Left turn arrow - traffic light

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freitasm

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Geekzone

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#443426 25-Feb-2011 15:33

vinnieg: Does the arrow, red or green, mean anything to cyclists? Or if they are turning and can keep within the cycle lane(if there is one)/not interfere with oncoming traffic, make it legal?

Cyclists have to follow the signs, as cars and motorbikes. When one of them dies, they complain. But it doesn't seem that many respect the rules...

graemeh

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#443437 25-Feb-2011 16:05

freitasm:
graemeh: You should get a green left arrow while pedestrians are still legally completing a crossing. If you do, ring your local council and tell them as the lights are faulty.

It feels like you are missing a "not" there...

Yes, you are right :)

graemeh

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#443438 25-Feb-2011 16:06

freitasm:
vinnieg: Does the arrow, red or green, mean anything to cyclists? Or if they are turning and can keep within the cycle lane(if there is one)/not interfere with oncoming traffic, make it legal?

Cyclists have to follow the signs, as cars and motorbikes. When one of them dies, they complain. But it doesn't seem that many respect the rules...

They do have a choice though, they can get off their bikes and push and then they become pedestrians. You can't do that with a car!

swalker5872

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#443542 25-Feb-2011 22:36

They do have a choice though, they can get off their bikes and push and then they become pedestrians. You can't do that with a car!

Buy a Peel P50!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJfSS0ZXYdo

And back on topic, if a traffic light is circular it means all traffic including cyclists to stop, go or whatever for all directions unless otherwise indicated. So in your case a arrow signal means otherwise indicated so you could have a green circular sign but a red arrow and visa versa.
Well thats what my driving instructor many years ago told me anyway so may be completely wrong!

Edit - this is a better link for a driver
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/roadcode/about-driving/giving-way-at-controlled-intersections.html
The one you had was designed for staff who design the turn signals and reminding them of the things to miss for safety reasons.

aw

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#444319 1-Mar-2011 08:36

tcpdump: Hi,

I had a look through: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/stop-and-goes-of-traffic-signals/7.html

It's clear that when the straight light is green and the arrow is green you have the right of way and when the arrow is OFF you have to give way to opposing traffic.

However, I have noticed a lot of situations where the light for straight ahead is RED and the arrow light is OFF. After a while (or before that), the arrow is RED.
I haven't seen a driver/rider that will turn left/right when the arrow is OFF and the straight ahead light is RED so, why is the arrow turning off?

Please let me know if I haven't been clear enough.

I think I know what you mean and I have observed this myself at some intersections.
I decided it was a bug in the setup for the lights.

For a couple of years at the intersection of Mt Eden Rd and Stokes Rd in the middle of Mt Eden Village, Auckland, this has happened.
For Mt Eden Rd southbound there's general (round) lights for straight ahead traffic and left turn arrows. The left arrow would be green allowing left turns when Stokes Rd has a green phase (including right turns), because these movements do not conflict.
Usually at intersections the same arrow would be red to protect pedestrians, except at this intersection pedestrians have a "barnes dance" (all directions) phase.

Before Stokes and Essex Rds were phase separated, the green and amber arrows must've been left disconnected. The effect was that when Stokes Rd had a green light, Mt Eden Rd southbound had a red light with no left arrow. When Stokes Rd went red and the full pedestrian phase kicked in, Mt Eden Rd's red left arrow would then light up. Because there was already a red light, it was meaningless.

I'm sure I've seen similar behaviour at other intersections, where you go from no arrow to a red arrow (or vice versa) whilst having a red light the entire time anyway, but can't remember where just now.

There is (was) another bug at the lights in the city centre at the Queen St / Wellesley St intersection. Just north of this intersection is a set of pedestrian lights, phase-linked with the intersection. When Queen St Northbound's lights change from green to red, so does Queen St Northbound (strangely not southbound) at these pedestrian lights - but then they immediately return to green, they're only red for one second.

tcpdump

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#444320 1-Mar-2011 08:38

I believe it's a feature rather than a bug, hence my curiosity ;)

Cheers

allan

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#444342 1-Mar-2011 09:59

What confuses me are those intersections which show a single green light (no arrows), but you are turning right and sit there waiting for the straight thru traffic only to eventually realise that they are on a red and you have right of way.

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bazzer

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#444386 1-Mar-2011 11:18

allan: What confuses me are those intersections which show a single green light (no arrows), but you are turning right and sit there waiting for the straight thru traffic only to eventually realise that they are on a red and you have right of way.

Similar thing happens outside Auckland hospital. There's a green light heading towards Newmarket, but the left turning traffic sometimes can't turn because there's right turning traffic ahead. That blocks the straight cars (we won't get into that discussion again!) but if the left traffic ends up going you can drive through and see the right traffic has a red arrow. How is the left turning traffic meant to know that? They should get a green arrow.

They are both bugs, I suppose. Should mention it to someone.

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