One Handers - ?

[OldShep]

I have noticed that a lot of cars stop well back from the white lines at traffic lights and roundabouts
sometimes over a car length back

I have no idea why

I try to stop with the front level with the white line as close as possible

In some cases the lights change quite quickly - so starting well back means that one less car gets through when they go green

and in one case I saw a line of cars develop because the car at the front was SO far back that the detector at the lights didn;t register it so the lights never went green until a local got out and walked up to "inform" them

In my nearest town there is a set of lights if i stop at the line I can no longer see the green light easily. There isn’t a light across the road you end up with your face pressed up to the windscreen and craning your neck upwards. Try holding that position for a length of time comfortably.
Sorry to annoy you but you’ll rarely find me bang up to the line at lights. The quicker I see that green light the faster we will all be across the junction. 😊

 

[Dadam]

In my nearest town there is a set of lights if i stop at the line I can no longer see the green light easily. There isn’t a light across the road you end up with your face pressed up to the windscreen and craning your neck upwards. Try holding that position for a length of time comfortably.
Sorry to annoy you but you’ll rarely find me bang up to the line at lights. The quicker I see that green light the faster we will all be across the junction. 😊

Good point there. As a tall man my head is usually quite near the roof AND my seat is a long way back. So you'll often find me some distance shy of the line

If people find this annoying they'll have to deal with it. As compensation I don't usually hang about when it goes green.

 

[steveindenmark]

Same sort of thing for cyclists. Sometimes with no hands. Always because of mobile phones.

 

[simongt]

Good to see someone who knows their place - !

 

[Ming the Merciless]

In my nearest town there is a set of lights if i stop at the line I can no longer see the green light easily. There isn’t a light across the road you end up with your face pressed up to the windscreen and craning your neck upwards. Try holding that position for a length of time comfortably.
Sorry to annoy you but you’ll rarely find me bang up to the line at lights. The quicker I see that green light the faster we will all be across the junction. 😊

I think the height of some lights is set for HGV

 

[presta]

Good point there. As a tall man my head is usually quite near the roof AND my seat is a long way back. So you'll often find me some distance shy of the line

A lot of my vision of traffic lights, road signs, and pedestrians waiting to cross the road used to come through the gap between the top of the rear view mirror and the top edge of the windscreen. You know, the bit that's now blacked out on most modern cars....

 

[DRM]

Noticed recently that more drivers appear to be holding the steering wheel with thie right hand at the 'twelve / one o'clock position.
Obviously no idea what their left hand is doing but wouldn't have though that where the right hand is would be condusive to good control on the occasion of a 'sudden event'.
Thoughts - ?

Texting, I'm sick of seeing distracted eejits with a mobile phone in their hand they think no one knows what their up to, I believe that if caught using a mobile while driving, the Police should remove the phone and smash it with a hammer, then issue points and a fine for good measure

 

[Jenkins]

On which point - it would be a good idea if there were signs showing that there is an advanced line for bike at traffic lights

When I'm on my bike I have found myself waiting in the traffic - only to find that I could have moved into the front safely but I had no way of knowing

Firstly it would help if the lines and bike symbols painted on the road were refreshed more often so they were visible. Then make some safe filtering space so that cyclists can actually get to and use the ASL. A prime example below from Ipswich - the ASL box begins just in front of the Ford, but when the light is red, there's no means to access on a bike it if there's any traffic and it just gets ignored due to being so worn

 

[katiewlx]

Shortly after leaving home I turn left onto a main road. Not only do I look to my right awaiting a gap in the oncoming traffic but I make a point of carefully looking left as there can be large lorries or even worse, a vehicle overtaking another vehicle which would place them on the side of the road into which I am turning and then cause a “head on” collision.

yes I had that nearly happen to me got to a junction to turn left at, looked right, all clear great just as Im about to pull out, in fact my subconcious driving brain, had already decided it was clear to go, just as I looked left theres a bus overtaking a cyclist (damn cyclists - joke ) and travelling half in my lane. and I get this super close up view of a bus zip past in front of me.

if Id gone just on the right check alone, the bus would have crashed into me. and probably taken the cyclist out too.

now I do believe the Highway code says this is precisely why you shouldnt overtake near junctions, but I will often spend more time staring left trying to assess in case anyone pulls off a similar move, than I will right, because right is pretty clear if theres anything there, you aint going nowhere, whilst left youre having to judge what someone might do incase it impinges on the lane you intend to take.

 

[katiewlx]

Firstly it would help if the lines and bike symbols painted on the road were refreshed more often so they were visible. Then make some safe filtering space so that cyclists can actually get to and use the ASL. A prime example below from Ipswich - the ASL box begins just in front of the Ford, but when the light is red, there's no means to access on a bike it if there's any traffic and it just gets ignored due to being so worn
View attachment 808342

View attachment 808343

they get ignored even when theyre brand spanking newly painted in Ipswich, much like school crossing people (if you saw the guardian article this week), funnily enough both in East Ipswich. and those traffic lights have always appeared to be very optionally obeyed ime, red definitely doesnt mean stop.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

they get ignored even when theyre brand spanking newly painted in Ipswich, much like school crossing people (if you saw the guardian article this week), funnily enough both in East Ipswich. and those traffic lights have always appeared to be very optionally obeyed ime, red definitely doesnt mean stop.

A few hours ago I pulled up alongside a car at some traffic lights

well - I say alongside - the other car was in front of me because he had deliberately pulled up at the stop line for bikes
and totally ignored the one for cars etc

Now - that can be OK - IF the lights change after you cross the main line
but I saw him - he just decided that he could use the bike line
because he is important

otehr words could be used to describe him - some have 4 letters and end in T

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

And a quantity of drivers with moblle phones (seemingly the size of a brick) in holders in their line of vision, or parking permits/blue badges obscuring part of the sight line
I have a works parking permit in my Kodiaq, & one for the local council 'tip'/recvcling centre
The former is in the very top-left corner, the latter in the extrem bottom right (placed so whomever's on the gate can see it)
The dashcam is at mirror level, tucked behind it, on the passenger side

 

[DRM]

A few hours ago I pulled up alongside a car at some traffic lights

well - I say alongside - the other car was in front of me because he had deliberately pulled up at the stop line for bikes
and totally ignored the one for cars etc

Now - that can be OK - IF the lights change after you cross the main line
but I saw him - he just decided that he could use the bike line
because he is important

otehr words could be used to describe him - some have 4 letters and end in T

If the Police were there, and more importantly could be bothered, the driver of that car would dealt with for going through a red light

 

[gbb]

It's so that they can creep forward for a couple of feet and stop, then creep forward for a couple of feet and stop, then creep forward for a couple of feet and stop, etc. until finally the lights turn green.

Humans are really wierd sometimes. You'd probably find someone like that has evolved that behaviour because (eventually) it worked, so thats the right way to do it.
Never.mind the fact they did it wrong in the first place, it works, so it must be right and thats how to do it

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

If the Police were there, and more importantly could be bothered, the driver of that car would dealt with for going through a red light

Yes - but would they bother unless they had some other suspicion and used that as an excuse??

I have certainly never seen them do it - they have better things to concentrate on I presume
(the use of the word "better" is open to interpretation there!)