If you enter an intersection -- i.e., cross the crosswalk -- and can not immediately complete your turn, that is a ticketable offense. First hand knowledge.
Okay, whoa. Yes, if you enter the intersection and cannot complete a left-hand turn, you deserve a ticket, you deserve a ticket because you are Blocking The Box, but that is not what we are talking about here. If you are the only car from the right hand lane in the intersection, and you are a decent driver, you can ALWAYS complete the turn when the oncoming traffic stops on red. There is always time to make that turn before the traffic from your right gets to you. (The only exception would be if the entire intersection was snarled, and then the one getting the ticket woud, or should be the cars coming toward you that blocked the box. You didn't. You were performing as is desirable for best traffic flow.
Unfortunately, in the city in which I live, oncoming traffic often does NOT stop on red, with several asshats running the light more often than not, making this left turn maneuver rather dangerous.
He did say a ticket could be given if the turn is not completed 'immediately'. That would not permit drivers to pull into the intersection and wait. Turning left is handled differently in various jurisdictions. A potential contributor to DC problems is many drivers that learned to drive in different jurisdictions.
Not according to this, from Oregon law: In Oregon, left turns require drivers to approach the turn in the left-hand lane and make the turn to the left of the intersection's center point." and: "Oregon law requires a driver to yield the right of way to oncoming traffic until it is safe to turn. Turn just before the imaginary center point in the intersection. Drive just to the right of the center line of the street you are entering.
Interesting. to me, it all comes down to common sense. And the commonsense approach is abundantly clear. You don't screw everyone behind you in line. There is no danger in creeping forward.
I humbly accede to "The Creeper" in using common sense. And I accede to the nice man on the motorcycle who gave me the ticket because I am polite and he had a gun on his hip. [exeunt omnes]
The first source of bitterness on your list - people who don’t signal a left turn until the last second - is my biggest one. I know it’s possible that the driver only realized at the last second that they needed to make a left turn. But this latent signaling happens far too often for it to be accidental every time, and it’s so thoughtless. What is the reason for turn signals? To let other drivers know your intentions in advance! So if you intend to turn left, why would you not signal that in advance, instead of waiting to pull some sort of passive-aggressive secret surprise blockade on the driver behind you?! … End of rant. Thank you.
I work on a college campus and have almost hit cyclists who weave in and out of traffic - on the street when it suits them, then onto the sidewalk at random, then back to the street. No hand signal. No warning. Not even a head nod to show intended direction. This morning, one of these cyclists almost met her doom, unbeknownst to her, it seems, (she seemed unfazed that I slammed on my brakes and almost hit her from behind), as she weaved from the road to the sidewalk and back without warning, speeding past traffic and between pedestrians as if they were part of an obstacle course, going as fast as I was (15 mph). I spotted her first when she barreled into my path - then I watched in cringing horror as she continued down the road, darting about like a DC squirrel on 'acorns have started dropping from the sky' day. This is pertinent to this discussion, I promise - she turned left from the sidewalk, over a curb, and directly into my path, without looking or signaling, hopping a curb, then running a stop sign, into the direct path of the vehicles at the stop sign whose turn it was to go. Clueless people like this are only alive because the rest of us was paying attention and quick to respond - one day she will be killed by someone distracted by a radio or crying baby, or she'll end up in jail for striking and injuring an old lady on the sidewalk who didn't know she was part of the obstacle course.
As I believe I pointed out earlier here, as part of the new passive-aggressive marketing push by automakers, in many parts of the country turn signals are now obviously an optional accessory.
We need lots more roundabouts instead of red lights. Less waiting and safer because collisions are slower and tend to be side to side, not t-bones. A much better solution than speed cameras at places like schools.
I also commend roundabouts. We have several in my town, with another under construction at the worst Malfunction Junction. It takes people a while to get used to them, but ours are quite modest and easy to see across--nothing like trying to navigate Dupont Circle.
