Red Light Area.

NUTLEY BOY · 07-09-2005 7:24pm #1

Is it my imagination or have red traffic lights changed from meaning "STOP" to meaning "Three more can drive straight through" ?

The worst junction for this is definitely the Fosters Avenue / N 11 junction near UCD. The offenders come down Fosters Avenue and are always lashing through red and across traffic from Donnybrook which has just got the green light.

If there are penalty points for running red traffic lights the Gardai could fill an a quota of bookings in an hour. Oops, Gardai don't have quotas do they ? :mad:

FX Meister · 07-09-2005 7:37pm

That's how people drive generally these days. Annoying as hell. Was at a junction recently and there was a cop on a motor bike infront of me at the red. When the lights in other direction went red one dude sailed through. It was nice to hear the whoop of the siren. Just a single whoop and the guy knew to stop.

BrianD3 · 07-09-2005 7:41pm

No it's not your imagination. I believe red light jumping has gotten far worse since I started driving approx ten years ago.

This trend is probably due to increased conjestion/stress/impatience combined with the Irish attitude to rules and regulations combined with a strong "me me me" mentality in modern Irish society.

FX Meister · 07-09-2005 7:45pm

Well I don't think me, me, me is any excuse for breaking lights and putting lives and property in danger.

PlayaFlow · 08-09-2005 2:31am

I do it all the time! but only if it just goes red when im next, grrr. (usuallly because of some nancy-boy in a micra pulling of like a snail infront of me)
its not right, im not condoning it but im great so screw you!

AMurphy · 08-09-2005 5:47am

I have ran a few myself, mainly cause the orange is too short for the traffic density and speed. I do not think the traffic engineers do a very good job in this area.
And if a finter light has a green that is too short for the traffic, expect it to be ignored.

pontovic · 08-09-2005 7:17am

people do it especially when theyre speeding a little and theyre past the point of stopping when it goes orange. i think the thing to do is keep to the speed limit especially at lights and you won't break a red light.

Bluetonic · 08-09-2005 8:51am

I thought this was going to be about Benburb Street

jhegarty · 08-09-2005 9:00am

try this one , in waterford there is a junction with a set of lights just after a yellow box...

so if the light goes amber (its only on for a second) after you entered yellow box, you have a choice between stopping in the yellow box (illegal) or breaking red light (illegal)....

Seth Brundle · 08-09-2005 10:35am

AMurphy wrote:

I have ran a few myself, mainly cause the orange is too short for the traffic density and speed.

I disagree. I think drivers tend to go too fast for the lights but at the same time they should be able to stop once the amber appears. What if it was a kid that ran out in front instead?
I tend to drive a bit faster but don't break red lights and avoid breaking ambers if at all possible.

jasonb · 08-09-2005 10:42am

And do you remember when at a roundabout you stopped if someone else was already on the roundabout? Now the 'rules' for a roundabout are keep on going if you can make it before that other car hits you....

Man, I sound old, and all 'back in my day'. And I'm only 31!

J.

Big Nelly · 08-09-2005 10:44am

Think thats bad, try sitting at Blanchardstown roundabout on N3 and you are coming out of Blanchardstown at around 5-6....everytime lights go red you still have to wait for 4-5 muppets to go thru lights before you can off onto roundabout....beep at anyone and they look at you like you have 3 heads!!! drives me up the wall!!!

testicle · 08-09-2005 11:00am

Big Nelly wrote:

Think thats bad, try sitting at Blanchardstown roundabout on N3 and you are coming out of Blanchardstown at around 5-6....everytime lights go red you still have to wait for 4-5 muppets to go thru lights before you can off onto roundabout....beep at anyone and they look at you like you have 3 heads!!! drives me up the wall!!!

