Several traffic patterns around the city and county have recently undergone changes, but that hasn’t stopped some motorists from trying to move through intersections the same way they did for years.
For instance, there once was a median at the intersection of Avery Avenue and North Sterling Street that guided motorists into the correct lanes to go straight or make a right onto Queen Street after making a left turn at Sterling Street. Now, it’s simply two lanes making a left at North Sterling Street.
But that hasn’t stopped some drivers from doing things the way the always have, which is making a left and then moving into the right lane on North Sterling. Fender benders are now occurring when the driver in the far left lane moves over without checking for traffic already occupying the right-hand lane.
Additionally, the bike lanes going through downtown have some drivers confused. When they need to make a right turn on either Sterling or Green Street, they’ve simply moved into the bike lane to make their turn. These lanes are exclusively for bicyclists and vehicles aren’t supposed to occupy them.
Lastly, the new traffic lights at North Green Street and Sanford Drive still has some drivers confused. The flashing yellow turn signals and the constant green signals don’t make a lot of sense to some area motorists. When the lights are a flashing yellow arrow, motorists are to stay put until oncoming traffic has cleared the intersection. Too many cars have seen the arrow and simply jumped into the middle of the intersection thinking they have the right of way.
When drivers get in the habit of doing things a certain way for a long period of time, it’s tough to change. But these traffic patterns have been in place for a while now.
And perhaps seeing a stronger law enforcement presence at the area’s troubling intersections will help drivers break their old habits.
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