6 ms·

Just so I understand ( I’m not from the US) : the traffic light says red, pedestrian light says green, and car is allowed to turn ? If so, this is an obvious re

Just so I understand ( I’m not from the US) : the traffic light says red, pedestrian light says green, and car is allowed to turn ? If so, this is an obvious recipe for disaster.

kmlx 3y ago
> the traffic light says red, pedestrian light says green, and car is allowed to turn turn right, yes. > If so, this is an obvious recipe for disaster. i've driven quite a bit in the US (not from around there), but from what i've seen it depends on population density, walking infrastructure, traffic etc. i would say that for most places this isn't an issue (most places don't even have sidewalks), but in cities with higher density you will encounter a situation where the car that is turning also needs to wait for the pedestrian to cross. on a side note, i've noticed the same thing in certain countries in Europe, but it felt a lot more dangerous: entering an intersection where you need to turn left: you first need to yield to oncoming cars, and then surprise, you immediately need to yield again to pedestrians that also have a green light. so you need to accelerate to turn left, and then immediately stop for pedestrians. i prefer the UK way: when the intersection has traffic lights either pedestrians or cars can move. there's no overlap, there's no intersecting pathways. it leads to longer wait times for everyone, but much improved safety. as a driver i won't have to look out for pedestrians, and vice-versa when i'm walking.
tssva 3y ago
The car is allowed to turn right after coming to a complete stop and yielding to any pedestrians in the crosswalk.
RamblingCTO 3y ago
I don't think you can say this in general. In Germany we also have this but only when indicated with a metal green arrow. You still need to stop and turn red. Of course nobody does it. But this is only sparingly allowed where almost no pedestrians are. So using this selectively might help.

Just so I understand ( I’m not from the US) : the traffic light says red, pedestrian light says green, and car is allowed to turn ? If so, this is an obvious recipe for disaster.

kmlx 3y ago

> the traffic light says red, pedestrian light says green, and car is allowed to turn turn right, yes. > If so, this is an obvious recipe for disaster. i've driven quite a bit in the US (not from around there), but from what i've seen it depends on population density, walking infrastructure, traffic etc. i would say that for most places this isn't an issue (most places don't even have sidewalks), but in cities with higher density you will encounter a situation where the car that is turning also needs to wait for the pedestrian to cross. on a side note, i've noticed the same thing in certain countries in Europe, but it felt a lot more dangerous: entering an intersection where you need to turn left: you first need to yield to oncoming cars, and then surprise, you immediately need to yield again to pedestrians that also have a green light. so you need to accelerate to turn left, and then immediately stop for pedestrians. i prefer the UK way: when the intersection has traffic lights either pedestrians or cars can move. there's no overlap, there's no intersecting pathways. it leads to longer wait times for everyone, but much improved safety. as a driver i won't have to look out for pedestrians, and vice-versa when i'm walking.

tssva 3y ago

The car is allowed to turn right after coming to a complete stop and yielding to any pedestrians in the crosswalk.

RamblingCTO 3y ago

I don't think you can say this in general. In Germany we also have this but only when indicated with a metal green arrow. You still need to stop and turn red. Of course nobody does it. But this is only sparingly allowed where almost no pedestrians are. So using this selectively might help.