Motoring Discussion > Traffic light behaviour Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Rudedog Replies: 22
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 14:04 
 Traffic light behaviour - Rudedog
I just wondered if anybody can shed some light on a trend I've noticed with other drivers? I've started to notice that the first car that pulls up to a set off traffic lights stops about 1-2 metres back from the stop line, it can be in either lane and feels quite strange if I pull up along side and proceed right up to the stop-line because the car next to me is almost inline with the back of my car.

I just can't fathom out what advantage this might have but I seem to be seeing it more and more often in my area.
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 14:10 
 Traffic light behaviour - crocks
Not noticed it here in London.

Cars often feel the need to be a couple of metres past the stop line. And increasingly buses seem to be joining in. Where there are forward stop lines for bicycles it is not unusual to see the whole car past the line where they should be.
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 14:12 
 Traffic light behaviour - VxFan
Lot of lights around this area (Oxfordshire) have two stop lines. One for motorised vehicles, and one for cycles. Cycle one is the one in front.

I take it you're not pulling up to the cycle stop line instead of the one for motorised vehicles?
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 14:19 
 Traffic light behaviour - henry k
In my area, at some traffic lights we have green boxes marked out for cyclists ( so I understand).
As cyclists ignore them and often the red lights then motorists are ignoring the green boxes (and quite often the red lights )
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 14:22 
 Traffic light behaviour - bathtub tom
I've been known to stop in the shade in my car that doesn't have a/c.
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 14:43 
 Traffic light behaviour - Focusless
I'm more worried about what appears to be a growing trend of not bothering to stop at all!
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 15:22 
 Traffic light behaviour - Rudedog
OK, I seemed to see quite a few driving lesson cars doing it so I wasn't sure if it was something new that drivers were being taught to do for some reason.
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 15:27 
 Traffic light behaviour - L'escargot
>> Lot of lights around this area (Oxfordshire) have two stop lines. One for motorised vehicles,
>> and one for cycles. Cycle one is the one in front.

It's daft really. Cyclists come up the inside of you and then plonk themselves directly in front. When the lights change you then have to wait for the cyclist to build up enough speed to be able to get out of your way.
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 15:45 
 Traffic light behaviour - WillDeBeest
It makes sense in town traffic, l'Es, where cyclists might otherwise be dangerously inconspicuous at a junction; this way they get first go at it where everyone else can see them. Outside towns it's a bleedin' nuisance. There's a riverside road near me where for four miles it can be very hard to pass a cyclist. There's a narrow bridge with traffic lights partway along, and if your luck's out the cyclist you've just passed will sidle to the head of the queue and force you to follow him all over again. I've taken to stopping with two wheels almost on the verge to keep the budgers (Aunt Mabel didn't like my word) behind me. And I'm a cyclist too!

There are junctions where I'll stop short of the line if I think it'll reduce the amount of buttock clenching required if a large vehicle wants to turn left towards me. Good example here: goo.gl/maps/r2xgI , where traffic turning left on to the bridge has more than 90 degrees to negotiate and not much space to do it. Stopping in the cyclists' area here is not recommended!
Last edited by: WillDeBeest on Fri 24 Aug 12 at 15:47
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 15:57 
 Traffic light behaviour - WillDeBeest
Sorry, that link is actually to the route I mentioned in my first paragraph. goo.gl/maps/lpOeY will take you straight to the junction. Perhaps a kindly mod could make the substitution and scrub this bit.
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 16:04 
 Traffic light behaviour - jc2
Possibly so that they can see the lights thro' the screen rather than a side window-not all sites have lights across the junction.
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 16:14 
 Traffic light behaviour - WillDeBeest
Ah, another Person of Respectable Height, I see, JC. Yes, done that one too, rather than sit for two minutes with my neck cricked sideways trying to see the light directly above me.
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 16:14 
 Traffic light behaviour - sherlock47
>> Possibly so that they can see the lights thro' the screen rather than a side
>> window-not all sites have lights across the junction.
>>

Modern cars, and particularly MPVs have much shorter 'bonnets' and thick A pillars - hence to view the lights thro the screen requires you stop short?

