Motoring Discussion > Traffic Lights Problem – How to Handle? Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Bromptonaut Replies: 15
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 10:00 
 Traffic Lights Problem – How to Handle? - Bromptonaut
Bit of a funny yesterday. Daughter who’s just passed her test was driving but it could happen to anybody.

There’s a junction near my mother’s with traffic to lights allow traffic from minor road to join/cross a dual carriageway. Lights are set by default to be green for major road; induction coils detect vehicles approaching and cause main road lights to cycle through red.

Miss B stalled halfway over the stop line (but still clear of the junction) and by the time she’d secured and restarted. The lights were red again.

Nothing behind & we decided best course was to slip back over the stop line and wait for the lights to re-sequence. Only they didn’t. We’d had our turn and lost it!!! After about two minutes another car arrived from behind and we were away.

Other options? At one point the junction was clear enough for us to pass the red but I wasn’t comfortable with that advice for a P-plater. Otherwise reverse an re-approach in the hope of correctly triggering the coils (but the first may be some distance back) but that was not easy either.

What would the panel do?
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 10:21 
 Traffic Lights Problem – How to Handle? - VxFan
Depending on what time of day it was (ie, busy or quiet) then I would have proceeded, providing no red light cameras of course.

Otherwise I would have reversed to re-trigger the sensors.
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 12:50 
 Traffic Lights Problem – How to Handle? - hobby
If you had a clear view behind you I'd have also reversed to re-trigger the sensors... I wouldn't have gone through on red... sod's law always says that when law abiding citizens do something wrong its always the time the Police happen to turn up!!
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 13:25 
 Traffic Lights Problem – How to Handle? - movilogo
Do not go thru red light! It can be fatal!

If no car behind, you can reverse and re-trigger sensor.

If any car comes behind, it should trigger sensor anyway.


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New Mon 5 Jul 10 13:30 
 Traffic Lights Problem – How to Handle? - Cliff Pope
Mr Bean solved the problem by pushing a large metal dustbin past the sensor.
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 13:47 
 Traffic Lights Problem – How to Handle? - Old Navy
>> Do not go thru red light! It can be fatal!
>>
Your drivers door won't stop an idiot on a bike doing 150mph with no light on.
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 13:53 
 Traffic Lights Problem – How to Handle? - Harleyman
>> Your drivers door won't stop an idiot on a bike doing 150mph with no light
>> on.
>>

I'm getting used to your persistent biker-bashing ON but I think even the worst would not try jumping a set of traffic lights at 150!

Give it a rest please.

Bromptonaut; I would go with the "reverse with care" option. I've come across similar when bringing the lorry out of a tight entrance straight on to a set of traffic lights, it is very annoying especially at dead of night when you can't rely on another vehicle coming along to trigger the sensors for you.

Last edited by: Harleyman on Mon 5 Jul 10 at 13:56
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 13:57 
 Traffic Lights Problem – How to Handle? - Old Navy
>> Give it a rest please.
>>
Bike bashing? His traffic light would be green.

Care to run a forum survey of how many of us have seen bikers doing way over the speed limit?
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 5 Jul 10 at 13:59
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 14:00 
 Traffic Lights Problem – How to Handle? - Harleyman
>> Bike bashing? His traffic light would be green.
>>

A somewhat disingenuous answer .

I'm aware of the "crotch rocket cowboys" as much as you are, and I don't like it either, but your original post was way OTT as I'm sure you're fully aware.
Last edited by: Harleyman on Mon 5 Jul 10 at 14:01
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 14:06 
 Traffic Lights Problem – How to Handle? - Old Navy
Feel free to substitute 40 ton artic or bus, but they are a bit easier to see even if going flat out.
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 14:36 
 Traffic Lights Problem – How to Handle? - RattleandSmoke
If there was a red light camera depending on where the sensor was it may have activated the camera anyway :(.

I also think in this case reversing is probably the safest thing to do.
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 14:42 
 Traffic Lights Problem – How to Handle? - Bromptonaut
The junction was completely clear when I considered 'jumping' the red but I a speeding anything could have caught me out. If we'd had to wait much longer I think we'd have gone for the reverse option but the road was far from straight and there may have been more than one coil.

Thinking about it there's a set much nearer home that facilitate alternate working over a narrow bridge. Trouble there is that unless front vehicle advances right up to the light it stays red. Driver behind needs to get out, tap on the leader's door and ask him to draw forward. Don't think these have coil, rather one of those camera like devices operating on infra red(?)
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 14:54 
 Traffic Lights Problem – How to Handle? - L'escargot
>> Nothing behind & we decided best course was to slip back over the stop line
>> and wait for the lights to re-sequence. Only they didn’t. We’d had our turn and
>> lost it!!! After about two minutes another car arrived from behind and we were away.

You did the right thing. Two minutes out of your lifetime is nothing. Just remember you're a long time dead!
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New Mon 5 Jul 10 15:10 
 Traffic Lights Problem – How to Handle? - Mapmaker

>> Miss B stalled halfway over the stop line (but still clear of the junction) and
>> by the time she’d secured and restarted. The lights were red again.


I guess she needs to be taught just to apply the foot brake, dip the clutch and turn the key. My driving instructor taught me that it was perfectly acceptable even for test purposes to do this under the "emergency" circumstances you describe. Admittedly that was some years ago.

No way would I jump the lights.
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New Tue 6 Jul 10 08:15 
 Traffic Lights Problem – How to Handle? - IJWS14
You should try driving an aluminium car!
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New Tue 6 Jul 10 10:00 
 Traffic Lights Problem – How to Handle? - Bromptonaut
Thanks to all for your replies.

I think Mappy has it right in advocating a more pragmatic approach to the secure/neutral/restart process. Not sure how much scope the examiner has for that sort of pragmatism though. J certainly has had it dinned in that failure to secure is a dangerous/serious fault but as she says her driving is already better because these things are now experience rather than 'if that happens on the test I'll fail'.

She starts pass plus shortly and hopefully she'll discuss this scenario with her instructor.
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