In this case, "running a green light" is also illegal! 丨National Traffic Safety Day

December 2 is the 13th National Traffic Safety Day in China. This year's theme is "Civilized Traffic, Work Together to Create". We all know that "stop at red lights and go at green lights", but sometimes, you can't go even when the light is green. Under what circumstances can you not go even when the light is green?

Congestion at intersection

It is illegal for a motor vehicle to run a green light

Not long ago, at an intersection in Honggutan, Nanchang, Jiangxi, a bus was parked across the middle of the road, blocking the vehicles passing through with the green light.

After the traffic police discovered the road congestion, they immediately dispatched nearby police forces to direct traffic at the intersection. After more than ten minutes of directing, traffic at the intersection returned to normal.

Similar situations are more common during the morning and evening rush hours in cities. The Nanjing Road-Yingkou Road intersection is a major intersection in Tianjin. During the morning and evening rush hours every day, the traffic is dense and the traffic pressure is high.

Image source: CCTV News

Li Chunyang, chief of police at Tai'an Road Squadron of the Peace Detachment of the Tianjin Public Security Traffic Management Bureau : In a situation like this, there will be congestion in the middle of the intersection, which will result in other vehicles being unable to pass when the traffic lights change, and the traffic conditions on all roads will be affected.

Article 53 of the Regulations for the Implementation of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China stipulates that when a motor vehicle encounters a traffic jam at an intersection ahead, it shall stop outside the intersection in turn and wait, and shall not enter the intersection. Violation of this provision may result in a fine of up to 200 yuan and 2 demerit points.

"Running a green light" affects traffic efficiency

Recently, during the evening rush hour, the reporter followed the traffic police in Xi'an, Shaanxi to a small T-junction for a field experience.

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Gao Ruosen, a police officer from the Publicity and Legal Affairs Department of the Traffic Police Detachment of the Xi'an Public Security Bureau : The traffic light from west to east is green now, and the traffic flow ahead is relatively saturated. However, some vehicles still want to enter the intersection and go east. This is what we commonly call "running a green light."

Traffic police said that if a motor vehicle arrives at an intersection and finds that it is difficult to pass ahead or there is slight traffic congestion at the intersection, it can choose to slow down and observe the driving conditions.

Image source: CCTV News

Experts say that "running a green light" will disrupt the original traffic light control plan, resulting in the inability to effectively clear vehicles from the intersection during the traffic light cycle.

In this way, vehicles from other directions cannot enter the intersection normally, thereby reducing the traffic efficiency of the entire intersection.

Especially in traffic congestion, vehicles may accelerate in order to pass the intersection before the red light, increasing the risk of collision with pedestrians and bicycles.

Weng Jiancheng, professor at the School of Urban Transportation at Beijing University of Technology : In fact, from the perspective of traffic control, by optimizing signal control and appropriately extending the clearing time of red lights, congestion at intersections can be avoided to a certain extent.

Many places have introduced measures to "move the stop line of non-motorized vehicle lanes back"

In order to standardize the traffic order of non-motor vehicles at intersections and reduce the risk of traffic accidents, the Beijing Public Security Traffic Management Department has piloted the management measures of moving the non-motor vehicle stop line back across the city.

Specifically, depending on the size of the intersection, the stop line of the non-motorized vehicle lane will be moved back 3 to 5 meters, a parking buffer area will be set up, and yellow grid lines indicating prohibited parking and "Do not park across the line" prompt text will be added simultaneously.

According to relevant standards and specifications, stop lines indicate parking positions when vehicles give way or wait for release, and are marked at intersections, in front of crosswalks and other locations where vehicles need to stop . Yellow mesh lines are used to indicate areas where parking is prohibited for any reason.

Image source: CCTV News

While moving the non-motor vehicle parking line back, Beijing will increase the number of intersection coordinators, civilized guides and other publicity and guidance forces during peak travel periods, reminding everyone to pay attention to cycling safety while promoting legal regulations such as parking within the line. At present, more than 130 intersections in the city have completed the transformation.

Image source: CCTV News

In the process of implementing the "courtesy to zebra crossings" campaign, the traffic police in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, found that in some sections of the road, the stop line was close to the crosswalk, resulting in insufficient braking distance or obstructed vision for the driver, which could easily lead to dangerous situations. Subsequently, they began to adjust the position of the motor vehicle stop line at some busy intersections, and moved the stop line on the oncoming direction of nearly 300 crosswalks in the city back 5 meters.

Hua Yujie, deputy captain of Lezhong Road, Xincheng Brigade of the Traffic Police Detachment of the Xi'an Public Security Bureau : We will move the stop line back so that pedestrians will have more distance and time to judge whether vehicles should stop to give way, thereby improving the overall traffic efficiency of the intersection.

Traffic police remind that no matter how the signs and markings are optimized, traffic participants must strictly abide by them. This way they can ensure safe travel while enjoying the convenience brought by the optimization of signs and markings.

(CCTV reporter Li Jun, Zhao Xuerong, Cao Xiaozheng, Zhou Kun, Zhu Xinwei)

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