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You have got to be KIDDING!

Posted: 6 Apr 2014, 9:48pm
by Dynamite_funk

Re: You have got to be KIDDING!

Posted: 6 Apr 2014, 9:52pm
by binka
That story was published on 1st of April.

Re: You have got to be KIDDING!

Posted: 6 Apr 2014, 10:08pm
by Dynamite_funk
Hence the KIDDING part of the topic title :wink:

Re: You have got to be KIDDING!

Posted: 7 Apr 2014, 5:34pm
by MikeF
When there were pedestrian crossings (Belisha beacon type) the traffic was supposed to give way as soon as a pedestrian was on the crossing. The pedestrians had priority. Most of these have now been replaced by light controlled crossings. However pedestrians now has to wait for the traffic - no longer does the traffic have to quickly respond for pedestrians.
This is the usual setting of a light controlled crossing. A pedestrian pushes the button. If there isn't any road traffic the lights respond quickly, so there was not really any need for them anyway. :roll: If there is road traffic, then the lights wait for a gap before changing. If a gap in the traffic doesn't appear then the lights will change after a specified time. This is just one more example prioritising road traffic, 'carried out for our own safety' so that we don't notice the change in priority. :cry:

It's a great pity the paper didn't propose that motor traffic would have to pay to proceed across pedestrian crossings. :lol:

Re: You have got to be KIDDING!

Posted: 7 Apr 2014, 5:43pm
by kwackers
MikeF wrote:If there is road traffic, then the lights wait for a gap before changing. If a gap in the traffic doesn't appear then the lights will change after a specified time.

Except what really happens is; you press the button, there is traffic so the lights don't change. Then a gap comes along and so because you're bored of waiting you hurry through the gap.
The gap is detected by the lights (or they get bored too) and as you're walking away from the lights you hear them start beeping and now there's a queue of stopped cars and nobody crossing...

Re: You have got to be KIDDING!

Posted: 11 Apr 2014, 12:02pm
by leepritt
:P that is funny!

Re: You have got to be KIDDING!

Posted: 11 Apr 2014, 12:12pm
by Mark1978
kwackers wrote:
MikeF wrote:If there is road traffic, then the lights wait for a gap before changing. If a gap in the traffic doesn't appear then the lights will change after a specified time.

Except what really happens is; you press the button, there is traffic so the lights don't change. Then a gap comes along and so because you're bored of waiting you hurry through the gap.
The gap is detected by the lights (or they get bored too) and as you're walking away from the lights you hear them start beeping and now there's a queue of stopped cars and nobody crossing...


Yup, we have these crossings near work and 99% of the time that's what happens. I press, see a gap, and go across. The detectors see the same gap and stop the traffic once I'm across the road.

Re: You have got to be KIDDING!

Posted: 11 Apr 2014, 12:31pm
by axel_knutt
They've recently changed to crossings that have the lights on the box next to the button, instead of on the pole opposite where you can see them whilst watching the traffic, so I've all but given up using them.