Road wars. WiBU

[Ceebeegee]

Hopefully my diagram uploads.

I was in a flow of traffic at traffic lights, when we turned green we set off. Further up the road ahead of me, a car was trying to turn right but was blocked from doing so because traffic on the other side of the road (now on a red light) had blocked their right turn. I didn't see this at the point I went through the green light. I had to come to a stop in the middle of the traffic light. When the other side then turned green, they couldn't move because I was in the way.

Cue lots of other drivers shouting and gesturing at me, I understand I was blocking the way but it wasn't deliberate /intentional and I couldn't have known the flow of traffic would stop,so couldn't have done anything about it.
I blamed the driver further ahead from blocking the road for the right turner. They blamed me. Is it just one of things where no one is really to blame?
Or AIBU? Is there a part of the highway code I need to brush up on? Should traffic lights be treated like box junctions and you shouldn't enter until your exit is clear?

The person covering the junction is in the wrong. Think the highway code says not to stop in a way that obstructs a junction.

Fair point, I see both sides of it.

The traffic lights are for roadworks, just to clarify.

The traffic was moving freely when I set off on the green light. I accept I should have anticipated it more.
Although, knowing my luck, as its quite a long stretch of roadworks and I had sat and waited until knowing my exit was clear, I probably would have ended up with someone behind me beeping for stopping at a green light!

At these sort of roadworks there is no way that you would wait until the car in front has cleared the other side before setting off yourself. So unless it was obvious that it was going to be a problem, e.g. you could see traffic queuing already before you went through, then I wouldn't say it was your fault.

So between you both you stopped everyone from moving? How long were you stuck like that.

There is a permanent road lay out similar near my DDs school- it's through a tunnel so you can't see the exit from the entrance. It's common to get stranded in the middle, and the people coming the other way just have to wait. It's a pain of a junction.

Although, knowing my luck, as its quite a long stretch of roadworks and I had sat and waited until knowing my exit was clear, I probably would have ended up with someone behind me beeping for stopping at a green light!

Exactly. You don't wait until the other end is clear at these sort of roadworks. You would barely get a few cars through, which would cause even more congestion. The main problem is with the car blocking the turning. It's also possible that the traffic management plan should have taken that into account (e.g. by saying no right turns for the side roads close to the lights).

This is at temporary traffic lights? I can see why it would be more difficult to anticipate you might not have a clear exit. At a set of normal lights you should always make sure you have room to clear them before you enter. So technically, YABU, but the person who caused the right turning car to be stuck was "more" in the wrong, IMO, because they clearly would have seen they were blocking the junction and should have held back to avoid this.

Both wrong - I never move through traffic lights unless there is a cars space in front - you can see if traffic is moving or not - it's not hard! that works at a traffic light controlled junction. It doesn't work if the traffic lights are for a long section of narrow road, or over a hump backed bridge where you cant see the other side, or, as in this case, for roadworks. In these situations waiting until you were sure the other end was clear would cause far more congestion as only one car moved through the lights in the time meant for 6 cars or a dozen.

@NoFucksImAQueen it was probably 5 minutes but felt a lot longer. Felt like hours!

The cars behind the car stuck turning right eventually snuck through, mostly by riding the grass verge which isn't great but at least it solved it

That said, in this case you have gridlock. And the only way for it to be resolved is for the entirely "innocent" right-turner to switch off his indicators, go straight ahead instead, and take the first opportunity to turn round and approach his turning from the other side.

OP you are not in the wrong here at all. I'm laughing at all the posters who apparently go through roadworks one at a time "just in case".

The people queuing should be leaving gaps for right-turners.

I don’t think you did anything wrong OP, the traffic was moving and came to a stop because of something somebody else did. People get stuck in roadworks sometimes. That’s life.

You can’t refuse to go through green lights on the off chance a person you can’t see might be turning right further ahead around a corner i you up haven’t come to yet. You’d have got beeped at by all the people behind you.

I think the people doing the roadworks are in the wrong for not anticipating the problem you encountered.

common sense says you don’t enter traffic lights unless your exit is clear.

Not common sense at all on lights covering a long distance. What are you going to do, sit and wait like an idiot on a green to wait and see what happens? You’ll be overtaken in seconds by irate people behind you.

I don't understand how you can be wrong? At a junction, yes if you pull forward when it isn't clear ahead you would be wrong but how are you supposed to know it's clear on the other side of the roadworks??

Do all these people who are saying you are wrong genuinely wait at a green light at these kind of roadworks until all the cars ahead are clear the other side? Of course not, you would have all the drivers behind you beeping angrily telling you to get a move on for a start.

The person who blocked the junction was the only person who was wrong here.