Just to explain the red light thing in BA a bit.
At an intersection on an avenue like 9 de Julio, when cars are stopped for a red light they start to leave the line when the opposite lights get the amber. Why? It's because they leave the line but don't actually cross the MIDDLE of the intersection before their light turns green, technically still not breaking the law. They're very careful about this sort of thing and have it down to inches. If you're a car at the front of the line and don't leave on the amber, the car behind you will honk.
The same thing works in running red lights in that if they get to that invisible middle point before the light actually turns red, it's ok. What we might call running a red they'd call running an amber. There is a method to the madness and it's all about going as fast as you can and pushing the limits. Talk to a taxi driver about these things and they'll rattle off plenty of unwritten rules which all drivers are expected to just "know" from living there all their lives.
A key point in this is that these streets are straight through with no left turns. The pedestrian lights are also timed to be slightly less than the traffic lights, so people should be out of the crosswalks in time. The basic rule as well is that motor traffic has right of way no matter what, unlike how it might be in other countries. If a light turns green (or amber), you better not be in the way. Also, whoever is bigger has right of way and Buses have open access to the right lane no matter what.
At an intersection on an avenue like 9 de Julio, when cars are stopped for a red light they start to leave the line when the opposite lights get the amber. Why? It's because they leave the line but don't actually cross the MIDDLE of the intersection before their light turns green, technically still not breaking the law. They're very careful about this sort of thing and have it down to inches. If you're a car at the front of the line and don't leave on the amber, the car behind you will honk.
The same thing works in running red lights in that if they get to that invisible middle point before the light actually turns red, it's ok. What we might call running a red they'd call running an amber. There is a method to the madness and it's all about going as fast as you can and pushing the limits. Talk to a taxi driver about these things and they'll rattle off plenty of unwritten rules which all drivers are expected to just "know" from living there all their lives.
A key point in this is that these streets are straight through with no left turns. The pedestrian lights are also timed to be slightly less than the traffic lights, so people should be out of the crosswalks in time. The basic rule as well is that motor traffic has right of way no matter what, unlike how it might be in other countries. If a light turns green (or amber), you better not be in the way. Also, whoever is bigger has right of way and Buses have open access to the right lane no matter what.
