Junction 23 of M6 where it joins A580 - east lancs road.
Large and complex roundabout. The traffic lights there seem very peculiar. If you watch the sequence, for some reason, when one set goes amber before going red, the other set goes amber at the SAME time almost, so both sets are momentarily on amber at the same time.
You get some high speeds there and the usual "amber gamblers" (showing my age). I know it so am aware of the risks but plenty of times as I get a green light I will get someone speeding across my bows.
It's also one of those roundabouts that you can go straight through if you' dont need the mway, only having to go round if you want to go north/south. But people forget and try to turn right onto the M6 after missing the ramp so in effect are stationary in the fast lane of a dual carriegeway. man, you got to stay awake there.
Edited by Pugugly on 09/01/2009 at 17:25
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Not sure of your point? e.g. "so both sets are momentarily on amber at the same time."
Amber light means stop.... So again confused? I have used that junction and many others in the past... complex ones too. That is driving,
What is the point of your post? I cannot see any point at the moment.
Rob (Moderator)
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Amber light means stop.... So again confused? I have used that junction and many others in the past... complex ones too. That is driving What is the point of your post? I cannot see any point at the moment.
from OP 'You get some high speeds there and the usual "amber gamblers" (showing my age).'
ie, people jump the lights (move on amber) both ways = BIG possibility of crash... thats the point!
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Sounds dangerous to me - the A404/M40 junction at High Wycombe the 'rule' seems to be that amber means go, and if you've actually seen it change to red you can go through.
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I know that one Manatee - I stopped at an amber light there a few months ago and got a tirade of abuse from the car behind who'd just floored it and seemed a bit surprised that I'd stopped.
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If you've actually got a "Green" light then they are not "Amber gamblers", they've gone through the lights on Red, there is enough of a time gap from the other lights going from amber to red and then yours going from red to red/amber and then to green for someone to be well clear if they actually crossed the line when the lights were still on amber... sounds like they need a red light camera to make it safer.
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sorry if original post not clear. The various lanes of traffic, where they cross each other, are very close, and because of the swiftness of the change of lights you get the impression that it snaps from green on one to green on the other almost instantaneously. It's certainly a much quicker changeover than any other lights I've seen, and this on a junction where people can be going through at 90.
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Isn't the limit 50 down there? If people are doing 90 then it sounds like they need a lot more speed cameras. In fact given the frequency of traffic lights down there I can't see how you could do more than 70 in any car.
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An awful junction, even disregarding the lights. Not only the M6 with it's 4 slip roads to and from the roundabout, the A580 dual carriageway underneath across the roundabout, but the A49 comes into and exits the roundabout, I think with only stop signs and to compound all this there is the Haydock Island Petrol Station with it's own entrance on the roundabout. If you enter this roundabout in the correct lane for where you want to go then you will not be in that lane in a few yards. Diabolical in dark and rain.
Ted
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Ah...Handy Cross.... nightmare junction!
I think they need to remove some of the traffic lights from the minor roads, retime the remainder, to give a double red, to allow the minor roads to flow.
the problem as I see it (I use it very regularly!) is the lights are to close together, meaning you just move from a green, onto another red so people 'push' to try to keep going - manys the time Ive seen almost total gridlock there.
Silly thing is, they have put traffic lights on a normal size roundabout in High Wycombe town centre (A40) and that DOES have gridlock every night!!!
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Haydock Island - big junction, 3/4 lane roundabout with traffic lights, and a dual carriageway running straight through it
>>as I get a green light I will get someone speeding across my bows.
actually, you are probably very right on that one.
It's a junction where everybody takes liberties. Here's how to sort it. You know those road signs that say '21 casualties on this road in the past 5 years' ?
You put one of those up on each entrance with the number of drivers fined - then you put cameras on each set of lights, and speed cameras on the A580 as well, then you impose a zero tolerance policy.
Of course, the sign would have to be a big LED with lots of digits, because the numbers will be going up like the numbers on the pump when your filling up with BP diesel extra
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