Not stopping at the STOP line at traffic lights - Why?

LordSutch

Something that really bugs me is the amount of Irish drivers (young and old) who fail to stop on/or before the STOP line at traffic lights! Many drivers seem to overrun the stop line, with most straddled across the pink coloured cycle area, others even drive over this area (onto and over the pedestrian area) before they stop

Sometimes I wonder what's the bloody point of stopping if you're already across the lines, past the Traffic Light pole, and half way through the crossing! My theory is that it stems from a time before we had traffic lights, when people would drive up to a cross roads and creep to the edge to see what was coming from either direction, thats just a theory though, but I tell you what, I have seen many a pedestrian with a pram trying to navigate through and behind cars that have stopped on, or gone past the pedestrian lines . . . .

So what's that all about, any of you fellow drivers got an answer?

colm_mcm

There's an induction sensor on the ground to tell theres a car there - I think if you pull too far forward you may not trigger it, thus making you wait even longer

That may not be true though.


As with a lot of motoring questions, the answer is:

Some people are idiots

Mycroft H

It's for cars that think they're bicycles. :pac:


I got roared at by a taxi driver for merging up a cycle lane and then sitting in the advanced stop area for cyclists. Apparently I was obstructing him.


Why do they do it? Because people are ignorant idiots. I've given up worrying about them, not worth the stress.

Guy:Incognito

I think some people think sthe line is mined. In the last year or so I've noticed a huge increase in people stopping way back from the line too. A full car lenght back at least, if not more. Fair few sets of lights have the induction coils set at a point that will hit the middle of the car if you stop properly at the line.

Mitch Connor

In the estate I used to live in people would always do this at the traffic lights at the exit. What made it particularly irritating is it is one of the sets of lights that have the magnet or whatever under the ground where the car should stop - so by going past this the lights don't register that they should change, so the car would be left there waiting until another car came behind them. If you stopped where you were supposed to you'd be waiting a max of 30 seconds.

Dartz

I know a set of lights where the induction sensor is under the pink area.... and you have to pull into it or else wait a very long time. A lot of the pink boxes were added after the traffic lights were.

Mycroft H

The induction coils are a pain on the bike. Not enough metal to trigger them so you're waiting at a red for ages.

Where To

To see the perpindicular light changing so you can half a second head start on the green.

Katunga

colm_mcm wrote: »

There's an induction sensor on the ground to tell theres a car there - I think if you pull too far forward you may not trigger it, thus making you wait even longer

That may not be true though.


As with a lot of motoring questions, the answer is:

Some people are idiots

only some traffic light junction have these sensors and tend only to be used for turning right. If you look for them they are easy spotted, usually look like a motion sensor used on some flood lights.

alanmc

What always confuses me is when people waiting at lights seem to have an aversion to staying still. And they have to keep edging forward every few seconds.

Mycroft H

Where To wrote: »

To see the perpindicular light changing so you can half a second head start on the green.

Thats a dangerous game. There is always some gob****e speeding through a junction with a dying orange/red

LordSutch

Dartz wrote: »

I know a set of lights where the induction sensor is under the pink area.... and you have to pull into it or else wait a very long time. A lot of the pink boxes were added after the traffic lights were.

Holy cow, can this be true

Guy:Incognito

Katunga wrote: »

only some traffic light junction have these sensors and tend only to be used for turning right. If you look for them they are easy spotted, usually look like a motion sensor used on some flood lights.

Your thinking of the wrong thing. An induction loop is buried in the ground at the lights. You'll see the box where it was dug and refilled over, then tarred along the seam.

the groutch

lost count of the number of times a 7 or 46a has been turning at the junction at the bottom of York Road (very tight turn), to be met by some eejit a full car length too far forward, and stopping the bus from completing it's turn.
and for the bus driver, getting the car's driver to reverse is always like extracting teeth.

LordSutch

the groutch wrote: »

lost count of the number of times a 7 or 46a has been turning at the junction at the bottom of York Road (very tight turn), to be met by some eejit a full car length too far forward, and stopping the bus from completing it's turn.
and for the bus driver, getting the car's driver to reverse is always like extracting teeth.

Well said, I know that turn, and that's exactly what I am on about.

