The Great Red arrow traffic light hunt

Chris_5339762

We all know them.

Those wonderfully good ideas that they have in Europe.... instead of one red bulb with an unbelievable array of green filter lights http://goo.gl/maps/IN6gb you have individual red and yellow filter lights for each direction. Its simpler, easier to understand and avoids confusion.

I've always thought we didn't have them here because of budget restrictions on extra bulbs (why use more than one red light, just stick a straight on, left AND right green filter there).

But imagine my surprise when I saw this on the Howth road, at a newly upgraded junction.



I think it was here -> http://goo.gl/maps/Bu78r

This made me happier than it should have. Though I have seen a set in Blackrock somewhere too... but didn't have my camera.

Is this a new trend in Dublin? I for one, hope so. Its high time we started putting these in. Any other sightings?

paddyland

I take the other view. I think a red light is a red light, and should not be messed with.

It is too easy to confuse people whose wits when driving seem to be limited at the best of times. A quick glance at this could fool some people into thinking it is a green filter, even though it is coloured red. They see the arrow, not the colour.

No thanks, we are dealing with a driving population, for far too many of whom simple basic driving logic goes out the window.

Keep it simple. Keep it round red.

markpb

On the other hand, most people I see are unable to understand the existing filter light system and go when they shouldn't or stop when they don't need to. I think red/green arrows are clearer.

SpaceTime

They're on a new junction layout on the Skehard Road in Mahon in Cork too and have been there for quite a while.

They were introduced legally under a change to the road signage rules here that also brought back the internationally used no entry sign instead of the Irish home brew straight ahead arrow crossed out.

GreeBo

paddyland wrote: »

I take the other view. I think a red light is a red light, and should not be messed with.

It is too easy to confuse people whose wits when driving seem to be limited at the best of times. A quick glance at this could fool some people into thinking it is a green filter, even though it is coloured red. They see the arrow, not the colour.

No thanks, we are dealing with a driving population, for far too many of whom simple basic driving logic goes out the window.

Keep it simple. Keep it round red.

I dont think thats likely...people are trained to see the colours first...otherwise how do we all survive with red and green circles all these years?

mfceiling

People are f*cking idiots.

I've seen people drive straight on at a red light when the left turn filter light turned green.

I've seen people turn right on a green light only to stop immediately at the red light for the traffic who would be travelling straight on that road - marrowbone lane on to cork street in dublin is notorious.

lamaq

I'd be happier if they kept to one standard.

coylemj

There's also the issue of people who can't tell the difference between an 'up' green arrow and a solid green light. At junctions with sensors in the road this can be infuriating when the system decides there's nobody turning right so the lights change with no right turn filter if the idiot in front of you insists on waiting at the stop line because he or she doesn't know how the system works. Even more infuriating when it's a taxi driver taking the p1ss with a tourist on board.

Grolschevik

coylemj wrote: »

At junctions with sensors in the road this can be infuriating when the system decides there's nobody turning right so the lights change with no right turn filter if the idiot in front of you insists on waiting at the stop line because he or she doesn't know how the system works.

I've never heard of this! Explanation?

coylemj

Grolschevik wrote: »

I've never heard of this! Explanation?

Are you seriously saying that you don't know the difference between an 'up' green arrow and a solid green light and what you need to do in each case when turning right at traffic lights?

Grolschevik

coylemj wrote: »

Are you seriously saying that you don't know the difference between an 'up' green arrow and a solid green light and what you need to do in each case when turning right at traffic lights?

Did you even read the part of your post I quoted? I was asking about the prevalence and operation of "junctions with sensors in the road".

murphaph

I'm a total fan of explicit arrowed traffic lights where restrictions on movements are present. Check this one out from Berlin....

U-turn light!

monument

The Irish traffic signs manual allows for a U-turn traffic light, where there's no junction arm to the right.

coylemj

Grolschevik wrote: »

I was asking about the prevalence and operation of "junctions with sensors in the road".

They're all over the place, next time you're turning right at a junction with a filter light and a solid (not an arrow) green light, look for the grid in the road, it usually coincides with the white box with the right arrow where traffic waiting to turn right is supposed to wait.

It's ignorance of the sensors that has people waiting back at the stop line because they don't realise that if they don't activate the sensor, they won't get the filter. In many cases then they go at the last minute after the lights have gone against them. You'll typically only see them at junctions where the green light is solid and not an 'up' arrow.

Grolschevik

That box is typically in the path of traffic coming from the right, yeah? I can't picture any examples at the moment, but I'll certainly be keeping an eye out. Didn't realise this was common knowledge.

n0brain3r

Grolschevik wrote: »

That box is typically in the path of traffic coming from the right, yeah?

No that wouldn't make sense as it would be impossible to stop in it to trigger the filter. There are loads of them out there. Here's an example of one I get caught at regularly in Sallins car in front stops before the sensor and the lights change without the filter.

https://maps.google.ie/?ll=53.244751,-6.665976&spn=0.007434,0.021136&t=m&z=16&layer=c&cbll=53.24484,-6.66598&panoid=cGzPj7ZiY-SCEaoCr8d_HA&cbp=12,359.18,,0,16.17

Grolschevik

Ah, right, got you now. I was thinking of something else entirely.

errlloyd

murphaph wrote: »

I'm a total fan of explicit arrowed traffic lights where restrictions on movements are present. Check this one out from Berlin....

