The Student Room Group

No red lights at night

Portsmouth are considering using flashing amber lights at night to stop drivers having to wait at a red light when there's no one else on the road. You would stop at the flashing amber light, look around, then proceed if safe to do so. Is this a good idea?

A problem I see is that a lot of drivers are used to amber meaning the same as green, except if there's a pedestrian on the road - it is assumed that other traffic directions have a red light so the driver can go through the flashing amber light without worry. If this were to happen to two cars at a junction - which the driver may be unable to determine due to the darkness - the results could be fatal. To resolve this, would allowing drivers to treat a red light as a stop sign at night work? Perhaps to make it obvious what the traffic signal means (Is it night yet? Or still daytime meaning?), showing a flashing red light would be clear.

My issue is that a flashing amber already has a meaning, and a lot of drivers see it as a 'safe to proceed' signal, which, if this proposal is implemented without proper education, could lead to severe accidents. Any thoughts?

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Reply 1
Well why not have flashing red then, to mean the same as a Stop Sign?
Reply 2
But doesn't that just encourage them to jump lights even more? When I pick my mum up from work at night I always stop at red lights and I'm surprised to see so many other drivers around me going through them anyway because they're too impatient to wait. I'm pretty sure they'd be quite a few idiots who will see the flashing amber and won't check properly or bother to stop and assume it's clear.

What will be the major pro? That it cuts down on a few minutes driving time? I'd rather it stay red and lower the risk people of running into someone or another car.
(edited 13 years ago)
Just put sensors on the traffic lights? in Oxfordshire you just slow down a bit and assuming there's noone else coming the lights turn for you...
Reply 4
How about leave it as it is and make drivers wait 5 seconds or so for the lights to go green? ****ing retards. Political correctness gone mad.
Reply 5
It's a brilliant idea and has been needed for a long time. I hope it gets spread to other counties soon, as having been a delivery driver and working until the small hours of the morning I know all too well the feeling of sitting behind a red light with an empty road infront of me. As long as it is publicised well what the flashing amber means it will improve traffic flow at night, and for once drivers will be encouraged to think for themselves instead of following the nanny state of go now or stop now.
Reply 6
Original post by mrcog
Well why not have flashing red then, to mean the same as a Stop Sign?

Yeah, I'd go for that as a better option.
Original post by KJane
But doesn't that just encourage them to jump lights even more? When I pick my mum up from work at night I always stop at red lights and I'm surprised to see so many other drivers around me going through them anyway because they're too impatient to wait. I'm pretty sure they'd be quite a few idiots who will see the flashing amber and won't check properly or bother to stop and assume it's clear.

It's not jumping the light if it's legal :wink:
What will be the major pro? That it cuts down on a few minutes driving time? I'd rather it stay red and lower the risk people of running into someone or another car.

Pretty much. You could also factor in some green argument. Thing is, if everyone knows what they're doing, the risk of an accident is no higher than a driver on a main road and someone pulling out from a sideroad or a pedestrian running across the road.
Original post by Pwn4g3_P13
Just put sensors on the traffic lights? in Oxfordshire you just slow down a bit and assuming there's noone else coming the lights turn for you...

That's a good idea. Might be a bit expensive to redo all traffic lights though. Changing what lights flash and when is probably easier. There's one like that where I live, but I think they only installed it because it's a bus route.
Original post by Broderss
How about leave it as it is and make drivers wait 5 seconds or so for the lights to go green? ****ing retards. Political correctness gone mad.

I think you're exaggerating and need to calm down. Or sleep.
Original post by MovingOn
It's a brilliant idea and has been needed for a long time. I hope it gets spread to other counties soon, as having been a delivery driver and working until the small hours of the morning I know all too well the feeling of sitting behind a red light with an empty road infront of me. As long as it is publicised well what the flashing amber means it will improve traffic flow at night, and for once drivers will be encouraged to think for themselves instead of following the nanny state of go now or stop now.

Do you think drivers would stop at a flashing amber, even if told to? I feel some might forget, having probably been going through flashing yellows for years (or decades!). A better option would be to have a new signal (like a flashing red, or red and green lights simultaneously or something) so no one would lapse back to old habits.
I think they use this system in some parts of Leicester, and it seems to work fine. However, I only really travel on buses around the city, so it could be that the busdrivers just know the quirks of their routes.
Reply 8
They use this system successfully in parts of europe - people are quite capable of managing not to crash into each other at crossroads where there is good visibility.

