NorthwestB9

I hadn't been downtown in a while, but decided to go down there for a nice dinner with my wife. I discovered that traffic light information is now available in the city, although it's rather strange. The light information is available for all the East/West streets with numbers, e.g. First, Second, Third, Broadway (7'th), etc. But for the North/South streets (most of them named after presidents or other famous people), the traffic light information isn't available. I'm not exactly sure why that is the case.

The traffic information takes the form of a traditional American vertical stop light symbol with a countdown on both the dash and in the heads-up display (In US, Prestige model only). Oddly, after counting down to four seconds, the traffic light information vanishes to be replaced by the speed limit. Why it does that, I have no idea. The information is pretty accurate, but to go the last four seconds, I have to count down myself (lame). Maybe Audi doesn't think you need it if there's less than 4 seconds to go. If you happen to be hitting the lights reliably just as they turn green (less than 4 secs left as you approach the light), you won't see any traffic light symbol at all.

I haven't seen this anywhere else but downtown. That's rather disappointing that it isn't available in the suburbs because most people don't live downtown, and a lot of people who do, don't own cars.

sprior

I think the 4 second cutoff is designed to prevent the urge to drag race from the light. It also appears that Audi USA is making no effort to keep the Traffic Light Info page (which is the default pane that comes up) up to date on the My Audi website. The website still says it only works in Las Vegas which was the first, but I've seen it mentioned here that it now works I believe in Mountain View, CA and now you're saying Portland.

It makes total sense that this is only available in cities because the car is getting the info over the Internet from a central service that is getting it from the traffic management centers of those cities. In the suburbs the lights aren't centrally managed like that.

Street

I'm seeing the light icon in my town. What am I supposed to do with that information?

As an aside, I'm finding Virtual Cockpit, HU display, and all the little warnings amounting to Too Much Information.

hasht2

I believe it also works in a suburb of Dallas (Addison, maybe?).