Flashing Yellow Arrow, Center Turn Lane, and a Green Arrow With a Pedestrian
It is 7:10 a.m. on a weekday and you are eastbound on a four-lane divided arterial, third in line, doing about 35 mph. The signal ahead turns green for through traffic while the left-turn signal shows a flashing yellow arrow. You need to turn left into a shopping center on the far side of the intersection. Oncoming traffic is steady but leaves gaps of roughly four seconds. A half-mile past the turn, there is a center lane marked on both sides with solid yellow lines and white left-turn arrows painted in it, running in front of a row of stores. Later, at a different intersection, your left-turn signal becomes a steady green arrow at the same moment a pedestrian steps off the curb into the crosswalk on your left.
1. What does the flashing yellow arrow allow you to do, and what must you yield to before completing the turn?
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A flashing yellow arrow is a permissive left-turn phase. It means left turns are allowed, but only after you yield to:
- oncoming through and right-turning traffic,
- pedestrians in the crosswalk, and
- any vehicle already lawfully inside the intersection.
It does not give you the right of way, and it does not mean the arrow is about to turn red. The judgment point is that a green circle for through traffic says nothing about your safety: oncoming cars are still moving. Wait behind the stop line until you have a gap you can clear, then turn. If the arrow ends while you are already legally in the intersection, finish the turn when it is safe rather than stopping in the path of cross traffic.
2. The center lane with white left-turn arrows in front of the stores - what may you legally do with it, and what may you not do?
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That is a two-way left-turn lane. By the markings alone (yellow lines on both edges, white turn arrows inside) you can tell it is reserved for turning, not for travel.
You may:
- enter it shortly before your left turn, from either direction;
- wait in it for a gap in oncoming traffic;
- use it to complete a turn into a driveway or side street.
You may not:
- use it as a through lane or a passing lane;
- use it to speed up and merge back into traffic;
- drive long distances in it to bypass congestion.
The judgment trap is treating it as a bonus lane when traffic is heavy. Entering it early and driving several blocks in it is a violation even though nothing physically stops you.
3. Your signal is now a steady green arrow, and a pedestrian has just stepped into the crosswalk on your left. Who has the right of way?
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The pedestrian does. A green arrow means oncoming traffic should be held at a red light, so you are protected from conflicting vehicles - but no signal ever gives you the right to drive through a person.
You must yield to a pedestrian who is in the crosswalk, and you must wait until the crosswalk is clear before completing the turn. Two additional cautions:
- An arrow protects you only from traffic that obeys its signal. Someone running the red or turning right on red from the cross street can still enter your path, so scan before committing.
- Stopping mid-turn with the light in your favor is normal and expected here; do not creep forward to hurry the pedestrian.
The general rule: signal phases assign right of way between vehicles. They never override a pedestrian's right of way in a marked crosswalk.