mdooher: No, just follow the law as it is now, we don't need another law, and certainly not a law that requires a licence to install a portable tablet/GPS phone holder

Todays rant, people that pull forward and sit in front of the induction loops at traffic lights when the lights are on their nighttime wait mode. Three full rotations of the lights until they inched forward enough (onto the pedestrian crossing) that I was able to get enough of my car over the loops to trigger them. 

For those who don't know, often at night lights will leave one side (or a right turn arrow) on perpetual red to decrease wait times on the higher demand sections of an intersection. If you don't sit over the loop coils the lights won't know you're there and in their ignorance leave you there forever. 

CruciasNZ:

 

Todays rant, people that pull forward and sit in front of the induction loops at traffic lights when the lights are on their nighttime wait mode. Three full rotations of the lights until they inched forward enough (onto the pedestrian crossing) that I was able to get enough of my car over the loops to trigger them. 

 

For those who don't know, often at night lights will leave one side (or a right turn arrow) on perpetual red to decrease wait times on the higher demand sections of an intersection. If you don't sit over the loop coils the lights won't know you're there and in their ignorance leave you there forever. 

 

On that topic, if a motorcyclist moves forward over the line, they actually want you to move forward into that space. I know usually they prefer you to keep your distance, but motorcycles don't always trigger the loops and sometimes they just need something larger to sit on the plate.

Kyanar:

 

On that topic, if a motorcyclist moves forward over the line, they actually want you to move forward into that space. I know usually they prefer you to keep your distance, but motorcycles don't always trigger the loops and sometimes they just need something larger to sit on the plate.

 

Also remember it isn't pressure sensitive but an electromagnetic coil so you don't have to put the whole weight but a big part of the mass aligned with the wires.

I was stunned at the amount of idiots I came across in the Coromandel. But they were topped this weekend out near the Hunua Ranges when heading to the Mountain Bike Park...a dude in a Mitsi Ute passed several cars (including me) on blind corners, up hills and on narrow stretches, only to end up stopping not far from where I was going and nipping into the dairy...not 2 or 3 minutes ahead of me. He nearly caused several accidents, but I didn't call *555 or similar as I couldn't see his rear registration plate. 

CruciasNZ: Todays rant, people that pull forward and sit in front of the induction loops at traffic lights when the lights are on their nighttime wait mode

I remember induction loops. They were good. What part of the country are you in? Induction loops are increasingly rare in Auckland and the people you speak of might be visiting Aucklanders who know no better. Jesting aside, on my side of AK I know of multiple lights that no longer react to traffic and are just on dumb timed cycles, giving long greens to a direction that has zero traffic while giving silly short greens to the direction with heavy traffic etc.

No sure if this is due to maintenance budget cuts or a conscious policy but IMHO the fact that AK traffic lights are becoming so overtly dumb, is one of the contributing factors to the growing epidemic of red light running around here - people are increasingly treating a red light as a give-way sign.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/367725/running-red-lights-in-auckland-we-ve-got-to-change-the-culture

tripper1000:

 

I remember induction loops. They were good. What part of the country are you in? Induction loops are increasingly rare in Auckland and the people you speak of might be visiting Aucklanders who know no better. Jesting aside, on my side of AK I know of multiple lights that no longer react to traffic and are just on dumb timed cycles, giving long greens to a direction that has zero traffic while giving silly short greens to the direction with heavy traffic etc.

 

No sure if this is due to maintenance budget cuts or a conscious policy but IMHO the fact that AK traffic lights are becoming so overtly dumb, is one of the contributing factors to the growing epidemic of red light running around here - people are increasingly treating a red light as a give-way sign.

 

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/367725/running-red-lights-in-auckland-we-ve-got-to-change-the-culture

 

Here in Queensland (yes, I know, but still) every single light has an induction loop. Probably why it costs like $1m per kilometre of road but I digress... red light running is still endemic. Selfish people will be selfish people no matter how minor the inconvenience.

tripper1000:

 

No sure if this is due to maintenance budget cuts or a conscious policy but IMHO the fact that AK traffic lights are becoming so overtly dumb, is one of the contributing factors to the growing epidemic of red light running around here - people are increasingly treating a red light as a give-way sign.

 

Why are they still using break prone looks in the road and not a camera looking at the whole intersection to sort it all out?

richms:

 

tripper1000:

 

No sure if this is due to maintenance budget cuts or a conscious policy but IMHO the fact that AK traffic lights are becoming so overtly dumb, is one of the contributing factors to the growing epidemic of red light running around here - people are increasingly treating a red light as a give-way sign.

 

 

Why are they still using break prone looks in the road and not a camera looking at the whole intersection to sort it all out?

 

A camera with some kind of AI control trying to optimize flows seems like it should be a thing.

Might not work so well in poor visibility, night + rain + fog + rouge car burning oil.

I once had this experience in Auckland:

I was at an intersection in the left lane (for left turn or straight ahead), the light went green and as I moved forward I hit another car that had come out of nowhere.  Actually the other car had driven in the left turn lane and attempted to make the left turn around my car.  The driver of the other car had thought it was safe to do so because I wouldn't move because of the red light, something that he said he did a lot and this was the first time it had caused an accident.  So this guy regularly made left turns from the right lane around other cars, running a red light, so that he could get around Auckland quicker.  I guess if you are going to break road rules, why not break more than one at a time?

Pretty close.

floydbloke:

 

Pretty close.

 

Never seen someone indicate to cut a corner before!

Guy stops in front of me at lights on Johnsonville Rd and you can clearly see that his number plate was altered with a black marker - the U was changed into an O and an S was changed into an 8.

Took a dashcam snapshot and submitted it online to the police.