Running red light

AverageDriver

AverageDriver

AverageDriver

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Joined
9 Nov 2022
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1
Location
Midlands
I approached temp traffic lights today on the way home as road works had just been set up. We'd waited for about 5 minutes or more with no sign of the light changing yet traffic kept coming our way.

Once the coast was clear the 5 cars infront of me went through the red light so I followed, however as we passed the end of the road works a road worker filmed all of our number plates on his phone.

What I want to know is of he passed the footage on is it likely that we would be prosecuted with points on our licenses? Also how bloody long are you supposed to wait at temp lights that won't change when the coast os clear?
 
It is one I've been wondering about recently - there are temporary, been there for months, traffic lights at roadworks on one route I do a lot which take forever to change between each of the 3 directions - at night you start to wonder if they are broken and there have been reports on Facebook of them sometimes being stuck on red in the morning.

A light stuck on red doesn't constitute legal signage but actually proving that is another matter - one reason I have a dashcam.
 
I thought I'd read years ago that you could legally move on a red light as long as you had waited a significant amount of time and you were careful/aware of other potential users. In my case it was 4:30am at a junction and I was waiting at a set of lights for about 4-5 minutes with not a single car in sight. Assuming that either the lights were broken, or they were only going to trigger if something approached another side of the junction.
 
From what I remember, going through a red temporary light isn’t an actual offence. Yes, there’s a potential risk of a dangerous driving nick but if you weren’t driving dangerously then it’s OK.
 
109
Traffic light signals and traffic signs. You MUST obey all traffic light signals (download ‘Light signals controlling traffic’) and traffic signs giving orders, including temporary signals & signs.

Temporary traffic lights for road works should have a sign that states “when red light shows wait here”. This sign is equivalent to the stop line, so passing the sign when the red light is displayed is an offence.

At least this was the case when i worked traffic many years ago - have things changed?
 
I got caught running a red light years ago, £6o fine and 3 points, however it was the increase in insurance that was more painfull and some insurance companys would no longer give a quote.
 
If the roadworks had just been setup they were likely programming the settings of traffic in to allow them to function as proper lights

Was the oncoming traffic on "its side" of the road and your side the side that was blocked?
Almost certain the lights were not yet fully active if this was the case and the traffic from other direction was seemingly unaffected.
 
Feek said:
Perhaps it's an urban myth, I stand to be corrected.
Click to expand...

Even if it is red for an hour, you can't cross it. The rule is absolute. There could be a reason why it is red for all you know.

Opening it up to judgement is a slippery slope the law avoids.
 
If I’m sitting at a red temporary light, if it’s been red for ages and I can see to the end of the works, if it’s totally clear, I’m going.

It’s happened before when lights have been stuck on red and I have no qualms about doing it.
 
When I did my driving test, I came across a light stuck on red at a major junction. The tester instructed me to go through it and I asked him to promise he wouldn't fail me for it. I passed.
 
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