Patience um...young...grasshopper. To start with, anyone driving in DC regularly is engaging in self-harm, so I have little sympathy for you --- whereas I do have sympathy for Rachel being a passenger. As I suggested previously, contact Mahouts-R-Us and be done with it. Elephants always have the right of way. And they bring an especially effective defense against tailgating.
To all those blockheads turning left on route 50 east in Arlington during rush hour, DON'T DO IT! There's a dedicated left turn lane at Fillmore for crying out loud.
This!!! I live right off of 50 near Park. I think the problem is worse in the area you’re talking about near Fillmore, but on this end I sometimes see people trying to turn left on Edison or Columbus where there’s no left turn lane, instead of using the left turn lane (with left turn arrow) at Park. It’s a problem outside of rush hours too, when cars moving at 50 mph or so suddenly have to slam on the brakes for someone who’s stopping in the left (through) lane to wait for an opening to make their turn.
In a previous employment, I worked with traffic signal timings. I never had anything to do with the ones in DC but amongst those in the know they were a running joke.
Here in Tucson, the crossing buttons generally don't make lights change faster.
But some intersections won't give a pedestrian "go" signal at all unless someone pushes a button (i.e. cars may get a green light, but the pedestrian crossing signal stays as the orange "stop" hand).
This also affects some left-turn arrows:
With no pedestrian pushing a cross button, the left-turn arrow will blink yellow during the straight-thru green phase.
But if a pedestrian pushes the button, they'll (eventually) get a white "cross" signal, and the left-turn signal will stay red.
That is (or was, this was decades back) a configurable thing - they certainly COULD make it do something, but shaving maybe 5 seconds off the cycle or even doing nothing at all was much more common.
I didn’t control the numbers, I just made sure they got from the planning office to the intersection.
I’ve heard that at least some delivery companies have a no-left-turn policy for their trucks. It’s not so much a safety thing for them as a time and fuel one; it’s faster to make three rights in one of those things than to wait in the left lane for a large enough gap in city traffic to make one left.
From the nrars.org SI archives: Report From Week 672, in which we asked you to compose overhead highway signs, of no more than three lines, 20 characters per line, that we could "write" on the electric sign on Atom.smasher.org
Gene, i worry about you being angry all the time. We are about the same age, time grows short. Is there anything your loyal readers could do to make you feel better?
Where I live in Rockville, there's a midsized street that corners to a major east-west street. It has two lanes each way, and to turn right, there's one lane for left turns and going straight, and the other is--a free for all. Left, straight or right. I, and the vast majority of drivers, want to turn right on the red light at the corner. But there's always one SOB who decides to park himself in that right lane to turn left or go straight because either they're inconsiderate, stupid, daydreaming, or all three. Grrr.
Trump just signed an Executive Order mandating that the country can henceforth only turn right. Which, like the tariffs, means that we can now only circle around clockwise to kiss our own asses.
Don't know about the rest of you, but I generally find that the times religious services let out are the most dangerous to be on the road. I chalk this up to a self-granted cloak of virtuousness allowing for divinely sanctioned and thus unhindered, right of way and U-turns at all times. Conversely, the best times are when everyone is obtaining the cloak and off the streets. So, I am very much a supporter of organized religion --- at times.
If you enter an intersection -- i.e., cross the crosswalk -- and can not immediately complete your turn, that is a ticketable offense. First hand knowledge.
I agree with the others below. Many jurisdictions RECOMMEND that you pull out into the intersection. Not doing it is madness.
Police officers doing driver classes have told us to do that.
Okay, whoa. Yes, if you enter the intersection and cannot complete a left-hand turn, you deserve a ticket, you deserve a ticket because you are Blocking The Box, but that is not what we are talking about here. If you are the only car from the right hand lane in the intersection, and you are a decent driver, you can ALWAYS complete the turn when the oncoming traffic stops on red. There is always time to make that turn before the traffic from your right gets to you. (The only exception would be if the entire intersection was snarled, and then the one getting the ticket woud, or should be the cars coming toward you that blocked the box. You didn't. You were performing as is desirable for best traffic flow.
