Why are our traffic lights different?

The Davestator

Is there any valid reason why the traffic lights in Ireland (Republic) do not show yellow and red together before green like they do in lots of different countries?

When I drive up North, I find that this traffic light system is safer, alerts drivers to get their car in gear and ready to move so therefore faster.

In Ireland, you dont know the green is coming until its there and precious seconds are wasted before cars start moving.

Banjo String

The Amber-green thing does display on pedestrian crossing lights (I think)

Yeah, it's a safer system though.

dxhound2005

They have traffic lights on food in the UK as well.

yizorselves

Its because we have a culture of making things unnecessarily awkward

antodeco

Pfft! Driving noob! Nobody obeys traffic lights

overshoot

its because the amber light we use is taken as a green... and the first few seconds of red so we need those seconds first few seconds of green to be wasted.

i nearly wish someone would just t bone the feckers!

LordSutch

I seem to remember a whole thread dedicated to this 'amber' topic in the motoring forum a year or two ago.

I am a big fan of the UK systen of (amber before green) on take off, as it gives drivers time to let off their handbrakes & scratch their nose etc, so that precious seconds are not lost on the Green, and it works well in the UK . . . .

I don't know when the amber before green was done away with here in the ROI, but I guess it was dispensed with in the late 60s/early 70s ??

One thing I did learn from the motoring thered on this topic was that there are some traffic lights between Sandymount & the City centre which have the extra amber (haven't witnessed it myself) but the other poster was fairly certain.

kneemos

It's so you can develop your sixth sense as to when the lights will change.

Agricola

Green - Go on yer best
Amber - Pidal to the mital boy
Red - Woah there Neddy

What more do ya need!

WoollyRedHat

It's better than the likes of Berlin where there is no orange and it goes straight from red to green... added to the fact that the drivers are very eager to drive over you if neccesary.

Sunnyisland

LordSutch wrote: »

I seem to remember a whole thread dedicated to this 'amber' topic in the motoring forum a year or two ago.

I am a big fan of the UK systen of (amber before green) on take off, as it gives drivers time to let off their handbrakes & scratch their nose etc, so that precious seconds are not lost on the Green, and it works well in the UK . . . .

I don't know when the amber before green was done away with here in the ROI, but I guess it was dispensed with in the late 60s/early 70s ??

One thing I did learn from the motoring thered on this topic was that there are some traffic lights between Sandymount & the City centre which have the extra amber (haven't witnessed it myself) but the other poster was fairly certain.

I would think lord sutch you are big fan of anything before green ;):)

LordSutch

Do you drive realies? and if so, do you have anything to offer on this topic?

Guy:Incognito

It makes no difference. All it means that UK drivers go on the change from red to orange rather than here when we go on the change from red to green.

Once the red light is off its go for the driver. Whether the colour after red is orange or green is irrelevant.

Painted Pony

LordSutch wrote: »

I am a big fan of the UK system of (amber before green)

I was going to do realies joke about orange before green . So moving on …

I wonder though if the amber + red would really make that much difference? Why would those who fail to see a green light for several seconds after it appears be more inclined to see an amber, which appears for only a fraction of a second.

One thing I have seen, and I thing it might do a better job (expense permitting) is count down timers, indicating how many more seconds of red or green remain. Anybody know how much these babies might cost?

RichT

The sequence is used to calculate the shortest period of measurable time........

From when the light turns green to the sound of the car horn behind you.

LordSutch

OK then, just this once, and just to keep realies & painted pony happy :rolleyes:

http://www.umsl.edu/services/govdocs/wofact2002/flags/iv-lgflag.gif

Meanwhile, getting back to traffic lights . . .

Sunnyisland

LordSutch wrote: »

Do you drive realies? and if so, do you have anything to offer on this topic?

Whats wrong with you, this is after hours and a bit of banter is quite allowed or are you just feeling a bit of colour :rolleyes:

kneemos

Painted Pony wrote: »

I was going to do realies joke about orange before green . So moving on …

I wonder though if the amber + red would really make that much difference? Why would those who fail to see a green light for several seconds after it appears be more inclined to see an amber, which appears for only a fraction of a second.

One thing I have seen, and I thing it might do a better job (expense permitting) is count down timers, indicating how many more seconds of red or green remain. Anybody know how much these babies might cost?

Might end up with a drag race type take off at every light.

LordSutch

Hope this helps to lighten the mood realies

http://soupytrumpet.com/uploads/2008/02/ding-dong-traffic-light.jpg

Painted Pony

Painted Pony wrote: »

I was going to do realies joke about orange before green . So moving on …

I wonder though if the amber + red would really make that much difference? Why would those who fail to see a green light for several seconds after it appears be more inclined to see an amber, which appears for only a fraction of a second.

One thing I have seen, and I thing it might do a better job (expense permitting) is count down timers, indicating how many more seconds of red or green remain. Anybody know how much these babies might cost?

