I’ve decided, with the cost of fuel, I’m going to try and get my car to and from work as cheap as possible.
This means sticking to the A roads (10 miles shorter than the motorway) and driving gently on the throttle etc.
BUT, these bloody stupid traffic lights keep turning red on me, there’s no damned reason for it, the roads are clear, it’s 0330 in the bloody morning, yet as I approach, they turn red, which means I’ve then got to get back upto speed, which in an auto is where all the fuel disappears.
Why can’t these bloody idiot road planners sort themselves out, traffic lights are not required at silly o’clock in the morning, every road doesn’t require speed bumps and every junction doesn’t require either a roundabout or traffic lights and sometimes both.
When I used to do nights down to Heathrow, there was a roundabout coming back onto the motorway from the horseshoe and you got stopped at the traffic lights at every exit of the roundabout at 3am.
Then they complain about global warming 
Same with cutting through Glasgow early hours, should be much quicker than going round by motorway but every single traffic light catches you.
Should have a flashing amber thing like USA(possibly) or the continent. I.e. when it’s flashing amber it’s a normal t junction or whatever?
lankyphil:
Should have a flashing amber thing like USA(possibly) or the continent. I.e. when it’s flashing amber it’s a normal t junction or whatever?
Agreed. Or just turn the buggers off.
Or just keep your wits about you and ignore the lights that flick to red when its safe to proceed anyway. Do it many a time on the way home.
Most lights round here go onto sensors overnight, and will turn red in all directions so as soon as they see a car they change over. With practice you can roll up at just the right speed and not have to stop 
paul@midway:
Or just keep your wits about you and ignore the lights that flick to red when its safe to proceed anyway. Do it many a time on the way home.
The cops would have you 'round here mate, anything to stop them doing ‘real work’ or risk having to deal with violent people.
dew:
Most lights round here go onto sensors overnight, and will turn red in all directions so as soon as they see a car they change over. With practice you can roll up at just the right speed and not have to stop
I think these have sensors on too, but they turn to red when you’re approaching. They’re definately not turning green whilst you approach, you can literally put your handbrake on whilst waiting for them to change to green.
Yes, in Germany they all flash amber when it’s not busy, meaning “approach with caution”. Additionally, when they are functioning during the day, many have advance variable signs telling you what speed to approach them at to catch them on green. Same in the Netherlands, this sign tells you that if you travel at 50 kmph, the next six sets of lights will all be green.
Agree. Having to stop for several minutes at red lights when there is no other traffic in the vicinity is ridiculous. You would think in this day of high technology it would be most unnecessary. I’m in the turn them off or flashing amber camp.
Wasn’t there a recent (<12 months) change to the way lights were programmed in London along with an admission that they had previously been intentionally programmed to delay traffic?
OP if you sit at 60 mph you may well find that your 10 mile extra motorway journey is less stressful on you and the car as well as more fuel efficient.
Edit: see para 7 dailymail.co.uk/news/article … -jams.html
OK bit more than 12 months - time flies! - unless you’re stopped at a red light in the middle of the night at a deserted junction. 
The government are crafty, all these obstructions that cause you to stop & start all the time are created with the intention of wasting/consuming more fuel. The more fuel you use the more they make in tax… 
A quick search on the gvt e-petitions website found these 2. 1st is to have flashing amber at off-peak times (which I still think is a waste of 'leccy) and 2nd is against traffic lights on roundabouts - especially at off-peak times.
Flashing Amber
Lights on roundabouts
Can you believe the 1st only has 6 signitures at present?? I’ll sign it now, to make it 7
Yep lights on roundabouts have to a traffic planners ■■■■■■■■■, bloody waste of everyones time and fuel.
Counter productive too, i now travel through the town to get to work instead of going round the ring road with its traffic light controlled roundabouts that go into slow motion change sequence in the early hours.
Your daren’t jump the lights despite there not being another vehicle in sight for half a mile because big brother cameras under those dark glass spheres are high on posts to monitor us proletariat…comrade.
Irony being the 2 ring round roundabouts concerned flowed perfectly well at all times till the twerps put cameras in.
On my local m/way roundabout they put peak time lights triggered by traffic flow so most of the time they’re not on. Better idea.
I flash my lights at them providing there’s no one around, seems to be a sensor in them especially if you can flash from a distance away. If you approach a red light, why not just slow right down until it changes?
billybigrig:
Sam Millar:
I flash my lights at them providing there’s no one around, seems to be a sensor in them especially if you can flash from a distance away. If you approach a red light, why not just slow right down until it changes?
Grandma, this is how you ■■■■ eggs.
Which part of they change as you approach did you miss Sam?
Literally, I can have to brake hard to stop for them, like the sensors in the road (not the head light ones obviously ) detect my car and decide to turn the lights red.
My point, apart from it wasting my fuel, is that it’s wasting electricity and money, why not just turn the ■■■■■■■ off? Not rocket science, not like it’s a mad crazy road, it’s a main arterial road with side streets. Ashton Old Road for those that know it, but I run from near Tameside Hospital, so get lights from near the police station all the way to the mancy way, and then again on Chester Road.