I find that I certainly do it in France (in rhd cars) so that you see the repeater lights situated 1.5m above the ground on the traffic light poles.
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 18:05 
 Traffic light behaviour - CGNorwich
But they don't have a stop line in France.
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 21:15 
 Traffic light behaviour - Rudedog
From what I saw on my drive home tonight I'm beginning to think that it could have something to do with drivers not being able to see the stop line over their bonnets and are therefore stopping short.
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 21:54 
 Traffic light behaviour - Dave_
I do it, mainly out of habit from stopping at signals with red-light cameras. I stop a couple of metres before the line, so that when the amber light comes on my Pavlovian reaction to go immediately doesn't get me a £60 fine.

It also has the advantage that when I cross the line I'm going faster than the guy next to me who's just moving off :)
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 22:51 
 Traffic light behaviour - bathtub tom
>>when the amber light comes on my Pavlovian reaction to go immediately doesn't get me a £60 fine.

I tend to wait for the red & amber.

;>)
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New Fri 24 Aug 12 22:18 
 Traffic light behaviour - sherlock47
>> But they don't have a stop line in France.
>>

They do in some places! Although I regard the viritual stop line as being perpendicular to the kerb at the lights.


It did make me think though, (and check on Street view).
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New Sat 25 Aug 12 10:55 
 Traffic light behaviour - Bromptonaut
Resting in France atm on a campsite by the Rhine with views to Breisach over the border into Germany. Avancez jusque au feux is the usual instruction at lights here. Driving in Gremany yesterday their lights are more like ours.

At home in Northants we have a set of lights for alternate one way working over a narrow canal bridge. Unless vehicles creep right up to the line the light stays red. Had to get out and tap one somebody's window before today.
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New Sat 25 Aug 12 16:12 
 Traffic light behaviour - Fursty Ferret
>> >> Lot of lights around this area (Oxfordshire) have two stop lines. One for motorised
>> vehicles,
>> >> and one for cycles. Cycle one is the one in front.
>>
>> It's daft really. Cyclists come up the inside of you and then plonk themselves directly
>> in front. When the lights change you then have to wait for the cyclist to
>> build up enough speed to be able to get out of your way.
>>

Damn straight. The lane generally gets narrower on the far side of the junction and unfortunately a driver will instinctively cut across a cyclist rather than drive into oncoming traffic or a bollard.

Oh, and I'll have you know that I can beat most cars to 15-20mph from a standing start an out stop them from that speed too. As far as I know I've never held up cars at traffic lights using a bike area. Further up the road, certainly... :-)
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New Sat 25 Aug 12 16:21 
 Traffic light behaviour - L'escargot
>> >> It's daft really. Cyclists come up the inside of you and then plonk themselves
>> directly
>> >> in front. When the lights change you then have to wait for the cyclist
>> to
>> >> build up enough speed to be able to get out of your way.
>> >>
>>
>> Damn straight. The lane generally gets narrower on the far side of the junction and
>> unfortunately a driver will instinctively cut across a cyclist rather than drive into oncoming traffic
>> or a bollard.
>>
>> Oh, and I'll have you know that I can beat most cars to 15-20mph from
>> a standing start an out stop them from that speed too. As far as I
>> know I've never held up cars at traffic lights using a bike area. Further up
>> the road, certainly... :-)
>>

You've confused me. I thought the expression "Damn straight" signified agreement or approval.
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New Sat 25 Aug 12 16:29 
 Traffic light behaviour - L'escargot
>> I thought the expression "Damn straight" signified agreement or approval.

Innit?
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New Sat 25 Aug 12 16:39 
 Traffic light behaviour - Fursty Ferret
Sorry, been up since 3am. Don't agree with your dislike of bikes using *gasp* the bike box but meant to say that if there's one there needs to be a good reason for me not to use it.

Don't think that's made things much clearer!
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