Traffic Light observation

Nightcleaner · 22-12-2008, 17:13

Am i alone or dose this happen to anyone else

Huge major road 5am in the morning its desperately quite. Your approaching a set of traffic lights on a t Junction the t junction is on the left with an optional filter light. from several hundred yards away these set of traffic lights that have been quite happily sat on green for a good five minutes change to red I am the only person on the road. Why do they change red every time. For no reason at all other than I am coming . [Anyone live here we talking castle lane junction of East Way]

In my quest to find this out i asked a Taxi driver who made a further interesting observation he Says there is a certain set of lights here in the Bournemouth Poole area that if you approach them three miles an hour over the speed limit they go to red and if you go under the speed limit they stay green. Can Traffic lights do this. Reduce traffic speed.

**Graham M** · 22-12-2008, 17:16

Castle Lane is a god awful road anyway

**Derek** · 22-12-2008, 17:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nightcleaner

Can Traffic lights do this. Reduce traffic speed.

Quite a number of them have sensors to detect oncoming traffic and adjust their sequencing accordingly. I've not heard of any having speed sensors in them though.

**Graham M** · 22-12-2008, 17:22

They can detect distance the traffic is away so if they take multiple samples over a period of time I guess it's possible for them to get a rough idea of how fast traffic is flowing?

**Rob** · 22-12-2008, 18:07

If you;re worried about red traffice lights, then do not try and negotiate Staines Town Centre in the middle of the night. You'll get stopped to let cars out of the closed car parks, busses out of the bus stand (they wen't to sleep hours earlier), do you see a pattern forming

altis · 22-12-2008, 19:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derek S

I've not heard of any having speed sensors in them though.

I have. There's a name for them... which escapes me at the moment.

The set near us on the intersection of Lyons Lane and London Road used to work like this. Approach at or above the speed limit and they would change to red. They've been adjusted now so I haven't seen it happen recently.

alferret · 22-12-2008, 22:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nightcleaner

Can Traffic lights do this. Reduce traffic speed.

The Spanish use this system and it is quite effective.

AndyCambs · 23-12-2008, 05:12

We have traffic lights on a major roundabout outside the town centre - the phasing is so bad that the build up of traffic at one set of lights stops cars from moving round when the lights are at green.

Horace · 23-12-2008, 07:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by altis

I have. There's a name for them... which escapes me at the moment.

The set near us on the intersection of Lyons Lane and London Road used to work like this. Approach at or above the speed limit and they would change to red. They've been adjusted now so I haven't seen it happen recently.

Such a good idea..why not have them near schools or accident black-spots instead of speed cameras rather than just for traffic control at intersections, the only reason I can think of against them would be drivers losing respect for red-lights, but still I'm surprised there hasn't been some major trial of these already.

Escapee · 24-12-2008, 13:25

I have a problem with traffic light at the entrance to my place of work. If I leave the carpark on my scooter and pull up at the lights they will not change.

The sensors on the road will not recognise my scooter. After waiting on so many occassions for a car to come along and make them change, I now drive straight through and filter left when there is no traffic.

I guess one day plod will come along and catch me.

PS. Some of the other scooter and small motorbike users experience the same problem.

**Rob** · 24-12-2008, 14:18

Even worse if you are on a pedal cycle. Few if any lights detect you. You feel a prize numpty if you sit and wait for the lights to change when nobody is coming. Is it any wonder so many cyclists jump red lights?

Escapee · 24-12-2008, 15:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob

Even worse if you are on a pedal cycle. Few if any lights detect you. You feel a prize numpty if you sit and wait for the lights to change when nobody is coming. Is it any wonder so many cyclists jump red lights?

Strange though, the lights detect me when on the main road waiting at the light to turn into work.

I just wondered what the legal situation is, as far as I'm concerned I will continue to treat the lights as defective and continue with caution.

bopdude · 24-12-2008, 15:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob

If you;re worried about red traffice lights, then do not try and negotiate Staines Town Centre in the middle of the night. You'll get stopped to let cars out of the closed car parks, busses out of the bus stand (they wen't to sleep hours earlier), do you see a pattern forming

They have done this on the main road through Darlington ( North Road ) only after a certain time of night, what they are trying to do is slow down the boy racers, by allowing side roads priority green and only switching main road lights to green after traffic is at the lights, yes a pain but it does work.

D_Skids · 24-12-2008, 15:28

I used to have that.

I used to start work at 6am and at 5.30am I would be sat at a red light for ages sometimes until a car came up behind me.

Obviously at that time there wasn't much traffic about

demented · 24-12-2008, 16:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob

Even worse if you are on a pedal cycle. Few if any lights detect you. You feel a prize numpty if you sit and wait for the lights to change when nobody is coming. Is it any wonder so many cyclists jump red lights?

I disagree, RLJing by cyclists is a myth. In anycase I do have problems with sensors but most work if you stamp on them with the bike. The exception are bus lane ones. Moreover the highway code tells people what to do if traffic lights are not working.

Anyway as regards OP, the traffic lights are to slow traffic down and stop people driving aggressively fast.