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advanced green
DCHP-2 (Sep 2016)
Spelling variants:advance green
1n. — Automotive
a green traffic signal that allows traffic to turn left while opposing traffic is still held back by a red light.
Type: 5. Frequency — The term is very rarely used outside Canada (see Chart 1) and is also a contender for Canadian origin. The earliest Canadian quotation is from 1960; the earliest US citation is from 1966.
See also COD-2, s.v. "advanced green", which is marked "Cdn", ITP Nelson, s.v. "advanced green".
See also COD-2, s.v. "advanced green", which is marked "Cdn", ITP Nelson, s.v. "advanced green".
The green light may be a solid green, a flashing green, a left-arrow turn signal, but is used only in some provinces. Note that in British Columbia, for instance, a flashing green light indicates a pedestrian-controlled crosswalk.
Quotations
1960
Always I cut his explanations short with: "In Canada we would just give some advanced green and direct the on-going and right-turning cars into the right lane only."
1962
The underground detector is operated only during off-peak hours. During rush hours, the advanced green always operates, he said.
1971
At Bloor and Church another youth with a flashlight impeccably substituted for the traffic lights, even providing an advanced green.
1996
He's absolutely right about that, says Ballard. Actually, the arrow sensor is set on the third car, so that if only two cars are in line, they will have to wait for a break in traffic or the amber light. If three or more cars are waiting to turn, the arrow kicks in, giving the advanced green.
2007
While drivers have initially adapted to the green signal light that indicates they may "go" or proceed through an intersection, the ability to perceive an "advanced green" flashing signal has actually declined through the decades. One in three drivers is incapable of reacting to an advanced green signal. In a curious maladaptation, however, a subset of this same group perceives an amber-coloured light as equivalent to the advanced green.
2014
Advance green light or arrow
When you face a flashing green light or a left-pointing green arrow and a green light, you may turn left, go straight ahead or turn right from the proper lane. This is called an advanced green light because oncoming traffic still faces a red light. Pedestrians must not cross on a flashing green light unless a pedestrian signal tells them to.
When you face a flashing green light or a left-pointing green arrow and a green light, you may turn left, go straight ahead or turn right from the proper lane. This is called an advanced green light because oncoming traffic still faces a red light. Pedestrians must not cross on a flashing green light unless a pedestrian signal tells them to.
2015
Early morning commuters are especially impacted when an advance green to allow traffic to turn into closed stores holds up west-bound traffic, the councillors say.
Motorists are forced to wait for the advanced green even though there are not other vehicles in sight, Daurio said.
"We are holding up thousands of drivers every day. It's annoying and it's frustrating," Daurio said.
Daurio said he approached town staff about the issue last January and was told the problem was referred to a traffic study.
2n. — In figurative use, rare
signifying anything that may be protracted.
Type: 1. Origin — a generalization from the traffic context to other domains can be seen in the early 1980s (see 1984 quotation).
References
- ITP Nelson
- COD-2
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