You have got to be KIDDING!

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binka
Posts: 125
Joined: 11 Aug 2012, 8:51pm

Re: You have got to be KIDDING!

Post by binka »

That story was published on 1st of April.
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Dynamite_funk
Posts: 538
Joined: 2 Nov 2011, 9:10am

Re: You have got to be KIDDING!

Post by Dynamite_funk »

Hence the KIDDING part of the topic title :wink:
MikeF
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Joined: 11 Nov 2012, 9:24am
Location: On the borders of the four South East Counties

Re: You have got to be KIDDING!

Post 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 Most of these have now been replaced by light controlled crossings.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:
"It takes a genius to spot the obvious" - my old physics master.
I don't peddle bikes.
kwackers
Posts: 15643
Joined: 4 Jun 2008, 9:29pm
Location: Warrington

Re: You have got to be KIDDING!

Post 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...
leepritt
Posts: 5
Joined: 9 Apr 2014, 12:43pm

Re: You have got to be KIDDING!

Post by leepritt »

:P that is funny!
Mark1978
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Joined: 17 Jul 2012, 8:47am
Location: Chester-le-Street, County Durham

Re: You have got to be KIDDING!

Post 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.
axel_knutt
Posts: 2879
Joined: 11 Jan 2007, 12:20pm

Re: You have got to be KIDDING!

Post 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.
“I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
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