Hacking the traffic lights

[anhinga_anhinga]

"The device, called an Opticon, is similar to what firefighters use to change lights when they respond to emergencies. It emits an infrared pulse that receivers on the traffic lights pick up."

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/18/traffic.changer.ap/index.html

"LONGMONT, Colorado (AP) -- A man who said he bought a device that allowed him to change stop lights from red to green received a $50 ticket for suspicion of interfering with a traffic signal.

Jason Niccum of Longmont, Colorado, said the device, which he bought on eBay for $100, helped him cut his time driving to work."

"Niccum was issued a citation March 29 after police said they found him using a strobe-like device to change traffic signals. Police confiscated the device."

"Niccum was cited after city traffic engineers who noticed repeated traffic light disruptions at certain intersections spotted a white Ford pickup passing by whenever the patterns were disrupted.

City traffic engineer Joe Olson said engineers plan to update the city's Opticon system this year to block unauthorized light-changing signals."

Comments

[spamsink.livejournal.com]

There was a mention of it on local news a few years ago, and the response to the agitated readers/listeners was that interfering with a traffic signal was already illegal, there are several different systems, and there is no use buying them and not much worry that some will benefit much from them.