Unfortunately, in the city in which I live, oncoming traffic often does NOT stop on red, with several asshats running the light more often than not, making this left turn maneuver rather dangerous.
He did say a ticket could be given if the turn is not completed 'immediately'. That would not permit drivers to pull into the intersection and wait. Turning left is handled differently in various jurisdictions. A potential contributor to DC problems is many drivers that learned to drive in different jurisdictions.
Where is that ticket able? I think the state of NY taught us to get on out there..
Orygun
Not according to this, from Oregon law: In Oregon, left turns require drivers to approach the turn in the left-hand lane and make the turn to the left of the intersection's center point." and: "Oregon law requires a driver to yield the right of way to oncoming traffic until it is safe to turn. Turn just before the imaginary center point in the intersection. Drive just to the right of the center line of the street you are entering.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sm820Qh3MU
...and the hits just keep on coming!
Interesting. to me, it all comes down to common sense. And the commonsense approach is abundantly clear. You don't screw everyone behind you in line. There is no danger in creeping forward.
I humbly accede to "The Creeper" in using common sense. And I accede to the nice man on the motorcycle who gave me the ticket because I am polite and he had a gun on his hip. [exeunt omnes]
If that were so here, I would get plenty of tickets.
The first source of bitterness on your list - people who don’t signal a left turn until the last second - is my biggest one. I know it’s possible that the driver only realized at the last second that they needed to make a left turn. But this latent signaling happens far too often for it to be accidental every time, and it’s so thoughtless. What is the reason for turn signals? To let other drivers know your intentions in advance! So if you intend to turn left, why would you not signal that in advance, instead of waiting to pull some sort of passive-aggressive secret surprise blockade on the driver behind you?! … End of rant. Thank you.
I work on a college campus and have almost hit cyclists who weave in and out of traffic - on the street when it suits them, then onto the sidewalk at random, then back to the street. No hand signal. No warning. Not even a head nod to show intended direction. This morning, one of these cyclists almost met her doom, unbeknownst to her, it seems, (she seemed unfazed that I slammed on my brakes and almost hit her from behind), as she weaved from the road to the sidewalk and back without warning, speeding past traffic and between pedestrians as if they were part of an obstacle course, going as fast as I was (15 mph). I spotted her first when she barreled into my path - then I watched in cringing horror as she continued down the road, darting about like a DC squirrel on 'acorns have started dropping from the sky' day. This is pertinent to this discussion, I promise - she turned left from the sidewalk, over a curb, and directly into my path, without looking or signaling, hopping a curb, then running a stop sign, into the direct path of the vehicles at the stop sign whose turn it was to go. Clueless people like this are only alive because the rest of us was paying attention and quick to respond - one day she will be killed by someone distracted by a radio or crying baby, or she'll end up in jail for striking and injuring an old lady on the sidewalk who didn't know she was part of the obstacle course.
As I believe I pointed out earlier here, as part of the new passive-aggressive marketing push by automakers, in many parts of the country turn signals are now obviously an optional accessory.
Michigan left. That’s all I have to say about that.
For those who find it hard to visualize the "Michigan Left" (aka "Michigan U-turn") here it is in graphic form.
https://www.michiganautolaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Screenshot-Michigan-Left-MDOT-brochure.png
Is that where you go thru the intersection then do a uey in a special lane so you can return to the intersection and turn right?
Yes!
I haven't lived in MI for 45 years. Are they more common now? I only know of one on the east side of Grand Rapids.
I live in metro Detroit, and they’re all over the place.
We need lots more roundabouts instead of red lights. Less waiting and safer because collisions are slower and tend to be side to side, not t-bones. A much better solution than speed cameras at places like schools.
I also commend roundabouts. We have several in my town, with another under construction at the worst Malfunction Junction. It takes people a while to get used to them, but ours are quite modest and easy to see across--nothing like trying to navigate Dupont Circle.
