No Right Turn

A few years back there was a dedicated bus lane built in the West San Fernando Valley. For the most part it runs parallel to some major streets, which causes some difficult traffic issues.

In particular, people travelling parallel to the bus lane and wanting to turn right to cross it had to get used to a new set of signals. “Right on red” is a California tradition, perfectly legal (for the most part). But all of a sudden it was illegal at these dozens of intersections.

The reason was safety. If you’re turning right onto a street crossing the bus lane, there may be a bus barreling along at 50 mph who has the right of way. The bus may be coming from behind you and you’ve never had to look in that direction when turning right on red in your life. Oops! You’re dead!

As a result, at dozens and dozens of these intersections they put in lots and lots of signage that indicates that there’s no “right on red” turn allowed. There are illuminated red arrows on the traffic lights. Some intersections even have additional, big, red, flashing neon signs indicating that a “right on red” is illegal.

This was a big deal back when this all got installed. It took a lot of people a couple of years to figure it out and get used to the new pattern. Accident rates were initially high, but fell steadily. Then stopped falling, while still being at a level that was too high.

In came the robot cop cameras.

Now if you turn “right on red” (or if you run the intersection from the left or right, or while turning left across the tracks but doing it just a little bit late after that yellow light has turned a really deep shade of orange, i.e., “red”) there are multiple flashes as the robot cop cameras take a series of pictures. Your car, your license plate, you – it’s a full set, and they’ll send you copies in about two weeks, along with a ticket for about $700.

The accident rate resumed falling.

So tonight as I’m driving home on De Soto, parallel to the bus lane, after dark, I’m startled by the lightning-like flashes as someone coming from the opposite direction tries to run through on that “deep orange” shade of yellow light and gets busted.

Someone did something stupid, and they’ll pay for it.

But how do you explain the guy going in my direction who, not two seconds after having seen all of the flashes when Moron #1 ran the light, and faced with an array of “NO RIGHT TURN ON RED” signs, goes and turns right on red right-turn arrows in about four different traffic lights at the intersection.

That’s a SPECIAL kind of stupid right there!

And the third guy… Words fail me.

With not one, but TWO displays in the previous ten seconds of what’s going to happen, with many signs, many traffic signals, how in Hell does the third guy not understand that turning right on red through that intersection is the stupidest thing done in Southern California today? How can you be that clueless and still be breathing without being hooked up to a machine?

Flash-flash! (Your car!) Flash! (Your face!) Flash-flash!! – (Your license plate!) – Flash-flash-flashflash! – (The whole intersection, including the bus that’s cruising in the dedicated bus lane and about to T-bone you into ICU!!)

People can be morons…