Lights stuck on red - how long do you wait?

Lights stuck on red - how long do you wait?

Author
Discussion

FMOB

Original Poster:

1,994 posts

27 months

Sunday 23rd June 2024
quotequote all
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

2,720 posts

111 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

2,554 posts

88 months

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

FMOB

Original Poster:

1,994 posts

27 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

3,511 posts

250 months

Sunday 23rd June 2024
quotequote all
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

15,176 posts

99 months

Sunday 23rd June 2024
quotequote all
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

123 months

Monday 24th June 2024
quotequote all
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

6,388 posts

230 months

Monday 24th June 2024
quotequote all
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

1,129 posts

229 months

Monday 24th June 2024
quotequote all
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

3,511 posts

250 months

Monday 24th June 2024
quotequote all
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

22,093 posts

287 months

Monday 24th June 2024
quotequote all
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

5,961 posts

222 months

Monday 24th June 2024
quotequote all
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

125 posts

237 months

Monday 24th June 2024
quotequote all
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

827 posts

65 months

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

Master Bean

4,428 posts

135 months

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

Gary29

4,513 posts

114 months

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

RazerSauber

2,737 posts

75 months

Tuesday 25th June 2024
quotequote all
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

2,653 posts

179 months

Tuesday 25th June 2024
quotequote all
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

1,148 posts

169 months

Tuesday 25th June 2024
quotequote all
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

33,905 posts

191 months

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