When did the meaning of traffic lights change?

Out and about today. It seems that red means stop, amber get ready and green, what a lovely colour lets admire it. OK let's think about moving, slowly n ow in case it changes again. Frustrating.

Reply to
Broadback
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Probably sending a text.

You're doing OK though if red still means stop.

Reply to
R D S

In Newcastle or Manchester if you moved off when the lights turned green you would T-bone the first car to run the red light and then be T-boned in turn by the second car. I've seen cars go through over 5s after red.

A side road T junction I use regularly is notorious for it. Bits of bumper and light clusters litter the road from collisions at speed.

Reply to
Martin Brown

It means dementia is setting in.

Reply to
Andrew

No, round here red means put your foot down, keep going, it should be OK.

Reply to
F

Green is a calm colour, so it means stay put. Red is fierce, so get going.

Reply to
Max Demian

Didn't it used to be the reverse in a certain communist country ?.

Reply to
Andrew

I don't know. When did the meaning of amber become get ready? When I took my driving test, saying anything other than that it means stop would have been a fail point.

Reply to
nightjar

Red/amber means get ready as in declutch and engage gear. Unless you have automatic, in which case it means twiddle your thumbs with your foot above the accelerator.

Reply to
Max Demian

The cyclist version is:

Red: Go without looking, and give a V sign (*) at anyone who's about to collide with you even though they have a green light

Amber: Go without looking

Green: Go without looking

(*) Or even "the middle finger" - modern people can't even swear in British and have to resort to American!

Reply to
NY

And they can't even get *that* right. The "finger" is made by splaying the hand, then retracting (folding over) the three non-middle fingers.

The dweebs' alternative seems to be to clench the fist, and then to extend the middle finger. They don't appear to appreciate that this method is for mommas' boys and flakes [*]

[*] Copyright Robert Redford.
Reply to
Tim Streater

According to the highway code, anything other than green only has one meaning: stop. Red and amber does indicate that the next light in the sequence will be green, but it still only means stop. It is not an instruction to get ready, although most drivers will do so at that point.

Reply to
nightjar

When people started using mobiles in cars. Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

I have been at a set of lights that went red.. red amber.. red!

I had to wait for the next sequence for them to go red amber.. green.

Reply to
dennis

It actually means stop if you can do that safely.

So you should hand in your license.

Reply to
Swer

Is that better because it's more difficult?

Reply to
Max Demian

Why shouldn't you "get ready"? Haven't you heard of, "Ready, aye ready"?

Reply to
Max Demian

That's bloody difficult to do, rather like trying to do the "live long and prosper" Vulcan Salute from Star Trek.

What's the use of an abusive sign where you have to prepare in advance and try it several times to get it right. You need something that you can do immediately and instinctively - like the V sign.

Reply to
NY

Who the hell wrote the subject line, "covfefe" Trump?

Reply to
Martyn Barclay

If you stop a few yards back, you can treat a red-and-amber as go, "confident" that you will not pass the white line before the light turns green, and therefore will remain legal, while passing the line when already going at a few mph and not having to accelerate from rest. That is, until you encounter lights with a longer r+a phase...

In my younger days, I occasionally used it when I was alongside a "small penis" sports car: it didn't half give them a shock when I could beat them away from traffic lights ;-)

I'm not recommending that practice, just saying that it can be done without actually breaking the law.

Reply to
NY

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