In message , Mrs Redboots
writes

I didn't think Germany did, but last holidays we were driving in both,
and my husband commented, when we got into Germany, that they followed a
similar system to us. So perhaps they've changed - or else, perhaps
they have red, followed by separate amber, followed by green? I was too
busy navigating to notice!

The most common traffic lights in Germany are indeed like UK ones:

http://home.att.net/~texhwyman/zeichen4.htm

--
Paul Terry

"Paul Terry" wrote in message
...
In message , Mrs Redboots
writes

I didn't think Germany did, but last holidays we were driving in both,
and my husband commented, when we got into Germany, that they followed a
similar system to us. So perhaps they've changed - or else, perhaps
they have red, followed by separate amber, followed by green? I was too
busy navigating to notice!

The most common traffic lights in Germany are indeed like UK ones:

http://home.att.net/~texhwyman/zeichen4.htm

Very interesting. There are some interesting features that we could do with
adopting he I like the idea of the red light as well as the green light
at filter junctions having an arrow. At a junction where there are separate
lights for straight ahead and turn left (or right), it's difficult to know
as you are approaching whether both sets of lights are the same (normal
junction) or separate (filter junction). Many times I've instictively braked
because I've seen a red light, only to realise that it's for the other
stream of traffic and that I've got a green. If the filter red light was
red, you could tell at a glance whether or not it applied to you.

What's the German rule on roundabouts (if they have them in Germany)? Do you
give way to traffic on the roundabout coming from your left (ie mirror image
of the situation in Britain) or does traffic already on the roundabout have
to give way to traffic that wants to join, as I believe is the case in The
Netherlands?

Martin Underwood wrote:
Very interesting. There are some interesting features that we could do with
adopting he I like the idea of the red light as well as the green light
at filter junctions having an arrow.
[...]
If the filter red light was
red, you could tell at a glance whether or not it applied to you.

While in principle a red-filter might seem a good idea, it does
cause some cognitive dissonance (at least for me)[1].

Arrow == "go that way"
Red == "stop"

Stop... go... stop... go... stop... go... err...

By all means have a red filter, but ffs don't make
it an arrow. Perhaps a "--|" rather than "--".


[1] I've driven a little in Australia, where they have them.
The lights went from Green to Green+RedRightArrow and I had
about a second to (a) stop in the fast lane (of three)
or (b) cross three lanes of about-to-move oncoming traffic.
Now my concious brain knows what a red arrow means, but there
wasn't time to even think about checking for the curiousities
of local traffic rules...

#Paul