h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Ways To Outsmart Bothersome Traffic Lights - A1139573
Author: The Noble Robot - U226655

Hello, I am The Noble Robot and I am just starting to write complete entries here at h2g2. I think this one is ready for review, so fire away... and thanks!

Check out my personal space to see more entries (if you'd like).



nr.

I like the way you have constructed and communicated your information. The 'flashing' your high beams info was brand new to me.

I regularly use the 'Right and a U-turn' method on my way home from work, but I'm still working out when the '2-Rights and a U-turn'. It's bound to come in handy eventually.

One thing about turning left, that I am not sure constitutes a law, is the three cars on a red rule that the comedian Gallegher goes on about. Even if it is not a legal method, it brings to mind a pet peeve of mine.

Where I am, the law says that when the light turns green the driver should move toward the center of the intersection and wait for traffice to clear. Too many people just sit when, if they followed this simple rule, at least three cars could get through a left turn when the light turns red.

Drive long and prosper,

I'm not entirely sure that I can make unbiased comments about this entry since lazy/sloppy/selfish/arrogant/impatient driving makes me , and the techniques advocated here fall into the 'impatient' and 'selfish' categories to an extent.

Firstly, it would be good to change the title to reflect that this entry is dealing solely with US driving - 'right turn on red' for instance is unheard of in the UK (where it would be left turn on red anyway).

"...are not exactly 100% safe"
If that's the case, then there's little chance of your entry being selected for editing. Although you state that the techniques aren't necessarily illegal, there must be something about them which "may run you a-fowl of the law", and the BBC isn't keen to encourage or endorse any kind of behaviour which is either dangerous or potentially illegal.

"there is a small sensor that can detect signals from emergency vehicles"
Do you mean the flashing lights? If so, that needs to be made clear in the entry.

Is it the case in America that you're supposed to wait at the stop line when making a left turn across oncoming traffic rater than pull into the junction?

I'd be wary of recommending the U-turn techniques, especially if you don't know the area well - you never know what to expect and whether or not you'll be able to make the U-turn because of traffic, the width of the road, a median, or any number of other reasons.

"The ladies really dig this one."
Not if you b*lls it up they don't - women are generally more sensible drivers than men, and most of the ones I've met prefer safe driving to showy driving. They don't mind waiting a minute or two at a light instead of making a dodgy manoeuvre.

"The correct way to outsmart a traffic light that "just got you""
Traffic lights are not out to get you and you can't outsmart them - they have no smarts to begin with.

I'll shut up now.


Scout

Gosho has some good points there. This site might well frown on any entry that, when followed, could put a reader at risk. And, the fact that it is U.S. based does make the whole left-right thing a confusing issue.

(BTW, did you really write "may run you a-fowl of the law."? You may have mean afoul, unless it was one of the three jokes. I wasn't counting.)

Another problem with Stateside driving is that each state has there own hodge-podge of laws. You cannot be sure of the local regs without checking. In some states you can go through a yellow, in some it will earn you a citation.

But, Gosho, on the matter of intelligent signals, I have seen evidence that some drivers are no more intelligent than the signals. Haven't you.

Quite so


Scout

I am pretty sure that California law *requires* you to enter the intersection when the light is green and you wish to turn left, even if you can't complete the turn right away. There are some 10 year old and so relatively untested laws that prohibit one from blocking an intersection, and sitting at the limit line during a green would qualify.

There are two techniques that aren't listed here. One is to follow a 'Rapid' bus during heavy traffic. Most folks won't want to be in this lane, and so the other lanes of the road will be more crowded and slower. The side effect of this choice, is you get to breathe burnt propane/diesel.

The other is when you are at a reaaally long redlight/very short greenlight at night, from a smaller street crossing a much larger one that you'd never get across during the day without the light. Don't know if this works elsewhere, but I've tried it throughout California, and it usually works. Put your car in park, go to the curb, (or stay in your car and get your passenger to do this) and press the "Press here to cross" button on the pavement. Since this button is often the only way a pedestrian can get across the wide intersection by light change, this will give your street a temporary priority, the lights will change, and you help everyone behind you, too.

