Traffic engineers: braindead?

I had the misfortune to go to the local cycle forum last night, and I asked
a question about why the traffic lights on a roundabout couldn't be fitted
with louvres so that they could only be seen by the drivers in the lanes
they applied to. The response from the traffic engineers was that this
couldn't be done for safety reasons because drivers might slow up as they
approached the lights.

sound of head hitting brick wall, repeated until unconciousness

Pardon me, but isn't that what the Highway Code says you should do as you
approach traffic lights? i.e. be prepared to stop?

Why the F**k are we paying cretins like this? and how the hell did they get
jobs with any kind of responsibility in the first place?

--
cheers

Richard Burton

Following on from Rich's message. . .

Complain to Chief Executive of whatever authority and ask for a proper
explanation. Mark it "COMPLAINT".


I had the misfortune to go to the local cycle forum last night, and I asked
a question about why the traffic lights on a roundabout couldn't be fitted
with louvres so that they could only be seen by the drivers in the lanes
they applied to. The response from the traffic engineers was that this
couldn't be done for safety reasons because drivers might slow up as they
approached the lights.

sound of head hitting brick wall, repeated until unconciousness

Pardon me, but isn't that what the Highway Code says you should do as you
approach traffic lights? i.e. be prepared to stop?

Why the F**k are we paying cretins like this? and how the hell did they get
jobs with any kind of responsibility in the first place?


--
PETER FOX Not the same since the statuette business went bust

2 Tees Close, Witham, Essex.
Gravity beer in Essex http://www.eminent.demon.co.uk

"Rich" wrote:

I had the misfortune to go to the local cycle forum last night, and I
asked a question about why the traffic lights on a roundabout
couldn't be fitted with louvres so that they could only be seen by
the drivers in the lanes they applied to. The response from the
traffic engineers was that this couldn't be done for safety reasons
because drivers might slow up as they approached the lights.

sound of head hitting brick wall, repeated until unconciousness

Pardon me, but isn't that what the Highway Code says you should do as
you approach traffic lights? i.e. be prepared to stop?

Unless the lights are amber or red there should not be any need to slow down
for each set if they are correctly timed on the amber phase, in relation to
the prevailing speed limit.

Unless the lights are amber or red there should not be any need to
slow down for each set if they are correctly timed on the amber phase,
in relation to the prevailing speed limit.

I want to drive where you drive.

"Adrian Boliston" wrote in message
...

Unless the lights are amber or red there should not be any need to slow
down for each set if they are correctly timed on the amber phase, in
relation to the prevailing speed limit.

Amber periods are not set according to the speed limit.

"Rich" wrote in message
. uk...
I had the misfortune to go to the local cycle forum last night, and I asked
a question about why the traffic lights on a roundabout couldn't be fitted
with louvres so that they could only be seen by the drivers in the lanes
they applied to. The response from the traffic engineers was that this
couldn't be done for safety reasons because drivers might slow up as they
approached the lights.

sound of head hitting brick wall, repeated until unconciousness

Pardon me, but isn't that what the Highway Code says you should do as you
approach traffic lights? i.e. be prepared to stop?

Why the F**k are we paying cretins like this? and how the hell did they
get jobs with any kind of responsibility in the first place?



Having worked with highway engineers, the only way to understand them is to
realise that they are Not Of This Planet and are alien life-forms. It helps
to keep own sanity when dealing with them if you keep this at forefront of
mind.

Cheers, helen s



--
cheers

Richard Burton

Adrian Boliston wrote:


Unless the lights are amber or red there should not be any need to slow down
for each set if they are correctly timed on the amber phase, in relation to
the prevailing speed limit.


Except the length of the amber phase is not related to the prevailing
speed limit. In fact a review accepted that it was impossible in many
cases to stop within the amber phase standard period from the prevailing
speed limit. The solution? Not to lengthen the amber phase but to
lengthen the period at which both lights were red to allow those that
couldn't stop on amber to cross the junction safely on red!!!!



--
Tony

"A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought" Lord
Peter Wimsey (Dorothy L. Sayers)

On Thu, 12 May 2005 08:16:28 +0100, "Mark Hewitt"
wrote:


"Adrian Boliston" wrote in message
...

Unless the lights are amber or red there should not be any need to slow
down for each set if they are correctly timed on the amber phase, in
relation to the prevailing speed limit.

Amber periods are not set according to the speed limit.

He means the period between the last set of lights turning green, and the set
under discussion turning amber. If these are set 'correctly', someone who is
exceeding the speed limit will be caught at every light.

This cannot, of course, work in both directions on a stretch of road with
multiple juntion controlling lights.

The main problem with this phased approach (apart from the fact that they often
seem to get it wrong) is that it only takes one car driven by someone who
doesn't realise what's going on to screw up the whole system.

By exceeding the limit, he'll have to come to a stop (or slow down dramatically)
at each set of lights, ensuring that following traffic doesn't benefit from the
careful phsaing.

fitted
with louvres so that they could only be seen by the drivers in the
lanes
they applied to. The response from the traffic engineers was that
this
couldn't be done for safety reasons

Total ********! (pardon me) We have just that on a 4 lane monster where
I live.

BigRAb

in message , Rich
') wrote:

I had the misfortune to go to the local cycle forum last night, and I
asked a question about why the traffic lights on a roundabout couldn't
be fitted with louvres so that they could only be seen by the drivers
in the lanes
they applied to. The response from the traffic engineers was that
this couldn't be done for safety reasons because drivers might slow up
as they approached the lights.

sound of head hitting brick wall, repeated until unconciousness

Pardon me, but isn't that what the Highway Code says you should do as
you
approach traffic lights? i.e. be prepared to stop?

Why the F**k are we paying cretins like this? and how the hell did
they get jobs with any kind of responsibility in the first place?

I drove home from Edinburgh last night. Around Edinburgh (where I saw a
number of cycle commuters in heavy traffic), there were marked (dotted
line, no coloured tarmac) cycle lanes along many of the main roads, but
the cycle lane terminated about 20 metres before each roundabout and
started again immediately after each roundabout. As I came around the
Dumfries bypass (where I didn't see any cycle commuters, although I
know there are a few) I noted that there were no cycle lanes along the
main road but that marked (dotted line, red tarmac) cycle lanes started
about 20 metres before each roundabout and continued around the
perimeter of each roundabout (interrupted, of course, by the roads
entering the roundabout) to terminate immediately after the roundabout.

Explanations, please? (apart from 'braindead' or 'from another planet').

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; An enamorata is for life, not just for weekends.