Taiwan switching to LED traffic lights
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted July 4th 2007 3:40PM
posted July 4th 2007 3:40PM
Taiwan, always known to one-up the global marketplace when it comes to traffic control and street lighting, has announced that within the next three years all of its traffic lights will become LED based. The country's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has budgeted roughly NT$229 million ($7 million) for the project, which is set to begin in 2008, and will convert 420,000 traffic lights to the LED standard (350,000 have already been changed over). The MOEA claims the total savings in power consumption will be close to 85%. After the sweeping reform of its traffic signals, Taiwan will invest another NT$130 million to swap its street lights out for LED-based models. Nations of the world, the gauntlet has been thrown down.[Via Digg]
China won't be able to take Taiwan back anytimes soon since U.S. of A's planning to use this coutry of the size of Lake Michigan as their 13th Carrier Fleet......Good Luck China, Taiwan's one unsinkable SOB!
Austin TX has had them for a while too.
Philly converted 100% of its red lights to LED many years ago. Many yellow and green are LED as well, but not all. I think the idea is that since LEDs last longer, it's more important (safety-wise) for the red lights to not burn out as often.
The entire nation of Singapore has been installed with LED traffic lights more than 2 years ago.
Yup I second that (has it only been 2 years? Feels longer :P)
The City of Adelaide in Australia, has had LED traffic signals for quite a number of years now also.
LED, Tungsten, Neon, OED.... it doesn't really matter here in Taiwan, as the lights are frequently ignored. Many drivers close their eyes and trust the force to guide them when in charge of any vehicle.
In fact, if they got rid of them all, Taiwan could save 100% of the electricity costs.
This is news because? Even us redneck geeks in Georgia have had LED traffic signals -- mostly retrofits -- for years now. I haven't seen an old incandescent traffic signal in I don't know how long.
The city where I live in Mexico there are LEDs trafic lights everywhere, and they been there for years now.
singapore has them as well, all new traffic lights are led-types, i dare say normal bulb lights are very very rare nowadays.
Is taiwan, however the 1st country to go on to streetlights using LEDs?
They are being used in Australia. Around Sydney, all new traffic lights are led based, and older ones are being replaced quietly. There was no announcement or news about it ever, they were just brought in.
PS Taiwan may have made the green walking man, but Australia made the speaker to go tith the signal :p.
Wow, here in Recife, BRAZIL we have a lot of these LED traffic signals. Some with count down panels. I've seeing some of these in Europe too...
Singapore did this change a long long way back:
http://72.14.235.104/search?q=cache:1EUY_Sl6WbQJ:www.stee.stengg.com/2005/newsRm/pdf/yr00/2000-10a.pdf+led+traffic+light+singapore&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=sg
Am very sure Singapore wasn't the 1st either ...
I'd guesstimate that here in Sioux Falls, around 75% are LED.
Kentucky finished up switching over all of the traffic signals to LED state-wide not too long ago. They are a lot brighter and more visible during the day with the sun shining on them. Kentucky is a lot more socially superior than one might think. http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/2/1/17 http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/2/9/21
What the hell is new here??!
Even India has been using ultrabright LEDs for traffic lights for over a decade now.
A company, Bharat Electronics Limited has been making them for ages now.
Hmmh...
This is not a big news, is it? For a small city where I live, we've been utilizing LED traffic lights for some time. Taiwan is considered a more developed country than Indonesia... and we already utilize the technology on a few big cities. :)
Perth, Western Australia, has had LED lights for years now too. Any that are new or are being replaced are LED. This is hardly news fit for engadget.... or is it just a slow day? :)
Back when I was a civil engineering student in 94 or so, a visit to the local traffic control office revealed LED signals in testing (in 3 or 4 places in town) that, at the time, had been in place for about 2 years. Initially there were problems with color consistency and diode life.
Most California metro areas switched over entirely during and after the "power crisis" several summers ago.
The little walking green man that people are talking about. I think this is one of the many versions out there.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3iJa1QPFRfM
This is hardly news, even here in Wisconsin (Where?) I see nothing but LED lights. They simply make too much sense not to use. They use vastly less electricity and they last about 11 years of continuous use, which comes to 20 years for lights that are on for only half the time and even longer for some lights, so they save a lot of labor costs replacing them.
Gosh, Singapore's had for at least the last 10 years now. Can't remember what a 'normal' one looks like?
But i do love those crazy Taipei underpasses at cross junctions, it's like a mini maze. Loves it!
I live in South Africa - supposedly a 3rd world country and even we have the LED traffic lights here. So no, Taiwan and alll the other places aren't as ahead as they think they are.
BTW the LED's really do make a difference.
Here in Antarctica we have LED traffic lights too.
It does not mean that the traffic lights will be replaced to LED.
Taiwan has been replaced traffic lights for many years.
It means that all of traffic signal will be replaced.
it doesnt mean taiwanese will switch to LED traffic lights from now, it shows the taiwanese will change all traffic lights into LED in whole country
We've got them too, here in Santiago ;)
I am from Taiwan and I believe yes, there are some areas in the country where a small portion of the drivers, like in other countries, don't obey traffic rules. I was in rural Missouri for a year as an exchange student and no one, literally no one stopped at the stop sign. Okay about the LED lights, why is everyone feeling hurt? I don't see why a pioneering national make-over policy would not benefit the world. (I understand, by reading previous posts that Singapore had done it and I have to say that people of Singapore is very united and the nation is also small in size. Those could contribute to the fact.) For many of you still think of Taiwan as a country that makes the dollar-store toys, being a tech-enthusiast, you should think of Taiwan generally as a post-developing country. But after all America is where many of the technologies originated. I do give credits to you guys for that!