Priority at a filter light?

[julesyo]

Just wondering who has priority at a junction with traffic lights/filter light? The person going straight on or the person turning right to cross the path of the other - when traffic light on green and filter light (right turn) on green?

And does anyone know any printed evidence for this?

Thanks.

[samsong7]

Pretty straight forward this one, if you are talking of the traffic coming straight on towards you ! I think you will find that the filter light (to turn right) only comes on when the lights for oncoming traffic has turned red

[Panic Button]

If the filter light comes on green when other traffic is crossing your path then it must be faulty. Alternately they are jumping their light after it has turned red.

[julesyo]

Thanks samsong7 but both lights were on green. This was an accident a family member had a few weeks ago.

[Buenchico]

As both Samsong7 and Panic Button have indicated, the vast majority of junctions which show a right filter light will only do so when oncoming traffic is halted. However, there are junctions where this is not the case. (There seem to only be a few of these junctions left but, at one time, they were quite common). The right filter only indicates that traffic is allowed to turn right, not that it has priority over any other traffic.

Accordingly, the driver who is travelling straight on has priority. (Unless he happens to have local knowledge, there's no reason for him to know that traffic approaching from the other direction, and turning right, can see a green filter light. Assuming that he sees a green light, he has every right to proceed normally across the junction without expecting traffic to turn across his path).

Chris

[julesyo]

Thanks Buenchico, this is what we were thinking.

[tiggerwoo]

I have never seen a junction with a filter light for right turning traffic that also allows oncoming traffic to continue...otherwise what would be the point of a filter light at all...it would be pointless, and dangerous.

[loonytunes]

This from the Highway Code

"This indicates a filter lane only. Do not enter that lane unless you want to go in the direction of the arrow. You may proceed in the direction of the green arrow when it, or the full green light shows."

Does not indicate that the green arrow gives you priority