General Urban Waterloo Updates and Rumours

[ijmorlan]

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.

I have an idea that the bike box implicitly cancels the left-turn-on-red. If there was a bike box at a right turn, it would cancel right-turn-on-red, if I’m right.

Having said that, if that’s true, it should be explicitly signed.

Also, the bike box at the left turn is useless, so left turn on red definitely should be allowed. Bike boxes are intended to collect bicycle traffic halfway through making a left turn, and as such are not needed in left turn lanes. Given the poor knowledge of drivers, there probably ought to be a sign telling people that left turn on red is allowed. Except that would seem to imply it’s not allowed elsewhere. But where else in the Region do we have legal left turn on red? We don’t have an extensive network of one-way streets so there are few locations where it is a possibility.

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.

In particular, when it is the southbound track that is in use, Caroline should get a green (no northbound left turn, obviously, but that is supposed to be bus-triggered in any case). There is no conflict between Caroline St. traffic and the southbound track.

Even with the northbound track, the pedestrian crossings across Erb on the east side and across Caroline on the north side should be allowed to go. I’ve actually been known to bicycle straight across the intersection parallel to the tracks when the crossing protection is activated — there is absolutely no conflicting motor vehicle traffic.

This isn’t the only location with issues. At University, the multi-use trail crossing could get a proceed signal when the crossing protection activates, but doesn’t.