are they just cosmetic ?

I voted "very useful" because there is no need to make a last second decision when the lights change to amber as to whether you should speed up or slow down - you have plenty of time to decide whether you can accelerate to get through in time or, if not, you just slow down. No need to wait impatiently for them to change to green, because you know exactly how long it's going to take. Just sit and watch the eye-candy on the moto-cy's.

I also voted "very useful", for all of the same reasons mentioned by RDN, with some caveats.

It seems to me that they are not working 40-50% of the time. Only useful if they are working. Otherwise... total waste of time.

The counter at the Lad Prao / Viphavadee was counting upwards after turning red for about a week after they installed it. Was very handy to remind you of exactly how much time you were wasting as you sat in the jam and watched it count through 600 before turning green and counting down for 90 seconds.

Must admit that the mentioned intersection is a million times better now that the confusing flyovers have been opened.

I think they are an excellent anti-stress aid, when they are working...

That said, it would be nice if the person who inputs the timings unclenched his fists and checked his input before updating.

What about when the cops take control of the lights and let the traffic build up? They make it worse in my opinion. Why not just let the lights do their job?

Agree with RDN's post. I wish they'd introduce them into the UK

What about when the cops take control of the lights and let the traffic build up? They make it worse in my opinion. Why not just let the lights do their job?

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Is Jockstar's observation not oh so true?

Give a man a uniform and an infernal whistle to guarantee maximum irritation and total chaos.

They would be especially useful at the super-long red lights (e.g., Sathon/Surasak) during rush hour. That way we could turn off our ignitions and have dinner on the footpath and be back in our cars before the light turned green. Really, if the timer read 7 min 30 sec we could even get a foot massage for our pedal foot before we had to use it again. Thaksin could even gain all his lost ground by installing these timers at every traffic signal in BKK. There would be no more protests in Lumpini if Thai drivers knew how long they had to wait for a light change.

I voted "very useful" because there is no need to make a last second decision when the lights change to amber as to whether you should speed up or slow down - you have plenty of time to decide whether you can accelerate to get through in time or, if not, you just slow down. No need to wait impatiently for them to change to green, because you know exactly how long it's going to take. Just sit and watch the eye-candy on the moto-cy's.

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They would be especially useful at the super-long red lights (e.g., Sathon/Surasak) during rush hour. That way we could turn off our ignitions and have dinner on the footpath and be back in our cars before the light turned green. Really, if the timer read 7 min 30 sec we could even get a foot massage for our pedal foot before we had to use it again.

Yeah!

Or, if it is after 5 PM, go get a cold beer! (Or 6)

I voted "very useful" because no need to wait impatiently for them to change to green, because you know exactly how long it's going to take. Just sit and watch the eye-candy on the moto-cy's.

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I agree with that, but why doesn't it work for the Thais?

They still have to get in gear and handbrake off when the 0 comes.

It also emphasises how bad the timings are...............

2+ min before we get to move again.

No wonder the traffic is clogged up.

...It also emphasises how bad the timings are...............

2+ min before we get to move again.

No wonder the traffic is clogged up.

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That in itself is an interesting subject. Why do they like to let the traffic go (or stop) for so long? In the UK, it's about 30 seconds typically, 45 seconds max I would think.

Having said that, the lights just before Central Festival in Phuket - when heading north - stay green for about 10 seconds for traffic turning right. Often only 3 or 4 cars/pick-ups get through by the time they've woken up, got it into gear, etc.

are they just cosmetic ?

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BTW - only 1 "l" in useful....