Here’s one for you all. Would like to know what the correct lawful decision is.
Turning onto the A5 the other day just before Birch Coppice Business Park. The two lanes that continue straight on the A5 were closed off due to what looked like the aftermath of a spillage. The only lanes open were the two turning right into Birch Coppice.
Obviously traffic wanting to continue on the A5 had to take the left of the 2 right turn lanes, however these operate on seperate traffic lights to the 2 A5 lanes. You could fit through past the traffic lights to get back onto the A5 from the right turn lane but when the A5 lanes were on a green the right turn lanes were on a red. As it happened everyone (myself included) drove through the red light on the right turn to comply with the green light on the A5 lanes. I’m wondering if this was the right thing to do in terms of keeping traffic flow moving, even though we were technically driving through a red light.
Looking on Google street view the lights on the left lanes, appear to have “straight ahead” filter arrows?
Good to go!
I know the junction well as I live in tamworth. in my opinion what you done was using your common sense but not legal. but the option to keep it legal would have been to turn right onto birch to the island and come back on yourself to the lights and turn right back onto a5 but if everybody done that it would end in gridlock.
so to conclude I think what you done was the best option.and I would have done the same.
I am paid by the hour, and have to pay my own fines and pay more for insurance due to points etc… So I’d have obeyed the law and not worried about it.
Unless I wanted to get done quicker and wanted to get home.
Either way it’s no big deal. If I was looking at a 6 hour shift (paid for 8/9/10 depending on the company) I’d be cracking on through. If I was on 10 hours and could milk another £5/10 I’d do the legal but stupid thing.
I know the junction in question, I live nearby, and I worked out of Birch Coppice for over 5 years
To answer your question, ask yourself one question…
If there was a red light camera on the junction, would you drive through on red?