Drive at them, fast. It helps if you have powerful car. They'll soon learn.

dahamsta · 08-09-2005 11:53am

I have to admit to sidling through if the light is on the cusp of red, which occasionally means slipping through guiltily a few microseconds after it's changed. I certainly won't brake brake brake in a cloud of smoke up to a red, that's just silly. What drives me nuts is when I pop through just on the red and three cars go through behind me. Now that's just nasty.

adam

Seth Brundle · 08-09-2005 11:59am

dahamsta wrote:

I have to admit to sidling through if the light is on the cusp of red, which occasionally means slipping through guiltily a few microseconds after it's changed. I certainly won't brake brake brake in a cloud of smoke up to a red, that's just silly. What drives me nuts is when I pop through just on the red and three cars go through behind me. Now that's just nasty.

adam

translate:
I see the amber and keep going passing through after it has change to red. However, it is terrible that others follow me!
:rolleyes:

dahamsta · 08-09-2005 12:17pm

Yes, I'll most certainly go through if the alternative is a screeching halt (possibly followed by a crunch from behind). However I'm doing it out of what I feel is necessity, which is not what the people behind me are doing.

Do you run any courses kbannon? I'd like to be a perfect driver like you.

adam

Big Nelly · 08-09-2005 12:49pm

testicle wrote:

Drive at them, fast. It helps if you have powerful car. They'll soon learn.

Was going to try that one day and was waiting but bloke in next lane had same idea and sped off....no bother to the other drivers they came flying thru and was so close to a big smash.....the *****r that had broke the lights then starts to beep and gesture out the window to the bloke that had pulled out

Thats the sort of muppets you have to deal with!!

Seth Brundle · 08-09-2005 12:58pm

dahamsta wrote:

Do you run any courses kbannon? I'd like to be a perfect driver like you.

join the queue!

el tel · 08-09-2005 1:00pm

Another red light area* that has everything (crossroads, box junction, pedestrian crossing, 100's of pedestrians, no right turn, fast light sequence, blind approach over bridge, speeding cars and crazy cyclists etc) is the Baggot St & Mespil Rd junction. Yesterday was particularly thrilling with the match at Landsdown and the associated chaos. Quite a few people were running the reds at speed and there were a few skid marks laid down.

*and it's a true red-light area as well.

dahamsta · 08-09-2005 1:06pm

You shouldn't allow queueing outside your premises kbannon, it causes traffic problems. Not so perfect after all, ha!

cormie · 08-09-2005 1:14pm

So what's the law here? if you were to accellerate into somebody who had broken a red light when yours was green, who's at fault??

Stephen · 08-09-2005 2:05pm

Both of you, probably. Green doesn't mean "GO GO GO!!!", it means go, if it is safe to do so.

Big Nelly · 08-09-2005 2:20pm

cormie wrote:

So what's the law here? if you were to accellerate into somebody who had broken a red light when yours was green, who's at fault??

I would say the dumbass that broke the light.....when green it means the road is safe for you to go! doesnt matter how quick you take off......if some idiot hasnt bothered to stop for a red light and floats thru and hits you when your on green then its his fault and he better have insurance!!!!

Dont see how anyone can say it could be your fault...lights are put on roundabouts and so on to make the junction safer! so when the lights go green you are "supposed" to be safe to go and you dont have to or shouldnt have to look around to see if some idiot has decided he wants to break the lights......cause if someone did hit me at lights(Im very careful because of all the idiots that break them) I know for sure I would make sure to sue them for every penny they have so they cant afford to put a car back onto the road because they dont deserve to be on the road if they break lights!!

blorg · 08-09-2005 3:39pm

The (pedestrian light) junction between Baggot St and Pembroke St is a good one, one more than one occasion that light has gone red and then back to green again without any break in the traffic, completely frustrating pedestrians who want to cross.

I've also noticed (Baggot St and Mespil road in particular, also bottom of O'Connell St at least before it was bus/taxi only) how many drivers completely ignore a red on a left turn when straight on is green (e.g. when the pedestrian crossing on the road they are turning into is also green.)

It's not funny, I've been very nearly hit myself and it's only a matter of time before people start getting killed (particuarly kids who don't always look before they cross.) It has definately got much worse in the last ten years, I remember reading somewhere how many of the LUAS accidents were caused by red-light running.

And regarding the 'screech to a halt on a red' argument - erm, that's why they have this thing called 'amber' which actually means *STOP* unless it would be dangerous to do so.

seamus · 08-09-2005 4:49pm

cormie wrote:

So what's the law here? if you were to accellerate into somebody who had broken a red light when yours was green, who's at fault??

