On Wednesday, February 3, 2016 at 4:26:44 PM UTC-5, Jon Elson wrote:
Tim R wrote:


I got a better look yesterday. It's a street light, no camera. Besides,
I see the flash when I'm stopped at a red light, so the cross traffic
would have a green.

It is a worn-out lamp. When they get old, they start to run hot and the
ballast cycles power every few minutes. The repeated starting, maybe 10
times an hour, increases the wear on the lamp. When they get really bad,
the ignitor can't strike the arc, and so the ignitor keeps trying. The
strobe effect, maybe a couple flashes a second, is the ignitor trying to get
the lamp to restart.

Jon

You could be right. I need to get a better look at this one.

It doesn't sound like that to me, because a lamp that old shouldn't stay normally lit most of the time. It should be burned out trying to start most of the time. But I haven't heard a better explanation either.

I might call the city engineer and just ask.