Traffic lights on roundabouts
Discussion
I'm getting fed up of this in a big way. I'm talking about roundabouts of a reasonable size, whereby previously, for years in some cases there have been no traffic lights at all and no problems.
Someone somewhere is making a lot of money from this.
Has anyone else noticed that when the traffic lights on some roundabouts fail, traffic flows in a much better fashion? I know that in Bristol and especially the A4174, the many roundabouts present are choking points for traffic at times and it's very much due to the installation of the lights. When they fail, everything flows really well (as intended funnily enough) .. so who are the morons making cash off of the back of those installations?
Someone somewhere is making a lot of money from this.
Has anyone else noticed that when the traffic lights on some roundabouts fail, traffic flows in a much better fashion? I know that in Bristol and especially the A4174, the many roundabouts present are choking points for traffic at times and it's very much due to the installation of the lights. When they fail, everything flows really well (as intended funnily enough) .. so who are the morons making cash off of the back of those installations?
Traffic lights in general are a joke.
How many of them could be turned off during the early hours with wide open junctions treated as give-ways?
Don't get me started on them when they f
king change to red despite nobody else being there and then go green again 19 hours later.
And secondly, dont get me started on the lack of filter arrows on some of them, where left turns would easily be safe and permitted like in america.
How many of them could be turned off during the early hours with wide open junctions treated as give-ways?
Don't get me started on them when they f
king change to red despite nobody else being there and then go green again 19 hours later.And secondly, dont get me started on the lack of filter arrows on some of them, where left turns would easily be safe and permitted like in america.
M42 junction 4 has traffic lights on the roundabout. Despite commuting at peak times, I very rarely ever queued for more than a couple of minutes.
When the lights were replaced, they were preceded by temporary lights which weren’t synchronised around the roundabout (ie each set was entirely independent). I queued on the M42 for two hours. I considered going down to the next junction and coming back, but the queue coming off northbound was just as bad.
As soon as the new lights went in, everything flowed freely again.
The problem with big roundabouts on the junction of two busy roads is that there’s enough traffic flowing at sufficient speed to make pulling onto the roundabout quite difficult at peak times.
When the lights were replaced, they were preceded by temporary lights which weren’t synchronised around the roundabout (ie each set was entirely independent). I queued on the M42 for two hours. I considered going down to the next junction and coming back, but the queue coming off northbound was just as bad.
As soon as the new lights went in, everything flowed freely again.
The problem with big roundabouts on the junction of two busy roads is that there’s enough traffic flowing at sufficient speed to make pulling onto the roundabout quite difficult at peak times.
Around the north or Aberdeen, around the airport, we are now plagued but a series of roundabouts with totally unnecessary traffic lights, along with a few four way stop junctions with no filters, making progress painful. At the same time another exit for the bypass, which hosts daily accidents due to the way it forces a standing start into traffic running at 50mph has no lights. Makes you wonder what traffic planners do for a living.
Lights on roundabouts are good for certain (busy) roundabouts at certain (busy) times of day. I find that lights can prevent a roundabout from becoming blocked when most traffic is going in one direction and gets held up and then blocking the entry of traffic wishing to go round to a different exit.
Also during busy periods, even with flowing traffic, if there is a steady stream of fast moving traffic going through a roundabout, it can be difficult for some vehicles to enter the roundabout.
I agree though that there are very few roundabouts that need traffic lights on permanently
Also during busy periods, even with flowing traffic, if there is a steady stream of fast moving traffic going through a roundabout, it can be difficult for some vehicles to enter the roundabout.
I agree though that there are very few roundabouts that need traffic lights on permanently
Mr Tidy said:
Roundabouts don't need traffic lights - you just need one or the other IMO.
It must be nice living in the middle of nowhere, but in most other places there are plenty of roundabouts that require traffic lights.Living in Basingstoke we have more than our fair share of the things and I can assure you there is more than one roundabout where traffic flow, especially at rush hours, is weighted far more heavily from one direction than any other. This means it is nigh on impossible for traffic approaching from any other direction to enter the roundabout. Traffic lights deal with this problem very well.
