What is funny about this picture?

[Origato]

This image:

http://www.geocities.com/b120282/pictures/lights.jpg

is from the 3BP website, a collection of humorous photos and headlines from around the world. It's a pretty good site, check it out.

Anyway, I have studied this picture over and over and can't find anything unusual about it. Just looks like an old stop light to me.

Does anyone see something here that I don't?

[Cabbage]

The lights are backwards.

[wbricks]

Green light on top, red light on bottom.

[jiggles]

Look at the positions/order of the lights. Of course, if you have green-red color-blindness, you probably still won't notice.

[The Ryan]

What, you don't consider the phrase "www.3BP floating in mid-air to be strange?

[jeel]

the position of the lights seems neither strange nor funny to me. I guess I've never really noticed what light should be on top (green or red) but that seems to me like the light would still control traffic the way it is.

[Origato]

Wow! Those were quick responses!

Thanks.

Still doesn't seem very funny, though...

[capacitor]

That is not so funny. I have seen lights arranged with red on top all of the time, especially in the subway.

[Capiz]

Maybe it's because all the lights seem to be on at once or that the middle light is actually a orange and not a yellow.

[Bob Scene]

Red lights are always supposed to go on top. If they didn't, then color-blind people (10 % of the population)wouldn't know when to stop.

[Bob Scene]

Here's a URL to back up what I just said:

http://www.toledo-bend.com/colorblind/aboutCB.html

[Bear_Nenno]

Originally posted by The Ryan
What, you don't consider the phrase "www.3BP floating in mid-air to be strange? It's not floating in the air, silly. Geeeez! It's stuck in the tree. I bet it fell off the back of one of those planes. You know, the kind that tow banners around at the beach or wherever.

[screech-owl]

This is a real stoplight in Syracuse, NY.

From the postcard attached to my computer (has the same photo):

"The only street light in the UNited States with the green on top is on Tipperary Hill, Syracuse, NY. Located at the corner of Milton and Tompkins. This landmark enhances this predominantly Irish area."

IIRC, the original light was put up with the green on top as a tribute to the Irish Heritage of the neighborhood, and people got quite upset (keep reading) when DOT tried to change the light to a regular traffic light. DOT finally gave up and the light remains as depicted today.

There is also a bronze monument to "The Stonethrowers", three 'street urchins' (fiercely proud of their Irish Heritage) depicted in the act of throwing stones to knock out the colored glass whenever DOT put up a regular traffic light. Green, as the color of Ireland, must be on top. In fact, one of the Syracuse Councilmen (who shall remain nameless, because I cannot remember his name right now), admitted to being one of the many people (kids and adults) who would stone out the lights whenever DOT attempted to replace the beloved trafficlight with a, shall we say, 'piece of blashphemy'.

There is a wonderful Irish bar just down the street from the traffic light (Coleman's), as well as a wonderful Irish-themed giftshop (can't remember the name of the store, I'll see if mom has it) that sells, in addition to typical Irish linens and hand-made sweaters, pendants and tie clips of the 'green-on-top' traffic light: necklace in silver -$60ish, necklace in 14K gold, $250.

This traffic light is real. I have been through this intersection many times when I lived in that area, and there is no notice that the green is on top, except for a sign that says, 'Traffic light ahead' (or something like that).

[John Bredin]

That bronze monument will come in handy -- they can sell it or melt it down to pay the judgment when a deadly accident results from having the traffic signals in the wrong order. :eek: But of course, ethnic pride over common sense and safety, and the now grown-up rock-throwers (including a councilman) will surely contribute to the judgment voluntarily. :rolleyes:

I'm of Irish descent and definitely understand Irish pride. This still sounds stupid to me.

[Kilgore Trout]

i was under the impression that those who are red-green colourblind could still see which light means go due to the amount of blue that is present in the green light.

does anyone have a statistic as to how many accidents involving colourblind people happen at this particular intersection?

[brad_d]

Just in case anybody cares to check it out, the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/kno-millennium.htm) contains the Federal Highway Administration's standards for such things as traffic signals, road signs, and the like. I believe the intent is to keep things consistent from state to state, to the extent possible.

Anyway, in Part 4 (http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/millennium/4.pdf) ("Highway Traffic Signals"), on page 4D-28, it states in part:


In each signal face, all red signal lenses in vertically-arranged signal faces shall be located above, and in horizontally-arranged signal faces shall be located to the left, of all yellow and green signal lenses.

If a CIRCULAR YELLOW signal lens is used, it shall be located between the red signal lens or lenses and all other signal lenses.

On the next page they give a bulleted list of precedence, top-to-bottom. Short answer: red must be on top/left, yellow in middle, green on bottom/right, in order to comply with DOT standards.

[screech-owl]

I do not know about the stats. All I know is, this light has been that way for years 'n' years 'n' and years. I'm trying to find the article (Syracuse 'Post-Standard' (morning paper) 'Herald-Journal' (afternoon paper) or 'Herald-American' (Sunday paper), but I'm having difficulty locating it (hey, it was years ago when I read it!).

I am not excusing or defending the actions of the locals - "I just calls 'em as I sees 'em".