Rhino
10/31/2013 9:40:00 PM
On 2013-10-31 4:32 PM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
> Rhino <no_offline_contact_please@example.com> wrote:
>
>> Adam, I was just thinking about you. I've had my say on this whole
>> German subthread and wanted to ask you something completely unrelated.
>
>> Are you allowed to turn right on a red light in Illinois? I know you're
>>from Chicago so I assume you know the rules of the road there.
>
> Yes, right turn on red is allowed in Illinois, except where prohibited.
> The turning driver must yield to conflicting traffic and to pedestrians.
>
> If there are two intersecting one-way streets, even left turn on red is
> allowed.
>
>> The reason I ask is that I was behind an SUV from Illinois this morning
>> and he (a generic "he", the driver might have been a woman but I
>> couldn't tell through the tinting) resolutely refused to turn right on a
>> red, even after I encouraged him by winking my lights, which is one of
>> the things we do in Ontario.
>
> It's optional, not required.
>
>> Now in all fairness, the intersection was a bit odd. The driver in
>> question was going south and was poised to turn right (west) in the
>> right turn lane. I was immediately behind him. The signal we got was red
>> but there was a green arrow pointing right below the standard
>> red/green/amber signal. This guy waited until the green arrow turned
>> off, then waited a while longer and then finally turned on the solid red
>> with no arrow lit. I think he may have been waiting for a green light
>> (or a green light and a green arrow) and it finally dawned on him that
>> it wasn't going to happen so he made the turn. I could well imagine
>> being in the same position and wanting to wait for a green light, not
>> just a red light with a green arrow, if I was from a state that didn't
>> let you turn right on a red.
>
> If the intersection has a right turn slip lane,
Interesting terminology; we'd call it a right-turn lane. I've never
heard "slip lane" before this email ;-)
> sometimes this lane is
> controlled with its own green right arrow light. If the traffic control
> box is new enough and has enough wiring combinations, you can get this
> green arrow at the same time as cross traffic coming from the right has
> a green left arrow and cross traffic from the left is stopped. Pedestrian
> lights, if present, would be at don't walk during this cycle.
>
> That's not even a right turn on red. That's a right turn on green.
I'm not sure I'd call it that but I agree with your understanding of
what it means: he should have known that he could make the right.
> The
> solid red over green right arrow just means straight ahead traffic must
> stop.
Agreed.
> It's there for added visibility for traffic sitting in the through
> lanes and doesn't apply to the slip lane. The green right arrow controls
> the slip lane.
>
> Yes, the driver ahead of you was being unreasonable blocking traffic.
>
Maybe he was yapping on a cellphone (which is illegal here but probably
still widely done) and didn't even notice the green arrow. Or he'd dozed
off....
Anyway, it's no biggie. I was just curious about the rules for Illinois.
I've been in Illinois but I wasn't driving so didn't have to know the
rules ;-)
--
Rhino