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Ambulance, Police And Traffic Lights...
When I was younger I was always told that ambulances and police were able to change traffic lights if they needed to get through in an emergency using some kind of device in the vehicle - was this ever true?
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.The pedestrian button at traffic light crossings also have no effect. The lights are parsed with each other, and the timing of their changing is determined by time of day and traffic volumes. A pedestrian pressing a button merely lights up the wait/don’t walk sign. It has no relevance to making the lights change quicker.
Emergency services have no ability to change traffic light to their favour in progress. Never have. They are legally permitted to cross the stop line on a carriageway against a red signal BUT if they do so they must accord due care and attention to other road users. If it goes pear shaped they could be liable for prosecution.
The newer hi tech ones do not, they have motion sensors above the top light. Induction loops are no good for the temperary ones, because of the time required for setting up and they are usualy under the road surface. The early sensors in the temp. ones did have light sensitive switches. They reacted to car headlights but were only fully effective between twilight and dusk.
As a fireman for 25 years I have never been aware of such a thing ! However, I knew of a couple of Fire Stations who are on very busy main roads had a switch in the appliance room whereby if a call was received by operating this switch they could change a set of traffic lights outside the station to red to make it easier for them to get out. That was a long time ago mind you - it's probably changed by now. Perhaps there is someone who could prove me right or wrong as the case may be !!
FBG40
FBG40
FBG, this type of light is outside my local fire and ambulance stations https:/ /www.hw fire.or g.uk/ne ws/01-0 3-2019- vehicle s-ignor e-wig-w ag-ligh ts-at-d roitwic h-fire- station