Although it comes to the fore with Oslo, the capital of Norway, it would be wrong to say that the three-light traffic lights, two red and one green, used for pedestrians are unique to Norway. Because it can be seen in different countries such as Denmark and Germany.
Although a common denominator has not been reached for its basic function, people have different interpretations of the benefits it provides. At the beginning of these, as a solution to the loss of function of the bulbs used in traffic lights in the past, there is a spare bulb to be placed next to them. Of course, the situation is not limited to this.
Let’s unpack the basic function a little more.
The bulbs used before switching to LED lights can burn out over time and lose their function, and in this context, pedestrians who see that only the green light is on or that no light is on increase the likelihood of an accident in this context. For this reason, if a light bulb loses its function, a spare one to fulfill its function was deemed appropriate.
This response was also received when Hamburg Turizm was consulted:
In this comeback, it is the same as what we just said, namely, that the second red light is ‘backup’.
This was explained by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA).
Engineer Bente Christensen, who made a statement to DinSide, said that this system, which was used before, continued in the 90s because it increased security. For this reason, although the technology has changed, the method has remained the same.
It is also said to be beneficial for people who are colorblind.
The system also has advantages for such people and the elderly who have difficulty in deducing what the color is. However, the strange part of the job is that even if these lights do not have colors, they have animations or visuals that indicate that they should be emphasized or passed, so this explanation is somewhat in the air.
Looking at the explanations made, we can conclude that security is the most fundamental consideration.
Traffic Engineer Lars Bo Frederiksen’s article clarifies what we’re talking about.
In Frederiksen’s article, it is stated that these lights are placed at mixed intersections to clarify the transition priority. For example, on a two-lane road or intersection, imagine that you cross first to the middle curb and then to the opposite curb. While the light that will allow you to cross the middle curb is red, the other light may turn green, and if you are not careful enough, you can risk your life by looking directly at the green light. In this case, the double red light can attract your distracted attention.
Today, although traffic awareness has increased to some extent, it may seem that there is no need for this. However, we can say that there is not enough reason to remove this system, which is already in existence and whose benefits are also seen. You won’t see them all over Norway or Germany anyway. They are only found in certain and dense areas.
Although there are rumors that a young girl died because of these lamps and that they were used for this reason, we could not find a source to support this, so we did not include it. Be yourself, don’t forget to look to your left and right. And remember, they are not mandatory or common nowadays. Looking at the sources, we can say that there was no need for removal as it has good returns.
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