|
Happened to me yesterday. NSL road, traffic lights on green, braked when it changed to amber, bit too sharp for SWMBO, Beemer's nose over white line. Whoops. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
|
I know others differ but I question whether 60/70 is a safe speed to approach and traverse a light controlled junction. Too many hazards eg poss of pedestrians, red light runners, ambergambler bus drivers etc. A case where the limit and the safe speed are some way apart.
Alternatively perhaps lights on fast roads need a fifth "aspect" such as alternating green/amber to indicate an iminent change, without conveying the stop unless unsafe command of the steady amber.
|
|
|
|
Is there a difference when the lights are on red & amber together? The lights were already red and had been on red for a minute or so and the bus was anticipating the change to green but the bus's nose crossed the white line while the lights were solely on red with the amber and red together appearing as the bus was still crossing the white line. Is this considered the same as misjudging a braking distance and crossing over the line when the lights change to amber before going red?
teabelly
|
|
Many years ago, when I rear-ended an eager amber-stopper who was over the white line when she applied the brakes, I was informed by plod that "the white line is for guidance only and has no significance in law".
|
|
That could have been me yesterday. Fortunately the guy behind me was far enough behind me...by some distance as well fair dos.
|
The nose of the bus crossed the white line while the lights were still on red????? My God, this driver is obviously a total loony who shows no regard for the laws of the road. He should be reported immediately and have his licence taken from him forthwith. His should be demoted and made to polish the wheelnuts of all the buses in the depot. And, to make an example of him, posters displaying his picture should be put up all around town.
Sorry, teabelly, but I really fail to see what the fellow did wrong. Like DVD said, he probably knows the route like the back of his hand. He was also probably extremely late, harrassed and stressed like I am on a regular basis. I know the phasings and timings of many lights around here and by the time most other drivers have noticed that they have changed to green, put the vehicle in first, released the handbrake and moved away I am quite a way up the road.
I wouldn't waste your time reporting him to his bosses either. Compared to the rest of the complaints that they will be getting on a regular basis this is small fry that will be filled under 'b' for 'bin'.
No offence, teabelly, (and I may be being unfair here) but I cannot imagine for one minute that you have never committed a single minor (and ultimately harmless) trangression on the roads. I'll bet that as you were toddling off down the road musing at the bus driver's 'naughtiness' your speddo needle crept ever so slightly over the limit.
As another poster quite rightly said, "Let he who is without sin cast the frist stone".
Cheers
Rob
|
|
|
|
Not wishing to get drawn into whether the driver should be reported, etc, etc.
Just to clarify that the sequence of traffic lights in this country is green, amber, red, red & amber together, green. Therefore you cannot cross just an amber after a red as both show together, thus if you cross the amber after a red you must have crossed a red at the same time. The amber is shown with the red to give you warning that the green is about to be shown and enable you to be ready to pull away when it is shown.
Hence in this instance the bus didn't cross an amber he actually crossed a red, along with many other road users yesterday, today and tomorrow. This time he got away with it, next time......
Cockle
|
Just to clarify that the sequence of traffic lights in this country is green, amber, red, red & amber together, green.
During my driving test I was asked what colour lights followed green. My reply? ~ "I don't know, I've always gone by then." !!
--
L'escargot by name, but not by nature.
|
|
|
|
I was at a roundabout in Stoke just aftermidnight this morning. The roundabout has traffic lights both controlling the entrance and obviously on the roundabout. I noticed that as the lights on the roundabout were on amber, the lights that I was on were at red amber. Something is slightly out of phase me-thinks, and given the fact that somepeople seem to think that amber still means go, and some will start moving off on a red amber and not green, I think someone somewhere could regret jumping the lights.
|
Was that on the A500? If it was the one at Basford (last traffic light controlled roundabout when heading towards Kidsgrove, tunstall, congleton etc ) then that was where I saw my jumping bus.
teabelly
|
If the bus driver could see the lights referring to another flow of traffic going to red, and knew his lights would be next, i wouldn't have a huge problem with maybe half a second's anticipation, but maybe he could have eased off a little more to make sure.
Is it actually legal to proceed on red and amber combined though?
I'm sure a friend of mine told me she had been pulled and fined for going on red and amber (not waiting for full green to show).
The reason is that red and amber together mean 'get ready to go' and not actually 'go'
Is this right? DVD?
|
H 1982
Straight from the horses mouth:
The red-with-amber signal shall, subject in a case where it is displayed at the same time as the green arrow signal to sub-paragraph (f), denote an impending change to green or a green arrow in the indication given by the signals but shall convey the same prohibition as the red signal.
Set off other than at green and you have failed to conform ti a Traffic Sign.
DVD
|
|
|
|
|
No, but it was on the A500. One of the two roundabout that are slapbang on the dual carriageway in Stoke itself. It was the one south of the railway, where when approaching it from Stoke City FC a right would take you to Fenton. Thank goodness for multimap eh tinyurl.com/xcrf I only moved away 2 years ago, after spending 28 years there and already I have forgotten street names!
|
|
|
You got me there Teabelly. The roundabout at the bottom of Basford bank is Etruria roundabout, and leads to Hanley, Cobridge and Leek! Granted, you can get to the places you mentioned, but you pass thru others first.
Pedantic aren't I?
So they have finally installed lights there then? I remember them being put in place years ago, never being activated and then being removed again, having never been switched on in anger.
PMT drivers eh? (That's Potteries Motor Transport for those who dont know)
|
I was going to refer to it as MFI roundabout but not knowing you were familiar with the area I thought that would have been even more confusing! The lights have been there for a while. They've actually improved traffic flow no end. It is so much easier to get across from Basford towards Hanley. Before they were there it was like the bull run not to get mown down!
PMT are now part of FirstBus but us locals still call them Potteries Muck Trucks :-)
teabelly
|
There is often a similar situation at temporary traffic lights on a long straight section of road.
You sit waiting on red, then see the other line of traffic stop, so obviously their lights are now at red. It is often very tempting to anticipate one's own lights changing, and jump the red, rather than wait what seems like ages for a non-existant line of cars to pass.
I suppose it is like all rule-breaking. Fine if you get away with it - expect the book to be thrown at you if you get caught.
|
|
|
It is so much easier to get across from Basford towards Hanley.
Up 'anley duck!
Still get my fix of may und mar lady online, along with reading all about my home town on Sentinels web site.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
