Seemed to have noticed recently that especially in 40 and 50 zones, amber doesn’t show for long enough.
Fine for cars and in a 30 not a problem but higher speeds I don’t think they’re on long enough for trucks to pull up sensibly.
Or is it just me - rapid decceleration has no up side and can as we know cause problems apart from greater brake wear.
Why can’t they show for a couple of seconds longer on say 50 mph dual carriageways.
Just a thought. Don’t approach traffic lights at 50mph in a truck. No one is forcing you to.
Always anticipate a light change. I never hamper the anchors on when it goes to amber if my stopping distance is shorter than light changing. If they flashed me i would explain why it caught me on the red.
44 tonnes at 50 mph lights changed at this distance etc etc.
Depends. If it’s been green for a while as I approach I’m normally off the throttle and covering the brake at least anticipating a change.
toonsy:
Depends. If it’s been green for a while as I approach I’m normally off the throttle and covering the brake at least anticipating a change.
+1…
Hand hovering over the exhauster.
toonsy:
Depends. If it’s been green for a while as I approach I’m normally off the throttle and covering the brake at least anticipating a change.
Me, too. I always think they’re going to change but even so they don’t seem to be amber for long enough to do a reasonably “soft” stop.
The only alternative is to do the Honda Jazz driving style and slow down to 10 mph and then trundle through the green 
If it’s green as you approach it what could happen to it next?
If it’s green then expect it to change and be surprised when it doesn’t is how I was taught.
sent using smoke signals
mick.mh2racing:
If it’s green then expect it to change and be surprised when it doesn’t is how I was taught.sent using smoke signals
Good policy, always ease off, slow and expect them to change and you will never go through on amber.
In Russia they flash when green to let you know when they are about to change, very sensible IMO.
Countdowns are the best - saw them in Bulgaria.
Socketset:
Seemed to have noticed recently that especially in 40 and 50 zones, amber doesn’t show for long enough.Fine for cars and in a 30 not a problem but higher speeds I don’t think they’re on long enough for trucks to pull up sensibly.
Or is it just me - rapid decceleration has no up side and can as we know cause problems apart from greater brake wear.
Why can’t they show for a couple of seconds longer on say 50 mph dual carriageways.
Amber means stop just like red.This is what’s actually needed. 
Always watch out for the stale green.
Amber means stop unless it’s unsafe to do so, in which case you can carry on through.
If it goes to amber and you can’t stop by the time it’s gone to red you were approaching too fast.
It’s up to you as the pro driver to make that judgement taking your weight into account at what point your comitted to go safely through before it actually turns to red and where you can still stop. Your speed on approach should be adjusted accordingly.
Unless you can see they’ve just changed from red to green then you’d shouldn’t be approaching a green light at 50.
A crappy OneIs on the A403 from Aust heading to Avonmouth.
As you approach it’ll suddenly turn red Then just as you’ve pulled up it’ll go green.
I’ve even tried the slow slow crawl and it still bloody does it .
I see they removed the red light camera from M6 junction 21a slip road onto M62 did you ever try going through that from a standing start without it changing to red as your back wheels go through 
I wonder how many artics got flashed going through that set up
DickyNick:
Amber means stop unless it’s unsafe to do so, in which case you can carry on through.
The flaw in that approach is the definition of and having to prove it was ‘unsafe’ to stop.I actually got the first of my only two penalties in more than 40 years of driving owing to losing that argument with the law.In the real world the amber light is effectively made redundant and might as well not be there according to the law’s ridiculous interpretation of its use.In which case the flashing green is the obvious simple solution to the stale green dilemma the question then being why isn’t it put into the sequence.Like the ridiculous amber means stop mantra it can only be a deliberate intent to criminalise drivers unnecessarily.
Carryfast:
DickyNick:
Amber means stop unless it’s unsafe to do so, in which case you can carry on through.The flaw in that approach is the definition of and having to prove it was ‘unsafe’ to stop.I actually got the first of my only two penalties in more than 40 years of driving owing to losing that argument with the law.In the real world the amber light is effectively made redundant and might as well not be there according to the law’s ridiculous interpretation of its use.In which case the flashing green is the obvious simple solution to the stale green dilemma the question then being why isn’t it put into the sequence.Like the ridiculous amber means stop mantra it can only be a deliberate intent to criminalise drivers unnecessarily.
Well yes. I’ve never had an issue in a car but they aren’t set up properly for trucks. If I see a camera on the lights I just slow down a lot so I can stop if they change. Normally has a tnt fed ex or Mark Thompson proper wound up behind me, but hey, I don’t want to get a NIP through the post. So ■■■■ em.
DickyNick:
Carryfast:
The flaw in that approach is the definition of and having to prove it was ‘unsafe’ to stop.I actually got the first of my only two penalties in more than 40 years of driving owing to losing that argument with the law.In the real world the amber light is effectively made redundant and might as well not be there according to the law’s ridiculous interpretation of its use.In which case the flashing green is the obvious simple solution to the stale green dilemma the question then being why isn’t it put into the sequence.Like the ridiculous amber means stop mantra it can only be a deliberate intent to criminalise drivers unnecessarily.Well yes. I’ve never had an issue in a car but they aren’t set up properly for trucks. If I see a camera on the lights I just slow down a lot so I can stop if they change. Normally has a tnt fed ex or Mark Thompson proper wound up behind me, but hey, I don’t want to get a NIP through the post. So [zb] em.
In my case it was long before cameras in the 70’s with the car and it was a copper on a motor bike behind me.The law admitted that the lights changed from green to amber when I was around 15 feet from the junction.Which works out at around the time taken to react let alone stop from 15 mph but they ignored that defence.In that case I’d have probably got a better deal from cameras which seem to be set up relatively more reasonably towards crossing the junction at any point on red.
On that note what’s the big problem with putting the flashing green into the sequence.
[quote=“Carryfast”
On that note what’s the big problem with putting the flashing green into the sequence.[/quote]
Wear the bulbs out quicker then no light at all …