Red lights are the new Stop signs?

[Ixion]

The morons who decide these things have completely changed the logic of yellow lines. They *used* to signal "Although this bit of road looks like a good place to overtake, beware, it's not. There is some hidden danger". Used sparingly thus, they were respected (by me , anyway).

Now , the morons have them signal, as for instance on SH2, now a yellow line from end to end, "we , the power tripping, who know nothing of you or your vehicles capabilities, don't want you to overtake. Not here, not there, not anywhere in fact. Stay in line like a good little sheep".

Overuse=abuse. I now ignore them because they tell me nothing useful. Which is a pity, because I no longer have the useful "this bit is more dangerous than it looks" message.

[Grahameeboy]

the other thing is the pedestrian phase is crazy long, a bloody slug could evolve and then walk across in the time they last for! Now I have watched an old guy with a walking frame get across the diagonal at a set of lights as slow as buggery and still got across half way through the phase

Guess he rushed knowing you would not stop........

.....and I thouht Kiwis were laid back, no worry's types....geeze some of ya are begining to sound like cagers

[Al]

waiting on a red arrow for 5 mins while there is no oncoming traffic etc is just dumb

Unfortunately my wife found out that it is $150 for doing the look and go on the red arrow!

Al

[Zed]

the other thing is the pedestrian phase is crazy long, a bloody slug could evolve and then walk across in the time they last for! Now I have watched an old guy with a walking frame get across the diagonal at a set of lights as slow as buggery and still got across half way through the phase

Lol, reminds me of the attached file (been on KB b4 i think?), blimmin hillarious!

As for going thru red lights, i have done it a few times on the bike but only very late and night with no other vehicles anywhere in sight, having waited for a least 20 secs for the stoppid thing to change before going thru!

[Keystone19]

Traffic lights are simply a means of controlling the way we think, act and behave.

[Finn]

You need to remind yourself!!

I guess the choice is yours Finn and no one can take that away from you...except a car when you run a red light I guess.....

It's no more dangerous than going through a stop sign. Same rules apply. Of course I'm not talking about major intersections, just pointless traffic light intersections. Most of my "give way reds" are when I'm turning.

[pritch]

I don't normally go through red lights. Maybe late at night if there was no other traffic and even then only after stopping.

To get to my street there is an arrow permitting a right turn and if the way is clear I will ignore that if it's red. Got stopped by a mufti once, and in answer to his question said, "Well there was nothing coming."

The officer informed me that he felt that was like saying there's nobody about so it'll be OK to speed.

I thought, you're telling that to the wrong guy...
But I Kept my mouth shut and he let me off with a warning.

I still do it, but not as frequently these days.

[Grahameeboy]

It's no more dangerous than going through a stop sign. Same rules apply. Of course I'm not talking about major intersections, just pointless traffic light intersections. Most of my "give way reds" are when I'm turning.

You are a worry Mr Finn........

[denill]

It's funny though, how all the nit-picky irrational road safety measures turn us into law-breakers. I would never have considered passing on yellow lines once. Now the proliferation of them in totally inappropriate places makes you ignore them. (on a bike that is)

So I sense that they may be a consensus here for a rule that allows - 'free to turn left on a red light IF able to do so safely', with the onus on the turner.

Don't hold your breath for such forward thinking from the rule makers. They still think the smart thing to do is to give way to right turning traffic when turning left??? Overseas visitors must raise their eyebrows with that one..........

[Karma]

You gotta be joking right denill??

"with the onus on the turner" don't think so somehow.

I'd rather stop and wait at a set of traffic lights than deal with plebs who can't drive on something like the Panmure roundabout.

[denill]

You gotta be joking right denill??
"with the onus on the turner" don't think so somehow.
I'd rather stop and wait at a set of traffic lights than deal with plebs who can't drive on something like the Panmure roundabout.

Ummm, did you miss something Weasel?? The road is clear - WHEN you decide to turn left.............

[Grahameeboy]

You gotta be joking right denill??

"with the onus on the turner" don't think so somehow.

I'd rather stop and wait at a set of traffic lights than deal with plebs who can't drive on something like the Panmure roundabout.

I agree toilet idea "with onus on the turner".....just adding to an already frequent hazard.........I think he is in deniel.......

[Grahameeboy]

Ummm, did you miss something Weasel?? The road is clear - WHEN you decide to turn left.............

yeah so why do people have accidents........."it was clear when I looked, he just appeared from no where".......

[Lou Girardin]

Having done some work for NSCC Lou, I can say that a lot of them aren't anally rentitive if you know what I mean. Stupid, uneducated, institutionalised, bad dress sense, ugly, narrow mined, low IQ yes, but I'd say they'd be quite partial to a bit of sausage.

And they'd retain it.
They sound like the civil servants of old.

[Lou Girardin]

So I sense that they may be a consensus here for a rule that allows - 'free to turn left on a red light IF able to do so safely', with the onus on the turner.

Don't hold your breath for such forward thinking from the rule makers. They still think the smart thing to do is to give way to right turning traffic when turning left??? Overseas visitors must raise their eyebrows with that one..........

THey tried it at two intersections on the Shore in the 70's. The results were "inconclusive". So they changed the Give Way rules instead.