SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
Area residents have been asking the Reno Police Department’s Traffic Division about the new flashing yellow left-turn signals.
“With these signals being so new to our area, we thought it was a good idea to provide a friendly reminder to our community about how these signals function,” advised Traffic Sergeant Jim Stegmaier.
The flashing yellow left-turn signals debuted last month. RTC, NDOT, and local agencies like the City of Reno teamed up to improve safety using these new traffic signals while providing driver awareness during left turns.
The signals are placed over the turn lane with a flashing yellow arrow pointing left to indicate a vehicle is allowed to cautiously enter the intersection. The flashing left-turn arrow indicates the driver must yield to oncoming vehicles and to pedestrians and then proceed with caution. Experts say the new device is a more direct message than the circular green light for turn lanes and it reduces confusion since the turn lane display is no longer the same signal as it is for the adjacent through lanes. It also allows intersections to operate more efficiently.
The new device was originally developed in Reno, but after extensive study and trials, was recently approved by the Federal Highway Administration for use nationwide.
Please see the attached flyer from RTC. Detailed information is also available at www.nevadadot.com/flashingyellow.
