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There was a question in here recently about horizontal and vertical stoplights but now I'm asking about signals at left turns. In Waco, near where I'm from, at most lights you could only turn left when the green arrow lit up, which I hate. In North Texas, there's more lights that let you turn left at the regular green if there is no one coming. What are the left turn rules generally like where you are from?
Up here in Montreal there are two types of left turn lights one is you turn left when a green arrow lights up usually its a flashing green and you then make your left turn generally this method is used in the cities or high traffic areas.The other system is where a regular traffic light turns green and you are allowed to make your left turn when its safe to do so which obviously means when nothing is coming the other way.
There are basically three kinds of left turn at a traffic light arrangements for a standard intersection:
Exclusively permissive - There's no dedicated left turn signal, and you must always yield to oncoming traffic.
Dual protected/permissive - Using one of two kinds of left turn signals (more on that below), you're offered both a "protected" turn phase (oncoming traffic is stopped) and still allowed to turn "permissively" (yielding to oncoming traffic) when on the regular green phase.
Exclusively protected - You can turn left only on the arrow provided by the left turn signal.
Traditionally the second kind of arrangement was provided with the so-called "doghouse" lights that often said something like "Left Turn Yield on Green" but we're gradually seeing those be replaced with the flashing yellow arrow signals that say for example "Left Turn Yield on Flashing Arrow" which have a couple of advantages. One is it eliminates the "Yellow Trap" whenever the general green phase ends in your direction but continues in the other one (leading left-turn drivers waiting to mistakenly believe the other direction's green is ending as well leading to accidents thinking they would stop when they don't) - with the flashing arrow it ends with the green in the oncoming direction. Another one is instead of forcing a permanent exclusively protected setup to account for cases when it's necessary only at certain times (e.g. in a school zone when children are going to or leaving school to make it safer for the kids) you can program the signal to allow a permissive left turn at other times. (Cases that warrant a permanent turn-on-arrow-only setup include oncoming traffic coming up a hill making it hard to see them, heavy traffic volume, multiple left-turn lanes, and more than two lanes of oncoming traffic.)
We have three types of signalized left turns around here:
1. Solid green. This one is treated like a yield sign. A left turn is allowed after yielding the right of way to oncoming traffic; it is not necessary to stop beforehand, if the way is clear.
2. Green arrow. Left-turning traffic has the right of way; oncoming traffic has a red light.
3. Flashing red arrow. This one is pretty new (around here at least) but is becoming increasingly popular. A flashing red arrow would be treated like a stop sign; one may make a left turn only after coming to a full stop (regardless of whether the way is clear), and then going once any oncoming traffic is clear.
If there is no specific green left arrow (and usually there is not) one can turn left with the regular green light providing there is no oncoming traffic interfering.
in NH is a mix of things, but mostly dedicated green arrows where the person with the green arrow has the right away.
Honestly this drives me insane, because, when its a green light, but you don't have a green arrow, your not allowed to turn left on green (even when its safe to do so) you must wait the entire cycle of lights in order to get your green arrow again. (not great for efficient traffic flow)
This is also terrible because it trains "drivers" to think that if they if they have a green light and they are in the left turn lane, that they do not have to yield to opposing traffic. I have had this happen to me countless times at one of the few intersections without the green arrows.
From where I grew up in CT, it was typically left turn must yield on green light. or a dedicated green arrow which would turn to a flashing yellow arrow afterwards.
There are basically three kinds of left turn at a traffic light arrangements for a standard intersection:
Exclusively permissive - There's no dedicated left turn signal, and you must always yield to oncoming traffic.
Dual protected/permissive - Using one of two kinds of left turn signals (more on that below), you're offered both a "protected" turn phase (oncoming traffic is stopped) and still allowed to turn "permissively" (yielding to oncoming traffic) when on the regular green phase.
Exclusively protected - You can turn left only on the arrow provided by the left turn signal.
Traditionally the second kind of arrangement was provided with the so-called "doghouse" lights that often said something like "Left Turn Yield on Green" but we're gradually seeing those be replaced with the flashing yellow arrow signals that say for example "Left Turn Yield on Flashing Arrow" which have a couple of advantages. One is it eliminates the "Yellow Trap" whenever the general green phase ends in your direction but continues in the other one (leading left-turn drivers waiting to mistakenly believe the other direction's green is ending as well leading to accidents thinking they would stop when they don't) - with the flashing arrow it ends with the green in the oncoming direction. Another one is instead of forcing a permanent exclusively protected setup to account for cases when it's necessary only at certain times (e.g. in a school zone when children are going to or leaving school to make it safer for the kids) you can program the signal to allow a permissive left turn at other times. (Cases that warrant a permanent turn-on-arrow-only setup include oncoming traffic coming up a hill making it hard to see them, heavy traffic volume, multiple left-turn lanes, and more than two lanes of oncoming traffic.)
Great post. Yes here in Atlanta the burbs have the flashing yellow arrow that means you can basically turn even when the starlight direction has a red light.
Location: New Albany, Indiana (Greater Louisville)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arc-lang
Great post. Yes here in Atlanta the burbs have the flashing yellow arrow that means you can basically turn even when the starlight direction has a red light.
Kentucky has started putting up such traffic signals, which replace the more common type where there is a green arrow that fades once the turn only cycle is over and then it's only left when clear. The first time I saw the flashing yellow arrow, especially with other light direction red I was like what the heck. In general KY times lights to hold several minutes, even if no traffic is coming the other way. Really dumb and annoying
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