Depends on the specific circumstances, but the default rule of "Yield to traffic coming from the right" will come into play. That said, if he is in the junction, and you accelerate and hit him side-on, you will probably take most of the blame. That is provided that he can prove (usually via witness statements) that the light was amber when he entered the junction and he didn't have time to stop.
If you can prove (again, via statements) that your light was green when he entered the junction, then he may take most of the blame.

Ultimately, if he is in the junction before your light is green, then you must yield. In any case, even if his light was hard red, there would be a high probability of the Gardai charging you with dangerous or careless driving for failing to spot the driver coming through, and charging the other driving with a host of other offences.

PlayaFlow · 08-09-2005 8:34pm

Big Nelly wrote:

Think thats bad, try sitting at Blanchardstown roundabout on N3 and you are coming out of Blanchardstown at around 5-6....everytime lights go red you still have to wait for 4-5 muppets to go thru lights before you can off onto roundabout....beep at anyone and they look at you like you have 3 heads!!! drives me up the wall!!!

LOL , that would be me then , sorry ...........yeah right!

AMurphy · 09-09-2005 6:31am

kbannon wrote:

I disagree. .....What if it was a kid that ran out in front instead?
........

What difference does it make...?.

However, that reminds me of something, Is there any red overlap on your lights, ie, the lights shine red in all directions for a second or so, before the one next to go gets a green lamp?. Very useful feature for clearing lights of runners.
Anyway, I'll stick with my finding that many lights are ill timed for the conditons, and have no "intellegence" built in, thus cannot or do not vary their cycle to the traffic flow, so jumping a red light is a requirement to remain sane.
I remember going for an early morning flight in Cork some time past, met a few red lights and after maybe a minute or so, still red....not anothor vehicle in any direction for miles.... well if that represents the state of the art in Cork, (and elsewhere), so be it, but I no need for sitting at traffic lights needlessly.

AMurphy · 09-09-2005 6:45am

Big Nelly wrote:

I would say the dumbass that broke the light.....when green it means the road is safe for you to go! doesnt matter how quick you take off..........!!

Wrong, see #22 above. It's wise to keep an eye on cross traffic anyway, no matter what...

Same with indicators, it does not grant nor guarentee you a RIGHT to do anything, particularly if it is unsafe.

AMurphy · 09-09-2005 6:53am

cormie wrote:

So what's the law here? if you were to accellerate into somebody who had broken a red light when yours was green, who's at fault??

that depends;
Were you driving normally, but decided to accelerate into the car cause it cut out in front of you, so you though "you'd teach them a lesson", or were you accelerating normally, someone cut in front of youy from the side, and you continued to accelerate, cause "you had the right of way",
or were you accelerating, someone cut in front of you and hard as you might, you failed to stop and thus ran into them.

as a general rule, it's not a good idea to accelerate into anything that comes into your path, unless you actually want to get up and over it, like a small animal or some such.

Big Nelly · 09-09-2005 8:38am

AMurphy wrote:

Wrong, see #22 above. It's wise to keep an eye on cross traffic anyway, no matter what...

Same with indicators, it does not grant nor guarentee you a RIGHT to do anything, particularly if it is unsafe.

So what is the point in traffic lights????? to be honest this is a pile of bulls**t!!! why put traffic lights everywhere if it is still ok for someone to break thru them and crash into you!!! then of course they get to sue you because it is some scumbag!!! this country is a joke but if this is really true in our law then its another pile of crap to let the idiots out there get away with what they want and proper drivers get screwed again!!!

I have an idea! get someone at lights with anti tank gun and if anyone breaks a red light then take him/her out! drastic but this really pi**es me off!!!

jlang · 09-09-2005 8:53am

AMurphy wrote:

However, that reminds me of something, Is there any red overlap on your lights, ie, the lights shine red in all directions for a second or so, before the one next to go gets a green lamp?. Very useful feature for clearing lights of runners.

There is an overlap and that's part of the problem. I'd be more inclined to set the lights tighter the other way and reduce the overlap. In France the amber phase must be obeyed because the opposing lights will turn green at the instant your light goes red (verified this by standing watching as a pedestrian on several occasions). The reason so many people break the red here is that they know they'll get away with it - reduce the all-red phase on the junction timers and there's no question of gambling/pushing your luck/annoying crossing traffic. Junction spends more time on green and is more efficient all round (my German genes must be showing!).

(Again education needed on the changeover, but I think it could be done)

Red Light Area.

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