Has ignoring red lights gotten a lot worse?

BeardySi · 23-12-2018 4:52pm

dolanbaker wrote: »

But the UK does have a problem with Amber Gamblers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4TDEPP1R9Q

In fairness, that's 40 year old video....

Realistically you don't really see many shooting off on red+amber bar the odd boy racer who's been hanging on the clutch the whole time. Even at the front of the queue you'd only be just rolling by the time it went green normally...

Problem is (at least in Belfast) there's still a long lag when all directions have red and that encourages RLJ-ing. It's usual to see 3 or 4 run through the red with each sequence before the other direction even sees Amber.

ED E · 23-12-2018 4:55pm

This probationer gard thing is going well

https://twitter.com/derekfoley1980/status/1076122343100112896

Stark · 23-12-2018 5:30pm

What junction is that? From the flow it sort of looks like there might have been a right filter light that's out of view of the guy taking the video.

[Deleted User] · 23-12-2018 6:56pm

BeardySi wrote: »

In fairness, that's 40 year old video....

Realistically you don't really see many shooting off on red+amber bar the odd boy racer who's been hanging on the clutch the whole time. Even at the front of the queue you'd only be just rolling by the time it went green normally...

Problem is (at least in Belfast) there's still a long lag when all directions have red and that encourages RLJ-ing. It's usual to see 3 or 4 run through the red with each sequence before the other direction even sees Amber.

A 40 year old video (same age as my licence), similar problems today, but yes the "pause" is what is allowing it to happen as drivers know that there are no consequences of jumping the lights before the other direction is allowed to go.
In Russia, they have a pre-change flashing green about 5 seconds before the single amber, then red - immediately followed by the red-amber sequence for the other direction.

Jumping a red in Russia usually results in your car getting crushed!

dr.fuzzenstein · 23-12-2018 8:40pm

In Soviet Russia car crushes you!
Anyway, cameras all the way. Loads of points, stiff fine, driving ban and for novice drivers loss of license and redo test.
No fcuking around, ignore the moaners, it works, end of.

fullstop · 24-12-2018 4:04am

1874 wrote: »

it would be too confusing for people to understand, plus there are lots of pedestrian lights included at junctions here especially in busy junctions, maybe not so much in the US. Things would work if people obeyed the existing lights, it's probably busier now, so more traffic and the same roads, rushing from one queue to the next doesn't save time, although I think if we had amber before green it would help make use of the green light time available, still need cameras to enforce red lights and penalise those that won't comply, no doubt we will all pay for it, but it's one thing I think is necessary and worth it, too many willing to take a chance and not consider the consequences to others.

It’s able to work in lots of countries with pedestrian lights built into junctions, but drivers here are too selfish for it to work. Sydney is a great example. On every junction you will have a green pedestrian light while there is a green light for cars going the other way. If a car wants to turn left they yield to pedestrians but they will still get through. It negates the need for having all traffic stopped for the pedestrian light.
On probably 10-20% of the major junctions they have red light cams, it will only catch you if you pass the line on red, so there’s no ‘oh it was amber’. You can’t miss the big flash and you’ll know a fine is coming, to the tune of $500. The result is that you rarely see people breaking a red light.
Dublin is a disgrace at the minute, people sail on through without a care in the world. I had one a couple of weeks ago, I was first in line at a red and was watching the other light, goes amber, then red, and 3 or 4 seconds later a car that was actually stopped accelerated through while I had a green. Not one **** given because he’ll never be caught for it.

Duckjob · 24-12-2018 2:17pm

I hate to say it, as an Irish person myself, but I find we have become very self centred, with very little sense of shared citizenship or community.

Every morning, walking with the kids to school I see neighbours (with their own kids safely tucked up inside the car) burning up the roads of my estate with no regard for the safety or wellbeing of anyone outside the car, Those who happen to be the very people they share a community with.

I agree with a previous poster - enforce the s**t out of the existing laws with particular regard to speeding and red light breaking, and behaviours will improve very sharply.

