The video above started as a 10-second sound bite from the city’s “traffic cops,” but it’s quickly becoming an internet sensation. And now, for those of us who have called New York City traffic lights “tyrannical” or worse — given the decades of broken signals and complaints from “traffic-happy” New Yorkers — the idea of a clear symbol of evil just got a ton of visibility. When this reporter saw a tourist take a photo of the new signal installed in Harlem earlier this month, she had to ask why it turns red 24/7 if nobody’s around. Here’s a slightly edited version of that conversation:
J: “Excuse me, operator, but that red light you’re pushing, are you seriously giving tickets for things that don’t go on 24/7?”
AL: “No, we only have two signal cycles at any given time. And, by the way, the photo I took of you was taken around 8:30 at night.”
J: “I don’t know what your time is, but I guess your answer to my question is about 20 minutes ago. It’s around 10:30 now, and the whole thing has nothing to do with your system. So why’s it red 24/7?”
AL: “Well, when we installed this red light we put it in, the reason we put it in, I forgot to mention — but this symbol, it shows you that you don’t have to get out of your vehicle if you’re not going to. If you don’t need to get out of your vehicle, you can still stay in your vehicle and wait here. But what it means is if you’re really going to get out of your vehicle, like you have to cross the street, you have to get out of your vehicle. It’s your responsibility.”
J: “That’s great, so that means you make the decision?”
AL: “It does make the decision for you, but for the most part, the lights are just here to help you. The lights are to be seen. When people hear the word ‘traffic signal,’ they say, ‘Oh my god, who do they think they are, the Italian mob?’ They’re not criminals. The people at the meters are just looking for the right place to be able to help you get out of your vehicle.”
J: “That’s wonderful, but why are they changing them so often?”
AL: “Well, we’re making the [new sign] 24/7. We put the traffic cop, the white gentleman on the white panel, right here. But the real reason is, we’re just trying to give you more instructions, so the person who is really going to get out of the vehicle has to put their turn signal on, and that slows you down. So you’ll know a little more than if we hadn’t moved the sign over.”