After much ado, the 2026 edition of the 'Stops & Goes of Traffic Signals' is now available.

In the early 2000s, the Signals New Zealand User Group (SNUG) identified a need to achieve better consistency with the design and operation of traffic signals throughout the country.

Now, about 20 years later, SNUG has identified a need to update the Stops and goes to reflect recent advances at signalised intersections, particularly in terms of providing for pedestrians, cyclists, and buses. Whereas the first edition was produced based on a meta-analysis of a series of intersection audits conducted following a common methodology, the recent updates have been based on 
professional experience – that of the key authors, the SNUG committee, and survey responses from the wider industry.

The purpose of this booklet is to draw attention to those elements of traffic signals that the authors have frequently found to compromise safety and/or efficiency, and to present ways in which these deficiencies could be addressed.

The target audience for this booklet is engineers who design, construct, install, manage and maintain traffic signals.

The aim of this booklet is to contribute to safer and more efficient installations and operations of traffic signals in New Zealand.