You have got to be KIDDING!
Re: You have got to be KIDDING!
That story was published on 1st of April.
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Ice Sprint
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Re: You have got to be KIDDING!
Hence the KIDDING part of the topic title
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Re: You have got to be KIDDING!
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 Most of these have now been replaced by light controlled crossings.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. 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.
It's a great pity the paper didn't propose that motor traffic would have to pay to proceed across pedestrian crossings.
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. 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.
It's a great pity the paper didn't propose that motor traffic would have to pay to proceed across pedestrian crossings.
"It takes a genius to spot the obvious" - my old physics master.
I don't peddle bikes.
I don't peddle bikes.
Re: You have got to be KIDDING!
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!
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.
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Re: You have got to be KIDDING!
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
― Friedrich Nietzsche