Now, the fact EVERY SINGLE one is active 24/7 is a completely different kettle of fish.
Centurion07 said:
Mr Tidy said:
Roundabouts don't need traffic lights - you just need one or the other IMO.
It must be nice living in the middle of nowhere, but in most other places there are plenty of roundabouts that require traffic lights.Living in Basingstoke we have more than our fair share of the things and I can assure you there is more than one roundabout where traffic flow, especially at rush hours, is weighted far more heavily from one direction than any other. This means it is nigh on impossible for traffic approaching from any other direction to enter the roundabout. Traffic lights deal with this problem very well.
Now, the fact EVERY SINGLE one is active 24/7 is a completely different kettle of fish.
un1corn said:
Traffic lights in general are a joke..
Agreed but the authorities like them, often installing traffic lights on wide conventional junctions where there is loads of room for free-flowing roundabouts. Suspect it's a way of deterring use of cars in urban environments. un1corn said:
...dont get me started on the lack of filter arrows on some of them, where left turns would easily be safe and permitted like in america.
Filters are not needed, just a change of legislation to allow 'Left Turn on Red'. But that's an enlightened approach so unlikely to happen 
Most of our traffic systems in this country are a joke . Many traffic lights are not linked or synchronised.
Go to Holland and Germany and have a look at some of their ring road light systems , they flash up a recommended speed , stick to that speed and you catch all the lights on green . So simple and so relaxing to use even at busy periods.
With many of our system it only takes a couple of dithering drivers and the whole grid gets bunged up , add in loads of vulnerable cyclists and it grinds to a standstill .
Go to Holland and Germany and have a look at some of their ring road light systems , they flash up a recommended speed , stick to that speed and you catch all the lights on green . So simple and so relaxing to use even at busy periods.
With many of our system it only takes a couple of dithering drivers and the whole grid gets bunged up , add in loads of vulnerable cyclists and it grinds to a standstill .
grumpy52 said:
Most of our traffic systems in this country are a joke . Many traffic lights are not linked or synchronised.
Go to Holland and Germany and have a look at some of their ring road light systems , they flash up a recommended speed , stick to that speed and you catch all the lights on green . So simple and so relaxing to use even at busy periods.
With many of our system it only takes a couple of dithering drivers and the whole grid gets bunged up , add in loads of vulnerable cyclists and it grinds to a standstill .
But who is really bothered in the UK? A tiny minority at best Go to Holland and Germany and have a look at some of their ring road light systems , they flash up a recommended speed , stick to that speed and you catch all the lights on green . So simple and so relaxing to use even at busy periods.
With many of our system it only takes a couple of dithering drivers and the whole grid gets bunged up , add in loads of vulnerable cyclists and it grinds to a standstill .
Alucidnation said:
But that's not a roundabout!
Nigel_O said:
M42 junction 4 has traffic lights on the roundabout. Despite commuting at peak times, I very rarely ever queued for more than a couple of minutes.
When the lights were replaced, they were preceded by temporary lights which weren’t synchronised around the roundabout (ie each set was entirely independent). I queued on the M42 for two hours. I considered going down to the next junction and coming back, but the queue coming off northbound was just as bad.
As soon as the new lights went in, everything flowed freely again.
The problem with big roundabouts on the junction of two busy roads is that there’s enough traffic flowing at sufficient speed to make pulling onto the roundabout quite difficult at peak times.
This sort of idiocy should earn you a p45. When the lights were replaced, they were preceded by temporary lights which weren’t synchronised around the roundabout (ie each set was entirely independent). I queued on the M42 for two hours. I considered going down to the next junction and coming back, but the queue coming off northbound was just as bad.
As soon as the new lights went in, everything flowed freely again.
The problem with big roundabouts on the junction of two busy roads is that there’s enough traffic flowing at sufficient speed to make pulling onto the roundabout quite difficult at peak times.
Same as lights that don't have sensors and are timing only. It's 2019 ffs.
NGee said:
Alucidnation said:
But that's not a roundabout!Alucidnation said:
NGee said:
Alucidnation said:
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