LED traffic lights can't melt snow!

[Apoptosis]

A number of cold weather American states are reporting their dismay at finding out that LED traffic lights are so energy efficient that they do not produce enough excess heat to dissipate any snow that covers them. It turns out, perhaps in an homage to bad engineering everywhere, that the inefficiency of incandescent light bulbs was previously relied upon to keep traffic signals unimpeded. The new LEDs do not achieve the same effect, which has resulted in a few accidents and even a death being blamed on obstructed traffic lights.

In this photo provided by the Oswego Police, was taken after a fatal crash in Oswego, Ill. on April 6, 2009. Oswego police Detective Rob Sherwood said the wind had blown the snow over the red light, causing a driver run the light and hit the vehicle of 34-year-old Lisa Richter, who was making a left turn. She was killed.

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[stev]

It's not a total back-to-the-drawing-board, but the traffic light lenses could be lined with wired heating elements to defrost or melt the snow.

I've been very pleased with the LED signals in various traffic lights that are years ancient. those lights only put out a glow of color at best. The LEDS made them alive and brilliant.

With the incandescent law that went into effect a few years ago, florescents will be nearly the only thing for the future. I've seen them to be energy efficient, but then there have been other cases where they make no sense.

[DJ Tucker]

we have this wire on the traffics lights over here in the uk and ok they not heated but the keep the snow from blocking the lights up. also we don't get a good snow maybe a good slush but not a good snow.

[skier]

i started reading "Oswego" and thought about my sis who is in Oswego NY(and got a single 7' storm one time due to lake effects)

i never even knew snow accumulated on the lights, i guess here they're all incandescent

...that and there's only like 5 lights in my area(none in my town) and half the time two of them are just off(dead bulbs, no power, whatever)