transportation

Yellow Lights in NYC Might Be Out to Get You

A traffic light stops traffic on Manhattan's West Side highway.
Photo: John Moore/Getty Images

According to a new class-action lawsuit, traffic signals in the city are rigged to switch from yellow to red almost a half-second quicker than the three-second federal standard — that way, the 150 “gotcha” cameras around town can really rake it in. Tickets from the all-seeing machines have totaled $47 million over the last year and caused immeasurable damage to the credibility of New Yorkers who swore they thought it was still yellow.

Yellow Lights in NYC Might Be Out to Get You