That's a new way to run a red light...

[Jay 2K Winger]

So I'm heading out for work yesterday, coming up on the county parkway, which I take south to get to the wholesale club. I'm coming up on the intersection for the parkway, and the light has turned green for the road I'm on.

I see someone in the northbound side pull into the right turn lane, go around the turn-median, cut behind the cars starting to cross the parkway, and get right back on the parkway.

I saw this happen, and as I'm turning onto the parkway to head south, I think to myself, "That's a clever way to run a red light, I salute you, and wish there was a cop around to pull you over, you gorram prick."

Just in case it isn't clear, here's a quick-and-dirty and very poor Paint drawing of the intersection and the prick's path highlighted in red.

[Green_Fairy]

i've wanted to do that so many times. but never have...woulda been easy where i used to live, too. well, with one intersection anyway. there was a light that really sucked. bad timing or messed up sensor or something. when there was no one on the cross, street, the light would keep you stopped for a good 10 minutes.

[EvilEmpryss]

Unless he was speeding, cutting off other drivers, or crossing over double yellow lines to do this, I think it's technically legal. There's a light near where I live that has a heinously short left turn light and a horrendously long green thru traffic light. I go thru it, make a U-turn at the nearest opening, and then go back to the intersection and make a right tun to get on the street I wanted to be on originally. Even if I have to wait for oncoming traffic I still make it back to the intersection long before the light changes again.

[Jay 2K Winger]

Unless he was speeding, cutting off other drivers, or crossing over double yellow lines to do this, I think it's technically legal. There's a light near where I live that has a heinously short left turn light and a horrendously long green thru traffic light. I go thru it, make a U-turn at the nearest opening, and then go back to the intersection and make a right tun to get on the street I wanted to be on originally. Even if I have to wait for oncoming traffic I still make it back to the intersection long before the light changes again.

Yup, double-yellows on the cross-street, separating the two directions. (The parkway had a median separating the two.) He'd slowed down to make the right, and then loop behind the cars that had been waiting at the red, and then back on the parkway.

[NightWatch]

It is illegal. It's also illegal to cut through a parking lot to avoid an intersection. See, if everyone was allowed to do these things, it'd cause serious confusion, nasty congestion and insurance companies would go bankrupt from all the accidents. It would only be acceptable in an emergency situation... like someone cut your arm off and you're trying to get to the hospital before you bleed to death...

[mattm04]

It is illegal. It's also illegal to cut through a parking lot to avoid an intersection. See, if everyone was allowed to do these things, it'd cause serious confusion, nasty congestion and insurance companies would go bankrupt from all the accidents. It would only be acceptable in an emergency situation... like someone cut your arm off and you're trying to get to the hospital before you bleed to death...

I recently saw someone cut thru a gas station parking lot, with a cop sitting in said lot. Moron got pulled over.

[Chanlin]

I could see it being legal if and only if the guy turned right, drove in the eastbound lane for a bit, pulled a U turn and then back to the intersection and turned right. Even then I highly doubt a maneuver like that would actually fly with a cop.

[blas]

People who cut and dart through parking lots just to avoid stop signs make my blood boil.

[Geek King]

They used to be called "Esso AssOs" back when there was an Esso. Read the second 'O' as hole truely enjoy it.

[mikoyan29]

A guy I used to work at called this maneuver a Romanian left turn. He was from Romania. Although I think he would use it to make a left turn. so he would turn right and then do a u turn on the other road to end up going left.

[Andara Bledin]

It's also illegal to cut through a parking lot to avoid an intersection.

In Cali, it's not illegal to cut through a parking lot to avoid a signal.

However, if you choose to do so, you are required to come to a complete stop before pulling out of the parking lot on the other side. At least, that's how it worked 10 years ago.

Oh, and don't trust cops to know all of the laws. I've had more than one give me bad information, particularly as regarding how to make a u-turn at a point that is not an intersection.

^-.-^

[mikoyan29]

In Cali, it's not illegal to cut through a parking lot to avoid a signal.

However, if you choose to do so, you are required to come to a complete stop before pulling out of the parking lot on the other side. At least, that's how it worked 10 years ago.

Oh, and don't trust cops to know all of the laws. I've had more than one give me bad information, particularly as regarding how to make a u-turn at a point that is not an intersection.

^-.-^

Here they have a ticket called "trying to avoid a traffic signal or something". A few years ago, they were doing work on the main street and there was a new building going up, only the roads in front of it didn't have traffic signs and thus were not certified. One day a cop was out giving people warnings.

[nhollywood]

In Cali, it's not illegal to cut through a parking lot to avoid a signal.

I live in Southern California and have gotten a ticket for doing that.

[evilhomer]

I've seen that manouver done before, the morons deserve a ticket for jaywalking as well. Technically it's legal to make a right, make a u-turn once you get X feet past the intersection, then make another right. That would be a legal move, but these assclowns will make a half right, and drive straight across the pedestrian zone, then make another half right back onto the original road. I don't know how many extra laws this move breaks, but I'm sure you'd be better off just going through the red light.

[Polenicus]

I've got a couple of stories from the days I lived in Toronto, where I saw many a fantastically BAD driver. It wasn't just bad driving, but the sheer audacity with which they executed it.

Take this example.

I was a passenger in my friend's car (Not himself a bad driver, though he's been the victim of a few) and we were sitting at an intersection behind another car, waiting for the light to turn red. The driver ahead of us started inching forward... as some drivers do in anticipation of the light turning green. However, there were a couple of problems with how they did it.

1. The light had only just turned red, meaning the green was some ways off

2. They did not stop.

When I say they did not stop, I mean they inched their way through the intersection. There was traffic, and it was busy... and still they pushed their way through. Move forward slowly a few inches, stop, then inch forward again, as traffic with the right of way is not only forced to stop, but to WAIT for you to clear their path as you make your way painfully slowly through the intersection.

We watched in amazement as they continued this until they had reached the other side, then proceeded along their merry way at regular speed. The light had remained red the whole time, and only a few seconds later went green.

To this day I still can't fathom what that driver was thinking.