traffic light: usually 1 min, this time over 5. What would you do?

arleitiss

Hey, out of interest, if you been driving around same junction for a while now, but always during day time and usually you wait around 30-60 seconds for it to switch. Then suddenly you drove there at night time and traffic light is red for over 8 minutes and the traffic is around 1 car per minute driving. What would you do? Only you and another car behind.

Would you think it's broken and drive through making sure no one is coming. Or would you wait until it turns green some day?

golden lane

arleitiss wrote: »

Hey, out of interest, if you been driving around same junction for a while now, but always during day time and usually you wait around 30-60 seconds for it to switch. Then suddenly you drove there at night time and traffic light is red for over 8 minutes and the traffic is around 1 car per minute driving. What would you do? Only you and another car behind.

Would you think it's broken and drive through making sure no one is coming. Or would you wait until it turns green some day?

if it is a sunny day...i would stop looking at my watch....and enjoy the view.

arleitiss

golden lane wrote: »

if it is a sunny day...i would stop looking at my watch....and enjoy the view.

It's midnight, lashing rain. (an hour ago in Dublin near beach)

wonski

arleitiss wrote: »

Hey, out of interest, if you been driving around same junction for a while now, but always during day time and usually you wait around 30-60 seconds for it to switch. Then suddenly you drove there at night time and traffic light is red for over 8 minutes and the traffic is around 1 car per minute driving. What would you do? Only you and another car behind.

Would you think it's broken and drive through making sure no one is coming. Or would you wait until it turns green some day?

I had to drive through about two weeks ago. Red in all directions, car in front of me lost patience and drove through, and i did the same.
Happens a lot to motorcyclist - friend of mine had to run red lights every night after work. The sensors didn't recognize him at all, so he had no choice.

kbell

I'd double check what was behind you, then proceed

Rich11

are you stopped right at the white line, cause there is a sensor there and if you dont drive right up to the line it will be forever before it changes.

I really couldnt wait at a traffic light at night for 5min, it would drive me mad, i'd probally just go through it(while checking for the guards;))

TheChizler

I'd try rolling back and forth first trying to activate the sensor.

golden lane

arleitiss wrote: »

It's midnight, lashing rain. (an hour ago in Dublin near beach)

make sure it was safe....no cameras......and go...

arleitiss

Apparently that's what I did,
Checked all traffic light poles for cameras, double checked at guy behind so it's not a guard (it was a vauxhall car, doubt it was guard driving such undercover), checked all directions, made sure no one around at all and drove through quickly. Apparently guy behind me waited then a min later it turned green, I felt really screwed over :L

dodderangler

I have the strangest feelin I know the place your talkin about
There is a set of lights near me and during the day you'd be lucky to get 6 cars through it and is frustrating but at night lights last about 5 mins and is more frustratin when your coming the other way
Can't win in this life lol

arleitiss

dodderangler wrote: »

I have the strangest feelin I know the place your talkin about
There is a set of lights near me and during the day you'd be lucky to get 6 cars through it and is frustrating but at night lights last about 5 mins and is more frustratin when your coming the other way
Can't win in this life lol

It's this crappy junction.
Just clontarf road.
https://maps.google.com/?ll=53.374068,-6.164178&spn=0.002717,0.006378&t=h&hnear=52+Mountjoy+Square+S,+County+Dublin,+Ireland&z=18

Coming from beach, I was in lane to turn left. So I stood there for ages.

dodderangler

Na the one I was talking bout is in tallaght guess there's more than one ****ty traffic light around
I think we should all go out get a crate of drink and revel against traffic lights



Who's with me??!!
Rabble rabble rabble!!!!

arleitiss

Looking in google maps street view, I don't see any kind of sensors/wires on left lane.

dodderangler

The lights at new lands cross are the worst out theyre very annoying
Heard there's plans for a flyover to start in 2013

ironclaw

arleitiss wrote: »

Looking in google maps street view, I don't see any kind of sensors/wires on left lane.

Theres not always sensors. Sometimes its just purely timing. Faster during 'peak' times and slower at night, with priority to the busier lane / direction.

Either way though, I'd never break a red light unless it was extremely excessive i.e. 10+ mins and I could prove it i.e. By DVR. A passing Garda would just love to nab you running a red. I don't believe not waiting 10 mins is worth €80 and 2 points. We're lucky in Ireland that we currently have no red light cameras (That I'm aware of)

As regards the bikes, you can get a device to increase the magnetic field. Popular here in the States where your average car is a lot bigger and even bigger bikes like Harley's have a hard time triggering them.

Mar4ix

i know in other countries, after 11 pm most traffic lights switch off, just yellow light keep flashing, so drivers need move according signs or road rules. wonder , why in Ireland cant make that.... not really heavy traffic in nights.

ironclaw

Mar4ix wrote: »

i know in other countries, after 11 pm most traffic lights switch off, just yellow light keep flashing, so drivers need move according signs or road rules. wonder , why in Ireland cant make that.... not really heavy traffic in nights.

