Boardman rider in Tooting 9am Epic Red light fail!

DonDaddyD

Coming up Tooting High Street towards Tooting Bec station and heading onwards to Balham a guy on grey Boardman road bike overtakes me and behind him, which he couldn't see were two police motorcycle coppers.

We approach the lights, he speeds up but not fast enough. The lights go from amber to red as he passes through. He had time to stop. The police bike follows talks to him for a bit and then pulls him over.

Ha bloody ha!!! Hang your head. SHAME!!!

The irony wasn't that though. Oh no. At the lights I turn to a lady cyclist and said

"If he was just a second quicker he'd have gone through amber".

Her retort

"Well actually, according to article/section blah blah of the highway code you are required to stop when the light is amber".

That right there is why people don't like cyclists.

In my head I'm thinking wrote:

Who bloody well stops on amber anyway? It does, will and always has meant 'Go through very quickly'. It is an unwritten law and every one who doesn't observe that law should receive a beep of a horn from the car behind until the light phase goes green again.

Back to the irony. We ride straight towards Balham tube, approaching another set of lights, just a crossing not a junction, with the lights firmly on amber. I go through (in accordance to said unwritten law), the vehicle to my right goes through and the lady on my left, the same lady who recited the highway code to me no more than 30 seconds past, goes through the crossing on an amber light.

Her head down laughing at the irony of it.

The hypocrisy of Man.

asprilla

I stop on amber lights at junctions, unless I feel that to do so would be unsafe.

Was the crossing amber on it's way to red or amber on it's way to green? If it's amber on it's way to green then you can pass though provided there are no pedestrians on the crossing.

bigmat

Asprilla wrote:

I stop on amber lights at junctions, unless I feel that to do so would be unsafe.

Was the crossing amber on it's way to red or amber on it's way to green? If it's amber on it's way to green then you can pass though provided there are no pedestrians on the crossing.

+1. Unless its red or green I always stop.

meanredspider

Talk about RLJing. Yesterday, at the one crossing I have to make, the light goes red for the road and I'm about to cross when a car in the outside lane nearly takes my front wheel off. I cross and, no sooner am I on the other side but not one but two cars on the inside lane set off through the red light!!! I'm beginning to wonder if I've suddenly gone colourblind or lost my marbles! I was too slack-jawed to take their numbers.

notsoblue

Saw two vans and taxi go through late reds this morning. One at Putney bridge, another at Vauxhall Bridge and the final at Parliament Square. Had to slow to prevent an accident with two of them. This is why people hate drivers... :P

greg66_tri_v2.0

Asprilla wrote:

I stop on amber lights at junctions, unless I feel that to do so would be unsafe.

Was the crossing amber on it's way to red or amber on it's way to green? If it's amber on it's way to green then you can pass though provided there are no pedestrians on the crossing.

As I recall, the sequence is red -> red and amber -> green -> amber -> red.

ETA: pelican xings go red -> flashing amber -> green -> amber -> red.

You don't get plain amber then green.

asprilla

BigMat wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

I stop on amber lights at junctions, unless I feel that to do so would be unsafe.

Was the crossing amber on it's way to red or amber on it's way to green? If it's amber on it's way to green then you can pass though provided there are no pedestrians on the crossing.

+1. Unless its red or green I always stop.

So you don't stop if it's red?

DonDaddyD

I go through if it's amber or green. It's flashing amber I'm unsure about. I'm sure there is a book or internet page to clarify things for me.

If I'm in the car I'm less likely to go through amber.

notsoblue

So all you amber gamblers use your judgement to determine if its safe to go through amber lights then? /troll

asprilla

Greg66 wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

I stop on amber lights at junctions, unless I feel that to do so would be unsafe.

Was the crossing amber on it's way to red or amber on it's way to green? If it's amber on it's way to green then you can pass though provided there are no pedestrians on the crossing.

As I recall, the sequence is red -> red and amber -> green -> amber -> red.

ETA: pelican xings go red -> flashing amber -> green -> amber -> red.

You don't get plain amber then green.

Yeah, but I didn't know if DDD was being entirely accurate in his description, hence the question.

jonginge

Twin Peaks flashback:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278784/quotes?qt=qt0430430

bails87

DonDaddyD wrote:

I go through if it's amber or green. It's flashing amber I'm unsure about. I'm sure there is a book or internet page to clarify things for me.

If I'm in the car I'm less likely to go through amber.

Solid amber = the lights are about to turn red, stop unless doing so is likely to cause a collision.

flsahing amber = the lights are about to turn green, so go if it's clear.

DonDaddyD

Asprilla wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

I stop on amber lights at junctions, unless I feel that to do so would be unsafe.

Was the crossing amber on it's way to red or amber on it's way to green? If it's amber on it's way to green then you can pass though provided there are no pedestrians on the crossing.

