Lights stuck on red - how long do you wait?
Lights stuck on red - how long do you wait?
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Discussion

FMOB

Original Poster:

1,994 posts

36 months

Sunday 23rd June 2024
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So the traffic lights are on a never-ending red, how long do you wait before deciding they are broken and you should drive through them?

Sebring440

3,098 posts

120 months

Sunday 23rd June 2024
quotequote all
FMOB said:
So the traffic lights are on a never-ending red, how long do you wait before deciding they are broken and you should drive through them?
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=1978220


xx99xx

2,721 posts

97 months

Sunday 23rd June 2024
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Time of day? Volume of traffic? What kind of junction/roundabout? Temp or perm lights?

FMOB

Original Poster:

1,994 posts

36 months

Sunday 23rd June 2024
quotequote all
xx99xx said:
Time of day? Volume of traffic? What kind of junction/roundabout? Temp or perm lights?
9pm saturday night, light traffic, crossroads, perm lights working normally except the one controlling the direction I was travelling in. All other directions had traffic flow working normally as you could follow the sequencing and watch vehicles driving through the junction.

Bright Halo

3,841 posts

259 months

Sunday 23rd June 2024
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FMOB said:
xx99xx said:
Time of day? Volume of traffic? What kind of junction/roundabout? Temp or perm lights?
9pm saturday night, light traffic, crossroads, perm lights working normally except the one controlling the direction I was travelling in. All other directions had traffic flow working normally as you could follow the sequencing and watch vehicles driving through the junction.
You’re not still there are you?


Pica-Pica

16,123 posts

108 months

Sunday 23rd June 2024
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Bright Halo said:
FMOB said:
xx99xx said:
Time of day? Volume of traffic? What kind of junction/roundabout? Temp or perm lights?
9pm saturday night, light traffic, crossroads, perm lights working normally except the one controlling the direction I was travelling in. All other directions had traffic flow working normally as you could follow the sequencing and watch vehicles driving through the junction.
You’re not still there are you?
Turn round and reverse through.

johnboy1975

8,500 posts

132 months

Monday 24th June 2024
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FMOB said:
xx99xx said:
Time of day? Volume of traffic? What kind of junction/roundabout? Temp or perm lights?
9pm saturday night, light traffic, crossroads, perm lights working normally except the one controlling the direction I was travelling in. All other directions had traffic flow working normally as you could follow the sequencing and watch vehicles driving through the junction.
If you know the pattern, go on your turn I guess - if the others are working normally (after two ish full cycles to confirm??)

Probably the wrong answer (and I wouldn't like to try at rush hour).

Would you get done on the cameras if present, and would you win your appeal?

Alex@POD

6,454 posts

239 months

Monday 24th June 2024
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I had to do that a few times, one of the times I remember I was on my motorbike, at a filter lane, and the ground sensor would not "sense" the bike. After 2 sequences to understand who goes when, I went when it was clear.

Mr.Chips

1,204 posts

238 months

Monday 24th June 2024
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Knowing my luck, however long I waited and however many cycles I had waited, I can virtually guarantee that,when I do decide to go, someone will come the other way giving me abuse!

Bright Halo

3,841 posts

259 months

Monday 24th June 2024
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What you don’t know if you can’t see the other end of the roadworks is whether the lights are cycling the other end or permanently stuck on green.
I’d give it a few mins and then proceed with caution, with hazards on maybe?

ATG

23,097 posts

296 months

Monday 24th June 2024
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Round here roadworks lights get stuck on red at both ends all the time. Could be an urban myth, but I was told they default to that behaviour if they sense enough cars driving through reds ... I.e. the lights interpret people driving through reds as there being a problem with the lights, so they default to red. No idea if that's true, but it wouldn't be a bad design. And it would explain why the lights round here are regularly stuck on red because no one pays any attention to them anyway, particularly at night or in the early hours. Really quiet rural roads, so the chance of meeting anyone coming the other way is really slim.

freedman

5,979 posts

231 months

Monday 24th June 2024
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Bright Halo said:
What you don’t know if you can’t see the other end of the roadworks is whether the lights are cycling the other end or permanently stuck on green.
I’d give it a few mins and then proceed with caution, with hazards on maybe?
It’s a regular junction, not roadworks

caley64

127 posts

246 months

Monday 24th June 2024
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ATG said:
Round here roadworks lights get stuck on red at both ends all the time. Could be an urban myth, but I was told they default to that behaviour if they sense enough cars driving through reds ... I.e. the lights interpret people driving through reds as there being a problem with the lights, so they default to red. No idea if that's true, but it wouldn't be a bad design. And it would explain why the lights round here are regularly stuck on red because no one pays any attention to them anyway, particularly at night or in the early hours. Really quiet rural roads, so the chance of meeting anyone coming the other way is really slim.
I've phoned 101 before to report roadworks traffic lights stuck on red. According to the operator I spoke to, they default to red when batteries are low.

Secret lemonade drinker

832 posts

74 months

Monday 24th June 2024
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I turn around and find an alternative route

Master Bean

4,963 posts

144 months

Tuesday 25th June 2024
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At that time of night about a minute. Maybe slightly longer in my car but about that on my bicyclette.

Gary29

4,935 posts

123 months

Tuesday 25th June 2024
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Two hours and fifty three minutes.

RazerSauber

2,781 posts

84 months

Tuesday 25th June 2024
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When I first left my local German supermarket that may or may not be similar to the word "small", I was on my motorbike. The exit is at a cross roads. I watched 3 cycles of other traffic going through with no luck on me being seen so I waited for a red light and went between cycles. Wasn't waiting any longer. I've since discovered that it's a problem and not a blip. Cyclists and motorcyclists have no chance. I have to pull through the red light and get a car behind me to approach the line to trigger the lights.

Yellow Lizud

2,812 posts

188 months

Tuesday 25th June 2024
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Gary29 said:
Two hours and fifty three minutes.
Forty Two.

(Depending what mode I'm in, that might be milliseconds, seconds, minutes or hours!)

CypSIdders

1,232 posts

178 months

Tuesday 25th June 2024
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Alex@POD said:
I had to do that a few times, one of the times I remember I was on my motorbike, at a filter lane, and the ground sensor would not "sense" the bike. After 2 sequences to understand who goes when, I went when it was clear.
This is precisely how I obtained my first ever penalty points, many years ago.
Waiting at a crossroads, at 10pm, my bike wouldn't set off the sensor.
I wanted to turn left, I waited and waited and waited, there were no other vehicles on any of the other roads.
After waiting for at least 5 mins no lights had changed on any of the roads.
I decided to turn Ieft, just as a motorcycle cop emerged from the police station, a 100yds behind me.
I bet he'd pulled the same manoeuvre countless times.

soad

34,375 posts

200 months

Friday 28th June 2024
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Roadworks ones seem to be fair game, seen it all.