Incidents at junctions

purethick wrote: »

Hey,
Looking for peoples thoughts on this.

At nearly every traffic light sequence on most junction I see cars running red lights. A left turn isn't so bad if it's clear to go (like the right turn on red in the US) but it really grinds my gears when someone sails straight through a junction well after the lights have gone red (and there's potential for a really nasty accident).

I've often thought about recording such incidents with a camera and submitting the footage to the Guards, ensuring the license plate is visible etc, to try and get them to follow it up. I've never bothered so far, as I doubt the Garda would do anything about it.
(my own take on the Guards not enforcing traffic laws is an unofficial response to austerity cuts)

Anyway, this idea has resurfaced again after seeing the aftermath of a really bad accident earlier, one that looks to be a life changing one for the cyclist.

So what I'm wondering is how to make such an idea work?

Why do you think the police/Guards wouldn't do anything?

They always act on decent footage, even if it it just a knock on someone's door to show them the error and ask them to explain/justify.

To most Joe soaps that can be a reasonable wakeup call.

I see it every day in Dublin too. And have video footage too. I often wonder how the gardai would respond on twitter to a video, as they are typically very active. Also, I don't want to be that guy.... so....

Tenzor07 wrote: »

In my view it seems to be standard in Dublin that the Amber light means "Go Faster"

My 3 year old loves looking at the traffic lights and pointing out all the people breaking them. Once we were discussing it with her and asked her what the orange light means;

"Hurry up".

Her grandmother went bright red. But in her defence she was talking about pedestrian lights and had said, "Look, the light's gone orange, that means hurry up!".

Tenzor07 wrote: »

In my view it seems to be standard in Dublin that the Amber light means "Go Faster"
At each and every busy set of lights at a junction I usually count to 10 before moving when on the bike, as on average 2 to 3 cars are still going after the lights have turned red.

It grinds my gears when I hear people complaining about cyclists and red lights when I see more cars breaking reds than bicycles!
Not only that but speeding is as common as to make speed limits pointless and bus lanes are really "car express" lanes....

I've said before, when I've felt I've been a bit of an ambler gambler in the car, I've invariably been followed through by 2, 3 or even 4 or 5 cars. I've also been beeped out of it for stopping at a clear amber several times.

I really don't see why there can't be boxes at most junctions for cameras (you can have far more boxes than actual cameras and just randomly rotate them). I had hoped the introduction at luas junctions would've lead to an overall roll out, but given the way the electorate is in this state to their own law breaking, it probably would've been contentious this side of an election.

I definitely share the frustration about motorists giving out about cyclists break reds, legally cycling two abreast etc, and ignoring the fact that far more offences are committed by motorists"

I was driving through the city centre last night and slowed right as I should to an amber light. Range Rover behind me flashes the lights and beeps at me for coming to a stop.

And then a bicycle just sails past the junction whilst it was red.

No body cares. All anyone sees is the other side at it.

Koobcam wrote: »

Do we have any cameras here? I'm not advocating that Ireland become a police state, but cameras at junctions and rigorous punishment would go a long way to solving the problem I think.

Red Light Cameras were introduced at some Luas/ Road junctions a few months back. Haven't heard anything about convictions or how effective they've been though.

There used to be one at Nutley Lane junction on the N11, and the South Circular Road junction on the Chapelizod by pass - i think they took a picture for red light jumping, but you could only be done for speeding as far as I remember.

The light sequences in the state are long, because of the red and amber light jumping, which encourages/ is used to justify more red and amber light jumping. Cameras and enforcement at junctions could actually be used to justify a reduction in sequences, and the introduction of Red-Amber-Green at that change too (which would speed up traffic). If it was sold right, it could be something that is seen to benefit motorists too.

Here's an incident which happened last Wednesday at Harold's Cross, not unusual at all...fecker nearly clipped me! Feel like reporting it to the Gardaí...

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10206920438062187&id=1015036398

Waiting to turn right in the middle of a junction can get a little hairy when you are not sure if cars coming from the other direction are going to stop when the lights turn red. One junction I travel through every day has this problem. The record I have seen personally is four cars barreling through after the red light goes (it's normally only two). All the while I am stuck in the junction after clearing my green light 45 seconds beforehand having to wait for someone to stop so that I can avoid getting rammed by the now moving traffic coming from the other direction in the crossroad.

I hate that the people in the cars can see you are dangling in the middle of the junction, that their light has turned red, and so therefore their best course of action is to floor the accelerator. If I'm driving I'm not as vulnerable plonked in the middle of a junction, but on the bike I don't get the feeling that the crossing traffic is going to wait for me!

average_runner wrote: »

All road users have gone mad lately, I see it every morning driving to the inlaws, from cars and cyclist breaking red lights, cyclist and runners not wearing high viz or lights on their bikes, or people just walking out on the road without looking.

And yet you saw them.

buffalo wrote: »

Exact quote from dinner the other night: "I keep seeing all these cyclists dressed in black. Why aren't they wearing hi-viz!?"

They should run a pilot scheme - paint all cars hi-vis and see what impact it has.

OleRodrigo wrote: »

Going through a red is now so commonplace it's effectively normalised.

Someone goes through a red and gets away with it. Everyone else sees this and starts trying it out, and they also get away with it. Before long its commonplace and nobody gives it a second thought.

Unless they see a cyclist doing it, of course..

I agree - certainly in Dublin - amber means speed up, red light is an invitation to keep going. The amount of near misses I've seen on my commute as a result of this is crazy.

One worrying concern of mine is cars passing from behind to run an amber / red and nearly clipping me (who's slowing / stopping). Had a few close calls over January - in fact, I'll signal now that I'm stopping to try and warn the driver behind. But then again, I don't wear hi vis so will be totally on the wrong if he manages to take me out while running a red :rolleyes:

Pinch Flat wrote: »

One worrying concern of mine is cars passing from behind to run an amber / red and nearly clipping me (who's slowing / stopping). Had a few close calls over January - in fact, I'll signal now that I'm stopping to try and warn the driver behind. But then again, I don't wear hi vis so will be totally on the wrong if he manages to take me out while running a red :rolleyes:

Yeah I had a near miss one day when the light in front of me changed to red. I stopped and the van behind me beeped, then veered out around me to overtake so they could run the light.