Green Right Arrow and the No-Turn-on-Red Sign
At 4:45 p.m. on a rainy Friday in Grand Rapids, you are southbound on a one-way street approaching a one-way eastbound street. You want to turn right. Your lane has a dedicated signal head showing a green right-turn arrow. On the near right corner is a black-on-white regulatory sign reading NO TURN ON RED, with a smaller plaque reading 4–6 PM WEEKDAYS. The through signal for the lanes to your left is red. The crosswalk on the street you are entering is clear at the moment, but a pedestrian about 20 feet away on the left corner is walking toward the curb. A driver behind you taps the horn. You are not sure whether the sign cancels the green arrow or whether the arrow lets you turn immediately.
1. Does the NO TURN ON RED sign prohibit your right turn while the green right-turn arrow is displayed? Explain how the sign and signal interact.
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The sign and the signal answer different questions. A NO TURN ON RED sign restricts turns made while the controlling signal is red; it does not override a green arrow. A green right-turn arrow authorizes the turn in the direction of the arrow. Because the arrow is green, you are not making a turn on red, so the 4–6 PM plaque does not prohibit this movement. The sign is not cancelled by the arrow; it simply does not apply at this moment.
The green arrow is permission, not an obligation. Before turning, you must still yield to pedestrians lawfully in the crosswalk and make sure the turn path is clear. If the signal were a red ball or red arrow, the sign would prohibit the turn during the posted times, and you would have to wait for a green indication.
2. The pedestrian is 20 feet away and approaching the curb. What must you do before completing the turn?
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A pedestrian 20 feet away and walking toward the curb is close enough to enter your path. At a normal walking speed of about 4–5 feet per second, that is roughly 4–5 seconds. In rain, with the pedestrian’s view possibly blocked by an umbrella or hood, do not assume they will stop.
A right turn on a green arrow still requires yielding to a pedestrian in the crosswalk; if they step off the curb, you must stop. The safest choice is to wait at the stop line until the pedestrian either clears or clearly stops, then turn. The horn behind you does not create a right of way.
3. Suppose the signal changes to a red ball while you are waiting at the stop line, and the sign is still posted. May you turn after stopping?
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No. Once the signal is a red ball, the sign controls: during 4–6 PM on a weekday, a right turn on red is prohibited. Stopping first does not create permission, because the sign removes the usual right-turn-on-red allowance. You would wait for a green arrow or green ball.
If the time were outside the plaque-say 7:30 PM-the sign would not apply, and Michigan’s general rule would allow a right turn on red after a full stop, provided you yield and no other sign prohibits it.