People take the absolute piss on the road now, simply because they can.

No government or police force should have to make excuses for or justify enforcing laws that are such basic tenets of road safety.

[Deleted User] · 24-12-2018 3:53pm

Just a reminder of why it is a bad idea to jump red lights, some of the videos show drivers completely ignoring the lights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5aFCxY50D4

Macy0161 · 24-12-2018 3:59pm

Waiting at the Clonskeagh Road/ Beech Hill Road (beaver row) junction this morning, 3 cars ahead of me didn't bother to wait for the full green and took the right turn through a clear red and through the green man on the pedestrian crossing.

ZX7R · 25-12-2018 10:34pm

dolanbaker wrote: »

Just a reminder of why it is a bad idea to jump red lights, some of the videos show drivers completely ignoring the lights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5aFCxY50D4

the scary part is how fast most were traveling when breaking the lights:eek:

trellheim · 26-12-2018 1:31pm

I have a strong feeling we will be ruing this soon - there will be a terrible accident.

Hanlons corner is a deathtrap for this, the westbound yellow box is an incitement to break the lights.

.G. · 26-12-2018 2:18pm

Another thing Irish drivers don't give a sh!t about. Yellow boxes. Adds to the frustration at junctions and leads to its fair share of light breaking. Mayor st lower/Guild st is a joke on a daily basis.

AndrewJRenko · 26-12-2018 2:53pm

superg wrote: »

Another thing Irish drivers don't give a sh!t about. Yellow boxes. Adds to the frustration at junctions and leads to its fair share of light breaking. Mayor st lower/Guild st is a joke on a daily basis.

Particularly in wet weather - once the rain starts, some people seem to decide that they'll get through their journey quicker if they do their best to jam up every junction in the city on their route.

magicbastarder · 23-01-2019 11:30pm

not sure if there's something in the water of late, but it's gotten especially bananas recently.
i've seen multiple instances of cars running reds approx. 4 or 5s after they've gone red, in the last week - twice in one day on the junction where griffith avenue meets the malahide road. on one of those occasions, four cars went through a red.

CramCycle · 23-01-2019 11:35pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

not sure if there's something in the water of late, but it's gotten especially bananas recently.
i've seen multiple instances of cars running reds approx. 4 or 5s after they've gone red, in the last week - twice in one day on the junction where griffith avenue meets the malahide road. on one of those occasions, four cars went through a red.

Only one, must be more cautious around your part of the country, four would be typical at rush hour, in fact it would be minimum for large parts of rush hour at many junctions

magicbastarder · 23-01-2019 11:39pm

i should point out that this was before 7am. a while before rush hour started in earnest.

CramCycle · 23-01-2019 11:43pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

i should point out that this was before 7am. a while before rush hour started in earnest.

Outside of the core city centre, red lights do not apply to most vehicles between the hours of two and seven, at all, once they are at work or going to work, or simply want to get home a bit quicker. Did no on evre tell you this?

AndrewJRenko · 23-01-2019 11:56pm

I sent this one to the UK coach company tonight - just off the ferry, and straight through a red light in busy traffic at a busy junction with lots of pedestrians and cyclists around;

https://streamable.com/g11vr

magicbastarder · 24-01-2019 9:04am

thoroughly comical one this morning, traffic turning right off leopardstown road onto the N11. i counted at least 9 running the red, and even after waiting several seconds after the light turned green for me, there were still people running the red coming against us.

EdgeCase · 24-01-2019 9:35am

It's become a joke. There's no enforcement at all and that result of that is that brazen has become normalised as traffic has become busier.

If there's no consequence to blasting through the red lights, it will keep happening.

CramCycle · 24-01-2019 10:01am

EdgeCase wrote: »

It's become a joke. There's no enforcement at all and that result of that is that brazen has become normalised as traffic has become busier.

If there's no consequence to blasting through the red lights, it will keep happening.

