The End is Nigh!

[octave]

1 minute ago, spacesailor said:

he light changed and I was fined $ 500 for my one half second on  the red .

How long into the red should you be allowed?   If it turns red, then it has already been through amber and bear in mind that if your light turns red, the other lights turn green.  I am sure at some time I have made a poor choice and entered an intersection late and ended up in the red.  I think you just have to cop it. Do the crime, do the time (or money in this case)

[Marty_d]

Spacey, if everyone stopped at a roundabout until there was no traffic on the roundabout, there would be gridlock.

That's not what they're designed for.

[spacesailor]

Then that law needs change .

No good,  a law that makes people criminal should be changed .

 

octave ,

I was stopped at the intersection,  on a green light,  ( congestion ahead )

I started off , then the light changed Amber ,

no rush , it's usually three seconds before the red , so didn't accelerate. 

I was almost over the line , when it turned red . half a bloody second to catch my rear end with my back-wheels over that line , just the quater panel in the red zone , any vehicle could pass behind me . 

Bloody revenueing again .

spacesailor

Edited 17 hours ago by spacesailor
A little more

[Marty_d]

Spacey the law is fine, it's your interpretation of "give way" that needs updating 

[spacesailor]

The wording is not for my interpretation ,

It is , as written. 

" any vehicle in the roundabout " .

I checked it , again , then again .

spacesailor 

[octave]

33 minutes ago, spacesailor said:

any vehicle in the roundabout

"give way" = don't get in the way of any car already on the roundabout, or don't impede it.   

 

33 minutes ago, spacesailor said:

any vehicle in the roundabout

Yes, give way to any vehicle on the roundabout. Giving way does not necessarily stop. Cars already on the roundabout have right of way, meaning they take precedence over you. It is your responsibility not to impede them. If you can enter the roundabout without colliding or impeding them, you can do so.    If this were not the case, then a roundabout could only ever have one car on it at once, which is clearly nonsense.   Just imagine some of those enormous roundabouts in Canberra.

[red750]

Spacey, you must have been dawdling through the intersection. I'm happy to be corrected if I'm wrong, but I believe the amber light gives sufficient time to clear the intersection if you are still facing a green light when you enter it.  The idea is to give you time if you are too close to the line to stop.

 

My car is fitted with that device that changes every light to red as you approach, so I try to always be prepared to stop. I assume it will turn red, but continue in case it doesn't. When it turns amber I stop unless I am only a meter or two from the line. Cars in other lanes may overtake me, but that's the risk they take.

 

There is always the exception. One night we had a call from a hospital where my wife had been having tests during the day, asking her to come back in straight away.. It was about 9:30 at night and the road was wet. There were no other cars about. As I approached, the lights turned amber. I would have had to brake hard to stop in the remaining distance, and I was afraid I might skid, so I took the risk. About halfway through the intersection the lights turned red and the camera flash went off. I got the fine in the mail saying I was 0.6 seconds in the red light. I appealed explaining the circumstances, but the appeal was dismissed. Them's the breaks, I had to take it on the chin. 

[old man emu]

The rules for traffic lights say that if it's amber, you must stop unless doing so would cause a collision to your rear. If you notice, when the light goes red to you, all traffic stops for about 3 seconds before any other light goes green. 

 

The way to escape Spacey's "one second in the red" is to always consider that a green light is 'stale' and could change to amber while you are within stopping distance. By the way, on a level road, typical of urban street, a stop with fully locked wheels from 60 kph takes about 16 metres, plus about 24 metres reaction time. I'll ignore ABS and call the 16 metres the worst case scenario. Thererefore, if you are within 40 metres of the stop line when the light changes to amber, you can continue on. Further than that, start stopping.

[facthunter]

Some lights are sudden death and stay green for only a short time and  perhaps only 3 cars can safely cross before the Light goes RED. This is done to regulate traffic I'm Informed. Pretty difficult IF you aren't familiar with THAT particular Intersection . Nev

[spacesailor]

I agree , the Amber I thought, to give me three seconds only stayed on for two seconds .

With the two seconds of green , I should have floored it , and risk loosing control

Dawdled I did ! , thinking I had a second up my sleeve. 

not happy Jan !.

spacesailor

[onetrack]

In W.A., the red light camera is activated at the stop line at the lights at the start of the intersection. You only get booked for a red light infringement if your back wheels cross that line when the light is red. If the light is still amber when you pass over the intersection stop line, you have no fear of getting a red light infringement. If the light turns red 0.0001 second after your wheels pass over the line, you're safe.

 

If you're turning right and sitting in the middle of the intersection waiting to make the turn, you cannot get booked for a red light infringement, even if the light turns red when you're parked there.

Many a time you have to wait to see if the cars coming from the opposite direction are going to stop, so you have to wait until after the light turns red before you finish your right turn.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Wow I never knew roundabouts were so contentious

 

Hope you don't come across this in Swindon: 

 

Like the Greeks, France's rule is those in the roundabout have to gove wsy to those entering it.

I have driven the Arch de Triumph roundabout. One of the scariest road experiences yet

 

[onetrack]

I've driven through Basingstoke and survived! Basingstoke isn't called "Doughnut City" for nothing!

[spacesailor]

I got lost in the " Birmingham Bullring " , and that's no bull !.   ( 1963 ish ) .

Just couldn't find that left turn  , without a no exit  sign .

When all the traffic had come to a halt the police directed  us 'lost ' drivers out a " no exit road  "

Going against the sign .

spacesailor