The in basket: The Road Warrior column gets lots of requests to see the flashing yellow left-turn signals that Kitsap County has deployed in South Kitsap and Silverdale put to use at other intersections, including those in Bremerton. So far, Bremerton has declined to go to the expense.
But a major traffic headache coming to Bremerton this spring and summer will have as a happy by-product the introduction of the flashing yellows turn lights at four intersections where there are left turn pockets on Sixth Street between Wycoff and Warren avenues.
The city is having to close one of its busiest thoroughfares – 11th Street – between Montgomery and Naval avenues for the months of June and July, to replace a failing sewer line. Sixth Street will be the designated detour and the flashing yellows will provide the most green light time for the increased traffic on Sixth.
Another major street, Naval Avenue, will be closed to through-traffic between 11th and 13th streets for a period to be determined. That also will add to the load on Sixth Street.
The flashing yellows will remain in place after the sewer work is done, said Gunnar Fridriksson of the city street engineers. Details about the sewer project can be found online at www.ci.bremerton.wa.us/articles.php?id=1864.
As for the yellow flashing signals, “City crews will begin installation of the heads and hardware on the 15th of May, with activation by the end of the month,” Gunnar said .
The sewer project not only provides the need for the new style turn signal, it also is the source of the money to pay for them, he said.
For those who haven’t encountered the flashing yellow lefts, they mean that left turns are authorized but those turning must yield to oncoming traffic. They mean the same thing as the signs you’ll see at some Bremerton intersections that depict a green ball signal and say left turners must yield when the light is green.
They DO NOT mean left turners have the right of way. Only a green arrow means that.
Looking at page 39 of the 2008 version of the Washington State Driver Guide, the second paragraph states “The law says who must yield the right-of-way, it does not give anyone the right-of-way”. Perhaps your column of 5/4 stating that only a green arrow means left turners have the right-of-way should be amended to actually reflect the law.