[eye30]

Must have missed this one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Portsmouth is considering the use of a flashing amber signal on traffic lights during quiet periods, in an effort to aid traffic flow.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12860433

[Dazzler]

Like you said in another thread Lester .. Fraught with danger.. who is to blame in an accident (nice idea if not so many lunatics on the road)

[Surferdude]

In my experience that's not an unusual practice, even here in Australia.
The rules are simple - no different to when there is a traffic light malfunction.
All drivers approaching an intersection are responsible for obeying whatever laws apply if the intersection had no lights installed.

[eye30]

In my experience that's not an unusual practice, even here in Australia.
The rules are simple - no different to when there is a traffic light malfunction.
All drivers approaching an intersection are responsible for obeying whatever laws apply if the intersection had no lights installed.

Here in UK it "in my opinion" is utter madness and would cause more problems than it would solve.

Reminds me of this old joke about a taxi that picks up a fare and while driving along he zooms through a red light and keeps going then zooms through the next one and the next one.

By now the passenger is scared almost to death when all of a sudden he slams his brakes and stops at a green light.
When the light turns red he zooms right through it too.
The passenger yells at him to pull over.
When the driver stops, the man starts asking him if he’s crazy running all those lights and the cabbie replies; “No, It’s just that my brother drives a cab here too and he always runs red lights! “

[Surferdude]

In my experience that's not an unusual practice, even here in Australia.
The rules are simple - no different to when there is a traffic light malfunction.
All drivers approaching an intersection are responsible for obeying whatever laws apply if the intersection had no lights installed.

Here in UK it "in my opinion" is utter madness and would cause more problems than it would solve.

I might be a bit dim eye30 but I can't see how. Can you explain in some detail how it would be any different to an uncontrolled intersection?

[beerman]

Could be fairly easily solved with Give Way when lights flashing signs to assist at the tricky ones.

I travel the roads at all hours, and nothing pi err annoys me more than having to wait at a set of lights, at an empty intersection,  for them to turn green (usually just as someone arrives at the other part of the intersection and then has to stop).

There would be some major intersections that could never be turned off, but in general, getting around the burbs from about 11pm until about 5 there is no need for lights.

[Surferdude]

Could be fairly easily solved with Give Way when lights flashing signs to assist at the tricky ones.

I travel the roads at all hours, and nothing pi err annoys me more than having to wait at a set of lights, at an empty intersection,  for them to turn green (usually just as someone arrives at the other part of the intersection and then has to stop).

There would be some major intersections that could never be turned off, but in general, getting around the burbs from about 11pm until about 5 there is no need for lights.

You may not be aware of it but there's a lot of intersections which, after hours, stay green on the main road until a car pulls up to the red light and passes over a sensor pad under the bitumen which sets off the light change cycle.
As you say, only on less busy intersections. OH. And very annoying when you are behind some doddery old fool who is in the habit of stopping at least a car's length away from the white line.

[Shambles]

The routes I regularly take are pretty good when it comes to traffic management... the detector loops change the cycle quite quickly when no traffic is crossing.

[Dazzler]

In Tassie because of our lighter traffic flow our lights don't stay red for long (day or night)

You really notice it when you go north to the "Mainland" .. I think WA was the worst i've experienced so far (lights take an eternity to change) 

The routes I regularly take are pretty good when it comes to traffic management... the detector loops change the cycle quite quickly when no traffic is crossing.

That reminds me.. they are not good with syncronising multiple sets of lights down here..don't you hate it when there are a string of lights and you have to stop at each one 

[eye30]

In my experience that's not an unusual practice, even here in Australia.
The rules are simple - no different to when there is a traffic light malfunction.
All drivers approaching an intersection are responsible for obeying whatever laws apply if the intersection had no lights installed.

Here in UK it "in my opinion" is utter madness and would cause more problems than it would solve.

I might be a bit dim eye30 but I can't see how. Can you explain in some detail how it would be any different to an uncontrolled intersection?

For some reason unknown to man or woman, once a UK driver get behind the wheel of a vehicle all common sense leaves their brain. 

I've witnessed, travelling in a following car, at first hand the carnage from an uncontrolled intersection.
The person who caused the accident tried to deflect the blame to the innocent party.
Lucky for the innocent party there was a Police car at the intersection which had recored it all on vid.

[beerman]

Could be fairly easily solved with Give Way when lights flashing signs to assist at the tricky ones.

I travel the roads at all hours, and nothing pi err annoys me more than having to wait at a set of lights, at an empty intersection,  for them to turn green (usually just as someone arrives at the other part of the intersection and then has to stop).

There would be some major intersections that could never be turned off, but in general, getting around the burbs from about 11pm until about 5 there is no need for lights.

You may not be aware of it but there's a lot of intersections which, after hours, stay green on the main road until a car pulls up to the red light and passes over a sensor pad under the bitumen which sets off the light change cycle.
As you say, only on less busy intersections. OH. And very annoying when you are behind some doddery old fool who is in the habit of stopping at least a car's length away from the white line.

I am aware of that, and have done some work assisting the blokes who put the sensors into the road. Unfortunately it all comes down to someone's idea of what is a major road. On my trip home, there is one intersection in particular, where the lights are always stale red, despite the fact I believe it is the more major of the two roads. Bloody frustrating when you cop it 7/7 times driving home late at night.