In California you can still turn left if there’s no oncoming traffic. A green light without an arrow acts like an ordinary green light: you can turn left when safe, but the oncoming traffic has a green light too and have right of way. An arrow means you can turn left without worrying about oncoming traffic as they have a red light.
To specifically forbid left turns, many jurisdictions use [color=#FF0000]red[/color] left-turn arrows. Perhaps they should implement those here. Otherwise saying you can’t turn left on green is completely nonsensical.[/quote]
I may be wrong but I think I saw some lights in SF that said something to the effect of “left turn on green arrow only” but I may be just hallucinating. I do have such a light in Berkeley/Oakland that doesnt require a wait for the left turn arrow even though a left turn arrow operates there.
Nope, no hallucinations… I’ve seen those “left turn on green arrow only” signs all over Cali…
Surely you could argue the precedent that since scooters don’t have to do 2 point turns unless there’s one of those blue signs requiring it, that cars shouldn’t have to wait for left turn lights unless this requirement is similarly signposted?.. Or am I bringing common sense to chabuduo fight at the anti-logic arena?..
From what I understand (never did it myself), you can contest any traffic tickets you get in court. Even the tickets you get from a traffic camera. People I know who have done that have often been successful. But of course, it’s a hassle. The police count on the fact that most people don’t want to waste their time and will just pay up.
I think its dumb, in cali, europe… rest of the world, the roads are consistant and make sense.
What im saying is that sometimes you want to turn left and there is NO left turn arrow, sometimes you cant even make out the lights to see if theres going to be an arrow!.
Everybody knows that if you need to make a left turn, you have to gun your car through the intersection in the split second before the light turns green.
[quote=“smellybumlove”]
What im saying is that sometimes you want to turn left and there is NO left turn arrow, sometimes you cant even make out the lights to see if theres going to be an arrow!.[/quote]
Exactly. What are you supposed to do when approaching an intersection, wait a complete cycle to see if there’s a left turn arrow? :loco:
Do that and you’ll…
Get beaten to death by baseball bat-wielding thugs for delaying them.
Get a ticket for obstructing an intersection.
Get rear-ended by someone who knows there is no filter arrow and assumes that you are going to move.
All of the above.
I’m adjusting some of the routes I take regularly to avoid intersections I know have filter arrows and take more shortcuts via those I know do not.
Funny my driver just made the king of such turns, left on Chengde coming off the bailing bridge. I think it was the first time it was ever possible in the 1000 times i went through there.
Why I did that just last night. Its not that difficult is it? I love that intersection at rush hour. its one of those that really shows off the shear number of scooters you can see on the road at one time.
From what I have seen in northern Taiwan the traffic lights follow the Vienna convention:
green arrow allows traffic to move only in specified direction. This implies that if you see one green arrow there must be arrows for other allowed directions.
Taiwan signals are cheap having only dedicated green arrows and single yellow, red pair for all directions. In Europe (continental at least) there is usually separate vertical signal light for each lane.
Of course enforcement and habits is altogether another story in Taiwan.
[quote=“pb”]From what I have seen in northern Taiwan the traffic lights follow the Vienna convention:
green arrow allows traffic to move only in specified direction. This implies that if you see one green arrow there must be arrows for other allowed directions.
Taiwan signals are cheap having only dedicated green arrows and single yellow, red pair for all directions. In Europe (continental at least) there is usually separate vertical signal light for each lane.
Of course enforcement and habits is altogether another story in Taiwan.[/quote]
LIghts are optional in Taiwan anyway, same as one way streets.
[quote=“pb”]From what I have seen in northern Taiwan the traffic lights follow the Vienna convention:
green arrow allows traffic to move only in specified direction. This implies that if you see one green arrow there must be arrows for other allowed directions.[/quote]
There are quite a few down here which have one filter arrow left or right, and one plain old round green for everything else. Of course that one is easy. If you arrive and don’t want to go in the direction of the green arrow, you wait. Point is, there isn’t much in the way of consistency. Not that I was expecting any.
Hsinchu’s been recently replacing the “3-stage” non-filtered lights at several intersections with those that have filtered arrows only.
As I recall, there’s a “wait for turn arrow” marked on the pavement at a couple intersections around town, but I don’t know if this really makes it illegal to turn on a round-green.
To the OP - I’d suggest going back to the intersection in question, and see if the turn was was really illegal (it’s not illegal to turn left on a round-green). If it was a legal turn, just take a couple quick pictures of the light/intersection with the ticket to the DMV before the deadline to pay the ticket. They’re actually very helpful for these things and will assist you to fill out the “contest ticket” form. In the meantime, you don’t have to pay the fine until you get another notice back regarding a decision.