Some one should ban cars and traffic lights.

NITR8s

I just wanted to share my frustration this morning. I set out wanting to do my 7+mile commute as fast as possible. Anyway I set off and hammering down the road and for the first 3 and a bit miles my speedometer was reading 22.6mph average. Wanting to get the 20mph avergage to work badge i carried on until I hit town with cars and traffic lights grrrrrr.

By the end of it my average was 18.2mph, however I cant help but think i would be wearing my 20mph average to work badge at this moment if it wasnt for the bloody cars and traffic lights.

Sorry there is no point to this story over than me letting out my frustration.

anthdci

happens to us all. I know the sequences of all the lights I go through on a daily basis now, and it is really depressing seeing one change to amber then red right in front of you, with pedestrians waiting to cross also so you know your going to be sitting there for a good couple of minutes while it cycles through all the directions, which ruins your average speed.

mr_joe0606

is there any other route you can do with less lights? there are 3 sets on my way to work but also avoid 4 cutting through back roads longer way but keeps adverage up.

anthdci

I wish there was another way. I had a good look on google maps when the council saw fit to install a new set on my route right at the bottom of a hill and before a climb. It used to be that I could gain enough speed to get up the climb quite easily, but now I get stopped at the damn things everyday, have to start the climb from stationary. I have 22 sets of lights over my 13mile commute But 9 of them is in the last mile into Newcastle from the Tyne Bridge to work.

cookeeemonster

Its all part of the fun!!

Use it as training - extra stops and starts make you put more effort in

mbthegreat

Pah, pathetic. I have around 30 sets of lights in my two mile commute.

diy

Get up earlier.

bompington

I can't complain about lights as I have 4 sets in 19 miles. But I will anyway - specifically the new ones in Scone that default to red on the main road, a nice steady 30mph downhill on the way to work, so that the occasional car coming out of a new housing development has priority. The problem being that they trigger to green for main road traffic, but not until you've had to stop :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

dee4life2005

bompington wrote:

The problem being that they trigger to green for main road traffic, but not until you've had to stop :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

Pretty much every set of traffic lights from Broughty Ferry to Dundee Tay Bridge do that early in the morning as well. They'll stay at red until you reach the line and then decide to change. It does this until they trigger into Rush-Hour mode. Damn annoying, and the ones at the entrance to Gallacher Retail Park switch to stop even if there are no pedestrians waiting to cross, and no cars exiting from the retail park. I sometimes forgot those lights are there Six sets of lights to get from B/Ferry to Tay Bridge and 5 of them are regularly on red, unless a car happens to get to them before you are triggers them to switch to green.

If I get stopped at traffic lights I take it as opportunity for a sprint interval.

random man

Whoops, I seem to have stumbled into the commuting forum by mistake, sorry

Bustacapp

NITR8s wrote:

I just wanted to share my frustration this morning. I set out wanting to do my 7+mile commute as fast as possible. Anyway I set off and hammering down the road and for the first 3 and a bit miles my speedometer was reading 22.6mph average. Wanting to get the 20mph avergage to work badge i carried on until I hit town with cars and traffic lights grrrrrr.

By the end of it my average was 18.2mph, however I cant help but think i would be wearing my 20mph average to work badge at this moment if it wasnt for the bloody cars and traffic lights.

Sorry there is no point to this story over than me letting out my frustration.

Why not just run the red lights and risk your life for the acclaimed 20mph average? Could result in one less bell end on the roads!

pinkteapot

I have a horrible choice on my commute:

1: Cross a main road at a pedestrian and cycle crossing which takes AGES. You have to push the button for both halves of the road separately (big island in the middle) and with each one it takes a few minutes for the traffic light to go red.

or

2. Cycle round a magic roundabout, in rush hour. :shock:

So far I've always gone for option 1, despite the frustration. In my few months of commuting I've seen one brave cyclist take on the roundabout.

Inutero

bompington wrote:

I can't complain about lights as I have 4 sets in 19 miles. But I will anyway - specifically the new ones in Scone that default to red on the main road, a nice steady 30mph downhill on the way to work, so that the occasional car coming out of a new housing development has priority. The problem being that they trigger to green for main road traffic, but not until you've had to stop :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil:

Totally agree. Those lights a pain in the arse! There's a set like that on Newhouse Road, next to the park, slight uphill section, that you can guarantee will change to red as you approach them, only to then change back to green again about 5 seconds later. Seems that most traffic lights these days work like that. Whatever happened to the days of lights staying green unless something was approaching from another road!

dee4life2005

Inutero wrote:

Whatever happened to the days of lights staying green unless something was approaching from another road!

The red bulbs must be cheaper to buy or something.

jonny_trousers

If you're just after breaking your PB for average speed then why not set your computer to stop recording when at a standstill?

lawrences

Put in 5 extra miles at 22 before you head into the traffic as a buffer.

^or do that.

Paul E

Bustacapp wrote:

NITR8s wrote:

I just wanted to share my frustration this morning. I set out wanting to do my 7+mile commute as fast as possible. Anyway I set off and hammering down the road and for the first 3 and a bit miles my speedometer was reading 22.6mph average. Wanting to get the 20mph avergage to work badge i carried on until I hit town with cars and traffic lights grrrrrr.

By the end of it my average was 18.2mph, however I cant help but think i would be wearing my 20mph average to work badge at this moment if it wasnt for the bloody cars and traffic lights.

Sorry there is no point to this story over than me letting out my frustration.

Why not just run the red lights and risk your life for the acclaimed 20mph average? Could result in one less bell end on the roads!

Ohh the irony!

Mikey23

I was out this afternoon in the quiet country lanes in east Cornwall. Behind a car and not going particularly quick but in a nice rhythm.. Car coming the other way, they both stop completely blocking the lane and start to have a chat... Both old farmer types. My initial 'get out of the flipping way' just dissolved and I was laughing so much I nearly fell off my bike anyway. Life is just too short!

team47b

We have speed controlled traffic lights, if anyone goes above 50kph they change to red, just enough to annoy/inconvenience the driver that was speeding, trouble is:

a) the Portuguese drivers do not understand speed controlled lights
b) the Portuguese drivers speed up to make up time and end up changing the next set of lights to red

The good thing is that bikes do not register on these lights sensors