When did the meaning of traffic lights change?

[nightjar]

No reason not to. However, the meaning still remains 'stop'.

[Tim Streater]

It's the difference between slouching on parade and standing up straight.

[Swer]

No it does not. Amber actually means stop if you can do that safely.

[Robin]

As I'm sure you know that is qualified:

"except that, as respects any vehicle which is so close to the stop line that it cannot safely be stopped without proceeding beyond the stop line, it conveys the same indication as the green signal which was shown immediately before it."

[Adrian Caspersz]

That 'green' is from a nice bluey green made I suspect from a combination of those colour LEDs.

Made in Japan?

[charles]

It doesn't say that in the Highway Code: "Red & Amber means STOP"

[Robin]

I'd thought he meant Amber alone. Red and Amber together do indeed mean the same as Red alone.

[Dave Liquorice]

Definition of a millisecond? The time it takes from red+amber changing to green and the guy behind tooting their horn.

Not a great problem around here, nearest traffic lights are in Haltwhistle 16 miles away.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Cf 'Amber Rudd'

[Max Demian]

In the days that traffic signals had twin filament incandescent lamps the glass looked blue to me when not lit.

I don't think we had a word for orange before the fruit it's named after became common. That's why the bird affectionately known as Robin was called the redbreast when its breast is clearly orange.

[whisky-dave]

Which is quite easy with a little practice. I can move all my fingers independantly. It just takes practice.

Some people can move their earlobe, but of rmost peole this muscle is so rarely used it becomes useless a few years after birth because w ejust no longer need them as we've evolved to not need to move our ears unlike a lot of animal species who do.

Exactly make sure you use the V sign at least once a day. :-)

[whisky-dave]

But that isnlt what makes it legal is it. It;s only legal if yuo believ yuo ca NOT stop in time at the red light. Which is very simialr but legally differnt.

So you could beat small penis's off at traffic lights, well there's a claim to fame I won't forget ;-)

mmmmm.

[nightjar]

The discussion has moved on to red and amber shown together.

Amber alone still means stop, but with the ridesr that it does not apply if you have crossed the line or are so close to the line when the amber appears that stopping might cause an accident. Where there are two stop lines, with a cycle area between them, it means that motorists should stop before the first line but, if that is not possible, before the second, with the same riders.

[nightjar]

We have moved on to discussing red and amber togather.

[dennis]

But sewer is rod so you can't expect him to make sense.

BTW green doesn't mean go either. Proceed if its safe is green

[ARW]

Or in a woman drivers case "put down lipstick and try to remember where first gear, the clutch and the handbrake are.

[Scott]

True. However, commonsense suggests the red and amber combination must have a purpose; and that purpose must be advance notice that the light is about to turn green. Am I right that in some countries the lights go direct from red to green?

[Chris Green]

Just about every country except the UK I think (direct red to green that is).

[Andy Burns]

[Roger Hayter]

One purpose is merely that when you see an amber light you know where in the cycle the lights are, on their way to red or to green.