Traffic Pattern Question

[bleeduncblue]

This has bugged me for years now. There is a 3 way intersection (with stoplights) in town that I use every day. The eastbound has a YIELD sign. My questions is, when the light is green, is the eastbound traffic turning right supposed to yield to the westbound traffic that is turning left ... or is it the other way around? I'm always pissed off when I'm turning left and the eastbound vehicle makes a right turn without slowing down and comes right over in my lane ... both directions turning are two lanes turning into three lanes. Does that make sense? Pretty basic intersection but no one pays any attention to that yield sign. I can't imagine the yield is for turning right on red ... that's usually just a "go when it's clear" situation. What say you??

 

[heelmanwilm]

This has bugged me for years now. There is a 3 way intersection (with stoplights) in town that I use every day. The eastbound has a YIELD sign. My questions is, when the light is green, is the eastbound traffic turning right supposed to yield to the westbound traffic that is turning left ... or is it the other way around? I'm always pissed off when I'm turning left and the eastbound vehicle makes a right turn without slowing down and comes right over in my lane ... both directions turning are two lanes turning into three lanes. Does that make sense? Pretty basic intersection but no one pays any attention to that yield sign. I can't imagine the yield is for turning right on red ... that's usually just a "go when it's clear" situation. What say you??

Wow thats confusing set up. Normally turning rt on green takes precedence but the yield sign wouldnt be for turning rt on red. I would say the person turning left has the rt of way then and the rt turners are supposed to yield.

 

[bleeduncblue]

Yeah it's very weird because of the yield sign ... that's the problem, I don't think anyone knows what to do on a green light - and this set up has been there for at least 12 years. To make matters worse, there is a gas station on the corner so if you're turning left and want to pull into the gas station (as I often need to do) you have to be sure the person turning right does indeed yield so you can get over into the far right lane and turn into the station. Maybe the yield sign is there BECAUSE of the gas station and to allow folks turning left to be able to get in there.

 

[BillyL]

Wow thats confusing set up. Normally turning rt on green takes precedence but the yield sign wouldnt be for turning rt on red. I would say the person turning left has the rt of way then and the rt turners are supposed to yield.

I agree w/ HMW, I think that Yield sign means the right of way belongs to all oncoming traffic turning left in front of you.

 

[Raising Heel]

I have an almost identical traffic pattern near my house, except they're both a single lane turning onto a single lane. The left-turning traffic does in fact have the right of way because of the right-turning traffic's yield sign.

The problem with this setup is when newcomers drive through the intersection. Someone unfamiliar who's turning left naturally things the other car has the right of way. So they slow down or stop in the intersection, and everyone is at an impasse.

When I'm the right-turning car, I always check to see if the left-turning car commits. If not, I just go ahead and turn. It's not technically right, but otherwise it turns into a traffic snafu.