Red lights and other urban myths

[Scuba_Steve]

Fun fact: I have never passed an AA eye test. Truly.

I have. But I won't have to any more, I goto the doctor for that now

[Jay GTI]

Well I never. I get a mouthful about how I as a revenue collecting bastard, and that he thought a warning would have sufficed.

Just out of interest, over the years you've been dishing out tickets, do you think the overall attitude towards you from the general public has changed?

You often vent your frustration on here of the continued bringing up of quotas and revenue collection when you're doing your job, but I am insterested in whether, from your point of view, this is more prevalent now than 5 or 10 years ago, or more.

[Badjelly]

...Maybe 50 metres down the road. Thing is, he had to go the wrong way down Montreal to get there. Which is exactly what he did as I watched....

That reminds me. When I was a lad, my brother-in-law (I could see then he was a no-hoper; he's long gone) used to routinely reverse about 100 m down the one-way street he and my sister lived on to get to their house. He explained to me that this was OK, because though the car was moving the wrong way it was facing the right way. I was a bit dubious about this, but I've always wondered: is there any legal basis to it?

[oneofsix]

That reminds me. When I was a lad, my brother-in-law (I could see then he was a no-hoper; he's long gone) used to routinely reverse about 100 m down the one-way street he and my sister lived on to get to their house. He explained to me that this was OK, because though the car was moving the wrong way it was facing the right way. I was a bit dubious about this, but I've always wondered: is there any legal basis to it?

Funny that as I remember being told if you wanted to back down the road you had to back with the traffic flow, the opposite of your ex-brother-in-law. Also told it was illegal to reverse out of driveways.
I can't see it being safe reversing into traffic, be safer driving the wrong way.

[rastuscat]

Funny that as I remember being told if you wanted to back down the road you had to back with the traffic flow, the opposite of your ex-brother-in-law. Also told it was illegal to reverse out of driveways.
I can't see it being safe reversing into traffic, be safer driving the wrong way.

Yes. The signs say 'One Way', they don't say 'Cars Must Point Toward This Direction'.

When I was a little baby traffic Popo on my R80RT I found a dude driving the wrong way in Hobson Street, Orkers. Big wide one way street.

I said 'You're going the wrong way'

He said, 'You don't know where I'm going, how can you know I'm going the wrong way?'

I said 'No, no, this is a one way street'

He said 'It's okay, I'm only going one way'.

I recall him driving off with no ticket.

[scumdog]

Just out of interest, over the years you've been dishing out tickets, do you think the overall attitude towards you from the general public has changed?

You often vent your frustration on here of the continued bringing up of quotas and revenue collection when you're doing your job, but I am insterested in whether, from your point of view, this is more prevalent now than 5 or 10 years ago, or more.

Fifteen fuckin' years.

90% are fuckwits wot should not ever be on the road.

The other 10% wot THINK they should be on the road should never, ever be behind the wheel or handle-bars....

OK, I've had a Bourbon or two...

[Scuba_Steve]

RC you at some point mentioned when it came to traffic lights the law now said "yellow" instead of "amber" (I would search back & find it but I'm too lazy)
Just looking through the law (unrelated) I came across the fine for "Driver enters controlled area when yellow signal displayed" I assume this is what you were talking about???

Now here's the problem... I have yet to see a yellow traffic light. Amber yes, orange it can be passed as, but yellow So really they've given you no legal way to issue tickets for this offence. Sure the system being corrupt as it is you'll still issue them, the judges will still side with the cops & things will still continue as usual until "one of the boys" or a "famous" person is up for it. But legally there's no leg to stand on, "yellow" & "amber" are 2 different colours... Why did they even change it??? amber was fine, do they plan on changing all the amber lights to yellow in the near future???

I'm not saying people should now go out & run amber lights cause there's no law surrounding them now, I'm questioning why the retards in charge have screwed up a perfectly fine law & for what???
I'm not expecting anyone to know the answer, more just a rant about how NZ's ultimate retards have screwed decent piece of law into becoming useless (legally speaking).

[rastuscat]

RC you at some point mentioned when it came to traffic lights the law now said "yellow" instead of "amber" (I would search back & find it but I'm too lazy)
Just looking through the law (unrelated) I came across the fine for "Driver enters controlled area when yellow signal displayed" I assume this is what you were talking about???

