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"For years, some Houstonians have complained of slight rainfall knocking out traffic signals, reducing them to busy intersections with red flashing lights. In many situations, the red flashing lights cause more traffic and leave drivers to determine who has the right-of-way at a four-way stop. We asked our readers to weigh in on the issue in a recent poll and while some were unbothered, the majority of respondents expressed discomfort navigating a busy intersection without an operating traffic light. \"Sometimes after a small rain storm the lights have been out for weeks,\" a reader wrote, referencing various intersections along Allen Genoa Road in Pasadena. \"(A) traffic nightmare.\" RELATED: The worst and best things about living in Houston, according to Chronicle readers Besides a few intersections reported in Northwest and Southeast Houston, readers observed the most flashing signals from rain throughout South and Southwest Houston. Many namedropped popular intersections along San Felipe Street, Chimney Rock Road, Westheimer Road, Alabama Street, Richmond Avenue, South Post Oak Road, West Bellfort Road, South Gessner Road, Old Spanish Trail and others near the NRG Stadium and the Medical Center.  A reader said they see the most along Beechnut and Beltway 8 in Southwest Houston. \"Sometimes they will blink even without rain.,\" the reader wrote. \"It causes heavy traffic.\" If you haven't weighed in yet, it's not too late. Complete our poll below about flashing traffic lights in Houston. Erin Jones, the interim communications director and public information officer with Houston Public Works, compared it to \"any kind of electrical system that anybody would deal with.\" \"Normally with drizzle that’s not enough to trigger it,\" she said. \"So something else is affecting it.\"  That could be cars hitting metal boxes, or even rats, Jones said, noting the city has had issues with the rodents getting inside and chewing the wiring.  OnHoustonChronicle.com: The internet claims Houston has the 9th-best drivers in America. My driving record says no. A flashing traffic light just means that the signal needs to be reset, she added.  But first the city needs to know about it. \"We ask people to call 311 when they’re out because it’s a quick fix,\" Jones said. \"We deal with thousands of traffic control lights throughout the city. We don’t know it’s triggered unless somebody reports it.\" From April to July 15, Houston Public Works received a total of 3,353 calls reporting flashing lights, according to 311 data. This includes duplicate calls for the same intersection.  In the poll, less than a third of readers said that they reported the flashing lights to 311.  What's the solution? One reader questioned why the City of Houston doesn't have a backup plan in place. \"Seems to me they should have battery back up so they go back to normal operation automatically,\" the reader wrote in the poll. The Chronicle asked similar questions about other notification measures such as automatic alerts or an error code routing to the city's hub when lights have become inoperative — anything other than relying on drivers to call 311.  \"I’m sure our guys would love it,\" Jones said. \"But that comes down to funding and what works with the engineering system that’s set up with the traffic lights.\"  The only areas where the city receives alerts to indicate faulty flashing lights are near some schools with newly upgraded school zone flashing signs, she added. Other than that, no such thing exists — at least for now."
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