I've been saying that for years. Not major roads, but certainly on low key local roads. Everyone owes due care (Red or green light) and attention at junctions anyway, so I can't see the issue in implementing this. All it would take would be an addition of 'You must stop before proceeding' to the ROTR (Like an American 'Free Right' turn)

Mar4ix

ironclaw wrote: »

I've been saying that for years. Not major roads, but certainly on low key local roads. Everyone owes due care (Red or green light) and attention at junctions anyway, so I can't see the issue in implementing this. All it would take would be an addition of 'You must stop before proceeding' to the ROTR (Like an American 'Free Right' turn)

or at least put signs on crossroads on top of cross lights, which regulates road importance(when cross lights are off) ... i mean straight road could be main road, all rest could have yield sign. simples.

Del2005

arleitiss wrote: »

Hey, out of interest, if you been driving around same junction for a while now, but always during day time and usually you wait around 30-60 seconds for it to switch. Then suddenly you drove there at night time and traffic light is red for over 8 minutes and the traffic is around 1 car per minute driving. What would you do? Only you and another car behind.

Would you think it's broken and drive through making sure no one is coming. Or would you wait until it turns green some day?

You've to wait till the light turns green or a Garda directs you to proceed, that's what I do.

johnmcdnl

Del2005 wrote: »

You've to wait till the light turns green or a Garda directs you to proceed, that's what I do.

In the OP's post it suggests that the sensor wasn't picking up that he was there at all so he'd be waiting a hell of a long time until the light went green, he could be still sitting there if he hadn't broken those lights in fairness :P

I think common sense would have to prevail in this situation that if you were sitting at a junction for nearly 10 minutes and the lights obviously weren't going to change that you'd have to do something and just take the chance and run the red light


I'd be getting on to some county councillor or someone about that set of lights though OP for all the good it might do, they might actually go and try to get it sorted if it's a regular occurrence. You won't know unless you try.

challengemaster

Del2005 wrote: »

You've to wait till the light turns green or a Garda directs you to proceed, that's what I do.

You must have plenty of time to kill

Del2005

johnmcdnl wrote: »

In the OP's post it suggests that the sensor wasn't picking up that he was there at all so he'd be waiting a hell of a long time until the light went green, he could be still sitting there if he hadn't broken those lights in fairness :P

I think common sense would have to prevail in this situation that if you were sitting at a junction for nearly 10 minutes and the lights obviously weren't going to change that you'd have to do something and just take the chance and run the red light


I'd be getting on to some county councillor or someone about that set of lights though OP for all the good it might do, they might actually go and try to get it sorted if it's a regular occurrence. You won't know unless you try.

Are laws are clear, you can't pass a red light without instruction from a Garda. There was a story about a biker in the UK who had a journey home late at night and one of the roads had a sensor that his bike wouldn't trip. He contacted his local council and they had a look at it but couldn't fix it, so he contacted the Police and he was told to take a 40mile detour to avoid breaking the lights.

It doesn't matter how long your waiting if you break a red then a Garda can do you.

challengemaster wrote: »

You must have plenty of time to kill

Yes;)

im invisible

challengemaster wrote: »

You must have plenty of time to kill

'Are's and 'are's

Henry Ford III

I think I'd use the time to think about how many more stupid ass threads I could start

Honestly this is rivalling Pudsey's Creche.

Anan1

arleitiss wrote: »

Hey, out of interest, if you been driving around same junction for a while now, but always during day time and usually you wait around 30-60 seconds for it to switch. Then suddenly you drove there at night time and traffic light is red for over 8 minutes and the traffic is around 1 car per minute driving. What would you do? Only you and another car behind.

Would you think it's broken and drive through making sure no one is coming. Or would you wait until it turns green some day?

I'd proceed with caution, but i'd advise you to wait.

Yakuza

Slightly OT, but we should allow turning left on a red (provided the way is clear) in the same way you can turn right in the USA.

A motorbike could dismount, cross the junction ("she cut out on me, officer") and proceed on their way.

I'd have done the same as the OP; waited a reasonable amount of time and then proceeded carefully, treating the light as broken.

Bigcheeze

arleitiss wrote: »

It's this crappy junction.
Just clontarf road.
https://maps.google.com/?ll=53.374068,-6.164178&spn=0.002717,0.006378&t=h&hnear=52+Mountjoy+Square+S,+County+Dublin,+Ireland&z=18

Coming from beach, I was in lane to turn left. So I stood there for ages.

So you were riding on Dollymount beach last night. Congrats.

cjt156

Yore Ma!

I don't frequent After Hours any more - do the youth of Ireland still do this?

dr.fuzzenstein

Del2005 wrote: »

You've to wait till the light turns green or a Garda directs you to proceed, that's what I do.

Would you wait half an hour? Two hours? All night?
There have been many threads about the use of common sense over the ROTR and it's common sense for me all the time.
Would you crawl behind a tractor at 25 km/h for several km because of a solid white line?
Block an ambulance from getting past because the light is red?
There have to be situation where one has to realise that God gave us all a brain and to listen to what it says.
I use the Picard argument in these situations. The rules are meant to serve us, not the other way around. Once the rules are more important than the people, you're living in a failed society.

