What are you meant to do if a traffic light is stuck on red?

TimothyEBaldwin

"proceed with great care" - Highway code rule 167 http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070332

That said it seems a lot of drivers think they should not pass a red traffic light, the highway code clearly says otherwise.

The rule on a railway is to phone the signaler using (in most areas) the phone on the signal post.

pitkin2020

TimothyEBaldwin wrote: »

"proceed with great care" - Highway code rule 167 http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070332

That said it seems a lot of drivers think they should not pass a red traffic light, the highway code clearly says otherwise.

The rule on a railway is to phone the signaler using (in most areas) the phone on the signal post.

Rule 167 is about overtaking??

Did you mean 176
...If the traffic lights are not working, treat the situation as you would an unmarked junction and proceed with great care.

Badger_Lady

All of this is fine if you're familiar with the junction and can recognise that the red light is stuck on. But much harder if you're a stranger to the area.

There's a crossroad controlled by traffic lights at the bottom of my hill. One of the 'legs' of the cross is so quiet that it only goes green once every 8 minutes. It's an incredibly long time to sit there looking at a red light, but it is normal and the queue is never more than ten cars long.

So if you're not a regular user of the junction in question, how long do you wait before 'proceeding with caution'?

Mrs_Arcanum

TimothyEBaldwin wrote: »

"proceed with great care" - Highway code rule 167 http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_070332

That said it seems a lot of drivers think they should not pass a red traffic light, the highway code clearly says otherwise.

The rule on a railway is to phone the signaler using (in most areas) the phone on the signal post.

To be fair though, there is for some people ambiguity between not going through a red light (there is a corresponding green light opposite) & the signals not working (no lights at all).

mancitychick

We should have traffic lights like some I have seen in Bangkok, countdown clock in seconds telling you how long till they turn green (normally a couple of hundred seconds)!

ariba10

pitkin2020 wrote: »

Rule 167 is about overtaking??

Did you mean 176
...If the traffic lights are not working, treat the situation as you would an unmarked junction and proceed with great care.

But they are working, but not properly.

If you do go through and you are involved in an accident. Guess who will be prosecuted?

shaun_from_Africa

mancitychick wrote: »

We should have traffic lights like some I have seen in Bangkok, countdown clock in seconds telling you how long till they turn green (normally a couple of hundred seconds)!

Not a good idea.
I seen these in a couple of places in Africa, and all that happens is that they encourage red light jumping as people know exactly when they are going to change so pull away a few seconds early.

mancitychick

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

Not a good idea.
I seen these in a couple of places in Africa, and all that happens is that they encourage red light jumping as people know exactly when they are going to change so pull away a few seconds early.

To be fair on the junctions they have them on in Bangkok they change and no one moves because it's so congested!

shaun_from_Africa

TimothyEBaldwin wrote: »

That said it seems a lot of drivers think they should not pass a red traffic light, the highway code clearly says otherwise.

The highway code actually says the exact opposite and states:

You MUST NOT move forward over the white line when the red light is showing.

The capitalised and bold "MUST NOT" is how it appears in the HC, and this means

Many of the rules in the Code are legal requirements, and if you disobey these rules you are committing a criminal offence. You may be fined, given penalty points on your licence or be disqualified from driving. In the most serious cases you may be sent to prison. Such rules are identified by the use of the words ‘MUST/MUST NOT’

As ariba10 stated, the lights are working, just not working correctly.
I would also proceed against the red light, but knowing that I would probably be acting illegally and may well have to defend my actions in court if I was prosecuted.

pitkin2020

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

The highway code actually says the exact opposite and states:


The capitalised and bold "MUST NOT" is how it appears in the HC, and this means



As ariba10 stated, the lights are working, just not working correctly.
I would also proceed against the red light, but knowing that I would probably be acting illegally and may well have to defend my actions in court if I was prosecuted.

The lights aren't working. They are stuck and if its clear they are stuck then how can you say they are working. Traffic lights are to stop traffic and allow traffic to go, if they aren't doing that then technically they are not working.