Very stupid basic question about traffic lights!

[LightningOne]

So one thing that somehow manages to confuse me is say if a two car wide road has a crossing with a red light coming on the right hand traffic light, does it apply to both lanes or just the right?

Basically: imagine this: secure.i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00801/joey-barton-red-lig_801201c.jpg but with the traffic light on the right rather than left and it's showing red. Whilst I'm in left lane (& there's no traffic light available on that side)... I stopped as there wasn't a light on my side and the one on the right was showing red but I got beeped for it so I assume I must have been wrong to stop...

Hope my stupid question makes sense. If not, please ask me to clarify.

Thank you

It depends. Sometimes it’s red for a right hand turn lane only and straight ahead/ left turn are green or not traffic lighted.

Do a screen shot of the street view and we will tell you.

@Lightsdown

Please see attached. I have circled the traffic light I mean, in yellow. When I approached it (blue box on image was my car position), it was red so I thought I had to stop but got beeped for it so not sure now.

I don't see how that light being red could mean anything other than stop. You were right.

It is red for right turns at that point, however pedestrians still have row.

Is there a set of lights that you would have just passed and you are in the middle of the two sets?

If you were where the blue box is, you were too far forward. Is there a solid white line further back?

Yes you were right to stop. Can’t work out why it has a left hand green arrow though when there is no left turn unless it’s out of the picture. The red light in the picture is for anyone turning right at that junction.

But I also agree with green snail. You were too far forward if you were where the blue is.

Thanks for the feedback so far. So if I am that far forward, I may as well just continue going if it's red? I can't remember my exact positioning but I know I had not exceeded the stop line.

I have attached another image of the traffic light zoomed out with a white arrow showing the traffic light in question. Yes, there was another traffic light before it.

If you have crossed the white line before the light turned red, you shoudl continue going. But it sounds like you and the car behind cut it a little fine if it went from amber to red while you were still in the junction

It looks like a repeater light so the stop line is actually behind the red cycle bit.

I'm confused. Had you passed the left turn or stopped at the first light? It was green for your lane but you should only start across the first light if you knew you could clear the junction.

The red light is for people turning right. The green light is for straight on or left turns only.

& who is the light next to the one I have circled in yellow in the first image for (i.e. the one that is red in the first image), those in the lane next to me who will be turning right?

The same as first one, left hand turn /straight on.

You were 2/3 of the way through the junction so yes I would have kept going and not stopped. By stopping you were effectively blocking the junction. I would have proceeded to clear the junction. but very slowly incase there was green man.

I'm presuming the left land is marked for left turn & straight on; the right lane is marked for turning right.

You have a green light for those in the left lane, indicating you can turn left or go straight on. The red light is for those in the right lane, those turning right.

We have these combo lights on my side of Manchester. Where there are two lanes and two sets of traffic lights side-by-side as shown in your photos, the left-hand light is for the left lane and the right-hand light is for the right lane.

The second set are repeater lights the first set in you second photos are the true lights - so the red light is a filter for right turners. Once you have passed the first set in reality you should ignore the second.

Yes. People turning right have the red light and they should be in the right lane. The one you circled is for people going straight on and left.

Light to the right of yellow circle is for cars turning right.

PP is right, it's a repeater light. It shows the same as the traffic lights in the last picture you've posted. The stop line is where the red cycle box is so once you're past there you pay no attention.

And yes, the traffic light on the right hand side is for that lane.

OP I'm not being goady but were you on a lesson or have you already passed your test?

So in answer to your question..

Yes, you were wrong to stop, a beep was appropriate and you're lucky you didn't get rear ended!

Yeah that's how I thought it would look. You have gone through atleast an orange light and should have carried on. Otherwise you will be blocking traffic coming from your right.

I’m probably being really stupid but presumably if you were in the left lane where the blue block is you weren’t turning right? So you were wrong to stop if that’s the case I think as your lane was green.