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Anyone else seen these in their town/cities? It's a left turn signal. Usually, it's a green arrow when it's safe to go and a solid green light when it's OK but with caution. Our city has begun trying in some intersections a flashing yellow arrow light for the left turn when it's OK but with caution. I regularly catch myself slowing and looking more carefully at these intersections. They make sense to me since we've been trained that green means go and yellow is caution.
Location: Still in Portland, Oregon, for some reason
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They have been installing them en masse around here and I LOVE them because before 95% of all left turn signals around here were protected only. I don't understand what's so hard to understand because people here love to stop for no reason and wait for it to go green. A flashing yellow ball means proceed with caution. Why would a flashing yellow arrow be any different? Turn left with caution.
As rosecitywanderer said, they've been installed all through Oregon. On a left turn, you get a solid green arrow when you have right of way, and then when you may turn but do not have right of way, it goes to flashing yellow arrow.
While it's true that back when we all drove horse-drawn buggies a simple solid green light would suffice, I think this has been a good change - so many cities went to 3-light left turn signals that consisted of a green turn arrow, a yellow and a red (so that you could only turn when you had a green arrow) that too many drivers got the association of green=right of way. The flashing yellow arrow is a good way to indicate that you MAY turn, if you get the chance.
Of course, this is a state that allows left turns on red, if you are turning from a two-way street on to a one-way street. On the other hand, we don't mount lights sideways on the street corners (I'm pretty sure I ran a light the first time I drove in Houston because I didn't register the sideways-mounted light, way over on the corner on a 4 lane one-way road, as a signal).
We have had the flashing yellows in Fort Smith Arkansas for several years. Haven't seen a flashing green yet.
There ok, not going to end all traffic problems but they can save a minute or two sometimes.
A few weeks ago I came to an intersection where the street ended, so that you could only turn right or left. The yellow arrow was flashing, I'm only used to looking for oncoming traffic so I went ahead and went. I'm pretty sure I pulled out into traffic blind, scared the crap out of me. I'll never ever let that happen again.
Build roundabouts and you'll avoid traffic lights altogether
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