Magistrate insanity

In uk.rec.motorcycles CT wrote:
frag wrote:

Also cars very rarely jump red lights round here.

Blimey! I see several cars jump red lights several times a day.

It depends where you drive.
In Bristol and parts of London lights have a different meaning :-
Green = go
Yellow = hurry up
Red = just 3 more cars and/or turn right.
After that the cars stop but the cyclists just keep riding with their
eyes closed.

--
03 GS500K2
76 Honda 400/4 project
68 Bantam D14/4 Sport (Classic)
06 Sukida SK50QT (Slanty eyed shopping trolley)

On 31 Jan, 23:24, Wicked Uncle Nigel
wrote:
Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Wicked Uncle
Nigel typed





Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, David Hansen
typed
On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:08:05 -0000 someone who may be "Beav"
wrote this:-

I've *never* been overtaken at a red light by a car so desperate to get
through that he's overtaken and jumped the lights. Mind you, I've only been
driving/riding for 44 years so it'll probably happen tomorrow.

I have seen motorists overtaking other motorists and cyclists in
order to go past red traffic lights. I have seen this more than
once.

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off
the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the
Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in
rain. Time to die.

G

Two minds with but a single thought.

Between them.

You are of one mind. Half a mind apiece

--
Malc

On 1 Feb, 11:00, wrote:


It depends where you drive.
In Bristol and parts of London lights have a different meaning :-
Green = go
Yellow = hurry up
Red = just 3 more cars and/or turn right.
After that the cars stop but the cyclists just keep riding with their
eyes closed.

Yup, seems about right. A bit like the indicators on cars in Coventry
when I lived there a few years back. The indicator means "Look I just
turned left/right!"

--
Malc

On 1 Feb 2010 10:51:06 GMT someone who may be "CT"
wrote this:-

Also cars very rarely jump red lights round here.

Blimey! I see several cars jump red lights several times a day.

One in ten motorists do so, according to the RAC some years ago
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/breakfast/3005652.stm.

IIRC a light was only considered to be red for motorists after it
had been red for a few seconds (3 or 5 seconds ring a bell). Had
they actually recorded the true figures they would be higher.



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000...#pt3-pb3-l1g54

JMS wrote:
I think I will write to the Ministry of Justice and suggest that all
magistrates should be reminded...

I'm sure they'll be grateful for your wisdom.

BugBear

CT wrote:
frag wrote:

Also cars very rarely jump red lights round here.

Blimey! I see several cars jump red lights several times a day.

The lights change
quite quickly, people set off when the light changes to green quite
quickly. Anyone jumping a red light has an extremely high chance of
having a serious accident.

When I'm on the motorbike, and waiting on a red, I have trained myself
to wait until green, *then* double check no-one's jumping the red
before proceeding. When I first started commuting through NW London
and around the home counties, I had several near misses as I'd gone
quickly on green, only to have some **** jump the red.

And it's definitely not an un-common occurrence.

I know one set of lights on a dual (A64) where people go through late on the
red (at speed), other than that I very rarely see cars shooting the red. In
fact the only woeful driving I see with regularity is 'tards going too
slowly, causing the traffic to bunch and get reckless in passing.

--
Hog

In article , David Hansen
writes

IIRC a light was only considered to be red for motorists after it
had been red for a few seconds (3 or 5 seconds ring a bell). Had
they actually recorded the true figures they would be higher.

No, I am afraid that is complete and utter ****ing bollox. A red light
is a red light from the moment it turns red, the very instant, not some
arbitrary value placed on it by you or some other idiot.



--
steve auvache

"David Hansen" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 20:08:05 -0000 someone who may be "Beav"
wrote this:-

I've *never* been overtaken at a red light by a car so desperate to get
through that he's overtaken and jumped the lights. Mind you, I've only
been
driving/riding for 44 years so it'll probably happen tomorrow.

I have seen motorists overtaking other motorists and cyclists in
order to go past red traffic lights. I have seen this more than
once.

Yeah, but you're in porridgewogland aintcha?

--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

"ogden" wrote in message
...
Wicked Uncle Nigel wrote:
Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Wicked Uncle
Nigel typed
Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, David Hansen
typed
I have seen motorists overtaking other motorists and cyclists in
order to go past red traffic lights. I have seen this more than
once.

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off
the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the
Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in
rain. Time to die.

G

Two minds with but a single thought.

Between them.

And even then, not an original one.

But one had better punctuation.


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

In article , Phil W Lee
writes
frag considered Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:24:09 -0000 the
perfect time to write:

Phil W Lee took a blunt brush and painted...
frag considered Fri, 29 Jan 2010 20:59:11 -0000 the
perfect time to write:

took a blunt brush and painted...

When many more motorists do exactly the same they are not always
hauled up. They have to be observed and caught first. My guess is the
magistrate is aware that cyclists are vulnerable road users who do
those things to avoid being killed by drivers.

Please explain how failing to cycle through a red light would result in
death.

Any time the motor vehicle behind you decides to run the red.
This is true of the first few motor vehicles after the red light at
many junctions and crossings - you have to wait for a law abiding one
to block the others, and even they get rammed from behind with
alarming frequency.

*boggle* Where on earth do you live?

UK

Where I live if my light has turned to red I know the lights in the
intersecting lane have turned to green.

No, they wait for a while before turning the other lights green.
They always did provide a small buffer

No they didn't. The all red phase is a relatively new introduction into
traffic signal phasing and has come about as a result of the high cost
to the taxpayer of too many accidents from hopefuls trying their luck
during either the starting or leaving amber phases. Strangely it works
out cheaper on the public purse to keep you all at a standstill for an
extra 2 seconds at every change rather than to sweep up the bodies once
a month.



(that's what the amber and
red/amber phases were for)

No, they are an indicator that you should stop immediately. Or, if
stopped, should continue to do so.


but lately they've had so many RLJs that
they have had to give an even longer gap, with all lights standing at
red for up to 3 seconds.

Nearly right. The default for an all red phase is 2 seconds but is
still a variable decided upon by local conditions. I have seen it as
long as 5 on a very wide junction with "a history" and you are unlikely
these days to see it less than 1 second.


This has the detrimental effect of teaching
motorists that they can get away with jumping at least the first few
seconds of red.

Yes and no, it is not about training but utter ****ing selfishness and a
total disregard for the consequences. FFS this thread is populated by
cyclists, you guys should understand this perfectly.


Ah, never mind - it must be some other United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland that's had to extend the period during which all
lights are red because of the number of people who keep going after
the lights have changed.

This is true.


--
steve auvache