Citation

Maxwell A. Traffic Eng. Control 2006; 47(7): 253-261.

Affiliation

TRL

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Hemming Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

At traffic signals in the UK a red-with-amber signal ('starting amber') denotes the impending change to green, but conveys the same prohibition as the red signal. It is fixed at two seconds. Practice varies across Europe with some countries using a starting amber and some not. The period for which the starting amber is shown also varies by country, most use either one or two seconds. Additionally some European countries have or are considering reducing the length of the starting amber. The Department for Transport commissioned TRL to review omitting or reducing the 'starting amber' both in efficiency and safety terms, compared with the current policy. The research included: an international literature review; previous accident studies at traffic signals; a review of practice in other countries; stakeholder interviews and questionnaires; video analysis of vehicle, cyclist, and pedestrian response to the current starting amber, and conflict analysis; and a TRL Driving Simulator experiment examining driver responses to 0,1 and 2 second starting amber periods. The advantages and disadvantages of a change to the current starting amber policy are assessed, Including effects on non-motorised traffic.