Like lemmings to the sea

[bhskittykatt]

Today I saw something incredible. I had to wait an entire extra light cycle because the cross traffic would not stop running the red light!

It started with a large RV finishing it's left turn as the light went yellow. I can forgive the car behind it for not stopping, since it can be hard to see the light when you're behind a large vehicle like that. I can even give the car behind him a pass.

But then their light went red, and ours went green, but the cross traffic was not stopping. They just....kept going. Car after car after car. Over a dozen ran that red light. They kept going, until our green light went red again!

I understand some drivers being oblivious and just following the car ahead of them, but over a dozen in a row?!?! Flabbergasting!!!


BONUS SIGHTING:
So I am new in town, and was driving downtown on a one-way street, and up ahead was a car going the wrong way. And even though I was 99% sure I was in the right, I kept checking and double-checking and triple-checking because I didn't know the area. Turns out I was fine and the other guy was going the wrong way though.

[Becks]

But then their light went red, and ours went green, but the cross traffic was not stopping. They just....kept going. Car after car after car. Over a dozen ran that red light. They kept going, until our green light went red again!

You should've told me you came to my little town in northern WI. I would've shown you where I work at night.

[laborcat]

Hahaha welcome to where I live. It's really bad here during heavy traffic times.

[notalwaysright]

Is common for everyone? I mean, here a few cars will run a red, but that's about it. If I have a green I will start edging forward and in the past resorted to honking and just muscled my way through. I've never completely missed my light, I would be so pissed.

[csquared]

Could it have been a funeral?

[WishfulSpirit]

Could you see the light facing oncoming cars? I'd assume it's possible for the lights to malfunction so that one side is red but the other is green.

[Jetfire]

The busiest intersection in my city has had that happen a few times. OK I don't think its ever cost an entire light change; but I've seen people turning left onto Prospect from Regent run the red long after the red light showed. They just finish rejigging the intersection so it now has 2 lanes turning left; since the bridge leading up to it isn't finished yet we don't know how effective it will be.

That said, I have seen a constant "Lemmings Red" before; but it was because of a Funeral as someone said above. In that case there was a police escort to make sure everyone in the procession could stay together and police cars to block traffic. (It was at the same intersection I mentioned above at that. I was curious about what the cops were doing at the time while I watched the cars until I finally saw some Funeral stickers on some of hte cars or something else to indicate why they were doing that)

[Cia]

I drove through a red light yesterday. Stopped to let a train pass and completely forgot that there was an intersection at the spot. As soon as the train was out of my way I drove on through, noticing the red light as I went under it.

[PastryGal]

The busiest intersection in my city has had that happen a few times. OK I don't think its ever cost an entire light change; but I've seen people turning left onto Prospect from Regent run the red long after the red light showed. They just finish rejigging the intersection so it now has 2 lanes turning left; since the bridge leading up to it isn't finished yet we don't know how effective it will be.

That said, I have seen a constant "Lemmings Red" before; but it was because of a Funeral as someone said above. In that case there was a police escort to make sure everyone in the procession could stay together and police cars to block traffic. (It was at the same intersection I mentioned above at that. I was curious about what the cops were doing at the time while I watched the cars until I finally saw some Funeral stickers on some of hte cars or something else to indicate why they were doing that)

Is there a Dairy Queen on the corner there?? If so I know where you're talking about. I grew up an hour ish upriver from there growing up and spent a lot of time there. Mom's bestie lived there.

[Jetfire]

Is there a Dairy Queen on the corner there?? If so I know where you're talking about. I grew up an hour ish upriver from there growing up and spent a lot of time there. Mom's bestie lived there.

Yup, a DQ and Best Buy now, with the Irving on the other corner and CBC kitty corner to it. That intersection has been closed all summer so they can rebuild the bridge over the old TCH.

And small world indeed; I grew up an hour upriver too, in Woodstock.

[Ben_Who]

Could you see the light facing oncoming cars? I'd assume it's possible for the lights to malfunction so that one side is red but the other is green.

There's a traffic light series off the interstate exit downtown that has to be out of sync. It's the intersection of two arteries, each six lanes. I'm certain that the turn-only left turn lane heading east turns red after the straight-ahead lane heading west turns green, because there are always two or three cars going through making that turn onto Marginal from Franklin after the light for Franklin turns green. The effect is that you're looking at a green light and cars are still passing in front of you. And it's all the time, so it's not just some douche flying through the red.

Marginal is really wide, too; start across it at speed when the light is yellow and you won't reach the other side before it turns red. I'd love to set up cameras and record the changing of the lights to see if they're improperly synced, but I don't have the equipment.

[Jetfire]

Sometimes the lights could be out of synch on purpose.

Here in my town, on Westmoreland street, leading up to the bridge, the last two lights are set up so one turns red when the other turns green. This is so traffic coming off of Queen street will have a break in traffic to merge onto the bridge. It also provides a break so the ramp traffic coming off of St Anne's Point Drive from Smythe street can merge onto the bridge traffic. Well a break so the block doesn't completely fill up with traffic too and/or so people don't race the light and onto the bridge.