# Bloody traffic lights on a motorway sliproad



## Pugwash69 (Jun 12, 2012)

Which numpty thought traffic lights were a good idea on the slip roads joining the M42? It must just be first time I've seen them in use. I was accelerating down the slip road looking in my mirrors for suitable gaps to join when the traffic lights went amber then red! I braked hard thinking WTF. Just as I came to a halt, the damn things went back to green! So I accelerated hard again to get back up a good speed for joining motorway traffic.

It seems to me a bloody stupid idea to get cars stopping on a slip road. I'm surprised I wasn't rear-ended, or was every other driver expecting to have to stop anyway?

Here's a google street view of the stupid things.


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## corradoman (Sep 11, 2010)

i bet you were shifting too :lol:


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## Otley (May 15, 2013)

Pugwash69 said:


> Which numpty thought traffic lights were a good idea on the slip roads joining the M42? It must just be first time I've seen them in use. I was accelerating down the slip road looking in my mirrors for suitable gaps to join when the traffic lights went amber then red! I braked hard thinking WTF. Just as I came to a halt, the damn things went back to green! So I accelerated hard again to get back up a good speed for joining motorway traffic.
> 
> It seems to me a bloody stupid idea to get cars stopping on a slip road. I'm surprised I wasn't rear-ended, or was every other driver expecting to have to stop anyway?
> 
> Here's a google street view of the stupid things.


Suitable gaps to join? You're in a minority there my friend. Most of the ar$eholes I encounter amble to the end of the entry slip looking no further than their 'screen, then at the last second look over their shoulder and realise they have timed it perfectly to be directly at the side of my wagon, travelling at the same speed as me. Then I'm the bad guy because I can't move over because there is a vehicle currently overtaking me in lane 2.


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## zltm089 (Jul 27, 2009)

Indeed that's one fucked up idea!!!!....probably the idea of some retarded donkey anti speed health and safety do gooder.


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## mighTy Tee (Jul 10, 2002)

They installed them on the M27 a few years back. They did use them for a while then turned the stupid things off and I think they have been removed.


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

I've seen that idea work well in congested traffic to ease flow by stopping cars piling on all at once and causing surging tailbacks and avoiding lane changes. It evens out the entry flow so they can slot in more evenly and it does work.

I presume they are sopposed to be monitored by camera and only turned on when the traffic is heavy and slow - not during light flow when the trafffic is fast. As you say it could cause an accident suddenly stopping accelerating vehicles on a clear road when they are not expecting it :roll:


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## TTSam (Dec 12, 2013)

John-H said:


> I've seen that idea work well in congested traffic to ease flow by stopping cars piling on all at once and causing surging tailbacks and avoiding lane changes. It evens out the entry flow so they can slot in more evenly and it does work.
> 
> I presume they are sopposed to be monitored by camera and only turned on when the traffic is heavy and slow - not during light flow when the trafffic is fast. As you say it could cause an accident suddenly stopping accelerating vehicles on a clear road when they are not expecting it :roll:


This is true. They are part time signals, only used when needed (heavy traffic, accidents etc) stupid if they where on when road was clear

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Pugwash69 (Jun 12, 2012)

The road was busy, but it was 10am on Wednesday and all flowing at full speed. Not what you want to join onto from a stand still.


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## oceans7 (Oct 20, 2009)

It wouldn't be so bad if they put a Costa drive thru beside it, at least there would be a reason to stop.


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## A3DFU (May 7, 2002)

There's one joining the M6 south bound near Stafford since at least ten years


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## SalsredTT (Jan 8, 2011)

There's a few on the M42 now - I heard they only let two vehicles through on green too!


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## Pugwash69 (Jun 12, 2012)

I checked my carcam footage today. The lorry I was almost alongside went straight through amber, just as it changed to red. 
There's a bit of a jump in this footage as the two clips I joined overlap, but you can probably see that the motorway wasn't exactly busy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1aA3YZq ... ture=share


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## A3DFU (May 7, 2002)

That IS weird! Not busy at all!


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## GlasgowEd (Feb 11, 2010)

We've had this for years on the eastbound M8,works well. Think it's only operational during rush hour.


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