Flashing Amber

[gixxer1000]

Here's a little thread to break up the speeding topics.

Not sure if this is predominantly a mad London thing but more and more I am noticing drivers treating flashing amber at traffic-light controlled crossings to equal GO GO GO.

As I recall, flashing amber does allow the driver to go, but only if there's no-one still crossing. Flashing amber seems to now mean accelerate immediately, and then worry about whether someone is still crossing.

I am losing count of the number of times I have been close to getting clipped whilst crossing on flashing amber.

Anyone else experienced this?

gixxer

[VioletBeauregard]

not quite, but I did get shouted at once by white van man for being too slow crossing a zebra when I was eight months pregnant. Thought that was pretty unfair as I wasn't exactly snailing across... just waddling normally!

[marvelharvey]

Effectively, a flashing amber light turns the pelican crossing into a zebra crossing, ie from forcing the driver to stop, they now must giveway to pedestrians.

There have been times when I've been sitting behind a numpty at some flashing amber lights and they refused to drive on until the green lights came on, even though there were no pedestrians and I was honking the horn!

[Size Nine Elm]

marvelharvey said:

Effectively, a flashing amber light turns the pelican crossing into a zebra crossing

With the exception that pedestrians should not start to cross on flashing amber, just continue if already on the crossing.

[206xsi]

I thought this topic might have been about flashing amber lights at cross-roads in Portugal.

Ever seen them?! Most confusing - you're travelling down the main road and come to a graduated junction with traffic lights flashing amber on all 4 routes.

Anyone know about this?

[blueyes]

206xsi said:

I thought this topic might have been about flashing amber lights at cross-roads in Portugal. Ever seen them?! Most confusing - you're travelling down the main road and come to a graduated junction with traffic lights flashing amber on all 4 routes. Anyone know about this?

Don't know if it's the same thing but in Italy in the evenings quiet junctions in town have their traffic lights set to flashing amber which means you can proceed but with caution.

Now wouldn't that be nice to have in this country. Imagine, driving through town at 3am and not having to sit at countless traffic lights while nothing crosses from the other roads. Think of the fuel it would save! Think of the time it would save! Think of the pollution it would prevent! Totally reasonable idea... but it would make things easier for drivers.. so it'll NEVER happen!

n.b. It wouldn't work in London- been there, seems like you lot never go to sleep!

[charlescrawley]

It's virtually the same all over Europe... Certainly in France and Luxembourg, in addition to the places named so far.
Much as a lot of things about Europe p*ss me off, there are many things that are so much more "laissez-faire" and sensible out here... Ho-hum...

[toad_oftoadhall]

VioletBeauregard said:

not quite, but I did get shouted at once by white van man for being too slow crossing a zebra when I was eight months pregnant. Thought that was pretty unfair as I wasn't exactly snailing across... just waddling normally!

Were you only three months gone when you started walking? ;-)

[CraigAlsop]

206xsi said:

I thought this topic might have been about flashing amber lights at cross-roads in Portugal. Ever seen them?! Most confusing - you're travelling down the main road and come to a graduated junction with traffic lights flashing amber on all 4 routes. Anyone know about this?

They used to do this at night in Edinburgh, before the anti-car Nazis got in power - it worked really well (cut down congestion anyway)

[hertsbiker]

marvelharvey said:

There have been times when I've been sitting behind a numpty at some flashing amber lights and they refused to drive on until the green lights came on, even though there were no pedestrians and I was honking the horn!

ehhhhh? I thought only "green" was "go". If you can go on flashing amber then brilliant!

[timsta]

hertsbiker said:

marvelharvey said: There have been times when I've been sitting behind a numpty at some flashing amber lights and they refused to drive on until the green lights came on, even though there were no pedestrians and I was honking the horn! ehhhhh? I thought only "green" was "go". If you can go on flashing amber then brilliant!

I may be revealing my ignorance, I thought that flashing amber was: "proceed with caution"

[Mr2Mike]

blueyes said:

Don't know if it's the same thing but in Italy in the evenings quiet junctions in town have their traffic lights set to flashing amber which means you can proceed but with caution.

Which is kind of ironic as when I last went to Italy, the drivers would proceed at any colour traffic light with absoluetly no caution whatsoever. In fact, if I dared actually stop for a red light I faced a torrent of abuse and horns from the car behind.

[outlaw]

Yes you can go if there is no one at the crossing.

I just wish so one would tell the dam padtrians the cant run across the road when the lights are green.