09-07-2017, 09:05 PM
Ottawa at Mill Street has been driving me crazy since being repaved & painted this summer. I bike through on my commute.
I should have taken a few other angles, but this is Ottawa looking North towards the right turn onto the segment of Mill Street between Ottawa and Courtland.
The issue is that I would assume these lights are for the people on Ottawa driving past both segments of Mill -- the traffic light setup is for the other part of Mill (with Central Baptist on the corner), and the short segment of Mill pictured can only be accessed by turning right when driving North on Ottawa, so no light needed.
What tends to happen is people are turning left from Mill at Central Baptist to Ottawa and then they hit this light for people waiting on Ottawa and assume it is for them, causing a line of cars into the intersection and stopping cars on Mill who still have a green light to turn left onto Ottawa.
I tend to side with the drivers who turn left and keep driving, but I can see how the light is confusing, especially with the pedestrian crossing painted the way it is and a right turn lane. Who sees it my way and who thinks people should stop?
I'm asking in regards to current operation, I'm sure it will change again once that train signal is activated.
FYI, the pedestrian crossing requires you to hit the beg button and adds an additional segment to the light timing between Ottawa flow and Mill Street left turning cars where all lights are red and the walk signal lights for use.
I should have taken a few other angles, but this is Ottawa looking North towards the right turn onto the segment of Mill Street between Ottawa and Courtland.
The issue is that I would assume these lights are for the people on Ottawa driving past both segments of Mill -- the traffic light setup is for the other part of Mill (with Central Baptist on the corner), and the short segment of Mill pictured can only be accessed by turning right when driving North on Ottawa, so no light needed.
What tends to happen is people are turning left from Mill at Central Baptist to Ottawa and then they hit this light for people waiting on Ottawa and assume it is for them, causing a line of cars into the intersection and stopping cars on Mill who still have a green light to turn left onto Ottawa.
I tend to side with the drivers who turn left and keep driving, but I can see how the light is confusing, especially with the pedestrian crossing painted the way it is and a right turn lane. Who sees it my way and who thinks people should stop?
I'm asking in regards to current operation, I'm sure it will change again once that train signal is activated.
FYI, the pedestrian crossing requires you to hit the beg button and adds an additional segment to the light timing between Ottawa flow and Mill Street left turning cars where all lights are red and the walk signal lights for use.