Frequently asked questions: Traffic management and road safety

Traffic management and road safety questions

• Question: Why are alterations made to the highway when there does not seem to be a problem?

• Question: Why are traffic signals installed?

• Question: Why do I sit waiting at a red signal when there are no opposing vehicles?

• Question: I have seen traffic signals with right turn arrows that never seem to appear. Why is this?

  Answer:

  These are known as right turn indicative arrows and are programmed to appear only when there is a sufficient queue of right turning vehicles waiting on a sensor loop in the road to trigger their appearance.

  Junctions with this arrangement should be negotiated like any other junction, for example right turning vehicles should move forward of the stop line waiting in the junction for an adequate gap to appear in the opposing traffic.

  If the green arrow does not appear and the lights turn to red there will be sufficient time complete the right turn manoeuvre if the stop line has been crossed.
  

• Question: At pedestrian crossings why does the ‘green man’ time seem so short?