U-turn light!

There is a uturn light at carysfort avenue. I think.

Mr Simpson

errlloyd wrote: »

There is a uturn light at carysfort avenue. I think.

There's one on the Stillorgan dualler as well

coylemj

Mr Simpson wrote: »

There's one on the Stillorgan dualler as well

+1 Outbound at Booterstown Ave......

http://goo.gl/maps/ge3op

And inbound just north of Foxrock Church at Springfield Park ......

http://goo.gl/maps/OZUzX

errlloyd

coylemj wrote: »

+1 Outbound at Booterstown Ave......

http://goo.gl/maps/ge3op

And inbound just north of Foxrock Church at Springfield Park ......

http://goo.gl/maps/OZUzX

Ive a feeling all three of us were talking about the same one. The one at booterstown Ave. I wasn't sure which junction it was at.

Mr Simpson

errlloyd wrote: »

Ive a feeling all three of us were talking about the same one. The one at booterstown Ave. I wasn't sure which junction it was at.

There is more than one around there. 3 or 4 in total, SDCC seem to like them

coylemj

Mr Simpson wrote: »

There is more than one around there. 3 or 4 in total, SDCC seem to like them

The N11 from UCD (southern boundary of the city) all the way to the Wicklow border is under the control of DLR co. co.

murphaph

Erm, but those u turn lanes with signals don't have an actual U turn arrow like the Berlin example I posted. The thread is about explicit directional arrow signals I thought.

vickers209

Theres one at the turn off east wall road heading onto alfie byrne road

coylemj

murphaph wrote: »

Erm, but those u turn lanes with signals don't have an actual U turn arrow like the Berlin example I posted. The thread is about explicit directional arrow signals I thought.

I'm fairly sure the one at Booterstown Ave. is a green 'U' arrow.

When the lights change to stop the traffic on the N11, the next stage is that inbound traffic on the N11 (coming from Bray) waiting to turn right into Booterstown Ave. get a green (right) filter, cars coming from Booterstown Ave turning left towards Bray get a green (left) filter and traffic coming from the city intending to do a U-turn get a green 'U' arrow.

errlloyd

coylemj wrote: »

I'm fairly sure the one at Booterstown Ave. is a green 'U' arrow.

When the lights change to stop the traffic on the N11, the next stage is that inbound traffic on the N11 (coming from Bray) waiting to turn right into Booterstown Ave. get a green (right) filter, cars coming from Booterstown Ave turning left towards Bray get a green (left) filter and traffic coming from the city intending to do a U-turn get a green 'U' arrow.

It's not quite a full u, a u would be 180 degrees, I'm am pretty sure it's only 135 degrees. But definitely more than a right arrow.

errlloyd

coylemj wrote: »

I'm fairly sure the one at Booterstown Ave. is a green 'U' arrow.

When the lights change to stop the traffic on the N11, the next stage is that inbound traffic on the N11 (coming from Bray) waiting to turn right into Booterstown Ave. get a green (right) filter, cars coming from Booterstown Ave turning left towards Bray get a green (left) filter and traffic coming from the city intending to do a U-turn get a green 'U' arrow.

It's not quite a full u, a u would be 180 degrees, I'm am pretty sure it's only 135 degrees. But definitely more than a right arrow.

errlloyd

coylemj wrote: »

I'm fairly sure the one at Booterstown Ave. is a green 'U' arrow.

When the lights change to stop the traffic on the N11, the next stage is that inbound traffic on the N11 (coming from Bray) waiting to turn right into Booterstown Ave. get a green (right) filter, cars coming from Booterstown Ave turning left towards Bray get a green (left) filter and traffic coming from the city intending to do a U-turn get a green 'U' arrow.

It's not quite a full u, a u would be 180 degrees, I'm am pretty sure it's only 135 degrees. But definitely more than a right arrow.

coylemj

errlloyd wrote: »

It's not quite a full u, a u would be 180 degrees, I'm am pretty sure it's only 135 degrees. But definitely more than a right arrow.

If you really want to be pedantic about it, the letter 'U' is made up of two parallel lines linked by a semi-circle, there is no acute or obtuse angle involved so quoting degrees is meaningless. But if you insist, the angle is zero degrees since the two lines are parallel.

Chris_5339762

No photos, but another two of these have appeared at Dublin Airport!


Riiiight here -> http://goo.gl/maps/2a4og

positron

Sorry for bumping up an old thread but I suspect there might still be people out there who would be surprised to see one of these red arrow filter thingees.

One has come up here in Drogheda (South side, R132, Dublin Road, Bryanstown Junction):

https://www.google.ie/maps/@53.7097372,-6.333103,3a,75y,118.75h,86.83t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1stERRJDaVFmzLZlNR_Be1Lg!2e0

It's a bit like this crappy gif I put together.

So in my mind, it used to be full green (wait for oncoming traffic to clear before turning right, move into the yellow box if it wouldn't obstruct traffic) and now it is full green + red arrow (Don't turn right? Can I still move into the yellow box? I am confused etc..)

the groutch

if you know you're definitely getting an arrow every time why would you need to move out any further?

SpaceTime

Cork City is now absolutely full of them. The City Council Traffic Dept. seems to have embraced the red arrow with gusto!

corktina

is it the case that if you get a red arrow, you can go in every other direction? I don't like them