Provincial Signals Y2K Compliant

Department of Transportation and Public Works' traffic signal specialists have taken the Y2K bug out of provincially operated traffic signals.

"We have reprogrammed, tested and retested all of the provincial lights. That's 60 sets and they are all compliant," said Dave Phelps, co-ordinator of signals and lighting. "We tested each set for two potential glitches within the upcoming calendar year."

Staff tested their upgrading work by setting internal clocks ahead to Dec. 31, 1999, and watched the clocks roll successfully into the year 2000. Then, because 2000 is also a leap year, the clocks were set ahead to Feb. 28, 2000, and watched carefully as the fictitious Feb. 29 came and went without problem.

Making this one of the province's Y2K milestones, traffic signals will be working as intended, turning green, yellow and red. Without this upgrade, the lights may have switched to flashing red and yellow, or may have simply stopped working, forcing motorists to use all signalized intersections as four-way stops. Neither option is appealing to travellers and is a safety concern.

"We have made sincere efforts to meet the challenges of the year 2000," said Clifford Huskilson, Minister of Transportation and Public Works. "This is one of the ways the department is bringing road safety into the year 2000."

Provincial traffic signals are located at sites such as:
Halifax's Lacewood Avenue leading to Bayer's Lake Industrial Park; New Minas; Greenwood; Sydney's Mayflower Mall; Bible Hill; Yarmouth; the Dartmouth Parclo and many more. These lights are not to be confused with traffic signals within municipal jurisdiction.

The department is leaving nothing to chance, however, and will store extra stop signs at field offices in case of need.

As with every large organization preparing for year 2000, Transportation and Public Works has been working diligently over the last 12 months to meet the department's self-imposed compliance date of June 15, 1999.

"I'm confident in our efforts to ensure the department's traffic lights are ready for the millennium," said Minister Huskilson.