Semaphores were created to cause stress not manage traffic. I know this because every time I have somewhere to be in a hurry, and it requires that I have a favorable stop and go ratio at the intersections I will traverse, invariably the green lights disappear and the red lights multiply. If I have no particular deadline to meet and the arrival time at my destination is optional then green lights abound and red lights hide their ugly faces.
This phenomenon has no relationship to time of day. Rush hour with its congested traffic is not caused by increased volume of cars but by the presence of so many stressed out drivers. There must be a secret sensor installed in every car ever manufactured that broadcasts the drivers state of urgency to the traffic light system. When a high level of stress is detected then red lights are authorized.
If I had my way this is what I would see every time I had and urgent need to get somewhere in a hurry.
Many of the years I taught high school at Granger High in West Valley City, Utah I would put up a list of the strange ways my students pronounced words or mashed together several words in a phrase into one word sentences. I always thought that a non-English speaker would have a great deal of difficulty understanding English because of this practice. I share with you some of the words I put on the board along with their translation:
cumear--Come here. mahon--come on
ackshulee--actually goferit--Go for it.
speshulee--especially wanna--want to
pasificklee--specifically gitcher--get your
nuhuh--"no" doncha--don't you
elamentree--elementary snot--It's not.
ifyuh--if you cuz--because
hiztree--history ferill--for real
spelt--spelled oofer--oh for
interpet--interpret frood--for rude
dinnit--didn't it eye't--all right
importun--important dood--dude
Ifollayew--I follow you. soreduh--sort of
I go--I said anuthern--another one
she goes--she said kinda--kind of
whadahyuh--what do you hunnert--one hundred
cumon--come on zat--that
haftahbe--half to be fillings--feelings
eggzacklee--exactly member--remember
jewluree--jewelry dincha--didn't you
sokay--It's okay bob wire--barbed wire
innervu--interview duck tape--duct tape
unso--and so perdy--pretty
newquler--nuclear juskidden--just kidding
edjakayshun--education eggzackly--exactly
Febyewairee--February cumear--Come here.
intressting--interesting sawree--sorry
yew-n-yer--you and your lieberry--library
geetcher--did you eat your fergot--forgot
brannoo--brand new samwitch--sandwich
eggzit--exit lektrik--electric
squzme--excuse me lemmee--let me
pome--poem owdahear--out of here
poztoo--suppose to sep--except
x-cape--escape hunner--hunter
acrost--across crik--creek
cabnut--cabinet gozintuh--goes into
herjah--I heard you serp--syrup
innerseck--intersect innerested--interested
urin--You are in problee--probably
sallrite--It's all right. I'munhuh--I'm going to.
m'allrite--I'm all right. problee--probably
frum--from figger--figure
lowyer--lawyer seprut--seperate
zerenee--Is there any. doanask--Don't ask.
punkshul--punctual mountun--mountain
jahavyur--do you have your
s'whutcher--so, what is your
comefturbull--comfortable
farzino--As far as I know.
sss-goen--How is it going?
presheate--appreciate
herchurself--Did you hurt yourself?
congradulayshuns--congratulations
This list could continue endlessly. It is a miracle we can understand anything a teenager says.
Semaphores were created to cause stress not manage traffic. I know this because every time I have somewhere to be in a hurry, and it requires that I have a favorable stop and go ratio at the intersections I will traverse, invariably the green lights disappear and the red lights multiply. If I have no particular deadline to meet and the arrival time at my destination is optional then green lights abound and red lights hide their ugly faces. 
This phenomenon has no relationship to time of day. Rush hour with its congested traffic is not caused by increased volume of cars but by the presence of so many stressed out drivers. There must be a secret sensor installed in every car ever manufactured that broadcasts the drivers state of urgency to the traffic light system. When a high level of stress is detected then red lights are authorized.
