CF ChatterFix
Preventive Maintenance

Traffic Signal Inspection

A signal is a safety-critical device that the public obeys without question, so its failure modes matter more than its downtime. The conflict monitor is the component that guarantees the intersection cannot display conflicting greens; if it has failed, the protection is gone and nothing indicates it. Detection loop failures are subtler — a signal that never sees waiting traffic on an approach teaches drivers to run it.

Interval Semi-annual
Est. Duration 2.0 hrs
Steps 6
Applies To Municipal & Public Works

The Procedure

The steps ChatterFix schedules for this PM. Every step is a checkable item on the work order — a technician can speak their way through it without touching a keyboard.

  1. Verify conflict monitor operation and test the failsafe to flash
  2. Check signal head alignment, visibility and lens condition
  3. Test detection loops and pedestrian push buttons at every approach
  4. Verify battery backup capacity and runtime under load
  5. Inspect cabinet for water ingress, corrosion and grounding integrity
  6. Confirm timing plan matches the approved plan on file

Why This PM Exists

A signal is a safety-critical device that the public obeys without question, so its failure modes matter more than its downtime. The conflict monitor is the component that guarantees the intersection cannot display conflicting greens; if it has failed, the protection is gone and nothing indicates it. Detection loop failures are subtler — a signal that never sees waiting traffic on an approach teaches drivers to run it.

What Skipping It Looks Like

The intersection functions normally until it does not, and the failure presents as a collision rather than as a fault. Dead battery backup means the intersection goes dark in a power cut, when traffic control is most needed. Water in a cabinet corrodes connections and produces intermittent faults that are extremely hard to diagnose after the fact.

Setting the interval

Semi-annual full inspection with the conflict monitor tested at every visit; annual as an absolute minimum. Battery backup capacity should be load-tested rather than voltage-checked — a battery that reads fine can still have no useful runtime.

Equipment This Covers

Common Questions

How often should this PM run?
Semi-annual. Semi-annual full inspection with the conflict monitor tested at every visit; annual as an absolute minimum. Battery backup capacity should be load-tested rather than voltage-checked — a battery that reads fine can still have no useful runtime.
How long does it take?
Budget about 2.0 hours for a technician working to the standard procedure. ChatterFix uses that estimate for capacity planning, then learns your plant's actual time from completed work orders.
What happens if we skip it?
The intersection functions normally until it does not, and the failure presents as a collision rather than as a fault. Dead battery backup means the intersection goes dark in a power cut, when traffic control is most needed. Water in a cabinet corrodes connections and produces intermittent faults that are extremely hard to diagnose after the fact.
Can I use this checklist in ChatterFix?
Yes — this exact procedure ships in the Municipal & Public Works industry pack. Pick your industry at signup and it is scheduled on the right assets automatically, with no configuration.

Related Procedures

Stop Retyping Your PM Library

This procedure — and every other PM for your industry — is already built into ChatterFix. Pick your industry and it lands on the right equipment, on the right interval, in about three minutes.