From time to time, experience shows, Albany drivers are unsure if they can legally proceed through the red left-turn signals on Ellsworth Street at Ninth Avenue.
Following up on the new signal installations on two Albany highways, here’s a revelation: Yes, ODOT did put in new cameras, but they look not for vehicles but for people on foot.
If you could use a short diversion from all the disheartening news about national politics, how about this? Consider that sign on an Albany traffic signal mast and ask yourself: Is that the best way to get the message across?
Ever heard of a “doghouse-style” traffic signal? It signals when you can make a left turn, and at Queen and Geary and three other Albany intersections, it’s going to be replaced by a different kind.
A year and a half ago, the Albany City Council was pressured into spending nearly half a million dollars on a new traffic signal that nobody except ODOT thinks is necessary. On Wednesday the council will be asked to complete that action by awarding a bid.
This was the question that arrived via email from an Albany reader: “What is going on with the traffic lights that are supposed to be put in at 34th Avenue and Marion and 34th Avenue and Hill?” As luck would have it, the Answer Man is in.
Signals on Pacific: More about left turns
While we’re on the endlessly fascinating subject of traffic lights, here’s an exchange of emails concerning one such set of signals on Pacific Boulevard in Albany.
Tags: ODOT, OR 99E, Pacific Boulevard, traffic signals