The in basket: Don Wyman of Bremerton e-mails to say “I am
confused about what an intersection red light arrow really is
trying to tell us. At many intersections there is a red arrow
typically where you might stop then take a right hand turn.
“An example,” he said, “would be while traveling west on 11th
Street in Bremerton and where it meets up with Kitsap Way there is
one of these red light arrows indicators to the right. Everyone
stops at that light and even from the left hand lane people stop
and proceed to take a right against this red light arrow. It seems
to me that the red light arrow means don’t turn right when it is
on. Can you clarify?”
Monthly Archives: November 2006
Yellow Light Does Not Mean Speed Up
The in basket: At a social event, Gail Whitley of Chico
complained to me about the number of drivers who proceed into
intersections on yellow lights, rather than stopping. She was
taught that stopping is required when the light turns yellow, she
said.
I said I doubted that, but in any event it is not the common
practice and police won’t ticket you if you get into the
intersection before the light turns red.
Stoplight losing its ‘smartness’
The in basket: Mike Kendall writes to say, “I have noticed that
the signals at Provost and Anderson Hill roads in Silverdale “seem
to have
lost some of their ‘smartness.’ Times for waiting, especially when
turning
left from northbound Provost onto Anderson Hill have increased
significantly, or so it seems. Also the left turn lane from
eastbound
Anderson Hill goes green sometimes when no one is there
waiting.”
A call for crosswalks near park entrances
The in basket: Gary Banghart and Lorree Kent, both residents of
Devonshire Place, which lies across Jackson Avenue from one of the
entrances to South Kitsap Community Park, both wrote to advocate
more protection for pedestrians near the park.
Death of a 10-year-old girl hit and killed there the weekend before
last trying to cross Jackson in the dark and rain should underscore
the need for a crosswalk there and maybe at other places on Jackson
Avenue between Lund Avenue and Mile Hill Drive, Gary said.
Speed Cameras Raise Questions
The out basket: Paul Tucker has seen news stories about the possibility Bremerton will start speed enforcement with unmanned cameras, and put two and two together with my assertion a week or so ago that exceeding the speed limit by 3 to 8 miles per hour is safe because, among other things, the police don’t enforce the speed limit that stringently. If you’re right, he said, will that be factored into when the speed control cameras will take your picture, leading to a citation?
Follow Rules of the Road When Turning
The in basket: A Bremerton man said he’s had two close calls while turning right from Fuson Road next to Lowe’s to go north on Highway 303. Both times, he said, he nearly collided with cars coming the opposite direction and turning left.
Two-Way Turn Lanes Aren’t Passing Lanes
The in basket: Dana Clevenger noted Wednesday’s Road Warrior discussion of how far a person dares go in a two-way left turn lane before turning left and replied, “I get the impression that you are telling people that it is okay to travel in the two-way center turn lane to pass stopped traffic if you go less than 300 feet. This is incorrect. The statute (RCW 46.61.290) prohibits passing any vehicles while traveling in the two-way center turn lane. The 300-foot restriction is a separate offense.”
Crown in Road Causes Cars to ‘Bottom Out’
The in basket: Richard Williams of Wicks Lake told me more than a year ago that the crown on Sidney Road in Port Orchard for those crossing it on Sedgwick Road is excessive and causes cars regularly to bottom out. “A depressed trench patch running laterally on Sidney makes it worse,” he said.
Two-Way Turn Lanes: Enter Early at Your Own Risk
The in basket;Jan Klineburger e-mailed the Road Warrior in July to ask about the rules for using a two-way turn lane to pass traffic in order to reach a designated left-turn lane at an intersection.
Three members of her church had been ticketed the week before for using the two-way lane on Highway 305 to bypass backed-up highway traffic to get to where they wanted to turn left — onto Lincoln Avenue, she said.
Construction or Not, It’s Smart to Obey the Sign
The in basket: Rod Gross writes, “I live off the newly
renovated/widened Silverdale Way, just north of
Silverdale. I adhere to the posted “work in progress” speed limit
of 30 mph since there are still signs on both the north and the
south ends of the work zone stating that’s the limit.
“When I drive 30 mph, I get passed frequently and receive angry
looks from drivers who obviously don’t think the limit should still
be 30, since the work is apparently
completed. My question is when will the signs be removed, and prior
to that .. am I wrong to still obey them?”