Human eyes are very good at seeing changes, but because the red to green is just one instant change it can easily be missed and you are unsure as to how long ago the change was. If you have the red/amber sequence then green then there are three changes to catch your attention and you're ready to go on the green, most people are usually already moving by then anyway.

ballsymchugh

the red and amber before green is for colour blind people, to let them know that the sequence is changing.

Painted Pony

kneemos wrote: »

Might end up with a drag race type take off at every light.

Yeah, I though that myself. I think it was in Poland I saw these timers and the seemed to work fairly well.

I think you will always get some who will push the limits at the end of a green sequence no matter what you do. I strongly suspect that the duration of red in all directions is getting longer and longer here precisely for this reason.

Bepolite

The UK system is better but the issue is the lights changing on the other side. Red and Amber would become the new Go just as Red means 'just 1 or 2 more cars'. There'd be many more accidents.

Valetta

The Davestator wrote: »

Is there any valid reason why the traffic lights in Ireland (Republic) do not show yellow and red together before green like they do in lots of different countries?

When I drive up North, I find that this traffic light system is safer, alerts drivers to get their car in gear and ready to move so therefore faster.

In Ireland, you dont know the green is coming until its there and precious seconds are wasted before cars start moving.

I fal to see how it could be safer.

If anything it would be more dangerous, given irish drivers propensity to on the one hand be very impatient and more likely to go on the " red and amber" light, and on the other side run the red lights, as at present.

Elbaston

precious seconds me hole.

ballsymchugh

Valetta wrote: »

I fal to see how it could be safer.

If anything it would be more dangerous, given irish drivers propensity to on the one hand be very impatient and more likely to go on the " red and amber" light, and on the other side run the red lights, as at present.

it's not just an irish thing.

Bepolite

Bepolite wrote: »

The UK system is better but the issue is the lights changing on the other side. Red and Amber would become the new Go just as Red means 'just 1 or 2 more cars'. There'd be many more accidents.

UK drivers have learned that there is no such thing as an "early red", you'd get T-boned by the first car crossing the junction on the green.

Bepolite

Deleted User wrote: »

UK drivers have learned that there is no such thing as an "early red", you'd get T-boned by the first car crossing the junction on the green.

While I would be a fan of this method of teaching, I'm not sure it would do much for our road safety stats!

oppenheimer1

There is in fact little difference between the two systems. Because drivers move off faster in the UK system with two lights, it means that the "all red time"
has to be longer to allow the cars to clear the junction than it is in Ireland.

Even with this taken into account, the British system is still very slightly more efficient, but the trade off is that it is slightly less safe.

sandin

considering that we now have less accidents per head than the UK and less road deaths per head than the UK, I can't see the argument that the UK system is any better or worse that the system used here.

Over the years there have been many calls in the UK to switch to the system used in other countries (eg the system used here) - I can see any problem with either of the systems and its basically whatever you are used to.

Tar.Aldarion

kneemos wrote: »

It's so you can develop your sixth sense as to when the lights will change.

Well to be fair, you can just tell when your lights will change based on other lights, and definitely if you've been there more than once.

sandin

sandin wrote: »

considering that we now have less accidents per head than the UK and less road deaths per head than the UK, I can't see the argument that the UK system is any better or worse that the system used here.

That's simply down to the sheer volume of traffic on many of the roads in Britain relative to similar roads here, the A14 for example between Cambridge & Felixstowe carries nearly twice the traffic of the M6 between Lucan & Kinnegad and both are two lane dual carriageways (the Irish one being classified as a motorway).

ShamoBuc

ballsymchugh wrote: »

the red and amber before green is for colour blind people, to let them know that the sequence is changing.

Really? As drivers, surely they would know that the one on top means stop and the bottom one means go.

oppenheimer1

Deleted User wrote: »

That's simply down to the sheer volume of traffic on many of the roads in Britain relative to similar roads here, the A14 for example between Cambridge & Felixstowe carries nearly twice the traffic of the M6 between Lucan & Kinnegad and both are two lane dual carriageways (the Irish one being classified as a motorway).

Motorway accident rates have nothing to do with traffic lights.

oppenheimer1

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Motorway accident rates have nothing to do with traffic lights.

Exactly, I was responding to the "UK has more road deaths than Ireland" post.

Son Of A Vidic

The Davestator wrote: »

In Ireland, you dont know the green is coming until its there and precious seconds are wasted before cars start moving.

Yes but you often find that a lot of Irish drivers negate this difficulty, by not stopping on a red light.

Karl Stein

LordSutch wrote: »

OK then, just this once, and just to keep realies & painted pony happy :rolleyes:

http://www.umsl.edu/services/govdocs/wofact2002/flags/iv-lgflag.gif

Meanwhile, getting back to traffic lights . . .

I had no idea the lads were from the Ivory Coast.

LordSutch

Found the same 'amber light' discussion in the motoring forum.

From ten months ago > > > > http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056801590