Katunga

One thing I don't get why are most in Ireland people so slow taking off at traffic lights compared to other countries.
I think you should be allowed to turn left on a red light providing you give right of way to other traffic at the junction. eg if no traffic is flowing at the junction and you what to go left and its a red light yo can go left as you are not obstructing any traffic.
You can do so in Australia.

colm_mcm

Katunga wrote: »

I think you should be allowed to turn left on a red light providing you give right of way to other traffic at the junction. eg if no traffic is flowing at the junction and you what to go left and its a red light yo can go left as you are not obstructing any traffic.
You can do so in Australia.

There'd be mayhem.

LordSutch

Katunga wrote: »

One thing I don't get why are most in Ireland people so slow taking off at traffic lights compared to other countries.

Personally I think that the slow move off is to do with not having the extra Amber in the traffic light sequence, like they have in other countries.

Katunga

colm_mcm wrote: »

There'd be mayhem.

How if no traffic was flowing at the junction. if you turn left you are not crossing over the path of other drivers it works great in Australia.

colm_mcm

Katunga wrote: »

How if no traffic was flowing at the junction. if you turn left you are not crossing over the path of other drivers it works great in Australia.

Drive around Dublin and see how many people break red lights, see how close pedestrian crossings are to the junctions. See how many collisions there are with the Luas

LordSutch

Just to clarify the 'sensor' thing; Unless I have been wrong for three decades, I think I am correct in saying that all drivers sould stop before the 1st white Stop line painted at the junction, or is it not that straight forward anymore due to misplaced sensors ???

Katunga

colm_mcm wrote: »

Drive around Dublin and see how many people break red lights, see how close pedestrian crossings are to the junctions. See how many collisions there are with the Luas

But if the rules of the road were followed it would work and improve traffic flow.

colm_mcm

Katunga wrote: »

But if the rules of the road were followed it would work and improve traffic flow.

If the rules of the road were followed, lots of things would be different.

Katunga

colm_mcm wrote: »

If the rules of the road were followed, lots of things would be different.

I know. but it works in other countries. if Camera were at some of the junction it would soon reduce the number of people that brake red lights (have them in other countries).

Supergurrier

I have had more peoiple walk out infront of my car in towns and even dual carrageways and not a bother on them, people are idiots and it's really a case by case basis and not a sweeping generalisation

Merch

Seen a lot of cars lately just outright breaking red lights, one car will go through an amber and another one or two will follow.
If Im very near/at the lights and already moving and it goes amber i'll keep going, but depends on the situation and not where there is anything obscured, especially if i notice the car behind me is too close but Im cautious of others jumping the gun from another road.
A few cross road junctions I've been at lately, I've gotten the green only for a few cars to keep going from the other direction? so they must have definitely broken a red.

Dartz

LordSutch wrote: »

Holy cow, can this be true

Given the incompetence of our councils I don't doubt it.

celticcrash

Did you not know, white lines and traffic lights are for the tourists.:D

Solair

LordSutch wrote: »

Personally I think that the slow move off is to do with not having the extra Amber in the traffic light sequence, like they have in other countries.

Very very few countries other than the UK have that, yet they all take off promptly.

There are a few different sensor systems in use depending on which city you are in or who installed them.

Cork for example uses multiple induction loops in the road and a system called SCOOT. The sensors are At the lights, then at a number of points way ahead of the lights to measure queue lengths and it knows vehicles are approaching before they hit the line.

Some traffic lights use car counters and proximity sensors mounted on the top of the light itself too.

The information goes back to a central computer that optimises the light sequences to improve flow. It's not always as straight forward as just triggering a local light when you drive up.

http://www.scoot-utc.com

Corks SCOOT installation is fancy enough. Covers 195 sets of lights with central control and includes real time bus and emergency vehicle optimisation.

Cedrus

Katunga wrote: »

One thing I don't get why are most in Ireland people so slow taking off at traffic lights compared to other countries.

You must be driving in a different Ireland to me, For every driver who's slow to take off on a green, there's six anticipating the lights and going while they're still red, thereby gambling with the ones crossing who are ignoring the fact that their lights have actually turned red before they got to them.

BigEejit

Not just people having no clue about traffic lights, I've seen people who wont go on a busy town roundabout because there is a guy on the other side of it going around or someone at another entrance to the roundabout looks like they are going to go on it.

My sister is like that and told me that she would never have gone into that 'gap' (which was actually half the roundabout, a smallish one with grassy area in the middle about 20 feet across).

awec

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