Joe 90

ironclaw wrote: »

Theres not always sensors. Sometimes its just purely timing. Faster during 'peak' times and slower at night, with priority to the busier lane / direction.

Either way though, I'd never break a red light unless it was extremely excessive i.e. 10+ mins and I could prove it i.e. By DVR. A passing Garda would just love to nab you running a red. I don't believe not waiting 10 mins is worth €80 and 2 points. We're lucky in Ireland that we currently have no red light cameras (That I'm aware of)

As regards the bikes, you can get a device to increase the magnetic field. Popular here in the States where your average car is a lot bigger and even bigger bikes like Harley's have a hard time triggering them.

As regards the magnetic sensors, never mind bikes, they don't get triggered by the Exige, alloy, chassis, fibrelas body, alloy engine. Very little ferrous metal. I suspect tough, that here in the UK the old magnetic sensors are gradually being replaced.

langdang

Joe 90 wrote: »

As regards the magnetic sensors, never mind bikes, they don't get triggered by the Exige, alloy, chassis, fibrelas body, alloy engine. Very little ferrous metal. I suspect tough, that here in the UK the old magnetic sensors are gradually being replaced.

I think there's an induction current involved so any metal will do, not necessarily ferrous metal.

"The EMF generated is proportional to the rate of change of the magnetic flux vector"

So, what you lack in metal you need to make up for in rate of change by coming to a screeching,smoking halt on the sensor.


*Caution - this may not be practical at all. Or safe. Or sensible.

Cienciano

Yakuza wrote: »

I'd have done the same as the OP; waited a reasonable amount of time and then proceeded carefully, treating the light as broken.

That's exactly what I've done before. Stuck at a junction on a quiet sunday morning with zero cars around.
The idea of waiting for it to change if you're still there 10 minutes later is mental. Especially with no traffic around

AugustusMinimus

I broke a red light on a Sat morning in Cork a few years ago.

All the lights in the city were broken and permanently stuck on red.


I got absolutely slaughtered by one poster on here after I said I went through the red light (very carefully let I add). Poster said he would have stayed indefinately at the red light until a Garda came along or it started to work again.

If I was the Garda who turned up to this person, I'd give em 2 points for stupidity.



Cyclists break red lights constantly. I fail to see how going through a broken red light in a car is anymore dangerous if traffic levels are low and you look in all directions before doing so.

arleitiss

Del2005 wrote: »

You've to wait till the light turns green or a Garda directs you to proceed, that's what I do.

It was midnight, I don't think garda would come for at least next 2 hours while waiting there since there was only me and guy behind.

arleitiss

Bigcheeze wrote: »

So you were riding on Dollymount beach last night. Congrats.

I wasn't doing anything illegal there. (except this red lights breaking). I just went there for out curiosity with friend and went for a walk (it was unusual to be honest, saw 2 foxes (1 at roundabout 1 at water))

franer1970

AugustusMinimus wrote: »

Cyclists break red lights constantly

Is it any wonder when cyclist is least likely of all road users to trigger the sensors (except horses? Steel horseshoes??)

Tacit approval for cyclists to break red lights I'd say.

arleitiss

tbh I noticed that most of body kit of my car is plastic. (front, back bumpers, sides, front left, front right panels are plastic. The only metal things I can think of in car on outside is:
Doors, hood, roof, trunk door, and an exhaust pipe because when in service car was once lifted up, I saw all bottom has like a rubbery mat over metal and only exhaust pipe was going on it and some suspension parts.

TheChizler

arleitiss wrote: »

tbh I noticed that most of body kit of my car is plastic. (front, back bumpers, sides, front left, front right panels are plastic. The only metal things I can think of in car on outside is:
Doors, hood, roof, trunk door, and an exhaust pipe because when in service car was once lifted up, I saw all bottom has like a rubbery mat over metal and only exhaust pipe was going on it and some suspension parts.

Ahem... Frame, engine and transmission?

opti0nal

arleitiss wrote: »

It's this crappy junction.
Just clontarf road.
https://maps.google.com/?ll=53.374068,-6.164178&spn=0.002717,0.006378&t=h&hnear=52+Mountjoy+Square+S,+County+Dublin,+Ireland&z=18
Coming from beach, I was in lane to turn left. So I stood there for ages.

The sensors are in the straight-on lane. There's none in the left filter lane.

W0bble5

Same happened to me late at night a few years ago when I was dropping the lads home after working in an offo. I was waiting about 5 turns of the lights for the filter to turn green. I waited ages, presumed the filter light was broken and eased my way across the empty junction.
Only got passed it when an unmarked car booted after me and pulled me in. Copper asked what I was up to breaking a red light. I told him it was out of action & I was there waiting ages. He said it just turned green....I thought this was it, fine, couple of points and a lecture.

He asked where we were coming from, I told him & he asked was I drinking. (the bang of drink in the car was something else from the lads). Breathalised me, all grand and told me to wait longer at the lights next time and be on my way. Even if you think there's nobody aroung coppers are like ninjas!