The expense of installing a new traffic light control system is probably quite incredible though - out of proportion to the benefit.
Reply 9
Original post by Broderss
How about leave it as it is and make drivers wait 5 seconds or so for the lights to go green? ****ing retards. Political correctness gone mad.


Although I agree that it should just be left as it is, what has this got to do with political correctness:confused:
Reply 10
Drivers are rather smarter than we give them credit for. There has never been any serious investigation into the continuing government policy of slapping signposts and instructions at every spare point along the road - I suspect if there was, they'd start to change their outlook on the issue. In certain circumstances, it would even save lives.

Where there is no oncoming traffic, there is no justifiable reason for stopping at a traffic light.
Reply 11
Original post by L i b
Drivers are rather smarter than we give them credit for...


That may well be the case for the majority but there's definitely a substantial minority of careless/brainless/aggressive drivers out there whose potential to do harm on the road is so great that it too easily, if unfortunately, cancels out the idea of giving drivers more freedom in general terms.
Reply 12
the way people drive round here stopping at red lights seems to be optional anyway.
:facepalm: If it ain't broke don't try to fix it.
Things are fine as they are, there is no need to change it.
I think that it would encourage people not to stop even more! It would definitely confuse me as it's harder to tell the distance and speed of another car at night.

I think they should install sensors at the lights, like what they have done in Bucks, making them change if no-one else is crossing in the other direction. Seems a lot safer to me!
Reply 15
Original post by thunder_chunky
:facepalm: If it ain't broke don't try to fix it.
Things are fine as they are, there is no need to change it.


How many times have you been stuck at a red light at night, with no one else for miles? It's common sense that it's safe for you to drive through the red light.
Original post by 94_confessions
I think that it would encourage people not to stop even more! It would definitely confuse me as it's harder to tell the distance and speed of another car at night.

Then slow down/stop until you're sure :tongue:

I think they should install sensors at the lights, like what they have done in Bucks, making them change if no-one else is crossing in the other direction. Seems a lot safer to me!


You'd trust a sensor more than whether or not you can see another car's headlights?
Reply 16
Original post by Hopple
Portsmouth are considering using flashing amber lights at night to stop drivers having to wait at a red light when there's no one else on the road. You would stop at the flashing amber light, look around, then proceed if safe to do so. Is this a good idea?

A problem I see is that a lot of drivers are used to amber meaning the same as green, except if there's a pedestrian on the road - it is assumed that other traffic directions have a red light so the driver can go through the flashing amber light without worry. If this were to happen to two cars at a junction - which the driver may be unable to determine due to the darkness - the results could be fatal. To resolve this, would allowing drivers to treat a red light as a stop sign at night work? Perhaps to make it obvious what the traffic signal means (Is it night yet? Or still daytime meaning?), showing a flashing red light would be clear.

My issue is that a flashing amber already has a meaning, and a lot of drivers see it as a 'safe to proceed' signal, which, if this proposal is implemented without proper education, could lead to severe accidents. Any thoughts?


That's already happening at places in Germany. It happens in some part of Frankfurt and I am for this if the traffic in that area is very little.
Reply 17
Original post by muffingg
That's already happening at places in Germany. It happens in some part of Frankfurt and I am for this if the traffic in that area is very little.


It went on when I lived in Germany ten years ago, the difference is that in Germany people tend to follow the rules of the road religiously, where over here I imagine it would become a bit of a free for all if there happened to be a bit of traffic about.
Original post by Hopple

Then slow down/stop until you're sure :tongue:

You'd trust a sensor more than whether or not you can see another car's headlights?


But the point of the flashing amber lights, is so that you don't have to stop if you don't see any lights. However, when driving at night, especially on a supposedly empty road where people speed, it's harder to judge whether you'd be able to cross the junction in time to miss the other car.

I would trust a sensor more, as at least then I know that if the lights were green, the other car have the red light and so would have to stop.
Don't see why something to this effect can't happen, although as suggested it should be a flashing red light seeing as flashing amber already has a meaning. Alternatively you could make this more useful by linking the system to some kind of traffic sensor that switches to a "free flow" mode out of peak hours in daylight.

I'd also like all streetlights to be turned off after 12pm, at least off of A-roads and Motorways.
(edited 13 years ago)

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