Traffic Lights Failure (stuck on red)... What To Do?

[roker]

A couple of weeks ago I was at the front of the queue at the traffic lights on red. I waited 15 minutes for the lights to change and saw the system go through several sequences of letting the traffic out from the left and right junction. By this time there was a huge build up of traffic in both lanes behind, the lights had obviously gone faulty.
Is it legal to go ahead with caution and ignore these lights?

 

[Moral Ethos]

No. It is not. You should contact the Gardaí.

 

[tallpaul]

No. It is not. You should contact the Gardaí.

By your logic then the original poster should have waited for several hours while the Gardai and the Council fixed the traffic lights.

A little common sense would suggest that you proceed with caution through the junctions as you would if the lights were completely broken or all flashing amber.

 

[RonanC]

If lights are stuck on red at a junction and having given resonable time to assess the situation, you may proceed with caution.

 

[Moral Ethos]

Not in this situation as the lights were giving greens to the other roads. Proceeding would have been very dangerous.

 

[RonanC]

Taken from the RSA's Marking guidelines for Driving Testors and Instructors

Examples of ‘Traffic Control’ faults include:

(a) Traffic Lights: Not stopping for a red light as required, including where a tester has to offer advice. (See also ‘Progress’, (a) (b) (c) and (h). This includes where an applicant drives past a red light onto an arrowed box, which is painted near the centre of the junction, and to be used by traffic which is turning right. However where traffic lights are out of action, or are stuck on ‘red’ at a junction, the tester, having given reasonable time to the applicant to assess the situation, should say to the applicant, “These lights appear to be out of order, or faulty, you should proceed with caution”. In an extreme case it may be necessary to divert temporarily from the route by e.g. turning left.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​