Patience um...young...grasshopper. To start with, anyone driving in DC regularly is engaging in self-harm, so I have little sympathy for you --- whereas I do have sympathy for Rachel being a passenger. As I suggested previously, contact Mahouts-R-Us and be done with it. Elephants always have the right of way. And they bring an especially effective defense against tailgating.
To all those blockheads turning left on route 50 east in Arlington during rush hour, DON'T DO IT! There's a dedicated left turn lane at Fillmore for crying out loud.
This!!! I live right off of 50 near Park. I think the problem is worse in the area you’re talking about near Fillmore, but on this end I sometimes see people trying to turn left on Edison or Columbus where there’s no left turn lane, instead of using the left turn lane (with left turn arrow) at Park. It’s a problem outside of rush hours too, when cars moving at 50 mph or so suddenly have to slam on the brakes for someone who’s stopping in the left (through) lane to wait for an opening to make their turn.
DAMN RIGHT!!!
Left turns from Route 50 between Fillmore Street and Glebe Road should be illegal.
In a previous employment, I worked with traffic signal timings. I never had anything to do with the ones in DC but amongst those in the know they were a running joke.
I’ve always suspected that the buttons at crosswalks are there only to give pedestrians something to do and won’t make the light change any faster.
Here in Tucson, the crossing buttons generally don't make lights change faster.
But some intersections won't give a pedestrian "go" signal at all unless someone pushes a button (i.e. cars may get a green light, but the pedestrian crossing signal stays as the orange "stop" hand).
This also affects some left-turn arrows:
With no pedestrian pushing a cross button, the left-turn arrow will blink yellow during the straight-thru green phase.
But if a pedestrian pushes the button, they'll (eventually) get a white "cross" signal, and the left-turn signal will stay red.
That is (or was, this was decades back) a configurable thing - they certainly COULD make it do something, but shaving maybe 5 seconds off the cycle or even doing nothing at all was much more common.
I didn’t control the numbers, I just made sure they got from the planning office to the intersection.
I’ve heard that at least some delivery companies have a no-left-turn policy for their trucks. It’s not so much a safety thing for them as a time and fuel one; it’s faster to make three rights in one of those things than to wait in the left lane for a large enough gap in city traffic to make one left.
Since 2016, I make ONLY left turns.
ISWYDT
It has been several lifetimes since I used the phrase “hang a Louie,” and you have made me smile!
When I was a teen in NoVA, some people used the derogatory "Suck a U-ie."
From the nrars.org SI archives: Report From Week 672, in which we asked you to compose overhead highway signs, of no more than three lines, 20 characters per line, that we could "write" on the electric sign on Atom.smasher.org
EXITING DC
KEEP FAR RIGHT
NEXT 2500 MILES
(Kevin Dopart)
Gene, i worry about you being angry all the time. We are about the same age, time grows short. Is there anything your loyal readers could do to make you feel better?
Where I live in Rockville, there's a midsized street that corners to a major east-west street. It has two lanes each way, and to turn right, there's one lane for left turns and going straight, and the other is--a free for all. Left, straight or right. I, and the vast majority of drivers, want to turn right on the red light at the corner. But there's always one SOB who decides to park himself in that right lane to turn left or go straight because either they're inconsiderate, stupid, daydreaming, or all three. Grrr.
Trump just signed an Executive Order mandating that the country can henceforth only turn right. Which, like the tariffs, means that we can now only circle around clockwise to kiss our own asses.
I agree with you, Gene. I also think there should be capital punishment for double parking... but I digress.
Much worse during Republican administrations, have you noticed ???
Bwahahaha!
Don't know about the rest of you, but I generally find that the times religious services let out are the most dangerous to be on the road. I chalk this up to a self-granted cloak of virtuousness allowing for divinely sanctioned and thus unhindered, right of way and U-turns at all times. Conversely, the best times are when everyone is obtaining the cloak and off the streets. So, I am very much a supporter of organized religion --- at times.