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what activates the three colored lights on the new york city subway turnstiles?
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I'm not sure I understand what you're asking here.
There are the three lights which indicate if a turnstile is active and when you can enter through one. If you are asking about this - the green circle with an arrow (indicating the turnstile is active) and the red circle with a horizontal line (indicating the turnstile is inactive) is controlled by the station manager. Then there is a circle that says "Go," which is activated by a successful swipe of a valid MetroCard (which also triggers the display to show text).
There are also the three rectangular lights that light up when certain cards are swiped. In this case, the lights light up to indicate if and which type of special MetroCard is being swiped. A site I found says "When a Reduced-Fare MetroCard is swiped, the top indicator (red) will light. When a Student MetroCard is swiped, the middle indicator (yellow) will light. When an Employee MetroCard is swiped, the bottom indicator (the color of which I'm unsure of) will light." These lights, as the site author agrees, are probably there to provide station staff with a way to identify what type of card is being swiped and if it is being used properly.
There are the three lights which indicate if a turnstile is active and when you can enter through one. If you are asking about this - the green circle with an arrow (indicating the turnstile is active) and the red circle with a horizontal line (indicating the turnstile is inactive) is controlled by the station manager. Then there is a circle that says "Go," which is activated by a successful swipe of a valid MetroCard (which also triggers the display to show text).
There are also the three rectangular lights that light up when certain cards are swiped. In this case, the lights light up to indicate if and which type of special MetroCard is being swiped. A site I found says "When a Reduced-Fare MetroCard is swiped, the top indicator (red) will light. When a Student MetroCard is swiped, the middle indicator (yellow) will light. When an Employee MetroCard is swiped, the bottom indicator (the color of which I'm unsure of) will light." These lights, as the site author agrees, are probably there to provide station staff with a way to identify what type of card is being swiped and if it is being used properly.
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thanks...the three rectangular ones are the lights I was asking about....that explains why the undercover NYPD folks are always looking at the turnstiles when all the high school kids are rolling through...
I've never noticed these lights till you mentioned this quesiton. I can think of three possibilities.
These lights may be related to troubleshooting problems with the turnstile ... for instance, if the mechanisms get jammed, the light would alert staff in the cashier booth or station that the problem needs to be fixed.
Another possibility is that they illuminate if non-standard fare types are used, for instance, employee passes or special restricted discount fares not available to the general public. The light could alert police or staff to the use of a discount fare so that if the person attempting to use it is not entitled to the discount they can be questioned.
They may also be used for emergency purposes, such as restricting entry into the station platform if the fire alarm system in the station is activated
These lights may be related to troubleshooting problems with the turnstile ... for instance, if the mechanisms get jammed, the light would alert staff in the cashier booth or station that the problem needs to be fixed.
Another possibility is that they illuminate if non-standard fare types are used, for instance, employee passes or special restricted discount fares not available to the general public. The light could alert police or staff to the use of a discount fare so that if the person attempting to use it is not entitled to the discount they can be questioned.
They may also be used for emergency purposes, such as restricting entry into the station platform if the fire alarm system in the station is activated
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