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Counter measures
I live Guangxi (South China). Just about all the traffic lights here have countdowns with them. Also they are LED types and very bright. They are positioned above the roads and the other side of the junctions as you approach. All these lights arrived in the last 5 years and are now very common all over China. The countdowns are very useful but you don't get Grand Prix starts here, thank goodness. I have company car, Citroen C-Triomphe saloon (based on the C4). It’s very good.
Asked on 7 August 2010 by NS, via email
Answered by
Honest John
Having first seen these in Thailand I have been advocating them for the UK for about 6 years now. But the traffic light manufacturing lobby says they are incompatible with their automated light controls that regulate light changes according to build-ups of traffic. Sensible countries also switch some junction lights off at times of light traffic when they are not needed. The UK rarely does, wasting millions of working hours subjecting drivers to unnecessary waits. And sensible RHD countries allow left turns on a red just as some LHD countries allow right turns on a red. The UK doesn't.
Tags:
driving
traffic lights
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