As I recall, the sequence is red -> red and amber -> green -> amber -> red.

ETA: pelican xings go red -> flashing amber -> green -> amber -> red.

You don't get plain amber then green.

Yeah, but I didn't know if DDD was being entirely accurate in his description, hence the question.

It seems I was.

MrChuck

For me it depends what's involved in stopping on amber. If it's going to be an emergency stop type thing and I can clear the junction comfortably then I'll go through. If I've plenty of time to stop then I will.

neiltb

the jumping of lights drives me nuts over here. lights go green, amber, red, green. People run the amber all the time so to stop accidents from amber gamblers, we have lights that have all traffic stopped for 2 seconds to allow those to get through. Everyone knows this so there is no real need to stop at the first sight of red.

In 50 years traffic lights in toronto will just be permanently red.

bails87

Or permanantly amber (a la The Simpsons), gets everyone through the junction quicker

ToeKnee

MrChuck wrote:

For me it depends what's involved in stopping on amber. If it's going to be an emergency stop type thing and I can clear the junction comfortably then I'll go through. If I've plenty of time to stop then I will.

+1 ... but I also consider how busy the road is: will the revving white van behind me expect me (neah, permit me) to brake?

sketchley

Greg66 wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

I stop on amber lights at junctions, unless I feel that to do so would be unsafe.

Was the crossing amber on it's way to red or amber on it's way to green? If it's amber on it's way to green then you can pass though provided there are no pedestrians on the crossing.

As I recall, the sequence is red -> red and amber -> green -> amber -> red.

ETA: pelican xings go red -> flashing amber -> green -> amber -> red.

You don't get plain amber then green.

You might on a toucan or puffin crossing, no flashing amber on them. I need to check though as it might be a red and amber.

sketchley

and http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg ... 070561.pdf

bigmat

Asprilla wrote:

BigMat wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

I stop on amber lights at junctions, unless I feel that to do so would be unsafe.

Was the crossing amber on it's way to red or amber on it's way to green? If it's amber on it's way to green then you can pass though provided there are no pedestrians on the crossing.

+1. Unless its red or green I always stop.

So you don't stop if it's red?

That was the joke. I've had better. Wanted to see if I could ignite yet another 20+ page debate about RLJ (which I will have nothing further to do with!)

meanredspider

Yeah - doesn't amber mean "Prepare to take to the pavement"?

TheStone

Anyone noticed how much better the traffic flows when the lights aren't working?

notsoblue

TheStone wrote:

Anyone noticed how much better the traffic flows when the lights aren't working?

Yeah, and people actually pay attention.

rjsterry

DonDaddyD wrote:

I go through if it's amber or green. It's flashing amber I'm unsure about. I'm sure there is a book or internet page to clarify things for me.

If I'm in the car I'm less likely to go through amber.

You mean like the Highway Code, which you of course read when you learnt to drive, no? I am disappoint.

greg66_tri_v2.0

DonDaddyD wrote:

It's flashing amber I'm unsure about.

The Highway Code wrote:

196
Signal-controlled crossings

Pelican crossings. These are signal-controlled crossings where flashing amber follows the red ‘Stop’ light. You MUST stop when the red light shows. When the amber light is flashing, you MUST give way to any pedestrians on the crossing. If the amber light is flashing and there are no pedestrians on the crossing, you may proceed with caution.

Sketchley wrote:

You might on a toucan or puffin crossing, no flashing amber on them. I need to check though as it might be a red and amber.

The Highway Code wrote:

199

Toucan, puffin and equestrian crossings. These are similar to pelican crossings, but there is no flashing amber phase; the light sequence for traffic at these three crossings is the same as at traffic lights. If the signal-controlled crossing is not working, proceed with extreme caution.

But some idiot ages ago wrote:

Shurely the correct rubric is:

Green (if in motion) - fly through without a care in the world at speed limit + 20.
Amber - emergency "FLOOR IT" protocols are authorised. Temporary excess of up to 50 over the speed limit is authorised.
Red (first five second) - As amber, but with added urgency and vigilance (for safety, obv).
Red (after first five second) - Stop, allow brake fluid to cool. Check texts and select new track from Clarkson's Driving Tunes twin CD.
Red and amber - engage gear, depress brake, rev to min 5000 rpm, soak up smell of burning rubber.
Green (from standstill) - Release brake, bury throttle and it's Murray Walker shouting "IT'S GO GO GO !" in your ears

Drysuitdiver

I was asked traffic light sequence on my test. went through from red to green . examiner then asked what came after green . I replied "dunno usually fecked off by then"

bg13

the amber is just your invite to get some extra sprint training in if you want!

Jay dubbleU

Highway Code - amber = proceed with caution

tailwindhome

Amber = Ah go on then, just 3 more.

bails87

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Highway Code - amber = proceed with caution

Is that an amber that's turning to red or an amber that's about to go green?