There is a practice common to the road systems of many countries which
we don't use in the UK. Why not?
We have traffic lights that show red, amber and/or green. We also
have green filter arrows that take priority over a red light, so that
you can have most of the traffic stopped, but the traffic that's
leaving the junction in a particular direction allowed to proceed
(most often, a right-turn filter off a main road, where the main
traffic is stopped so that other vehicles can turn across it).
But sometimes one wants the reverse situation: everything is allowed
to proceed except for one direction. This is done with a red light,
and one or more arrows for the directions that are allowed to
continue. So one gets a situation like this:
Google Street View image
of coming round a corner and seeing a red light ahead. But in fact
that red light only applies to the right turn, and as you get closer
you'll see the green "straight on" filter:
Google Street View image
There used to be a similar isolated green arrow at the split of the A1
and A406 westbound from Henly's Corner; that's now been "fixed" by
dividing the road further back.
This is silly. And there is a better way. In continental Europe, and
Australia, and I believe even the US where mostly driving is kept as
simple as possible, they also have red and amber filters. (The
European ones are a dark arrow silhouette over a normal traffic light;
I believe the American ones are an illuminated arrow like the green
filter.) Just as with the green arrow, they take priority over the
general signal. So in the case above, you'd have a normal green light
and a red arrow indicating that right turns are not allowed.
Why can't we have these? Are British drivers considered uniquely
stupid?
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