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Little-known left-turn sensors trigger lights
© St. Petersburg Times About a third of the e-mails, faxes and letters we get deal with issues we've covered before, especially troublesome railroad crossings, speeding issues and traffic calming. Where we can, we respond privately to those inquiries, so that we don't clutter up the column with repetition. But occasionally we are asked to repeat something that can stand repeating. The question from Teresa Orandash of St. Pete Beach is one such. We are particularly sympathetic to Mrs. Orandash because she tells us she and her husband have a bet on this subject. Jessie and I are big sports fans, and this is the first time we've ever been asked to mediate a wager. So here goes. Traffic intersections have broad white stripes, called stop bars, that run from curb to curb. When traffic lights are red, you're supposed to stop your car just behind these lines but not too far back. There is a reason to make sure that your car is properly positioned. The left-turn lanes have sensors buried in the asphalt that trigger the turn arrows. If no vehicle stops over the sensor, the light cycle skips the left-turn green, which hastens the green signal for through traffic. If you stop too far back, the sensors can't "see" you. If you go too far forward, it is as if you already made the turn and, again, the cycle will skip you. There are exceptions. The sensors can break or malfunction. If there is road construction, they almost surely will be inoperative. But if you are at an intersection with left-turn signals, the sensors should be there. If you know of an intersection where the sensors don't work, call the local jurisdiction about them. We hope this settles things for the Orandash family. We had a question from Jean Tyack bringing to our attention several locations where these sensors don't seem to be functioning. All of Jean's examples are on busy roads maintained by the ever-lovin' state roadies. The roadies are generally responsive to these problems, and we list the intersections here in the hopes that somebody will hustle out and see if the sensors need to be fixed or replaced: The left turn from U.S. 19 into the Mainlands in Pinellas Park. Gandy Boulevard at Dr. M.L. King (Ninth) Street in St. Petersburg, where Jean reports that the lights always run the full cycle even when nobody is waiting to make a left turn. Jean should know. She's generally there during pre-dawn hours when traffic is light. M.L. King Street N at Executive Center Drive near the entrance to Kmart, also in St. Petersburg. We hope things get straightened out soon. John Casey of St. Petersburg noticed something that had eluded even Jessie's sharp dog eyes. Most of the street signs in the city are clear and easy-to-read, uncluttered by unnecessary information. They say, "1 ST N" or "5 AV S." Clear enough, right? But every once in a while you run across one that says "34th ST N" or "66th ST N," adding "st" and "th" to numbers that don't really need them. John thinks the addition of the two letters makes the signs more difficult to decipher. That might be true for some and not for others, but it does seem unnecessary. So we laid the "How come?" question on Mike Connors, who knows everything there is to know about roads and traffic in the city, and once again Mike didn't disappoint us. When city or county contractors replace street signs while working under county contract on county roads, the new street signs carry the "st" and "th" additions. "You won't see that on any street signs the city puts up," Mike said. "It's just a difference in style. It isn't a change in policy. The city isn't going to change the style on its street signs." Which will be good news for John. We haven't had a Carbungle in a while, and we think it's time for one. Carbungles, if you can remember back that far, are things that other drivers do that make your blood boil. While it is our normal tendency to have sport with red light runners, our whine of the week this time concerns drivers who don't seem to understand that they can turn left at some intersections, even after the green turn arrow goes off. One case in point is northbound Fourth Street and 38th Avenue N. This is a busy intersection because, among other things, it is a route to Interstate 275. Traffic northbound on Fourth trying to turn left onto 38th Avenue gets a left-turn green arrow, which is rarely long enough to clear the turn lane. But after the arrow goes off and the lights go green for through traffic, left turners are still allowed to make the maneuver as oncoming traffic permits. Where you cannot turn left on a through green is where your green turn arrow is replaced by a red arrow. We hope we've cleared this up. Which brings us to Dr. Delay's Terrible Traffic Tidbits of the Week: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tells us that motor vehicle crash fatalities involving children 15 years and younger decreased last year by 8.6 percent. That's still 2,588 who died in crashes, but it's moving in the right direction. This is one you should store away for the next time you're on a television game show and the host asks you for the longest and shortest interstates in the country. Answer: The longest is Interstate 90, which runs 3,085 miles from Seattle to Boston. Interstate 97, which runs 17.57 miles from Annapolis, Md. to Baltimore, is the shortest. More news you can use. -- Dr. Delay can be reached by e-mail at docdelay@sptimes.com, by fax at (727) 893-8675 or by snail mail at 490 First Ave., S, St. Petersburg 33701.
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