The Way I See It!

No Turn on Red From Left Lane

Posted by Randy Hollenbeck on Sept. 18, 2009

Cars, Safety

You are driving along and you come to a stoplight.  The stoplight is red, but you notice a sign below on the stoplight pole that reads “No turn on red from left lane”. 

You are also in the right lane of the double right turn lanes at the stoplight.  So you decide to go through it.  It is perfectly legal to turn as long as you stay in your designated lane and you were in the rightmost lane to begin with.

You notice the car to the left of you in the turn lane at the red stoplight also turns.  For this person they are breaking the law.  That person would have to wait until the red stoplight turns green.

What really makes me mad is the person in the car that is in the rightmost lane to begin with at the red stoplight with a sign on it “No turn on red from left lane” that doesn’t turn on a red when it is clear to do so because they cannot understand directions.  I see so many people just dazed and confused if they can turn on red from the right lane.

Now if the lane just states “No turn on red,” or a red arrow, then no one can turn on red, but the DOT has added the words “from the left lane” to help easy traffic backups.  This sign can be seen on the East (Southbound) I-43/94 Howard Ave ramp. 

There is one more sign for turns on red and that is After Stop Right Turn Permitted On Red”.  As it reads once, you come to a stop not a rolling stop, but a complete stop (full stop)

Checking the Wisconsin Motorist Handbook, I was unable to find what is a full stop, but generally it mans no forward motion for 2 seconds.  Some police officers I have talked to in the past say the stop should be for 4 seconds.

All 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico have allowed right turns on red since January 1, 1980, unless a sign otherwise prohibits this, such as "No Turn On Red" (less commonly "No Right On Red"), a No Right Turn symbol with the words On Red, or a red arrow or red light symbol is present.  Also, most Caribbean countries, such as the Dominican Republic, allow right turn on red, unless a sign prohibits it.  Some vehicles, such as Hazmat vehicles and school buses are not legally allowed to turn on red under any circumstance and must wait for a green light or arrow.

I am not even going to talk about the bicyclists that don’t think signs and stoplights, for that matter any rules, apply to them.  I will save that for another post! Page 62 of the Wisconsin Motorist Handbook covers it pretty well.

Bicyclists: Interacting with vehicles

Obey all traffic controls, the same as any other mode of transportation.  Stop signs and traffic lights are for bicyclists, too.  Travel in the same direction as motor vehicles.  Riding the wrong way is associated with 25–30% of all crashes between a bicycle and a motor vehicle.

Some additional info.

Rolling stop is a term used in traffic law to refer to when a vehicle fails to come to a complete stop.  A complete stop is when there is no forward momentum and the needle on the speedometer is at 0.  In a rolling stop, the car wheels are still in motion and the car is moving at less than 5 M.P.H. Failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign is a traffic violation governed by state laws, which vary by state.  The longer the stop, the more discernable it is to the naked eye, giving a motorist a better chance of avoiding a ticket.

A "rolling stop" is an oxymoron.  Stop means STOP, not "go real slow".