Now here's the problem... I have yet to see a yellow traffic light. Amber yes, orange it can be passed as, but yellow So really they've given you no legal way to issue tickets for this offence. Sure the system being corrupt as it is you'll still issue them, the judges will still side with the cops & things will still continue as usual until "one of the boys" or a "famous" person is up for it. But legally there's no leg to stand on, "yellow" & "amber" are 2 different colours... Why did they even change it??? amber was fine, do they plan on changing all the amber lights to yellow in the near future???

I'm not saying people should now go out & run amber lights cause there's no law surrounding them now, I'm questioning why the retards in charge have screwed up a perfectly fine law & for what???
I'm not expecting anyone to know the answer, more just a rant about how NZ's ultimate retards have screwed decent piece of law into becoming useless (legally speaking).

Yeah, the one at the top is red, the one at the bottom is yellow, and as far as I'm concerned, the one in the middle is orange. Yellow? Not in this town.

I have had fun at times, when I see someone run a red, I stop them and they say it was orange. I say "Yeah, the dark orange one at the top of the tree".

Like your rant tho, I totally agree. Can't see why they were orange, then amber, then yellow. Amber is the colour reserved for mid-strength beer.

[5150]

Yeah, the one at the top is red, the one at the bottom is yellow, and as far as I'm concerned, the one in the middle is orange. Yellow? Not in this town.

I have had fun at times, when I see someone run a red, I stop them and they say it was orange. I say "Yeah, the dark orange one at the top of the tree".

Like your rant tho, I totally agree. Can't see why they were orange, then amber, then yellow. Amber is the colour reserved for mid-strength beer.

Would "Sorry officer, I am colour-blind" excuse work?

[baffa]

RC and Scummy, what would your take be on a bike treating a red light like a stop light when there is no visible traffic?
Reason I ask, is I have found some traffic lights dont sense bikes, so you sit through several phases waiting for your turn, hoping that a car will drive up behind you, until you eventually say fuq it, I'm just going to go.
I appreciate your southern hospitality might differ to the local police in Auckland, but if you saw someone doing this, what would you do? Ticket them for not sitting there for an hour or two until a car drives past?

[rastuscat]

RC and Scummy, what would your take be on a bike treating a red light like a stop light when there is no visible traffic?
Reason I ask, is I have found some traffic lights dont sense bikes, so you sit through several phases waiting for your turn, hoping that a car will drive up behind you, until you eventually say fuq it, I'm just going to go.
I appreciate your southern hospitality might differ to the local police in Auckland, but if you saw someone doing this, what would you do? Ticket them for not sitting there for an hour or two until a car drives past?

If it happens, put your bike on the side stand, and go press the pedestrian button that goes in your direction. I can amlmost guarantee that, Murphys Law being what it is, as soon as you put the stand down and step off the bike the lights will change. If not, they'll change after you press the button.

Some Popos are more sympathetic than others. That's life. I wouldn't tag you for it, but a lot would. It's almost inevitable that you sat there foir 7 minutes, but you go through about 3 seconds after the cop turns up and catches you.

Just my end-of-shift musings.

[Parlane]

RC and Scummy, what would your take be on a bike treating a red light like a stop light when there is no visible traffic?
Reason I ask, is I have found some traffic lights dont sense bikes, so you sit through several phases waiting for your turn, hoping that a car will drive up behind you, until you eventually say fuq it, I'm just going to go.
I appreciate your southern hospitality might differ to the local police in Auckland, but if you saw someone doing this, what would you do? Ticket them for not sitting there for an hour or two until a car drives past?

There's a wee little law somewhere that says that if the traffic lights are not working, then giveway rules apply. So if it's not detecting you, then it is not working. Hence give way rules! Obviously you would have to stick around foir atleast a couple of minutes before you can declare it to be malfunctioning!

[rastuscat]

Not sure how I feel about being called RC. I'm not normally arsey until quite late on a late shift.

[Scuba_Steve]

Not sure how I feel about being called RC. I'm not normally arsey until quite late on a late shift.

What's wrong with RC??? just outta interest. everyone likes their abbreviations less typing that way

[baffa]

What's wrong with RC??? just outta interest. everyone likes their abbreviations less typing that way

You only say that because you wish you could have been part of the secret police