I wish it were not so, but these are the rules I haved observed after seven years in town.
1. When turning left at a flashing green, wait until the intersection has cleared. This can take half of the allotted turning time. Be safe out there.
2. When you proceed, go slow. There might be pedestrians crossing against their walk signal. Please keep them safe.
3. When too few cars have turned left on the flashing green before you, commence turning on amber. Gun it.
4. When too few cars have turned left on amber, go go go. As long as you are within a car length of the stop line, you’re committed.
5. If a long stream of cars is turning left on amber, you can turn left on red as long as you keep close on their tail. One metre distance is a good rule of thumb. This rule only applies to the first two cars crossing on red. All others must stop. Red, after all, means red.
6. This rule is luckily rarely-applied, as it’s a tad risky: if you are stopped at an amber light, frustrated at turning left due to oncoming traffic, and the traffic suddenly clears the intersection on a full red, there will be an automatic lull in traffic of around three seconds while drivers from all directions wait for the usual red-light-left-turn traffic to clear. In this circumstance, but this circumstance only, you may gun it from a standing stop on red, and proceed left, as long as you clear the intersection before the end of the three second rule.
7. When turning left into heavy traffic in the middle of a block, two rules apply. 7a) Hold up traffic until it is safe to turn left. A gnarly choice, but watch out for left-hand turners coming against you who take advantage of your stall to pull a 7b) (read on). They can really throw you off your game. 7b) Wedge your way out into the opposing traffic, blocking it lane by lane until you have completed your turn. Wave in thanks. Politeness is its own reward. Note one variation on 7b) requires a bit of derring-do. It goes like this: 7c) If turning left onto 27th Street against four lanes of traffic, simply cut off the lines of traffic one at a time, using the momentary confusion of drivers to create tiny, temporary openings. The desire of other drivers for personal safety will get their feet on their brakes pronto and before you know it, why, there you are, turning left, or, if you wish, even bolting right across all four lanes. You will notice that there are quite a few automobile repair shops as 27th starts to congest on the northward approach to Silver Star Road. Ever wondered why? Don’t sweat it. You’re in good hands.
8. If you follow the B.C. Highway Code, which states that you may turn left on green if safe, proceed on amber only when already turning or if unable to safely stop, and stay put on red, beware of drivers behind you. If they are proceeding lickety-split, it likely means they are expecting you to follow the gun-it-on-amber rule. When this happens, do not bolt into the intersection. Panic does you no good out there. Brace. Pray.
9. Similarly, if you are turning left at a crosswalk, and a handicapped pedestrian is bravely making their way across in front of you from your left, keep your eye out for dashers on your right, lefties in front of you, and tragedy all around. Although there is nothing you can do, you can contemplate following the wisest rule of all in Vernon: Turn Right. If you make enough right turns, heck, you can always get to where you’re going, and see some fine real estate on the way. Make every journey a discovery instead of an adventure!
10. You have noticed that bicyclists take the sidewalk, right? Bicyclists are very smart.
And that’s just the rules for left hand turns! I wish it were not so, but this is the high-risk derby I have observed during my seven years in town.
Harold Rhenisch
Vernon