Ineffective traffic lights

AugustusMinimus

Was stuck at the traffic lights outside of Mahon Point today. Really got me thinking.

The light paterns there are absolutely terrible. Numerous opportunites where left turns could be allowed as the turn would cross no other traffic movement yet there is full red lights stopping this movement.

This junction in particular seems awful with traffic movement on it something terrible. Do county councils use computer programming and traffic surveys to workout the best traffic signal timing layout or is it just guesswork ?

Also, do most junctions these days ignore pedestrian crossings until someone actually presses the button ?

challengemaster

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Also, do most junctions these days ignore pedestrian crossings until someone actually presses the button ?

Depends, there seems to be a few setups. Around galway, most traffic lights have a set pattern (including a pedestrian phase) and the button is just there for a placebo effect, to make you feel like you've actually got some influence (which apparently makes people happier)

Others are set up so they only operate when someone presses the button.

savagecabbages

One new annoyance (in Limerick particularly) are the new orange cyclist zones covering the area before the stop line. The same are a the magnetic coil to trigger the lights is in... So you pull up where you're supposed to and the lights never change:rolleyes:

high horse

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Was stuck at the traffic lights outside of Mahon Point today. Really got me thinking.

The light paterns there are absolutely terrible. Numerous opportunites where left turns could be allowed as the turn would cross no other traffic movement yet there is full red lights stopping this movement.

This junction in particular seems awful with traffic movement on it something terrible. Do county councils use computer programming and traffic surveys to workout the best traffic signal timing layout or is it just guesswork ?

Also, do most junctions these days ignore pedestrian crossings until someone actually presses the button ?

I think it would really help to keep traffic moving if we introduced a "turn left on red lights rule similar to the one in use in the USA and some other countries

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_turn_on_red

langdang

savagecabbages wrote: »

One new annoyance (in Limerick particularly) are the new orange cyclist zones covering the area before the stop line. The same are a the magnetic coil to trigger the lights is in... So you pull up where you're supposed to and the lights never change:rolleyes:

Is there definitely a coil there? I'd say they are just clicking away through a preprogrammed sequence.


Mahon point is very bad, used to be worse for me when I was working down that area. Bad planning pure and simple. Was it a major player in a tribunal to do with fianna fail corruption and dodgy planning that built mahon point?
It needs an additional entrance/exit which I think was a condition of it being built at one stage.

Yawlboy

I travel from the tunnel through Mahon Point lights every morning - the only time I haven't been delayed was a few weeks back when the lights were off - no delays, no queue's no crashes, just free flowing traffic..... why do they have the bloody things at all. :mad:

AugustusMinimus

Signallised junction at Mahon is pure crap though.

Something like a turbo roundabout would work quite well. Would have a much higher capacity than the current junction and wouldn't need to be signalised.

I know it's much too late now, but a small tunnel under the road should have been built to take traffic coming from the SRR into Mahon Point without having to go through the main junction.

A 2nd entrance to Mahon Point should also have been built into Mahon. I'd also add the posibility of another exit only slip lane leading onto the SRR past the current Mahon exit.

beazee

high horse wrote: »

I think it would really help to keep traffic moving if we introduced a "turn left on red lights rule similar to the one in use in the USA and some other countries
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_turn_on_red

Yeah, but then pedestrians loose opportunity to cut the junction diagonal on pedestrian green. Which I find interesting solution.

high horse

OSI wrote: »

Jesus, driving here is scary enough as it is without giving people the opportunity to turn on a red light.

It's no more scary than a yield sign, it's essentially the same thing

nice_guy80

nothing worse than people pressing the button when walking past, just for the craic