I think the blinky yellow light thing is just ridiculous. It turns a yes or no signal into a maybe. I understand it, but I think a lot of people get confused by it. A constant yellow light was a warning that meant to stop, this siganl is getting ready to turn red. THe system wasn't broke , why do we need to fix it?

Interesting, I always thought it was a good idea.  Especially if you have ever encountered the same intersections while driving a car at different times of day and notice the different options programmed into the light.  For example between 7-9am and 5-7pm there is no blinky yellow left arrow, you only get a dedicated turn signal or you dont.  Similarly there are traffic times when a dedicated left turn arrow just isn't needed, you know like the other 20 hours of the day when traffic is significantly less.  Thereofre at times you get the blinky yellow arrow along with green for the through traffic.  I am all for sharing the road, but remember cars make up 99.9xx% of traffic.


Enoch wrote on 02/17/14 at 12:10am:



A yellow light has always meant the same thing, proceed with caution.  It's also not that hard to figure out.  Personally I pay more attention to oncoming traffic than the color of the light, your results may vary.  If anyone is having trouble with the decision making process regarding when to turn left or not maybe you should only enter nascar races where that decision is made for you.  Or if on your bike, please get off your bike proceed to the light pole push the button and wait for the little emoticon to tell you when it is safe to walk your bike across. Sometimes the little sign switches from a person walking to a count down of numbers, to avoid future conversation when it gets below 10 RUN, RUN FAST.

Carry on. 

RobP wrote on 02/17/14 at 2:51am:

I'm not saying that it isn't better in many ways for drivers.  But when I'm on a bike trying to turn left and there is enough traffic coming in the opposite direction that I can't turn left safely I have these thoughts.  "If I just that the green light I used to have I could get through this safely."  I'm not trying to discourage those that don't road ride to reply, but I am looking for some folks that agree, that may be willing to try to do something about it.  It seems counter to the "share the road" to make it more dangerous for cyclists.

I had this thought yesterday turning from Quail Hollow road on to Gleneagles.  I was on the bike, and had to sit through 3 light cycles to turn left.  I pulled out into the middle of the road on the last one so the car behind me could go.  I just need to be sure that i have the room to get across, and on that road people drive way over the speed limit, so the time you have is not as great as the didstance you may see.

On the other hand, the blinking light does seem to improve my drive home from work by a couple of minutes and a lot less anger on south blvd....

I guess I don't see the issue with it. Those traffic lights use red, yellow and green for the left turn arrow. Seems more an issue with programming and the sensing strip in the road not picking up bicycles. Before they just had a green arrow, then it would turn off and it was understood that it was left turn yield on green.

I like the blinking yellow turn signals.  The increased flow of traffic is worth it in my opinion to have to sometimes wait on a bicycle.  However, that being said, why not just go on red once all the cross traffic has gone and you can make it.  I know it's dangerous but if you can see far enough down the road in both directions and its still red for you and you can make it just go.  I know there's a law on the books for motorcycles that if the light stays red 5 or 10 minutes can't remember which, you can go left on red as long as there  isn't any cross traffic coming.  It would be worth looking into to see if there's a similar law for bicycles concerning the flashy yellow and even red left turn signals.  Any police officer that has a NC general statute book can look and see.  Those books are thick though so it may take some digging to find anything.

Why can't cyclists do the same as cars, pull into the intersection and wait for an opening or the end of the light? I'm genuinely asking, because I'm not a roadie (yet).

SirNotAppearing wrote on 02/17/14 at 8:28pm:


This is what I do with any left turn, I treat it just like I would as a car.  In fact, I treat almost every intersection on a bicycle like I would in a car and I rarely have issues other than the d-bag behind me who thinks I'm not going fast enough.

btalley wrote on 02/18/14 at 3:00am:

It's basically a green light, but not a green arrow for left-hand turn lanes.  You have to yield to oncoming traffic.

The Cycle Path wrote on 02/18/14 at 5:30pm:

flashing yellow and solid red.  No green.