Breaking filter lights: Ignorance or Deliberate

BrianD3

I have never seen a straight ahead green arrow come on without at least one other light being lit at the same time eg you'll have a left green arrow and/or a right green arrow. And if you are not allowed to turn right a red circle will be on

edit: I probably have seen instances where a straight ahead arrow only came on but only at junctions where there was only one possible direction of travel - eg there is a one way street to your left and nothing to your right. Once the traffic joining from the one way street gets a red light, you get a straight ahead arrow or a green circle (the arrow would probably be more appropriate than the circle in this case). Another example could be a junction where there is no right turn allowed at any time.

Also, have never seen a junction where traffic going straight gets a green arrow and traffic turning left gets a red circle.

cast_iron

[o]
[o]
COLOR=lime]^[/COLOR[>]
The problem with this setup is it doesn't make any sense to have a light like this. I don't recall seeing any of these, none that I noted anyway. Any examples?

To be allowed go right if safe to do so, the light setup should be like:
[o]
[o]
COLOR=lime]o[/COLOR[>]
(the filter light kick in purely to show the traffic ahead has a red light)

Therefore I would say
[o]
[o]
COLOR=lime]^[/COLOR[>]
is an incorrect setup but does not allow you turn right unless the right arrow is lit.


To prevent people turning right, this should be used (eg. Stillorgan DC):
[o][o]
[o][o]
COLOR=lime]^[/COLOR[>]


I think the ROTR refers to situations where a solid green is used as opposed to a straight ahead green arrow. If the ROTR doesn't explain it, how is one expected to know what to do.

cormie

I was thinking about this when out driving just there. As far as I can think, there should never be a situation where there is a straight ahead arrow only lit if it is ok to turn right without a right filter light green. If it was ok to turn right, then the straight ahead arrow should be replaced with a normal green circle light. So I'm now thinking again, that:

[o]
[o]
COLOR="Lime"]^[/COLOR[>]

means only straight ahead.

Saruman

A couple of examples of this. The liffey vally turn coming from palmerstown, opposite the gym.
The light is a green arrow heading straight ahead and a right hand green arrow comes on later. Its usually safe to go but only some people will do it leaving a load of traffic waiting to turn. Now at this junction i believe there is a pedestian light which is green while the arrow is not showing, however the pedestrian light i think goes out long before the green arrow appears to turn right.

Another example is on the N3 in Finglas/Glasnevin. If facing town and you want to turn right. Cant think of the road but its the one after the hotel and before the Dublin industrial estate turn. Anyway the lights there used to allow you to turn on green and you had a filter light. They were then changed to the new LED ones and now its a straight ahead only with a right hand filter light. However there is no pedestrian light crossing the junction as far as i remember and usually its safe to turn long before the green light.

I think a lot of the driver frustration and inconsistency comes from the fact that nothing is consistent or makes sense here. Traffic signals can be useless, speed limits all wrong with no logic behind them. So drivers feel they have to make it up as they go along and pick and choose what rules to break/obey.

MrPudding

cormie wrote:

I was thinking about this when out driving just there. As far as I can think, there should never be a situation where there is a straight ahead arrow only lit if it is ok to turn right without a right filter light green. If it was ok to turn right, then the straight ahead arrow should be replaced with a normal green circle light. So I'm now thinking again, that:

[o]
[o]
COLOR="Lime"]^[/COLOR[>]

means only straight ahead.

But in this case there should be 2 sets of light, ie, the right filterlight should have it's own amber and red.

I cannot recall any lights that have an arrow for straight ahead and right turn but only one red and amber. I believe cast_iron's 2nd and 4th examples are correct.

So, I reckon that where you have a set of lights where there is a right filter you can turn right, even when the filter light is not green, but the main light is, like in this example:

[o]
[o]
COLOR="Lime"]o[/COLOR[>]

I have seen many drivers in Dublin turn right, or I ave received horn blasts when the lights are like this:

[o]COLOR="Red"]o[/COLOR
[o][o]
COLOR="Lime"]^[/COLOR[>]

In this case it is not ok to turn right. I reckon most people that turn right in cases like this do so knowing full well they should not. The light is very obviously red and, though the standard of driver training in Ireland is sh1t, I think most people know red means stop.

MrP

cormie

I must keep an eye out. I'm sure I've seen a straight ahead arrow with amber and red above it with a right filter arrow beside it, without red or amber above it. Maybe I haven't, but I'll keep an eye out:)

So basically, it's cast irons 2nd and 4th, or nothing, he forgot to put a red circle in example 4 though.

John R

cormie wrote:

I was thinking about this when out driving just there. As far as I can think, there should never be a situation where there is a straight ahead arrow only lit if it is ok to turn right without a right filter light green. If it was ok to turn right, then the straight ahead arrow should be replaced with a normal green circle light. So I'm now thinking again, that:

[o]
[o]
COLOR="Lime"]^[/COLOR[>]

means only straight ahead.

What that light setup actually means is: The idiots in the traffic department who put up the lights are incompetent.

That light should not exist, it should be either a solid green with filter or a forward green with red and amber for the filter.

There are examples of this light setup though, I can't recall where but I noticed one a few months ago in Dublin.

Wishbone Ash

BrianD3 wrote:

have never seen a junction where traffic going straight gets a green arrow and traffic turning left gets a red circle.

cast_iron wrote:

[o]
[o]
[^][>]
The problem with this setup is it doesn't make any sense to have a light like this. I don't recall seeing any of these, none that I noted anyway. Any examples?

Agree. I've tried to explain that 20 posts ago!

Alun

John R wrote:

What that light setup actually means is: The idiots in the traffic department who put up the lights are incompetent.

That light should not exist, it should be either a solid green with filter or a forward green with red and amber for the filter.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking that when I read the first few posts of this thread. It makes absolutely no logical sense whatsoever, and whoever 'designed' that light should be shot.