Re: Traffic Signals in New Mexico

"William M. Klein" <wmklein@nospam.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:3%wPe.169780$oS5.90830@fe06.news.easynews.com...
> After a "brief" Google search, I found:
>
> http://www.state.nm.us/tax/pubs/mvd...affic%20Signals
>
> which seems (official to me) indicating that New Mexico traffic signals
> are the "same as elsewhere" in the US.
>
> However, the unofficial site:
>
> http://freespace.virgin.net/john.cl...ving/lights.htm
>
> Does state,
>
> "Occasionally the three lights can be arranged horizontally instead of
> vertically. As far as I know this design is only used in New Mexico and
> Texas. If the lights are arranged horizontally then red will be on the
> left, yellow in the middle and green on the right."
>
> YMMV <G>
>
> --
> Bill Klein
> wmklein <at> ix.netcom.com
I saw the section on right turn on red.   I thought this was a state law so
I did some research and found some truly bizarre rules. (It is state level
but as of 1995 all 50 states had RTOR laws).   43 States have LTOR laws -
but I am not sure which 7 don't....I know Florida does :-)

Usually Right At Red is allowed unless there is a sign that says "no right
at red"; however, I then read if the intersection is in a city with a
population of more than 1 million it's the opposite - it's no Right at Red
unless it's designated as "right on red".  I thought this might be confusing
because it doesn't say "right on green" :-)

I also found that the law is written you "shall" turn right at red if the
road is clear.  Shall would mean mandatory.  It would therefore be "impeding
traffic" if you didn't turn right on red and someone was waiting behind you
and the road was clear.

This was in New Jersey Traffic Code Statute: "[drivers] intending to turn
right at an intersection where traffic is controlled by a traffic signal
shall, unless an official sign of the State, municipality or county
authority having jurisdiction over the intersection prohibits the same,
proceed to make the turn""

Then I saw Red Arrow lights...apparently these are just red lights.  You can
(or should I say shall) turn right on red even if it is a right red arrow.

And these people cannot understand ROUNDABOUTS!!?!?! ;-)

What is the rule in the case where you approach a right turn with a red
light and there is a sign that says "STOP HERE ON RED".  I assume you can
"stop" and then go ahead cross the track and make a right turn (after
STOPPING again at the line)....I guess this is ok as I was tailed by a cop
when I did it - though he may have been on a donut run and not cared too
much (it was about 2 am)....

JCE

On 26-Aug-2005, "jce" <defaultuser@hotmail.com> wrote:

> And these people cannot understand ROUNDABOUTS!!?!?! ;-)

Have you seen "Michigan left turns"?   It's not uncommon in Michigan to have
divided roads that have U turns after the intersection.   You go through the
light, and then turn around to turn right instead of turning left at the
intersection.

In article <den62t$hug$1@peabody.colorado.edu>, "Howard Brazee" <howard@brazee.net> writes:

> On 26-Aug-2005, "jce" <defaultuser@hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
>
> Have you seen "Michigan left turns"?   It's not uncommon in Michigan to ha
ve
> divided roads that have U turns after the intersection.   You go through t
he
> light, and then turn around to turn right instead of turning left at the
> intersection.

There are a bunch of those in the East Lansing area, so that traffic
from Michigan State doesn't back up behind left-turning vehicles.

One time I was headed north on Harrison, which is divided, and wanted
to reverse direction.  I came to the intersection with Trowbridge.
The left turn there is a Michigan left, so I had to turn right onto
Trowbridge (also divided), reverse direction, and come back to the
intersection - where of course it turned out that the left from that
direction was *also* a Michigan left, so I had to turn right - back
onto Harrison northbound.  I was able to reverse direction a bit
further along Harrison, of course, but the turns onto, on, and off
Trowbridge were completely unnecessary, as was the second wait at the
light.

In Massachusetts, there are a number of "teacup turns" where a major
road comes to an intersection with a side road on one side only (ie,
a T-junction).  If you're travelling N, say, on the main road and
want to go W (left) on the side road, you actually turn right
slightly before the intersection onto a semicircular road that brings
you around perpendicular to the main road, which you can then cross
when the light changes.  The semicircular road is the "handle" of the
"teacup".

It's a simple design, but if you're hoping to make a left turn and
don't know about the teacup arrangement before you get to the
intersection, you'll be in the wrong lane.

--
Michael Wojcik                  michael.wojcik@microfocus.com

He smiled and let his gaze fall to hers, so that her ch began to
glow.  Ecstatically she waited until his mouth slowly neared her own.
She knew only one thing: rdoeniadtrgove niardgoverdgovnrdgog.

On 26-Aug-2005, mwojcik@newsguy.com (Michael Wojcik) wrote:

> It's a simple design, but if you're hoping to make a left turn and
> don't know about the teacup arrangement before you get to the
> intersection, you'll be in the wrong lane.

Of course this isn't uncommon at all when you approach freeways wondering wh
ich
lane to be in when you want to turn left.

jce wrote:
> Usually Right At Red is allowed unless there is a sign that says "no right
> at red"; however, I then read if the intersection is in a city with a
> population of more than 1 million it's the opposite - it's no Right at Red
> unless it's designated as "right on red".  I thought this might be confusi
ng
> because it doesn't say "right on green" :-)

Are there signs to let you know that you're in a one-million-plus city?
As a visitor, how would one know?  :)

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