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They function the same as a left turn yield on green signal. It's a flashing yellow, meaning proceed with caution.
I understand it when the regular light is green but how about when the regular light is red and the yellow light is blinking and cars are going left? It is very confusing. Logically when a yellow light is flashing, cars should be stopping. There is nothing about a yellow light that says go. I think this light will cause accidents.
Because people were having trouble with left turn yield on green?! Whuttha? It's not a complicated idea. Sounds like pouring money into a project to fix something that isn't broke.
I understand it when the regular light is green but how about when the regular light is red and the yellow light is blinking and cars are going left? It is very confusing. Logically when a yellow light is flashing, cars should be stopping. There is nothing about a yellow light that says go. I think this light will cause accidents.
Flashing yellow means proceed with caution. Red flashing means stop. The red light is for traffic not turning.
The main reason for replacing the "left turn yield on green" signals with "left turn yield on flashing arrow" ones is the issue whenever the straight signals in one direction but not the other change to red (to give a lagging left arrow in the direction that still has straight green) and the left-turning drivers in the direction getting red falsely believe that oncoming traffic is also stopping, creating the possibility of an accident. The flashing arrow, which need not be synced with the straight green, allows for an indicator of a permissive left turn to continue. I believe "yellow trap" is the term for this issue.
Because of that, flashing arrows make the possibility of lagging arrows safer (as opposed to leading arrows that appear before straight traffic gets green) - in some cases that also helps make signal timing and progression more efficient (when previously the only alternative was to have exclusively protected left turns solely for that purpose).
Also, in cases where an exclusively protected left turn was put in because of issues present only at particular times (e.g. a school zone or a railroad crossing), the flashing arrow signal allows for protected-only left turns when the issues are present and allow for both protected and permissive left turns at other times.
So, it's not just an issue of possible driver confusion as is often believed - there are other benefits to the flashing arrow signals.
Flashing yellow means proceed with caution. Red flashing means stop. The red light is for traffic not turning.
I have never seen a red flashing arrow. If you are headed in the same direction as the other cars you are the traffic and yellow has always meant to stop also up until now.
I first heard about these thing when I read an article about a major intersection being installed in the (Light) Industrial Zone in northern Sugar Land. Fort Bend County has been retrofitting some intersections around unincorporated Cinco Ranch.
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