Time to change traffic lights (Red&Amber)?

[InigoMontoya]

Prompted in part by the "everybody hates a cyclist" over on the Sheffield forum, is it time for the UK to adopt the system (widely used throughout the rest of the World) whereby a set of traffic lights simply changes from "Red" to "Green", without going through the "Red / Amber" first?

 

Advantages:

 

- no one will be tempted to go through the lights before they've gone to "Green".

 

 

Disadvantages:

 

Tempt people to race away from the lights before selecting gear and starting sensibly when you get green? Possibly?

 

I don't know.

 

Thoughts from the great and the good?

[apelike]

Prompted in part by the "everybody hates a cyclist" over on the Sheffield forum, is it time for the UK to adopt the system (widely used throughout the rest of the World) whereby a set of traffic lights simply changes from "Red" to "Green", without going through the "Red / Amber" first?

 

Trouble is most of Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia and other developed countries use the same system that we use so why change it.

[Eater Sundae]

I have driven in countries which go straight to green, although I can't remember which. I actually thought that the USA did, but it seems not from the post above. I don't remember it making any real difference.

 

Another feature that we might consider is the flashing amber, which they seem to use at night, or generally at less busy times in the USA. It would need some education though so everybody knew what it meant - unlike me on my first trip to the USA, picking my hire car up at about 2 am, and setting off only to come across a flashing amber light at the very first intersection (ooh, see what I did there, intersection, not junction). Lets just say that my hesitation did not endear me to the chap behind.

[Ghozer]

We have flashing amber on pelican crossings, it flashes while the green man flashes.... if it's a Junction light, then it doesn't flash..

 

it's the same in lots of US states, although some mass cross-roads only use red/green (USA)

[InigoMontoya]

We have flashing amber on pelican crossings, it flashes while the green man flashes.... if it's a Junction light, then it doesn't flash..

 

it's the same in lots of US states, although some mass cross-roads only use red/green (USA)

 

"Flashing Amber" on Pelicans etc. means something else though, doesn't it? OK to proceed if there is no-one crossing at the time.

 

(I thought US ones went straight Red -> Green too. I don't know, so won't comment further on that one)

[Eater Sundae]

"Flashing Amber" on Pelicans etc. means something else though, doesn't it? OK to proceed if there is no-one crossing at the time.

 

(I thought US ones went straight Red -> Green too. I don't know, so won't comment further on that one)

 

As far as I remember, the flashing amber is in effect the same as on our pelicans - you can go if it is safe to do so (and the expectation is that all other drivers approaching from the other directions will also be seeing the flashing amber, unlike when you see green, and the expectation is that everyone else is seeing red).

 

If we had flashing ambers as a default, at quiet times, it might suit large crossroads (eg the new junction at the end of Leppings Lane, so as to avoid having to wait for the complete cycle to take place), or where we currently have part time lights on the approach to roundabouts (although to be fair, the current part time lights systems still work on roundabouts because we have the give ways on entry as well.

 

another good system for lights at quiet times is where they are all at red, and then when a vehicle approaches, then they change. that way they can get to green more quickly than if another light has to be changed to red first. This is for when there is very little traffic. I think that the lights at the turn off for Bamford at the Ladybower reservoir may be like this - I've been through there at very quiet times in the early hours and always seem to see a red light as I approach, which immediately changes before I get there. thinking this through, this sort of situation might suit the OP's idea of omitting the red and amber phase.

[InigoMontoya]

As far as I remember, the flashing amber is in effect the same as on our pelicans - you can go if it is safe to do so (and the expectation is that all other drivers approaching from the other directions will also be seeing the flashing amber, unlike when you see green, and the expectation is that everyone else is seeing red).

 

If we had flashing ambers as a default, at quiet times, it might suit large crossroads (eg the new junction at the end of Leppings Lane, so as to avoid having to wait for the complete cycle to take place), or where we currently have part time lights on the approach to roundabouts (although to be fair, the current part time lights systems still work on roundabouts because we have the give ways on entry as well.

 

another good system for lights at quiet times is where they are all at red, and then when a vehicle approaches, then they change. that way they can get to green more quickly than if another light has to be changed to red first. This is for when there is very little traffic. I think that the lights at the turn off for Bamford at the Ladybower reservoir may be like this - I've been through there at very quiet times in the early hours and always seem to see a red light as I approach, which immediately changes before I get there. thinking this through, this sort of situation might suit the OP's idea of omitting the red and amber phase.

 

 

This has been around for a long time.

 

First with little pneumatic tubes set in the road, (1930s?) which were supposed to trip the lights, and then weight sensors in the road. (1960s)

 

I seem to remember an issue with the former is the tubes perished, and the latter, if another car then approached the junction from the opposite direction, it changed the lights back.

 

(and if no-one was following you, you got stuck!)

[Eater Sundae]

This has been around for a long time.

 

First with little pneumatic tubes set in the road, (1930s?) which were supposed to trip the lights, and then weight sensors in the road. (1960s)

 

I seem to remember an issue with the former is the tubes perished, and the latter, if another car then approached the junction from the opposite direction, it changed the lights back.

 

(and if no-one was following you, you got stuck!)

 

I was trying to highlight that all the lights were at red as you approached. I've only seen that in the last few years. Prior to that, I was used to seeing where lights stayed in one position, ie one way green and the other way red, until it was tripped by an approaching vehicle. In all these cases, there ought to be an overriding feature that takes the lights through a cycle every 4 or 5 minutes, to cover for if/when the sensors fail.

[PeteMorris]

Prompted in part by the "everybody hates a cyclist" over on the Sheffield forum, is it time for the UK to adopt the system (widely used throughout the rest of the World) whereby a set of traffic lights simply changes from "Red" to "Green", without going through the "Red / Amber" first?

 

Advantages:

 

- no one will be tempted to go through the lights before they've gone to "Green".

 

 

Disadvantages:

 

Tempt people to race away from the lights before selecting gear and starting sensibly when you get green? Possibly?

 

I don't know.

 

Thoughts from the great and the good?

 

My thoughts are, if it ain't broke don't fix it...Although....I'd like to see the American style, you can turn right on a red light if it's safe to do so, over here (of course in our case it would be turn left)....

[apelike]

This has been around for a long time.

 

First with little pneumatic tubes set in the road, (1930s?) which were supposed to trip the lights, and then weight sensors in the road. (1960s)

 

I seem to remember an issue with the former is the tubes perished, and the latter, if another car then approached the junction from the opposite direction, it changed the lights back.

 

(and if no-one was following you, you got stuck!)

 

I think Pneumatic tubes were superseded by inductive loops, dont think they ever had weight sensors. The tubes were fun, several of us kids used to trigger them by jumping up and down on them.