Do main road traffic lights need to give priority?

jimmo

B0bbyEwing said:

After an issue with a couple sets of lights as a cyclist (they wont turn green at all unless a car comes behind me) 

In my teenage years, pushbikes were not heavy enough to trigger the traffic light sensors in the road so, if no cars etc were around we used to have to stop and stamp on the censor pads to get the lights to change.

Not much seems to have changed in 60 years.

sevenhills

I do sometimes wonder when traffic lights only let four cars through, whether it could be more efficient.
If they only stay on green for 10/12 seconds and then leave a 4 second gap for the other traffic.
Surely at least 20 seconds on green would be better? 

B0bbyEwing

jimmo said:

B0bbyEwing said:

After an issue with a couple sets of lights as a cyclist (they wont turn green at all unless a car comes behind me) 

In my teenage years, pushbikes were not heavy enough to trigger the traffic light sensors in the road so, if no cars etc were around we used to have to stop and stamp on the censor pads to get the lights to change.

Not much seems to have changed in 60 years.

At least a stamp would change yours. 
The last time I hit these lights (which I've now reported btw & they're "looking into it") I actually jumped up & down in the cut out section - still no good.

So like many things it looks like it's been changed for the worse. 

Unless of course your stamp was more forceful  

sevenhills said:

I do sometimes wonder when traffic lights only let four cars through, whether it could be more efficient.
If they only stay on green for 10/12 seconds and then leave a 4 second gap for the other traffic.
Surely at least 20 seconds on green would be better? 

There's a set around here at a crossroads which are pretty annoying. They have a sequence where they'll turn green & let quite a few through but this is followed by the next time they turn green they let literally 2 cars through before changing to red again.

I just think - why bother? Let the other lights be on green a little longer, let these stay on red a little longer & when they eventually turn to green they can be on it for a reasonable amount of time. Letting 2 cars through when there's another 30 behind is just pointless with the time you then have to wait for the others to turn to green again then go red again then wait again before yours turn back to green again.