffic engineers are examining the intersection and looking to change things. But that’s pretty much what traffic engineers do, and it’s not what you might think.

“Those flashing lights are called Advanced Warning Signs, and we did switch them over to constant flashing about three weeks ago so we could study and improve the intersection for safety,” Lisa said.

The synchronized AWS lights were handy for folks driving up and down the highway, but did little for motorists turning left, across traffic, on to Trimble Lane, she said.

As traffic would (or should) slow down when the lights went on, a left-hand turner has a hard time figuring out if the oncoming motorist is really going to stop or proceed through the yellow, or in many cases the red light.

We’ve all experienced that moment of confusion at an intersection with a changing light and traffic seeming to slow down.

“What the heck is that guy going to do?” Then we have two choices to make in a split second: freeze or gun it.

“It’s all about safety,” Lisa said. The constant flashing is designed to boost awareness about the stop light-controlled intersection itself as opposed to the upcoming cycle of the light.

That’s for the time being, Lisa added. After engineers finish their studies, it could be that synchronization will be restored at a different threshold, perhaps a longer eight-second warning period.

But it depends on what data show and how motorists respond.

“In the meantime, we want drivers to be more aware of the intersection, and that motorists can and do make left turns. As I said, it’s all about safety,” Lisa added.

That’s safety as in:

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