Amber Light length

doopa

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/12/20/1345254/denver-must-prove-red-light-cameras-improve-safety?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot+%28Slashdot%29

Since moving here I thought the length of the amber light was too long - seemingly encouraging people to run it and hence increase the chances of people running red lights. However, this research seems to indicate that longer amber lights lead to less red light running?

More links (relatively biased source) here:
http://www.motorists.org/red-light-cameras/effect-yellow-timing

Are there any red light cameras in operation here?

What do other people think - are amber lights too long here? Is red light skipping a problem?

coolbeans

I'm living in the city centre so I only drive when I have to travel over 10-15km, otherwise I cycle. I have got to say that red light jumping occurs at almost every junction the most common manifestation being ultra late amber gambling. I was nearly blown away on the bike by a tool in a Santa Fe the other day. It's almost become acceptable amongst many drivers and happens almost all the time at nearly every junction in the city. For the record you're suppose to stop on amber unless it's unsafe to do so but it's treated as the last chance light by way too many. **** like that kills people. Cops aren't enforcing much these days either which only adds to the problem.

_Kaiser_

coolbeans wrote: »

I'm living in the city centre so I only drive when I have to travel over 10-15km, otherwise I cycle. I have got to say that red light jumping occurs at almost every junction the most common manifestation being ultra late amber gambling. I was nearly blown away on the bike by a tool in a Santa Fe the other day. It's almost become acceptable amongst many drivers and happens almost all the time at nearly every junction in the city. For the record you're suppose to stop on amber unless it's unsafe to do so but it's treated as the last chance light by way too many. **** like that kills people. Cops aren't enforcing much these days either which only adds to the problem.

To be fair some of the green light sequences are ridiculously short for the traffic that's on the roads in question.

Take the right turn from the Coast Road onto the Malahide Road at Fairview. That must last no more than about 10 seconds - or about 3 cars. At peak times it can take 15 minutes to get around that corner (admittedly not helped by the bus stop a few hundred yards after you make the turn that backs all the traffic back down to the lights and beyond)

dr.fuzzenstein

It's a cultural difference.
In Germany you wouldn't THINK about breaking a red light, not only because most of them have cameras (and the penalties are swift and steep), but because, well, you just don't, it's not even a question, you just wouldn't, it's not done, it wouldn't even enter my head.
Besides, you could be looking at over E300 fine, 4 points and one month off the road (if the traffic light has been red for more than one sec and endangerment has taken place) and unlike here, that punishment is more than just theoretical.
If you run a red light as newly qualified driver, you could lose your licence altogether and have to retake the test.
It's serious sh*t over there, on par with drink-driving and fleeing the scene of an accident.
Here?
No one cares, it doesn't matter, everyone does it, the cops don't care, even I do it.
Zero enforcement/training will do that.
Sure there are theoretical fines/points for that, but I have NEVER seen that enforced in the nearly 20 years I've been here and the hundreds of people I have seen pulling all sorts of crazy sh*t on the roads.
It's the typical Irish approach of "ignore it, ignore it, ignore it" (and go for another breakfast roll). Sorry but it's true.

coolbeans

True, lax standards as usual and then the mob raving when the inevitable happens. Sad.

Absurdum

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

No one cares, it doesn't matter, everyone does it, the cops don't care, even I do it.
Zero enforcement/training will do that.
Sure there are theoretical fines/points for that, but I have NEVER seen that enforced in the nearly 20 years I've been here and the hundreds of people I have seen pulling all sorts of crazy sh*t on the roads.
It's the typical Irish approach of "ignore it, ignore it, ignore it" (and go for another breakfast roll). Sorry but it's true.

I saw someone pulled for it just today as a matter of fact.

<snip silly comment>

cyclopath2001

doopa wrote: »

Since moving here I thought the length of the amber light was too long - seemingly encouraging people to run it and hence increase the chances of people running red lights. However, this research seems to indicate that longer amber lights lead to less red light running? What do other people think - are amber lights too long here? Is red light skipping a problem?

The law in Ireland is that you must stop on amber unless you're so close when it changes you could not do so safely. So, the problem in Ireland is not red light skipping but one of failing to stop on amber when you could. There is no excuse at all for failing to stop on red.

One reason for a long amber sequence at a wide junction would be to allow slow moving vehicles that have entered the junction before the amber to safely clear it before crossing traffic gets its green signal.

paddyland

A bus needs that amber phase to stop smoothly without jerking passengers around. A shorter amber phase would leave a bus driver needing to stop too sharply if the light turned just at the wrong moment.

ciotog

I wouldn't be a fan of a shorter amber phase across the board, there are some junctions I encounter on the bicycle where it's too short e.g. http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=201559284064087401699.0004b4994e7b93bd185c3&msa=0&ll=53.277513,-8.976914&spn=0.00519,0.009645 I've crossed the ASL near the end of the green phase, turning right onto the Dublin Road and seen amber as I entered the first hatched box. By the time I'm exiting the hatched box on the opposite and going through the pedestrian crossing the lights on the Dublin Road have changed to green. While I'm obviously slower than a motorist, I'm still doing 16 - 21 km/h through it (depending on having had to stop for a red and pulling off versus going straight through green/amber).