Traffic lights in Mexico have a flashing red after yellow and before the red turns solid red (they may have changed this; it’s been a few years since I last visited.) Can anyone explain what the yellow and flashing red steps are supposed to mean?
Having grown up in Houston, I could see how a flashing red could work as a final warning after an ignored yellow light, but I’m sure that there’s a better way to explain what the lights mean.
Every traffic light in Mexico that I’ve seen (Leon, Zacatecas, Manzanillo, Saltillo, others) didn’t have that sequence. It was like this: steady green light works just like here. Green starts to flash to let you know that it’s going to turn yellow, and then it turns steady yellow, and then steady red. From steady red, it goes back to steady green. As to why the flashing green? Just to let you know it’s going to turn yellow.
They’ve been doing this since at least June of '99 – I can’t speak for beforehand.
Thanks. I has been a while; it sounds like I’m misremembering things.