The Left-Turn Light That Never Comes
You are stopped in the left-turn lane of a busy Charleston intersection at rush hour, first in line. The light for through traffic is green, but your left-turn arrow is dark. There is a steady stream of oncoming traffic and a pedestrian button was pressed, so the walk signal may cycle soon. A car has pulled up close behind you and is edging forward, and the driver taps the horn once. You have been waiting through two light cycles. The oncoming lanes have a dedicated left-turn lane of their own, and you can see a gap forming about four car lengths back. Your view of the oncoming lane is partly blocked by a delivery truck parked at the far corner.
1. May you turn left on a green light without an arrow? What conditions must be met?
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Yes, in general a steady green circular light permits a left turn after yielding, provided you are in the proper lane, you yield to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians in the crosswalk, and you can complete the turn without blocking the intersection. The dark arrow simply means you do not have protected right of way - you have permissive right of way. You may not turn if a sign prohibits it, and you must not enter the intersection to wait for a gap if doing so would leave you stranded in the path of cross traffic when the light changes. The horn behind you creates no obligation to turn unsafely.
2. The delivery truck blocks part of your view of oncoming traffic. How should that affect your decision to take the gap?
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A blocked view means you cannot verify the gap is real. A gap that looks like four car lengths may contain a motorcycle, a fast-approaching vehicle in the far lane, or a vehicle emerging from behind the truck. Do not commit on a guess. Creep forward slightly, if it is safe and legal to do so, to improve your sight line, and wait for a gap you can see fully. If the light changes while you are waiting, complete your turn only when the intersection is clear; otherwise wait for the next cycle. Being honked at is not a reason to accept an unverified gap.
3. The pedestrian signal is about to change and cross traffic is waiting. What is the correct way to handle the turn if no safe gap appears this cycle?
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If no gap you can verify appears, do not force the turn. Stay behind the stop line if possible rather than entering the intersection to wait, so you do not block cross traffic when the light changes. If you have already entered the intersection lawfully and the light changes, you may complete the turn when it is safe, yielding to pedestrians and cross traffic that now has the green. Expect to sit through another cycle; that is the correct outcome when the alternative is an unverified left turn across oncoming traffic.