Sound Off
Sound Off: Is it legal to make a left turn on a red light in west Lawrence?
A left turn on a red light is only permitted when traveling on a one-way street, onto another one-way street that is proceeding to the left of such vehicle, after making a complete stop and yielding the right of way to any vehicle approaching said intersection. According to the Lawrence Police Department, there are no intersections like this in Lawrence.
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Comments
agrabass 11 months ago
Ohhhhh, Jesus, Mary, & Joseph help the person that asked that question. That said, I will have another splash & carry on.
errita 11 months ago
I can't believe this even got printed. If you even have to ask that question you shouldn't have a license.
JackMcKee 11 months ago
only in West Lawrence. Everywhere else on Earth. No.
ljwhirled 11 months ago
At the light on 23rd & Wakarusa going west?
Should be. If you are west bound that is a left-turn-on-green-arrow only light, despite the fact that there is almost zero traffic coming east.
Late at night, you can sit for 3-5 min at that light waiting to turn left when there is no traffic at all in any direction.
Sometimes I cheat and turn on red anyway. Sorry, but who has the time?
cheeseburger 11 months ago
More of the lights in this town should be on flash overnight.
crimsonlaugh 11 months ago
I did that (but going East) because I thought there was no one at the intersection. Turns out there was a police officer behind me (I swear I wasn't drinking). It is most definitely not legal to do so.
Pywacket 11 months ago
I have done that on Iowa St. at 33rd St (the turn-in for Target) before they FINALLY figured out that it would be a good idea to make the left turn a flashing yellow when the N-S light was green. It used to be that you could sit in the south-bound left turn lane forever, waiting to turn, while no one was coming from the north.
With excellent visibility all the way to the next light (and no driveway openings from which vehicles could suddenly appear), it made no sense to have the left turn light red when the straight lanes were green. I have to admit, I made a left turn on red at that intersection quite a few times over the years.
average 11 months ago
Yep. I'll cop to having done it a few times turning left from SB Iowa to EB 19th. I can't imagine an intersection with better visibility for a permissive-left-turn (facing downhill... you can see all the way to the Wakarusa) and there's no incoming NB traffic from 19th to 21st. The only reason I can see not having a flashing-yellow there might be in regard to emergency vehicles from the firehouse.
I'm hoping that's what the Sound Off caller is talking about, not a more general case of 'turning left on red'.
vertigo 11 months ago
Only in the nanny state am I forced to sit for 5 minutes at a red light at 4 in the morning when I can obviously see there is no other vehicle or pedestrian anywhere even remotely near me rather than using common sense, double checking it is clear, and then going.
vertigo 11 months ago
That's what she said.
Valkyrie 11 months ago
Sitting at a red turn light on a motorcycle which may not have the weight nor mass to trigger the light while waiting for a car to pull behind you to change it is a pain. I believe Kansas law states that a bicycle or motorcycle can turn left on the red light provided there is no on coming traffic and it can be done so in a safe manner. If you are in a car, eh well, your stuck :-(
iron_outlaw 11 months ago
It is legal. Only after performing a Chinese fire drill though. I'm sorry that's not very PC of me. Asian Fire Drill. There that's better.
NavyVet 11 months ago
at least you didn't say oriental. occidental? that's ok. oriental - not so much . . .
NavyVet 11 months ago
at least you didn't say oriental. occidental? that's ok. oriental - not so much . . .
grimpeur 11 months ago
Do I really have to stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk? What's that white line across the lane at the stop sign for? If I kill someone while using my phone behind the wheel, will my phone, license or car be impounded, and how much do I have to pay to prevent this? How can I ensure that I keep my license after, say, my 5th DUI?
Why is the driver's test so hard?
iron_outlaw 11 months ago
Lose my phone? Noooooooo! How else would I post my witty banter on ljworld?
somedude20 11 months ago
Does it matter what the law is? Seems like most drivers, sometimes myself as well, don't give a spit about the law and do what they want (no cop, no stop, right?). The only group of peeps on the road who are worse than driver of cars are bicyclists. Have a blessed day!
bergerfry 11 months ago
Seems that the worse drivers on the road these days are the ones that obey the traffic laws.
Hooligan_016 11 months ago
I've done that once at 19th and Louisiana at like 4am. Sat there through 3 cycles without getting a green left turn light. After seeing absolutely no other vehicles approaching from any direction, I seized the opportunity.
Liberal 11 months ago
It seems like some of the lights do not work the way they should. I would agree if you are heading North or South you can sit at intersections forever when there is zero traffic. Some lights will go green but the left turn light does not. The intersection by the Presbyterian Church and the KU commuter lot on 23rd is a perfect example another Inverness and Clinton Parkway. Some of those intersections have some kind of camera device that is supposed to detect cars, i am wondering if those are just a failure vs. sensors in the pavement.
whats_going_on 11 months ago
YES. Inverness and Clinton Pkwy is immediately what I thought of. That light is RIDICULOUS.
EarthaKitt 11 months ago
Ridiculous! I would assume that the light would change more slowly at rush hour, but even then it's infinitely too slow. Very frustrating.
puzzler 11 months ago
The person who asked this question has probably seen other cars do it. I have. Not just at 4AM either. The stoplight at Wakarusa and K10 by-pass and also the Iowa and by-pass stoplight seem to be popular.
consumer1 11 months ago
Did Gilligan retire in Lawrence? or, is this just some passive aggressive person who likes to tattle?
LMH 11 months ago
Seriously? I know (some) drivers in Lawrence are questionable at times, but this takes the cake...
gphawk89 11 months ago
"A left turn on a red light is only permitted when traveling on a one-way street, onto another one-way street that is proceeding to the left of such vehicle, after making a complete stop and yielding the right of way to any vehicle approaching said intersection."
True in KS. Not necessarily in other states. Not legal in MO.
whats_going_on 11 months ago
legal? no...but that doesn't stop me from doing it. I refuse to wait 5 minutes for a light at 11pm on a Tuesday when I can clearly see no cars in either direction for at LEAST a half mile.
superswagg56 11 months ago
Is this a serious question? Are there really people brain dead enough to raise such an nescient, unintelligible inquiry?
rtpayton 11 months ago
Honey you don't have to wear that dress tonight... Roxann..
consumer1 11 months ago
Tommorrow's sound off question.
If it is raining outside, should I go into the house? or What do I do if it is raining and I am outside gettting wet?
superswagg56 11 months ago
Or: Will the sun continue to rise in the East and set in the West?
pace 11 months ago
I once told a New Yorker that kansas traffic is so light that we could turn left at a red light after a full stop. My daughter corrected me and told him the truth. She was right, bad joke.
geoismeo 11 months ago
If you're a bicycle rider you can. You can run stop signs too.
RoeDapple 11 months ago
Well if it's okay then it should be okay to make a left at a roundabout instead of going all the way around to the right . . . . er not.
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