Author: DOUG DAHL

Q: Would you please address the fact that politeness should not trump correct driving rules? I appreciate that people in Bellingham are usually so polite on the roads, but this can also drive me crazy at times. There are so many times that the other driver on the road has the right of way, but stops and tries to get me to move first by waving me on.

A: I’m all for polite and courteous drivers. The last thing we need on the road are drivers that take every perceived error from other motorists as a personal insult and then react as if defending five generations of their family’s honor. That being said, the most polite thing a driver can do is follow the rules of the road. Think of traffic rules not just as a law put in place by the government, but as a shared set of values that drivers rely on to understand each other. Some drivers, intending to be polite, violate these shared values with “the wave”. Continue reading “What To Do About “The Wave””

Q: Can you turn left from a two way street onto one way street at a red light after stopping?

A: As strange as it feels, yes you can. There are a few scenarios provided in state law that permit a driver to proceed after stopping for a red light, even while the light remains red. Most of us are familiar with the “free right”, a term not used in the law, but nearly universally understood to mean making a right turn at a red traffic light, after stopping for the light and waiting for an opening in the cross traffic. A free right is usually allowed when turning right onto a two-way street, or when turning right onto a one-way street that is carrying traffic in the direction of the right turn (obviously). There are some intersections that prohibit a right turn on a red light. These intersections have signs that read, appropriately, “NO TURN ON RED”. With the new bike boxes on Bellingham streets, we’re seeing a few more intersections in our community that don’t allow right turns on red lights. Continue reading “Left Turns and One Way Streets”

Q: I recently was waiting in traffic heading west on Barkley Boulevard just before the intersection with Racine Street. I planned to turn left on Orleans and had my left turn indicator on. Three drivers behind me moved into the center turn lane and quickly drove the distance to get the left turn light on Orleans. How soon can one use the center lane to move forward in order to catch the left turn lane?

A: I’m confident that you are not alone in wondering about this situation. While your question stems from an experience at a specific location, your concern applies to many intersections in our region. At peak traffic times, cars may back up for several blocks in busy areas. And for drivers intending to take a left turn, that center turn lane looks pretty tempting, even a few blocks away from the intersection. Before we get too far, I want to point out for readers unfamiliar with the location described in the question that this driver will have to drive through three intersections prior to making that left turn at Orleans. Continue reading “How to Use a Two-Way Left Turn Lane”