Have you ever stopped at a red light ready to make a right turn but first noticing the sign in front of you stating "Wait for Green?" I can't begin to count the number of times that I have noticed this sign and had to think to myself what does this actually mean? Why if I wasn't allowed to turn on red they wouldn't have simply used the sign NO Turn on Red? After many times of pondering to myself and asking others if the Wait for Green sign was just a suggestion that you should wait for the green light to make a turn, or if it actually was just another version on the sign NO Turn on Red. I decided to do some research on the use of these signs. After going to the PENNDOT website and reading their driver's manual, there was still no answer on what the Wait for Green sign actually meant, it wasn't even listed in the section that showed all the different street signs in Pennsylvania and gave a definition of what they meant. In the manual they had listed multiple versions of the NO Turn on Red sign, and even a sign that said Opposing Traffic has Extended Green Light, but not even a mention of the Wait for Green sign.
I feel that the confusion of this sign is a major usability issue for drivers. By not following this sign you could be pulled over and ticketed, but if the meaning of the sign is not posted anywhere would it actually even be lawful for a ticket to be issued for not following what the sign said? While researching this topic many people have stated that they do believe that this sign means the same as NO Turn on Red, but many others said they have no idea and were confused like myself about why, if it did mean the same thing, PENNDOT would not have just used a NO Turn on Red, making confusion obsolete.
In my case I will continue to treat the Wait for Green sign as a suggestion, until the meaning is completely clarified, if it ever is.
I completely feel the same way as you do. Every time I see the "wait for green" sign I get confused. I used to always wait for the green just to be safe, but now I usually just end up turning anyway if it's red since it didn't exactly specify "no turn on red". It's very interesting that you researched it and still found nothing. Do you think if someone actually got pulled over for turning when it said "wait for green" they could argue their way out of the ticket? I would definitely attempt it.
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad I'm not the only one who gets confused by this road sign. There are plenty of signs out on the road that make me second guess myself, but none compare to this sign. Every time I try to turn onto Nields St. from Westtown Road I always have to make a conscious effort to decide if it's legal for me to turn or not. Maybe someday we'll get our answer, but for now I guess we keep doing what we're doing since it seems to be working out so far.
Angela, I like that you took the time to investigate this vague sign. I agree that "Wait for Green" is more of a suggestion than a command. Perhaps there have been problems at this intersection (and others) where drivers prematurely start driving even when the sign is red. In any case, this is a great example of problem with signage. Keep looking: I bet there are examples of confusing and/or contradictory signs all over the road ways. Great pictures!
ReplyDeleteI had actually thought of using this topic for my usability blog. I agree with you that the "wait for green" sign is confusing. Whenever I see this sign I usually wait for green light just to be safe. It would make more sense if they just used a "no turn on red" sign instead. I think since most people probably feel the same way something should be done to correct this problem. This is a great example of poor usability.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you. Between these two signs it gets really confusing and I'm always afraid I'm going to get pulled over for doing the wrong thing. Another problem I have is the "Left turn Signal" light and sign. Because it's red, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to turn when there's no traffic coming. Do I really need to sit there for two minutes even though there is no one coming in the opposite direction? I would assume I would, but at the same time the light is green in the lanes next to me. They are just going straight instead of turning.
ReplyDelete