It's 4am In The Morning And The Light Is Red

[Razors Edge ★]

Driving your car (or, riding a bike):

How long do you sit at a completely desolate intersection before proceeding through regardless of the red signal?

I'm coming to a full stop, looking both ways, and proceeding.

Edited August 12, 2019 by Razors Edge
Clarification

[Kzoo]

1 minute ago, Razors Edge said:

How long do you sit at a completely desolate intersection before proceeding through regardless of the red signal?

I'm coming to a full stop, looking both ways, and proceeding.

"Please step out of the car." says the nice police officer that was hiding behind a telephone pole just down the street.

 

[Razors Edge ★]

Just now, Kzoo said:

"Please step out of the car." says the nice police officer that was hiding behind a telephone pole just down the street.

 

I'm a white guy in an Accord.  They wave me through.

[TrentonMakes]

never mind, I responded as if you were talking about bikes.

 

[Kzoo]

Just now, Razors Edge said:

I'm a white guy in an Accord.  They wave me through.

NOT when you run a red light at 4am.  Just remember, if you end up in the slammer, don't drop the soap.

 

[Razors Edge ★]

4 minutes ago, TrentonMakes said:

never mind, I responded as if you were talking about bikes.

  

Same rules apply, generally.

[Razors Edge ★]

3 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

NOT when you run a red light at 4am.  Just remember, if you end up in the slammer, don't drop the soap. 

What, you own the market on dropping the soap???  That's pretty selfish of you.

[TrentonMakes]

6 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Same rules apply, generally.

There's an important distinction:  All traffic signals will detect the presence of my car, but not all traffic signals notice me and my bicycle.  I've gotten to know which signals are indifferent to me and I navigate those intersections accordingly.

[Razors Edge ★]

Just now, TrentonMakes said:

All traffic signals will detect the presence of my car,

Not broken ones.  And not all traffic signals even have the sensors built in.

So, how long do you sit at a completely desolate intersection before proceeding through regardless of the red signal (possibly due to a broken sensor)?

[12string]

It's not red at 4AM.  I have a gold card and I'm not afraid to use it

[TrentonMakes]

8 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

So, how long do you sit at a completely desolate intersection before proceeding through regardless of the red signal (possibly due to a broken sensor)?

Gonna be at least 60-90 seconds before I blow a red light (in the car).  well, except an extenuating circumstance last week involving lots of stopped traffic at a railroad crossing.  Except on really busy multi-lane highways (or maybe an intersection with more than 4 legs) no one should face a red signal of more than 90 seconds or so.

My resume includes "traffic signal design" which is a continuation of a lifelong fascination with those things.  I know a bit about how they generally work which informs my judgment in that kind of situation.

Sometimes they put up helpful signs - you can use them to your benefit.

[maddmaxx ★]

51 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

How long do you sit at a completely desolate intersection before proceeding through regardless of the red signal?

I'm coming to a full stop, looking both ways, and proceeding.

You're a rhodie, why do you slow down.

[Razors Edge ★]

5 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

You're a rhodie, why do you slow down.

I'm asking about in a car at 4am.  On a bike, I would likely slow to a brake stand, and then proceed immediately if no traffic seen.   

[Kirby]

Until it turns green.

[Razors Edge ★]

Just now, Kirby said:

Until it turns green.

You showed so much promise in the Jaywalking thread.

[Further]

Most likely rolling through slowly. There are townships around here that I would stop and wait for quite a while...

On a motorcycle in Pa you are allowed to run lights that don't sense the bike. Although you better be prepared to explain how you determined the signal didn't sense you.

[ChrisL]

We have a POS light on a road near my house.  It’s a lightly travelled road (for SoCal) and I think they put a sensor on the road 1/4 mile in either direction to phase the light red as cars approach to slow them down. Either that or somebody is just fucking with me as  It turns red on me EVERY freaking time as I approach regardless if I’m in my car or bike.  More often than not there are no cars waiting in cross traffic to proceed.

4 AM no traffic I’ll wait 2 minutes as most lights are in 2 minute phase intervals.  If it doesn’t phase and it’s safe I’ll blow it.  On a bike I’m for sure blowing it.

[jsharr ★]

A couple of minutes max.   In Plano, after a certain time at night, the lights switch to a proximity sensor I think.  They change when you pull up if there is no traffic around.  Or they used to.  With all the growth I am not sure if this is still the case.

Richardson has really bad lights.  It is almost like they time them to make you stop at every light, instead of rewarding you for driving the speed limit with lights that change at the correct time. 

[JerrySTL ★]

In that situation I've made a right on red; u-turn; then another right on red as by that time the light has changed. 

[Dottleshead ★]

I blast through after yielding down to a 102 mph.

[Tizeye]

In Jr college humanities class had to go to a drama performance at a State university 60 miles away. On the way back came to a stop sign an saw a car a ways back. If we stopped would have to wait for it...so just rolled through the stop sign. Sure enough that car was the deputy sheriff  who pulled us over. He has us out of the car, and while we were nicely dressed, as he is shining a flashlight in the back seat looking for contraband, I'm telling him how we just went to a play in Tampa, it's late, and just want to get home. With that story he probably thought we were gay as I left out details like the class assignment, and couldn't find any drugs or alcohol, so let us go.

[2Far ★]

Not long. If there's a cross walk signal & it doesn't change, I might go even more quickly.