Some good stuff in this one...

But you left out one of my favourites.

When you're stopped over those magnetic sensors in the roadway and there's no car behind you, slowly drift back and forth over the sensor to make it register that there is more than one car there and cause the light to turn green.

The flashing headlights trick is tried and true at night on the streets of Philadelphia btw!



- Jimi X

Hey everyone, thanks for the comments.

I'm going to update my entry and give you guys researcher credit... I love the one with the walk signal!

I'm also going to clarify the turn on yellow thing.

And as to traffic lights not being intellegent... duh! It's called personification

Thanks again,

nr.

It's an interesting entry, but I don't think the recommendation of a right turn and u-turn is suitable for an edited entry. I've seen people trying the mirror version of this driving on the left, and the temptation is definitely there to take the manoevre too fast (or look a complete prat when caught by red while returning!) I consider it an unsafe recommendation.

Azara

I was worried that some of the "tricks" wouldn't belong in the guide, but my entry encourages safety above all else, and again, there is nothing illegal or *inharently* unsafe in these techniques, it all depends on the safety of the driver, and I can't do anything about that except warn that driving in itself is risky. Also, if you refer to the edited series "Driving Ediquette - insert country here", initiated by DNA himself, you'll find all sorts of *frightfully* unsafe recommmendations, tongue-in-cheek, of course, but edited.

nr.

Many of the entries by DNA were done pre-Rupert. BBCi may allow legacy, if no one brings it to their attention: we aren't pre-moderated anymore. If attention is brought to the articles, they may delete the entry, like they have already done to some other Edited Entries (although no DNA ones that I know about, so far).

In my experience, emulating DNA in general is not likely to get you anywhere Edited.

Your methods could be described in such a way as to include the same information, but in a pedestrian manner so that they could be seen as not inciting anyone to do anything particularly dangerous. In particular, for some quiet sidestreets, the right turn u turn right turn technique is perfectly safe and uninteresting.

Gosho, "Traffic lights are not out to get you and you can't outsmart them - they have no smarts to begin with." - Here in Germany, they *are*. There's a certain B-class road which is IMHO meant to keep traffic going, and to keep it from going through urban/built-up areas. Now, the traffic lights are controlled such that you have to stop at each and every one of them, no matter whether you're heading East or West. You'd either have to go at a speed of 30 km/h over some 10 kilometres to pass them without stopping (and get hooted at), or you'd have to drive at 180 km/h and more (where 100 km/h is the max allowed speed).

I can't understand why a 'green' county government wouldn't let me act up to their very own proposal of 'driving foresightedly' and economically. So that's where 'right and u-turn' is precisely what I'm doing on every second traffic light on that particular road. I have to add that over here, there's nothing forbidden in doing so, I don't even cross un-interrupted white road markings.

I like this article, and I think the only way you can make it clearer that these actions can be dangerous it to place it in huge, 6 foot letters at the start. However, it would be nice to include some links to "safe driving" websites (for balance). It also seems that lots of people do drive like this already.

One technical point for you, your link to earth (no pun intended) is a HREF (for web entries) instead of H2G2 (for H2G2 stuff), so H2G2/DNA thinks earth is an external website.

The author appears to have left the building.

Given the interest in this entry, I propose a move to the Flea Market.


Geggs

Seconded - e-mail will be sent

No, not flea market... nothing ever returns!

F74125?thread=333797

Oh, that's not true.

My last two entries came from the Flea Market.


Geggs

Geggs is right, Bob - what you say is simply not true, and I'd be grateful if you'd stop running down the Flea Market.

A quick look at A845390, the Hall of Scavengers, demonstrates many of the EG entries that came from the FM - or a look at my personal space, U115522... nearly half of my EG entries are ex-Flea Market.

I agree that certain things get put in there that are extremely unlikely to ever come out again, but hey, no system's perfect.

OK then

So so sorry, I sorta gave up writing guide entries to become a community artist...

I will update and clean up the article sometime soon and resubmit... not to worry!

thanks for the comments...

nr.