Left on Red?

Hey so I've been living in the good old US-of-A for a while now (if you count Texas) but I've still yet to figure this out.

As we all know it's legal to turn right on RED over here unless otherwise posted... however does anyone know if it's legal to turn left on RED if the road you're turning onto is one-way and obviously traffic is flowing to the left?

Thoughts?

R./

Depends on where you are. NYC, for example: no turning on red whatsoever, including rights. Seattle, left on a one way is OK if you're on a one-way. Think it depends on the city.

I've done it in St Louis a lot and I have yet to get in trouble. There are quite a few one way streets down town and having a room mate that worked right in the heart of it I had to plan out my drive to pick him up sometimes. Then I finally found the best route which majority of the time I would have to make a left on red onto a one way.

Philly is much like NYC, except in Philly people tend to do whatever the fuck they want. Traffic stops are rare, and red means two more cars. In Georgia, if you are at a censored light and your bike doesn't trigger the light then you can go when traffic is clear. Regardless, in the USA laws vary by town, county, and state. There are no Federal traffic laws.

carnivorous chicken said:

Depends on where you are. NYC, for example: no turning on red whatsoever, including rights. Seattle, left on a one way is OK if you're on a one-way. Think it depends on the city.

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Damn I didn't know that about NYC - I guess I broke the law a lot

I just checked Virginia DMV and it's legal here from one one-way street to another. Plus also to turn at sensor lights on a motorcycle after one full cycle. There's actually a lot of these around here - pretty annoying.

Here in BC you can only turn left on a red onto a one way street.

Wiki: In the U.S., 38 states and Puerto Rico allow left turns on red only if both the origin and destination streets are one way. (See South Carolina law Section 56-5-970 C3, [18] for example.)

Five other states, namely Alaska, Idaho, Michigan, Oregon and Washington, allow left turns on red onto a one-way street even from a two-way street. [19][20][21][22][23]

The following states and territories ban left turns on red: South Dakota (unless permitted by local ordinance), Connecticut, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, the District of Columbia, and Guam. [citation needed] New York City also prohibits left turn on red lights, unless a sign indicates otherwise. [citation needed]

In Canada, left turn on red light from a one-way road into a one-way road is permitted except in some areas of Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island. Left turn on red light from a two-way road into a one-way road is permitted in British Columbia [24] but only if the driver turns onto the closest lane and yields to pedestrians and cross traffic.
End WIKI--------------------------------------------------
And, right turn on red is permitted in all 50 w/e NYC or prohibited by sign. There are conditions that permit it in NYC, but I'll never experience them because I've never and will never go there.

And yes, there are federal traffic laws. 55 mph was one of the sadder ones. Modulating motorcycle headlights one of the better ones. If states don't comply and pass them into their own books, they loose federal road $$$$. That's how 55 was shoved down our throats.

pidjones said:

And yes, there are federal traffic laws. 55 mph was one of the sadder ones. Modulating motorcycle headlights one of the better ones. If states don't comply and pass them into their own books, they loose federal road $$$$. That's how 55 was shoved down our throats.

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Dude, you need to get into the 21st century. The NMSL, i.e. the 55 mph speed limit (National Maximum Speed Limit) was adopted in the 70's to combat the oil crisis. It was repealed by Congress in 1995, which returned speed limit settings to states. There is Federal Highway Code, which is not law, but recommendations for states to adopt. It's up to the states to adopt them. Most code covers interstate commerce, like truck size and weight, or bridge construction standards. Even those standards vary. The federal weight law truck load is 80,000 lbs, but in Michigan it's a per axle load. So in Michigan, you can have up to 11 axles with a load weight of 164,000 lbs. But traffic laws are local or state. When's the last time you rode across the country and enjoyed highways with the same max speed limit in every state? Not for 20 years.

deviant said:

Dude, you need to get into the 21st century. The NMSL, i.e. the 55 mph speed limit (National Maximum Speed Limit) was adopted in the 70's to combat the oil crisis. It was repealed by Congress in 1995, which returned speed limit settings to states. There is Federal Highway Code, which is not law, but recommendations for states to adopt. It's up to the states to adopt them. Most code covers interstate commerce, like truck size and weight, or bridge construction standards. Even those standards vary. The federal weight law truck load is 80,000 lbs, but in Michigan it's a per axle load. So in Michigan, you can have up to 11 axles with a load weight of 164,000 lbs. But traffic laws are local or state. When's the last time you rode across the country and enjoyed highways with the same max speed limit in every state? Not for 20 years.

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Did you miss the use of the word "was," which is past tense?

arkcom said:

Did you miss the use of the word "was," which is past tense?

