U-turn right of way question
 

Who has the right of way:

Car 1 ready to do a U-turn on a green light
Car 2 behind a stop sign ready to turn into same lane

It would be nice if both cars could turn into their inside lanes and
turn together, but Car 1 can't turn that narrow.

Tim923 wrote:

>Who has the right of way:
>
>Car 1 ready to do a U-turn on a green light
>Car 2 behind a stop sign ready to turn into same lane
>
>It would be nice if both cars could turn into their inside lanes and
>turn together, but Car 1 can't turn that narrow.

More info:
Car 2 is turning right.
Car 1 is on the main road.

On Mon, 20 Jun 2005, Tim923 wrote:

> Who has the right of way:
>
> Car 1 ready to do a U-turn on a green light
> Car 2 behind a stop sign ready to turn into same lane
>
> It would be nice if both cars could turn into their inside lanes and
> turn together, but Car 1 can't turn that narrow.

U-turns are, in most jurisdictions, barely legal and have last ROW
priority in the absence of specific TCDs to the contrary.

On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 13:53:02 -0400, Tim923 , said the following in
rec.autos.driving...

> Tim923 wrote:
>
> >Who has the right of way:
> >
> >Car 1 ready to do a U-turn on a green light
> >Car 2 behind a stop sign ready to turn into same lane
> >
> >It would be nice if both cars could turn into their inside lanes and
> >turn together, but Car 1 can't turn that narrow.
>
> More info:
> Car 2 is turning right.
> Car 1 is on the main road.
>

I'd have to say car #1 has ROW since he (1) has the green light, (2) is
on the main road and (3) (the part that confuses me) car #2 has a stop
sign. Would car #2 not have a red light as opposed to a stop sign?

OK, in one of these situations, Car 1 had the green arrow and Car 2
had a red light. In another situation, there were no lights. Just a
gap in the median for a car to do a U-turn and a stop sign for the
other car.

I talked to a local cop on the matter. She told me that both cars are
required to yield, making the situation ambiguous, and she would
ticket both if there were an accident.

And she said U-turns are only legal if there is no "no u-turn" sign
and it can be done safely without impeding traffic. Something like
that.

Tim923 wrote:
> OK, in one of these situations, Car 1 had the green arrow and Car 2
> had a red light. In another situation, there were no lights. Just a
> gap in the median for a car to do a U-turn and a stop sign for the
> other car.
>
> I talked to a local cop on the matter. She told me that both cars are
> required to yield, making the situation ambiguous, and she would
> ticket both if there were an accident.
>
> And she said U-turns are only legal if there is no "no u-turn" sign
> and it can be done safely without impeding traffic. Something like
> that.

Ah, nice and vague. Just what you'd expect from a cop. They'll never
say "No ****ing clue" and admit the truth.



John

--


Von Herzen, moge es wieder zu Herzen gehen. --Beethoven

Tim923 wrote:
> Who has the right of way:
>
> Car 1 ready to do a U-turn on a green light
> Car 2 behind a stop sign ready to turn into same lane
>
> It would be nice if both cars could turn into their inside lanes and
> turn together, but Car 1 can't turn that narrow.

In Aus, drivers performing U-Turns must give way to all other road
traffic, including pedestrians, bicycles, vehicles turning out of side
streets, the lot. The reason being that it is virtually impossible for
any other road user to distinguish between a car that's about to perform
a U turn, and a car that's about to perform an ordinary 90 degree turn.

Only the driver of the vehicle doing the U turn knows what's about to
happen, so it makes sense that that driver is 100% responsible in
ensuring that his/her movements will not conflict with other road users.

--
SL

"The essence of propaganda consists in winning people over
to an idea so sincerely, so vitally, that in the end they
succumb to it utterly and can never again escape from it"

Joseph Goebbels - Nazi Minister of Propaganda, 1933 - 1945

On Mon, 20 Jun 2005 20:38:20 -0400, Tim923 wrote:

> OK, in one of these situations, Car 1 had the green arrow and Car 2 had a
> red light.

In this situation the car with the green arrow hast the ROW, at least here
in California. People turning right against a red light always have to
yield.

Chris

Tim923 wrote:
> Who has the right of way:
>
> Car 1 ready to do a U-turn on a green light
> Car 2 behind a stop sign ready to turn into same lane
>
> It would be nice if both cars could turn into their inside lanes and
> turn together, but Car 1 can't turn that narrow.

Easy: Car 1 has right of way. Either the stop sign or the green light
would be sufficient to make it so.