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

shaun_from_Africa

mancitychick wrote: »

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

The main place I encounted them was Libya, and it's had enough to get most Libyans to stop on a red light in the first place, so when they see the chance to pull away a few seconds early, pretty much everyone takes it.
I lost count of the number of near misses I had when going through a green light, a 4WD appeared in front of me from nowhere.
If a taxi stopped and had a Libyian driver behind, they would think nothing of simply driving around (on either side) so they could continue their journey because as far as many of them were concerned, red lights only apply to others.

shaun_from_Africa

The lights aren't working. They are stuck and if its clear they are stuck then how can you say they are working.

I wonder how many drivers would simply wait a couple of minutes on a red, then decide that they have taken too long to change so must be knackered.
Some multiple entry/exit junctions can take a fair while for the lights to go from red to green, and if someone hadn't driven there before, they may well think that there is a problem with them.

If common sense was always applied when deciding to prosecute someone for a motoring offence, it would be easier for people to decide whether to go through a red light if they thought there was a problem, but unfortunately, this isn't always the case nowadays.

It's like pulling through a red light or entering a bus lane to let an emergency vehicle pass.
I know that there have only been a few people prosecuted for this, (and I think some of them later had their penalties quashed)
http://menmedia.co.uk/tamesideadvertiser/news/s/1129899_999_call_sparks_red_light_row
but if common sense wasn't applied in these cases, who knows what may happen if a red light isn't working properly and you are seen going through red by a police car.

cyclonebri1

There really is no problem, provided red light cameras are absent.


Crawl forwards, prepare to duck but/and if it's still clear, clear off.
Or sit there till tommorrow???