A lot of lights are ignored by locals if the traffic is light or non-existent, especially at night. You will certainly get honked at those, for instance in santiago, and since other drivers generally won't expect you to stop, stopping on red light sometimes is more dangerous than moving through, - I'd recommend slowing down though to make sure no other cars are crossing the intersection.
- Thread starter Vinyasa
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Sosua traffic lights
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A lot of lights are ignored by locals if the traffic is light or non-existent, especially at night. You will certainly get honked at those, for instance in santiago, and since other drivers generally won't expect you to stop, stopping on red light sometimes is more dangerous than moving through, - I'd recommend slowing down though to make sure no other cars are crossing the intersection.
Come with the idea you are going to stop for lights. If after a time you see that in the night when there is little traffic that most, repeat most drivers slow but don't stop, then you can consider doing the same. Answer your question by experience, not by what you read on this board. Practices change from place to place and the best thing is to do what is right until you feel comfortable, by experience, of doing something different. But in the DR one thing is always true, you must drive defensively. It is your life you are protecting even when those around you seem suicidal.
Again, your government is not working for you! They turned on the traffic lights at Playero. Of course no adjustments in flow-through times was made. Again there is much confusion, long stoppages for Westbound drivers, and vehicles are lining up 3 abreast.
The lights are back on? NICE! It will make going into and out of Playero by car or foot safer and easier.
A little extra organized wait on the main road was always worth it to me.
It will also give some other people a chance to haul up a chair to sit a watch while it provides them with the personal entertainment that they crave.
It looks like a win-win.
A little extra organized wait on the main road was always worth it to me.
It will also give some other people a chance to haul up a chair to sit a watch while it provides them with the personal entertainment that they crave.
It looks like a win-win.
Good news, Ringo. I am presently in the US visiting family so wasn't aware they are finally back in operation.
I can confirm that the lights were working today and traffic was back to being congested, but I did not see any chairs.
i must say that i am very disapointed.
Not that they are back, but that they are back with no change in the 'phasing' (timing).
Doesnt the local government read DR1 forcrissakes??
Not that they are back, but that they are back with no change in the 'phasing' (timing).
Doesnt the local government read DR1 forcrissakes??
Good grief, do you really think that the local government worries about what is on dr1? Why should it be concerned with what a bunch of non-voting, mostly non-tax paying gringos (many of whom are only interested in the prostitutes) are saying?
I didn't see any chairs either, but I will set mine up this afternoon.
No, the local government doesn't worry about what is on DR1. It is NOT the people posting on DR1 who are INCONVENIENCED by the PLAYERO traffic light. It is the people who have to deal with this RIDICULOUS OBSTACLE to smooth traffic flow and safety at this intersection on a daily basis.
The intersection is NOT SAFER when this trafffic light is operational. There have been several SERIOUS accidents since the PLAYERO light was put there. The old traffic light worked JUST FINE for many years. And traffic flowed SMOOTHLY without any traffic light at all.
The only people inconvenienced when this light was not operating were the few people who have insufficient driving skills to make a left turn out of the PLAYERO parking lot, and the few pedestrians either too impatient to wait for a safe moment to cross the street, or those physically incapable of doing so.
I'm not saying this as an indictment of anyones driving skills or inability to cross the street, but it's a fact.
Ask the taxi drivers, bus drivers or just the people who have to drop off and pick up their children from school several times a day. Or the people who live here and have to drive past it several times a day. These people definitely do not post on DR1, but if they did, this thread would be FULL of replies and comments. More than you could possibly imagine.
And no, people aren't setting up any chairs, and yes people, have better things to do than worry about this light. But it takes TWO MINUTES to post on DR1, but this damn PLAYERO traffic light wastes HOURS of peoples lives and in reality it makes the intersection MORE DANGEROUS.
Since we are stuck with this PLAYERO traffic light, it would be nice if the people "in control" would just adjust the timing sequence to accommodate safe and steady traffic flow.
P.S. to Ken, give the "non-tax paying gringos (many of whom are only interested in the prostitutes)" a break, they have to pass through this intersection too.
NY-DR Commuter;1005508 P.S. to Ken said:"non-tax paying gringos (many of whom are only interested in the prostitutes)" [/B]a break, they have to pass through this intersection too.
My comments were not directed at the people who live in the DR and who are affected by decisions made by government officials, regardless of whether they pay taxes or not.
I was just marveling at the fact that someone thinks the rants on dr1 will influence public policy in the DR.
The only way that light could make any sense whatsoever would be if they timed the Playero side and opposite side green for 5 seconds, even then its still a pain in the ass because most of the time there are no cars coming out from either side. To make matters worse, they don't have those two opposite sides green at the same time (probably because Dominicans don't know how to turn on green) so most of the time you got three sides on red and one side on green - with no cars there to go.
Right on Red is legal in the DR and all 50 US states and DC
Not quite true:
All 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico, have allowed right turns on red since January 1, 1980, unless there is a sign or signal prohibiting this, such as "No Turn On Red" or "No Right on Red"), a No Right Turn symbol with the words On Red, or where right turns are controlled by a traffic signal separate from through traffic. In New York City, the situation is reversed, where one needs a sign similar to one shown to the right in order to legally turn on red. In some states, such as New York, a right turn on red is prohibited when a red arrow is present.
And now for the DR situation which is an example of the local police not knowing their own laws:
Most Caribbean countries with right-hand traffic, such as the Dominican Republic, allow right turn on red, unless a sign prohibits it.
From: Right turn on red - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not quite true:
All 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico, have allowed right turns on red since January 1, 1980, unless there is a sign or signal prohibiting this, such as "No Turn On Red" or "No Right on Red"), a No Right Turn symbol with the words On Red, or where right turns are controlled by a traffic signal separate from through traffic. In New York City, the situation is reversed, where one needs a sign similar to one shown to the right in order to legally turn on red. In some states, such as New York, a right turn on red is prohibited when a red arrow is present.
And now for the DR situation which is an example of the local police not knowing their own laws:
Most Caribbean countries with right-hand traffic, such as the Dominican Republic, allow right turn on red, unless a sign prohibits it.
From: Right turn on red - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thanks for the clarification. A visiting gringo wouldn't know that and would just pay the 1000 pesos fine.
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