Matt from Castle Rock writes: Jason, could you please explain what is happening at the intersection of North Meadows Drive and Meadows Boulevard?When you turn right on North Meadows Drive onto Meadows Boulevard, I follow the green arrow. I’m trying to turn right, but the car turning left on the opposite side won’t yield to me. My question is, what does a driver making a left turn see? ”
Matt, I went there and took a look. Drivers making a left turn will first see a red arrow that lasts approximately two seconds, then a flashing yellow arrow. This is happening at the same time as the green right turn arrow is appearing. I noticed that was pretty unusual, so I asked Castle Rock’s traffic engineering department if the arrows worked that way. They told me, “Yes, the various arrows are working as intended and eastbound left-turning cars are not giving way to right-turning cars as they should.” I witnessed exactly that. Drivers turning left had to wait until right-turning drivers turned in that direction.
As we learned from previous Driving You Crazy articles, right-turning drivers have the right of way over left-turning drivers, especially at green arrows. The only exception is when left-turning drivers are marked with a green arrow. In that case, the right-turning driver should see a red light. Castle Rock Public Works told me they have installed additional signs reminding left-turning drivers to “yield with flashing left arrow,” but as we all know, drivers routinely ignore these signs. I am.
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Castle Rock transportation officials said the short red arrows for left turns are for safety. “Drivers will know that a new phase is beginning. This new phase will be a flashing yellow arrow for eastbound drivers on Meadows Boulevard, designed to allow oncoming vehicles to begin entering the intersection. Meanwhile, the green right turn arrow for drivers on westbound Meadows Boulevard begins with a green pass and safely exits onto northbound North Meadows Drive. You can bend to
As I continued to watch the traffic lights, I noticed that the traffic light pattern had changed during the afternoon school dismissal time, and cars turning left now had green arrows instead of yellow arrows. This change typically disengaged the signal and prevented collisions with right-turning vehicles. I asked the traffic engineer at Castle Rock that it only happens during those hours, so why don’t they use it more often?
They told me, “Yes, we can adjust traffic light patterns during peak hours, such as school dismissal, to more effectively manage traffic flow.” , which involves giving left-turning vehicles a protected green light during periods of heavy traffic. These adjustments are designed to address specific traffic conditions at specific times of the day. Signal timing and phasing are set to respect these right-of-way rules and reduce collisions.”
Regarding left-turn drivers who fail to yield, the city says it works regularly with the Castle Rock Police Department and emergency response services to address the issue by adjusting signal timing and increasing enforcement as needed. They told me that they had made the police aware of your concerns and told them that “drivers must not only follow the driving rules of the road, but also remain alert and attentive.”
In short, it’s obvious to turn right on the green, but keep your head spinning for left-turning drivers who ignore the left-right turn rules.
Jason Luber, a transportation expert with Denver7, says he’s been covering metro Denver traffic since Ben-Hur was driving a tank. (We believe the actual number is more than 25 years.) He’s obsessed with letting his viewers know what’s happening on their drives and how best to avoid problems that arise. It has become. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or listen to his award-winning podcast Driving You Crazy on podcast apps like iTunes, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Podbean, and YouTube.