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He said there "are" federal traffic laws. Yes, the NMSL was, but there have been no mandated traffic laws since.

I personally hate modulating headlights and I think they should be banned. When I first saw this I thought the asshole was flashing me from behind so I stopped to ask him what he wanted - he was riding a Harley so obviously he was thick as pig shit and didn't understand so I had to edumacate him by ripping his stupid headlight off and smashing his skull with it -- did I do this - no, but I should have.

I think they are way too distracting to other road users - yes I see you - yes I see you - now stop already. They remind me of my 2 year olds. Stop relaying on technology and use road position to make yourself seen douche-face. OK - now bring on the comebacks.....

Ribo said:

I personally hate modulating headlights and I think they should be banned. When I first saw this I thought the asshole was flashing me from behind so I stopped to ask him what he wanted - he was riding a Harley so obviously he was thick as pig shit and didn't understand so I had to edumacate him by ripping his stupid headlight off and smashing his skull with it -- did I do this - no, but I should have.

I think they are way too distracting to other road users - yes I see you - yes I see you - now stop already. They remind me of my 2 year olds. Stop relaying on technology and use road position to make yourself seen douche-face. OK - now bring on the comebacks.....

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Agreed.
There comes a point where you just become annoying to everyone around you.
Like those guys that ride in a full on hi-vis suit, with hi-vis helmets, reflective stickers all over their bikes and modulating headlights (I'm looking at you ADVish BMW riders).

SONIC. said:

(I'm looking at you ADVish BMW riders).

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Naturally; how could you not be? Besides your natural attraction to a man in an Aerostitch, even.

I'll stick with my modulators, which were made legal by federal law in 1985 (and since, all states have incorporated it into their codes) to counteract the DTRLs. If you don't like 'em, tough shit! They've saved my ass many a time in the God-awful traffic I commute in daily.

I end up turning left on reds quite a bit around here due to dead reds from the sensors not picking up my bike.

pidjones said:

I'll stick with my modulators, which were made legal by federal law in 1985 (and since, all states have incorporated it into their codes) to counteract the DTRLs. If you don't like 'em, tough shit! They've saved my ass many a time in the God-awful traffic I commute in daily.

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How do you know they've saved your ass? Did someone tell you they where just about to turn but they saw your flashing light and didn't? Take it from someone that's taught riding for over 10 years, it didn't. More likely it's caused some accidents in your wake though and one day it'll put you in a bad situation. The annoyance they cause to other road users completely outweighs any small visual advantage you might get but this can also be attained by simply adopting better road position, keeping better distance, being courteous to others, expecting every other road user to do the most stupid thing you can think of, or some high-vis clothing if you must.

I'm just trying to understand what data you're using to come to this conclusion and what data you've gathered on accidents that have happened due to drivers being distracted around you. You're also asking for road-rage IMHO and you pass this on as reputation to the rest of us, I was joking about the Harley guy but there are lots of people that don't appreciate being blinded in the mirror again and again and again for mile after mile - some of these people have a lot of stress in their lives and ordinary people do very dangerous things in that situation. I hope at least that you have it hooked up to a manual switch and you turn it off when in traffic or riding in a group. I can tell you if you rode behind me I'd respectfully request that you didn't.

I don't see how it blinds you, as it modulates from 20% to 100%, never brighter. The very few times I ride in a group (now, there is a dangerous practice that raises ire in cagers) I always tell the rider in front of me to remind me if I leave them on. So far, they have all said it doesn't bother them. And yes, I have had people tell me the lights alerted them so they did not pull in front of me. Once at a rest stop in Alabama, a pickup pulled next to me and asked where he could get them for his son, as he had noticed them when about to pull into me changing lanes. I hate DTRLs, as they bury motorcycles in the sea of lights. How many times is the excuse "I didn't see it"?

The road rage is only going to come from hot-heads. They have a lot more targets with ear-splitting exhaust than my lights offer.

AgentX said:

Naturally; how could you not be? Besides your natural attraction to a man in an Aerostitch, even.

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ahhhhh i have an aerostitch suit I ride in when I think im going to get caught in rain on my commute or going for a long trip.

Its not a bad suit but its blue no hi-vis. Ive even done instructional track days in it! Am I cool now???

We here in the upper left coast can turn right on a red, and left only onto a one way going that way.

They just did pass a law that says if you sit though a traffic light cycle, and it does not trip, then you can turn left or straight.
While its still red.

Ive been doing this since the 70's, and the law has finally caught up with Me

Here is Chicago, we have red light cameras, these cameras are money makers for the city. If you are not careful and roll through red light to make a left hand turn, they get you for not making a complete stop, I learned the hard way with a $100 fine.

http://youtu.be/DVctevgoRBI