Many countries allow turning left (right for USA/EU) even when the signal is red for straight/right (left for USA). The exceptions are usually mentioned with "No Left (Right) turn".
Why don't we have that in UK?
Some traffic signals provide a green <- for turning left only here, though.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 22/10/2007 at 20:45
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Looks like Conservatives already proposed this!
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5039326.stm
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Surely this would only work if the green lights were for the traffic coming from the left?
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2007 Seat Altea XL 2.0 TDI (140) Stylance
2005 Skoda Fabia vrS
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Surely this would only work if the green lights were for the traffic coming from the left?
I share your doubts - turn right on red seemed to work fine in the USA but a) the roads were less congested outside of the big cities and b) drivers there seemed more tolerant. (May be because road rage can result in the guy you offend shooting you full of holes).
Around here you can't even rely on being accorded priority when due on roundabouts.
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Since it is a doddle to drive through red lights safely and illegally, surely a legal left through red should be even more of a doddle?
In the US where it is legal in some states to turn right on a red, I believe one is expected to make sure the manoeuvre is safe before attempting it. Even if one isn't, doesn't it seem like good sense?
This easing of the traffic laws is long overdue. I am tired of waiting unnnecessarily at red lights.
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A lot of high traffic density intersections here are being provided with slip-lanes for turning left, with Give Way signs, so the red lights refer only to straight-ahead and right turn traffic. Seems to help in keeping traffic more or less flowing.
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Very good idea in theory. In practice some parts of the country still have pedestrians. There used to be a line in the Highway Code about when turning left or right at road juntions, give way to pedestrians who may be crossing.
Just off to walk to the station...........
Meldrew
post reformatted to use the whole text box, and not just a part of it
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 23/10/2007 at 10:57
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This could be flogged as a save the planet move too - sitting at a red light with nothing for miles around at 4am is just plain ludicrous.
IIRC in Switzerland, all the lights just flash amber in the evening and it's left to the common sense (and decency) of drivers to give way as appropriate and take adequate care.
Can't see it happening here though, one look down any town centre street and its forest of signage tells you that if driving can be interfered with, it will be.
>>not related but does anyone else get that "ups" puppet thing on the right, waving in the advert. Very annoying.
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Dahonist
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>>not related but does anyone else get that "ups" puppet thing on the right waving in the advert. Very annoying.
Awww - and he's so cute :-)
Could be worse - could be the 'Office Assistant' paperclip!!
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Yeppe Meldrew, our pollies have even thought of that one. The slip lanes are traffic-islanded off from the straight ahead / right turn ones with the island being big enough for a pedestrian refuge. From curb to refuge is controlled by a standard painted ped crossing, so the walkers do get some protection. From the refuge, they cross according to the usual rules of light-controlled intersections.
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There used to be a line in the Highway Code about when turning left or right at road juntions, give way to pedestrians who may be crossing.
Rule 170 - "watch out for pedestrians crossing a road into which you are turning. If they have started to cross they have priority, so give way"
It can get quite interesting if as a pedestrian you actually try to apply it.
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I agree it works well in the US, and nothing wrong - in theory - with it being implemented here.
Unfortunately, the building densities around many of our town/city centre junctions do not easily allow the construction of a dedicated left-turn lane long enough to make a difference.
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I've never seen the point in having a dedicated left hand lane that ended in it's own traffic light, surely a stop sign would suffice, failing that a pedestrian-controlled light. I use one such junction every day and sit for ages while nothing happens, a complete waste of time, and the cost of the light.
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"I've never seen the point in having a dedicated left hand lane that ended in it's own traffic light"
There was a junction in Cheadle/Cheadle Hulme about 20 years ago when my folks first moved there. It was a cross-road with a skinny little left turn lane all on its own that let you skip the traffic lights. I noticed a few years ago they'd stuck a light at the end of that too. There's progress for you.
It's normal where I live in Poland to turn right on a red light although it's indicated by a small green arrow on a seperate traffic light. It works really well to free up traffic in the right turn lane. So well in fact that of course you get the selfish, arrogant drivers from the clogged-up turn-left lane using the free-flowing turn-right lane then trying to push their way back in before the lights.
And you have to give way to pedestrians of course.
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That's spooky, I was referring to a junction in Cheadle/Cheadle Hulme when I wrote my comments.
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I've long since forgotten the names of the roads but one goes to Davenport, one to Cheadle Hulme, one to Cheadle near the new Morrisons and can't remember where the other goes. Another thing that disappeared from that neck of the woods was Charlie Browns the car place, I was forever in there when I was a student running a car on a budget.
And of course the Gaytime Post Office on Turves Road that used to make me giggle every time I drove past it. My mam worked in there.
Edited by Big Bad Dave on 25/10/2007 at 17:52
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