Monitor traffic signals.

Monitor traffic signals. is a detailed work activity in O*NET — a concrete unit of work shared across 5 occupations and seen in 5 occupation-specific tasks. It rolls up into the broader work activity Monitor traffic conditions. in Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings .

Detailed work activities are the most granular shared layer in O*NET's work-activity hierarchy (Generalized → Intermediate → Detailed → occupation-specific task). The figures below describe how this activity shows up across the economy and what independent studies measure about AI and this kind of work — not a prediction that the work will be automated.

AI exposure

Of the 5 tasks under this activity that the OpenAI / Eloundou “GPTs are GPTs” study rated, 0 (0%) are flagged as directly exposed to language models (E1) or exposed via model-powered tools (E2).

Exposure estimates overlap with model capabilities — whether a model could speed the task up — not whether the work will be done by software. Observed AI use is augmentation and assistance today, not jobs replaced.

Member tasks

Occupation-specific tasks O*NET maps to this detailed work activity, most important first.

• Observe train signals along routes and verify their meanings for engineers. · Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers · importance 5.0 · no direct exposure
• Monitor lights indicating obstructions or other trains ahead and watch for car and truck traffic at crossings to stay alert to potential hazards. · Subway and Streetcar Operators · importance 4.9 · no direct exposure
• Observe approaching vessels to determine size and speed, and listen for whistle signals indicating desire to pass. · Bridge and Lock Tenders · importance 4.7 · no direct exposure
• Observe and respond to wayside and cab signals, including color light signals, position signals, torpedoes, flags, and hot box detectors. · Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers · importance 4.6 · no direct exposure
• Monitor for trains at railroad crossings and signal the bus driver when it is safe to proceed. · School Bus Monitors · no direct exposure

Occupations that perform this

• Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers
• Subway and Streetcar Operators
• Bridge and Lock Tenders
• Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers
• School Bus Monitors

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

• O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
• “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

@misc{singulariki-monitor-traffic-signals,
  title  = {Monitor traffic signals.},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/detailed-activities/monitor-traffic-signals}
}