General Urban Waterloo Updates and Rumours

[danbrotherston]

Question: Can you turn left on a red light from Caroline onto Erb when you're approaching from the Albert St. side?

Seems legal to me (turning left from Caroline where it's one-way onto Erb where it's also one-way), but I've noticed that cars stopped at a red light in the left turn lane on Caroline almost always wait until the light turns green to turn onto Erb.  This can create a backlog, especially during rush hour.

I've also noticed that the train barrier at that intersection doesn't extend into the left turn lane on Caroline.

Since there seems to be a lot of confusion, they should post a sign advising that left turns on red are permitted (assuming I'm correct).

Left turns on red are permitted there, because it is a one way road to another one way road.  Many drivers do not know, and worse, many drivers honk and harass people who wait (which by the way is legal, unlike making a nuisance by honking--which all the people who live in the nearby buildings get to listen too).

Now with the bike box, it is even less clear that left turns are legal on red, but I believe under the letter of the law they are.

That being said, this is actually a pretty uncommon turning movement at that intersection, the failure to turn left on a red is not creating a backup that I can see.

If you are to put up a sign, banning turns is probably the right choice, it's obscure, unusual, and with the bike box, actually problematic, and also totally unnecessary.

But that intersection has bigger fish to fry...soooo many bigger fish.

As for the train barrier, I've noticed that the train signals and traffic lights make almost no sense at all when the train is going through, entirely non-conflicting movements are blocked for no reason.  I've even seen the ped signals turn off for the straight direction. Of course in a world where we have a no-walk signal at a retaining wall, this isn't totally shocking.