There is a traffic light to cross the road near my kids school, you'd be lucky if the first two cars stopped on red. One actually kept creeping as we tried to cross last week and finally copped me staring. Looks back at me and mouthed, what's your f'in problem? The sooner red light cameras are rolled out with ANPR the better, some people will never understand civility, so the only way to learn them is train them like domestic animals with a punishment everyone they do wrong until good behaviour becomes a learned trait

amcalester · 24-01-2019 10:05am

CramCycle wrote: »

There is a traffic light to cross the road near my kids school, you'd be lucky if the first two cars stopped on red. One actually kept creeping as we tried to cross last week and finally copped me staring. Looks back at me and mouthed, what's your f'in problem? The sooner red light cameras are rolled out with ANPR the better, some people will never understand civility, so the only way to learn them is train them like domestic animals with a punishment everyone they do wrong until good behaviour becomes a learned trait

I'm looking forward to the threads against Red Light Cameras, shooting fish in barrel, there's no danger, the lights are red for too long, cyclists do it all the time etc.

Should make for good well balanced debate:D

EdgeCase · 24-01-2019 10:10am

You'd also wonder how many pedestrians are being injured by this and also how many knock on delays are being caused by cars blocking junctions by going through too late or worse again, having minor collisions.

A fender bender incident can cause mayhem in terms of traffic.

Macy0161 · 24-01-2019 10:18am

EdgeCase wrote: »

also how many knock on delays are being caused by cars blocking junctions by going through too late or worse again, having minor collisions.

The lights are squenced with big gaps to allow for it. I guess there could be an argument that adds to delays (to get to the next bottle neck though maybe).

And we have more pedestrian lights because the authorities have given up on zebra crossings as motorists don't know/ care/ ignore the rules around them so they are a danger to pedestrians. I'd assume that's why most of the new pedestrian crossing lights don't have a flashing amber either - motorists can't be trusted.

trellheim · 24-01-2019 10:38am

I live near NCR in D7 at the moment and the amount of red light jumpers is ridiculous. I am not sure of the motive .

markpb · 24-01-2019 10:47am

amcalester wrote: »

I'm looking forward to the threads against Red Light Cameras, shooting fish in barrel, there's no danger, the lights are red for too long, cyclists do it all the time etc. Should make for good well balanced debate:D

The rhetoric against red light cameras is already well rehearsed. Take your pick between a) people will crash into me when I stop and b) people will spend more time looking at the lights than the road in front of them. For bonus points, add in: when will cyclists have reg plates so the cameras can fine them too.

Macy0161 · 24-01-2019 10:51am

markpb wrote: »

The rhetoric against red light cameras is already well rehearsed.

Cameras should allow amber in the Red to Green sequence though. If they played it right they could offset the enforcement with benefit.

miamee · 24-01-2019 10:53am

It's standard in the mornings when crossing at the quays in Dublin (Inns Quay this morning) to wait for the green man and then wait a few more seconds for the last rush of cyclists, buses (yes even buses) and cars to rush through so they can sit in traffic on this side of the lights instead of that. You have to have your wits about you.

RayCun · 24-01-2019 11:08am

at the corner of Fenian Street and Macken Street there's a release light to turn right onto Macken street. This morning, I watched as two cars and a truck drove through while the release light was red, through the pedestrian crossing that was green. Not amber gambling, just ignoring the lights completely.

NutmegGirl · 24-01-2019 11:20am

magicbastarder wrote: »

thoroughly comical one this morning, traffic turning right off leopardstown road onto the N11. i counted at least 9 running the red, and even after waiting several seconds after the light turned green for me, there were still people running the red coming against us.

I drive through this junction from diff directions 5/6 times/day
Twice recently at that junction and once at the junction of N11/kilmacud road/Stillorgan Park I’ve seen a car get marooned in the middle of the road when they’ve ran a red light but not at a high enough speed to get across the full 6 lanes, the traffic on N11 starts and doesn’t let them through
You’d hope that having traffic flying past the front and back of your car would stop you from doing it again, but it’s an accident waiting to happen esp if the car is longer

Has ignoring red lights gotten a lot worse?

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