Originally Posted by
Derfred
Consol, this post wasn’t clear on the circumstances, and I latched onto your comment that “verbal clearance had overall priority in any case”.
Verbal clearance can’t possibly have overall priority “in any case”. All you need is callsign confusion and you might as well not have installed the stop bars in the first place.
I can understand special cases where it is clear that there is a stop bar failure and SOP’s allow an override given special phraseology as has just been mentioned above. CASA has only just reached that level of maturity - an “Austro-regulator?”....
Fair point Derfred, I did say it was in LHR but I should have been clearer. The guidance green lights and stop bars are used to facilitate taxiing, they are not the runway hold short bars which of course are extremely important. If recollection serves me correctly our CX Oz mate was rather pompously objecting to a stop bar not backing up a taxi clearance and the controller informed him that the verbal clearance took priority anyway. E.g. You are still supposed to stop in accordance with your verbal clearance even if the lights indicate you may procede.
I didn't intend to start a thread drift on stop bars, once again my point was merely an observation on why this guy felt the need to loudly call out (twice) a very efficient ATC operation when a simple query would have done the job and been easier on our ears. I query ATC clearances most days without a ceremony and get on with the job.