A car turns left from Ellsworth Street at Ninth Avenue even though the left-turn signal is red. It’s perfectly legal.
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.
Some drivers stop until the lights turn green. Others go ahead, after stopping, and make the turn even though the left-turn arrows are still red.
Everybody knows, I’m pretty sure, that it’s OK in Oregon to turn onto a one-way street against a red light, after stopping and making sure the road is clear and no pedestrians are in the way.
But what about if there’s a signal that specifically governs left turns and the light is red? That is where some people hesitate because they can’t remember what the driver’s manual says.
We could look it up. Or we could ask somebody who knows.
That would be Marcia Harnden, the Albany chief of police.
“Hello Hasso,” the chief replied to my email on Friday. “It is perfectly legal to turn left on a red light from a one-way street to another one-way street, provided that you come to a complete stop first and check for all pedestrian and bicycle traffic. So, at that location, since you’d be going from a one-way southbound to a one-way eastbound, it is legal to make that turn. It’s tricky there, and people need to be cautious because you do have people who will turn left onto Ninth from northbound Ellsworth as they come off of Pacific.”
If you have been not quite sure about making left turns on red at this busy intersection, I hope this clears it up. It’s legal.
So when you have stopped there and the road is clear, go ahead and make that turn. (hh)
Thank you for the public service announcement. :) I am one of the many who has never been quite sure.
The key is “one-way onto a one-way.” I’ve seen some do it from two-way onto a one-way, which is illegal.
Read the Driver’s manual. Looks like it is legal.
You are correct.
Does this apply to both lanes, turning left onto 9th street?
YES
ODOT recently told Andrew Monaco, City Engineering Dept., that they are planning to improve the striping at that intersection. Planning? In my lifetime?
Thanks for checking on this. I always feel uncomfortable making a left on a red light at that intersection because there is so much activity and traffic to watch for.
But can you turn left if you are in the second (or right) left turn lane and the light is red? This assumes you turn into the far right lane on 9th.
This question also comes up at another intersection: Oak St at 8th going north where it tees with Hwy 99 (8th Street). There are two left turn lights onto 8th into three lanes all going west-ish. Who can turn into which lanes?
I think what confuses people, and what isn’t adequately clarified above, is that it’s a red ARROW that you are turning against, not just a regular round red light. The perception is that an arrow somehow exerts more powerful control because it governs that exact turn. Upon deeper consideration that perception doesn’t really make sense, red is red, and as long as both streets are one-way, there will be no traffic approaching from the left.
In Oregon a red light and a red arrow light are treated the same; it is just that it is a turn only lane.
Geary is NOT one way at that point.
The intersection in the picture is taken between the funeral home and St Mary’s Church. Geary St is halfway across town from there.
you are right Kevin
3 lanes one direction and one lane the other
Many thanks – I have been wondering about that for too long….
What about turning right at the light coming off over pass into downtown Albany, onto lyons , it says no right turns on red, seems it would be ok to turn there if you are careful , maybe you could look at that when you’re in the neighborhood.
It says No Right Turns on Red because drivers can’t see traffic coming from the left, from under the viaduct.
Then WHY is there a left arrow light at this intersection? Why not just a red light intersection for everyone?
The other intersection that so many are “unaware“ is legal is on Oak turning left onto Pacific.
This is after crossing the intersection at Lowe’s (9th I believe) to the next light that potentially has three options…the lane farthest to the left turning on Pacific is legal to turn on a red light after stopping to check for pedestrians/ oncoming vehicles.
The center lane must wait for a green light to proceed… the outer farthest right lane allows a straight through crossing to the businesses to the pawn shop/park, and must also wait for for a green light to proceed.
It’s very confusing, but completely legal to turn left onto Pacific with the red light in one way access.
May I dare say the city provides signage to clarify?
Another hot spot is the I-5 SB off ramp.
Vehicles turn west against a red from the center lane to the left lane WB. I even saw a sheriff do it once.
You can turn right or left on a red b u t
YOU CANNOT CROSS A LANE OF GREEN LIGHT TRAFFIC
At Hwy 34
We had many a debate in the citizen’s academy about some of this, it was the most vocal part of the academy.
1) Making a turn against a red arrow which is OK, but goes against intuition. A sign can override like at off ramp at Pacific and Lyons, not only have to look at the light you have to read all the signs.
2) Pulling into the intersection on a green waiting for traffic to pass and then turning when the light turns red if no opportunity because of heavy traffic. Not legal in some states like Oregon.
3) Making sure you are completely through the intersection on a yellow. City can manipulate results by using quick yellows for things like speed reduction.They can instantly trigger the yellow right when the no walking sign stops blinking instead of waiting a couple seconds which is used almost subconsciously as an early warning, and then cut the yellow short.
4) The lights synced on Lyons as you get close to the bridge, if you get through the first on a yellow and go the speed limit the others fall in line all the way through. Same on Ellsworth coming off the bridge, you can almost time the whole street and never hit a light (subject to traffic). It’s like hitting on a slot machine.
4) Determining when a school zone speed is applicable because of the randomness of when school is in session.
Turning from the left lane of Ellsworth into the left lane of Ninth on a red is legal. Turning from the second-to-the-left lane into the second-to-the-left lane is not legal.
Says who?
The Key word is when the road is CLEAR,been cutoff here a number of times when I had the green light on 9th street going straight.