Just amazed what I witnessed tonight on the A56 in south Manchester. Drivers racing the lights on amber and going through when the lights are on red. Also drivers going through a filter on amber getting stuck when the lights are on red blocking the filter. What amazes me is I saw about four cars blatently go through on red in the space of about 4 minutes. However there is a twist. About 500 yards before the lights there are camera signs, then just before the lights there are big yellow boxes with Tuvelo or something similar written on them.
People seem to be in such a rush to get home they ignore the road around them, I assume these people take the same route each rush hour and skip the lights so how the hell can they still have a licence?
It is amazing how people can blatently skip lights when there is a red light camera installed on them, yet we have people on her getting worried because they went through on amber and there is a little box on the lights (e.g flow monitors).
With the advice on people on here I now have a policy that green can only mean amber which means stop. I now only go through on amber if there is an absolute point of no return or some twit is tailgating me.
This happened from Dane Road (first set of lights with camera) the second was at Chester Road.
My other pet hate is when the lights have just changed to amber and I have plenty of time to stop safely the driver behind is on their mobile and dosn't even notice I am stopping and thus nearly going into the back of me.
Edited by rtj70 on 19/06/2009 at 22:11
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It's more common these days. You pull up as the amber is changing to red and not one but several cars in the 2nd lane will go flying past and onwards.
Edited by rtj70 on 19/06/2009 at 22:12
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Which is exactly what happened here. I just imagine call lights have cameras now which means I am never tempted to go through on amber (on purpose) even if I know stopping will add an extra 5 minutes onto my journey.
I am sure most people just think amber means go through.
Edited by rtj70 on 19/06/2009 at 22:12
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I make a decision as I approach most lights and pick a point based on experience when I will continue if the lights go amber rather than stamp on the brakes and take the chance of someone going into the back of me.
Obviously, you approach every light expecting that they might change, but short of slowing down to almost a complete stop before every set, you have to make a stop-or-go judgement.
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Just a sign of this "Me, Me, Me" world we live in these days....
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Another aspect to this, Rats, is that regulars get to know how the lights work at particular junctions. I certainly do, although I don't jump lights myself, I'm never in a rush to get anywhere. So, for instance, regular commuters along Chester Road ( or Cross Street, as it is there ) will get to know that even on red against them, the traffic won't start coming out of Dane Road for maybe 10 or 15 seconds. They just take a chance on the camera not being ' live'.
Ted
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Went through a red myself yesterday in a ghastly Marylebone Rd logjam. Fingers crossed eh?
BUMBOCLAAT!
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Where I live in North London, there is a junction near me where drivers often start off from rest when the lights are RED, in order to get through the junction!
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I must say I hope Rattle and Mr X are miles away when I am driving about. I am past my first youth, have a pacemaker and take medication for high blood pressure. Everything is supposed to be hunky-dory the doctor says, but one of those sort of chaps could upset the applecart in a moment and cause a, what do they call it, incident was it? Anyway a heart attack, something like that.
For heaven's sake get a move on you tiresome fellows.
And you have the damn side to boast about your mimsing too!
Tchah!
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I'm glad your Doc has confidence in your survival, Lud. I'm in a similar state...no pacemaker but no stranger to the coronary care unit either. Take so many pills that I should be called ' Rattle '. Four injections a day as well....at least it gives you something to talk about, other than the weather, at parties !
Streptokinase ?....bring it on !
Ted
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I've been in coronary care too, and drive a white van - the one that lets you out!
The last time I read the highway code, it said green means proceed if the way is clear. Everything else means stop.
I'll be in the next place soon enough, no point in rushing things.
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Blimey I can imagine you three in an old peoples home in 20 years time, all comparing who is on the most medicine, actually I am 26 and I do that now....
Thankfully I am on no medication at the moment but I have been no stranger to the operating theatre in my younger days. I do have medical problems but I refuse to take tablets unless I really have, otherwise when I do really need them I would be on about 10 different drugs a day.
When I first started driving and had my old car I would have to take lots of Kalms each night as I was so paranoid my car was going to snap into two the next day or I could some how get a NIP for doing 30 in a 30. It may not seem it but I am a lot more relaxing about driving now, I just worry about the things that really matter which aint cars.
My friends have all joked that I will have a heart attack but one may seem a laughing matter now will become serious as we all get older. I will be 30 soon and really do need to start looking after my health my than my car so I know I have to stop worrying.
So when it comes to driving I am in the OAPs slow lane brigade. You will know if you're stuck in a long tine of traffic there will be a blue 5 door Corsa in front.
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I will be 30 soon
No you won't... its 4 years off and thats ages...
For Pete's sake relax and enjoy life, Rattle... take that car out and go for a slow drive round the Peak District, enjoy the scenery and have a long walk... and stop worrying about what everyone else is up to, you can't change them, so there's no point in worrying!
Edited by b308 on 20/06/2009 at 09:35
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Whats this? hypochondria corner?
AEs mantra on life.
The day our cells first spilt, before its decided if we will have boobies or not, a little marker goes down in someones calendar. That is the day of our last breath. It could be 8 days away, 8 years away or 80 years away. You dont control when that day is, its there, unmoving, cant be brought forward, cant be pushed back. Given you cant change it, and you dont know when it is, forget it. Live each day like that day is tomorrow.
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regulars get to know how the lights work at particular junctions.
This can still lead to serious consequences. A few weeks ago Mrs M came home very shaken She had stopped as the lights went red just before a single-width railway overbridge (Leighton Buzzard / Linslade residents will know it). As she stopped, a gaggle of schoolgirls started to cross in front of her, at which point the car behind Mrs M actually swerved out and overtook her to go through on red. Had the leading child not happened to look in the right direction and stopped both herself and her friends, several of them could have been knocked down - as it was, the car missed them by inches.
I have total contempt for drivers who shoot reds - they can kill themselves if they want, but they have no right wilfully to endanger everybody else. If that makes me a mimser, guilty as charged ;-)
Edited by Manatee on 20/06/2009 at 02:35
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In my youth, sitting at led lights, I would be up to 20mph and 15 yards in front of any other car before the glow in the red light had faded, and the amber had yet to reach full brightness.
These days, I always look to make sure the other cars have stopped at the white lines before I pull away.
Light jumping is much more prevelant.
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These days I always look to make sure the other cars have stopped at the white lines before I pull away.
And me, green only means "go" if it is safe to move off. I must come with hundereds of thousands of miles under the wheels.
Edited by Old Navy on 20/06/2009 at 12:33
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green only means "go" if it is safe to move off.
Of course, of course. Amber and red mean exactly the same.
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This sounds so like Spain! Traffic light sequences here have always had a large changeover margin and ALL drivers are prone to shoot through red or amber regardless of whether there's anyone following. Bus drivers, police, fire engines, pizza delivery - everyone does it. Since I first had a locally registered car I've had to follow the "system" just to avoid rear end shunts. Likewise it's last-one-to-leave's-a-sissy when the lights are ABOUT to change to green.
I once saw a family of four in a Corsa obediently stop on a red and almost get rear ended by a fully laden local bus, whose driver indignantly blasted the horn and shouted obscenities. The family were all wearing seatbelts, which should have alerted the bus driver that they were, predictably, tourists!
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