Center Two-Way Left-Turn Lane With a No-Left-Turn Driveway
At 5:10 p.m. you are eastbound on a four-lane Colorado arterial. A center two-way left-turn lane is marked by solid yellow lines on both sides, with white left-turn arrows painted at intervals. You want to turn left into a shopping center, but its driveway has a 'NO LEFT TURN' sign facing you. The next median break is about 300 feet ahead; that break has a 'NO U-TURN' sign for eastbound traffic. Traffic is heavy, and a pickup behind you is tailgating. You consider using the center lane to slow and wait for a gap, then turning left at the next break anyway. You also see a 'KEEP RIGHT' sign on a median island just before the shopping center. Your passenger says the center lane is a passing lane and that the signs are advisory.
1. What is the legal purpose of the center two-way left-turn lane, and may you use it as a queue or travel lane while waiting for the shopping-center driveway?
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The center lane exists to let vehicles begin and complete left turns into or out of driveways and side streets. It is not a through-travel lane and not a passing lane. The solid yellow lines on both sides and the painted left-turn arrows reinforce that it is a turn lane, not a general-purpose lane. You may enter it only when you are preparing to turn and can complete the turn; using it to slow down and wait for a gap at a driveway that is posted 'NO LEFT TURN' is not a permitted substitute for a legal turn. The sign bars the turn itself, so the center lane does not make the turn legal. You also should not use the lane as an acceleration lane after turning. The practical answer is to stay in the through lane, keep right of the median island as directed, and find a legal route rather than queue in the center lane.
2. Can you legally make the left turn at the next median break, and how should the 'NO U-TURN' sign affect your decision?
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The 'NO U-TURN' sign prohibits reversing direction at that break; it does not by itself prohibit every left turn into a side street. So you must separate two intentions. If you intend to turn left into a side street that intersects there, and no other sign bars that movement, a left turn can be legal provided you yield to oncoming traffic and enter in the correct direction. If your real plan is to turn left and then come back so you can approach the shopping center from the other direction, that is a U-turn in substance and is prohibited. The sign is regulatory, not advisory. Because the shopping-center driveway itself is posted 'NO LEFT TURN,' the safer legal choice is to continue, use a permitted intersection or driveway, and avoid treating the median break as a U-turn opportunity.
3. What should you do about the tailgating pickup and the 'KEEP RIGHT' sign as you approach the median island?
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The 'KEEP RIGHT' sign means pass to the right of the median island; it is not a suggestion to change lanes abruptly. Signal early and slow gradually rather than braking hard, because the pickup is close behind. A tailgater does not change your legal obligations and does not justify a rushed or illegal turn. Keep a steady speed, preserve space ahead, and make your lane choice predictable. If you miss a legal entrance, continue to the next safe and permitted turn rather than cutting across the center lane or making a prohibited U-turn. The combination of the tailgater, the median island, and the prohibited driveway calls for patience: separate the navigation problem from the pressure from behind, and do not let the passenger's claim that the signs are advisory change a regulatory restriction.