Traffic Signals vs Luminaire

What you need:

Incoming Call:

• Name of caller.

• Agency calling from.

• Intersection of signal or luminaire..

• CHECK TO MAKE SURE IT IS A TXDOT SIGNAL BEFORE HANGING UP. 

• TxDOT Traffic Signals, Luminaries, & School Zone Flashers Map 

• Power Map w TxDOT Signals, Luminaries & School Zone Flashers

• Is it a luminaire or traffic signal?​​​ 

(Jump to Traffic Signal or Luminaire section below for additional questions)

Definition of Luminaire vs Traffic Signal

Luminaire - A highway luminaire, also known as a roadway lighting luminaire or street lighting luminaire, is a complete lighting device that's used to provide artificial light along the side of a road or in a parking lot.

Traffic Signal - Traffic signals are traffic signs that are displayed at the intersection for guiding the movement of the vehicles on roads. The purpose of traffic signals is to maintain complete order and to avoid fatal incidents on roads. The traffic signal works on light signals and includes three colors: red, yellow and green.

What you need:

Incoming Call:

• • If traffic signal:

    •  Are they reporting an signal outage or a vehicle strike?

    •  If vehicle strike:

    • Is it lane blocking? (consider both horizontal and vertical obstruction)

    • Are the signal heads functioning normally? (red, yellow, green), flashing, or dark?

    • Is traffic affected?

• If so, which direction is affected?

• How is traffic affected?

• Due to lane blocking?

• Due to failure to see red, yellow, green lights?

• Are there any immediate dangers of safety hazards present.

• • •  Description of issue or damage?

    •  Re-verify location (nearby landmarks?) with reporting party and map data base.

    •  Contact information

    •  Contact details of the reporting citizen for any follow-up questions or updates.

    • If call from law enforcement, are they on scene?

    • Make sure to obtain a case number.

• • • If not on TxDOT map, check the COA map (link below) to double check that it's not the cities                                  

City of Austin Traffic Signal Map

• • • (Non-TxDOT) If called in by a citizen or other agency, you can refer them to 311. Or you can take the information and contact 311 from TMC.

If we receive calls about a traffic signal not working for entire intersection, or multiple signals not working in similar area, check the location for power outages and report what you find to maintenance.

Texas Electric Outages Map

Texas Electric Outage Coverage Map  - Public Utility Commission of Texas (colors indicate only service area boundaries. Left-click on an area to view the Provider name and contact information. Note, in some areas there are multiple Providers.)

Oncor Electric Delivery Company - Outage Map

Pedernales Electric Cooperative - Outage Map

Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative - Outage Map

Bartlett Electric Cooperative - Outage Map

City of Austin Energy - Outage Map

City of San Marcos - Outage Map

City of Georgetown - Outage Map

Create Lonestar event if it is a TxDOT signal:

• Event will be public.

• Event Description and Type will be Traffic Signal.

• Can you find it on CCTV? If not, notate in history.

Outgoing Call:

• If in construction zone, see Construction Zones tab under Phone Calls for more information.

• Notify proper maintenance yard. See Maintenance tab for more info.

• Advise maintenance yard if there is a power outage in area, and any ETA for recovery (will state an ETA on power website).

• Take note of who you spoke to & when you called maintenance to place in Lonestar event history.

• Send follow-up email from Lonestar event to maintenance yard responsible and signal shop.

• If traffic signal is completely out in all directions, event is to stay open until we hear otherwise. Any notes put in public box under Info Page 2 will need to be approved by supervisor. Otherwise, close out event after follow-up email is sent.

What you need:

Incoming Call:

• • • If Luminaire:

      • Are they reporting an outage or a vehicle strike?

      • If vehicle strike:

• Is the luminaire completely knocked down or just damage to the pole?

• If knocked down is it lane blocking?

• Is the light portion functioning (flickering or dim)?

• • • • Is traffic affected in any way?

      • If so, how is traffic affected?

        • Due to lane blocking?

        • Due to lack of illumination at intersection?

      • Which direction of traffic is affected?

      •  Description of issue or damage?

      • Re-verify location (nearby landmarks?) with reporting party and map data base

      • Contact information:

      • Contact details of the reporting citizen for any follow-up questions or updates.

      • If call from law enforcement, are they on scene?

      • Make sure to obtain a case number.

Create Lonestar event as Maintenance:

• Event will be public.

• Event Description and Type will be Maintenance.

• Can you find it on CCTV? If not, notate in history.

Outgoing Call:

• If in construction zone, see Construction Zones tab under Phone Calls for more information.

• Notify proper maintenance yard. See Maintenance tab for more info.

• Advise maintenance yard if there is a power outage in area, and any ETA for recovery (will state an ETA on power website).

(Note: At any point a luminaire pole is damaged whether non-blocking or blocking are to call out to the Maintenance, Contractor, or Construction Contractor in the event that the entire pole is down. Since there are live power lines within the structure of the pole that could expose the public to the risk of electrocution.) 

• Take note of who you spoke to & when you called maintenance to place in Lonestar event history.

• Send follow-up email from Lonestar event to maintenance yard responsible.

• Once call is completed close the event