Horse and traffic lights!

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smellsofhorse

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So being a driver I should know this but how do traffic lights work?

After riding up the lane and along the main road we have to go through some traffic lights.

At peak times these light are on a timer, other times it must be sensors as they can turn red then immediately green again if im the only car approaching them from one of the 4 direction.

Sometimes this road is very quite.
I was approaching them on my horse yesterday morning and they would not turn green, I walked closer, circled etc but in the end after checking very safe and there were no cars I went through the red light!

So is it a weight sensor thing (which someone has suggested to me in the past) and my horse just isnt heavy enough?!
 
I never tried to for myself, but there was a "tip" going around the cycling forums a while ago about attaching a strong magnet to the bottom bracket of your bike (the painted bit between the pedals - where the serial number should be) to get lights that work on a sensor to change. Haven't seen it for a while though.

You might be interested in this post from the CTC forum though - one gentleman discovered that traffic light sensors SHOULD be able to detect the ferrule on the end of his walking stick (said the actress...) so got the local council to get the lights he was concerned with adjusted properly.
Here it is: Traffic Light Sensors
 
We have a very similar traffic light system going over a narrow bridge...well it's not wide enough for 2 cars but is wide enough for a car and a couple of meters for a horse.

Anyway, that has the same weight sensors in the road and a horse doesn't trigger the lights.

I have to either wait for a car to pull up behind me or if it's quiet i proceed, luckily cars wouldn't be approaching at speed anyway and touch wood i've never encountered a car coming.

If you can see what's coming and it's safe to do so then i would go through a red light.

However, i also have a level crossing and i would never chance the lights or barrier so it really depends on why there are traffic lights there.
 
It's annoying Hudsonw!
I wait for a while but if no cars approach from behind me I do proceed but depending where I'm going how careful I have to be.
If going left I just stick very close to the kerb and wouldnt cause much trouble if a car was to come, but going to the woods I turn right and this is a 4 way criss roads so potentially cross I front of moving traffic.

But usually when I have this trouble with lights the roads are very quiet and obviously I thoroughly check its safe to proceed.
 
Depending on the type of "traffic" detector, the horse may not trigger it. A lot of traffic lights are dependent on inductance, and need to be triggered by a large metal object moving onto or over the thin black tar lines in the tarmac.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/question234.htm

So no idea how to trigger them should you find one that is only triggered by the inductor loops. You'd think they have a timer in them as well.
 
When a red traffic light will not change for whatever reason then it should be treated as a give way

That is the same for ALL road users

ROG
Senior observer IAM - advanced driving
 
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