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On my way home from work, there is an intersection with a traffic light I
must pass through. Sometimes I will see the light turn yellow as I approach
it. If I know the light will turn red before I get there, I have been known
to take a right turn into a tire store parking lot, and then make a turn
exiting the parking lot and back onto the road I was originally on,
effectively bypassing the intersection. I do this in a safe manner, no
excessive parking lot speeds. Neat trick, I didn't waste time sitting at
the red light and as far as I can tell, I didn't break any traffic laws.
Somebody told me this was illegal, but I have never heard of a law which
says you can't legally enter a parking lot and legally exit a parking lot.
Is there a law which says I can not do this?
Thanks,
--Dan
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dg wrote in message ...
On my way home from work, there is an intersection with a traffic light I
must pass through. Sometimes I will see the light turn yellow as I
approach
it. If I know the light will turn red before I get there, I have been
known
to take a right turn into a tire store parking lot, and then make a turn
exiting the parking lot and back onto the road I was originally on,
effectively bypassing the intersection. I do this in a safe manner, no
excessive parking lot speeds. Neat trick, I didn't waste time sitting at
the red light and as far as I can tell, I didn't break any traffic laws.
Somebody told me this was illegal, but I have never heard of a law which
says you can't legally enter a parking lot and legally exit a parking lot.
Is there a law which says I can not do this?
Thanks,
--Dan
In my state it's illegal. The fine is $126 with a $40 late fee.
Try "driving on private property to avoid a traffic signal" on Google. You
can find cheaper places to try it. It's only a $100 fine in Stillwater, OK
Regards
Old Al
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On my way home from work, there is an intersection with a traffic light I
must pass through. Sometimes I will see the light turn yellow as I
approach
it. If I know the light will turn red before I get there, I have been
known
to take a right turn into a tire store parking lot, and then make a turn
exiting the parking lot and back onto the road I was originally on,
effectively bypassing the intersection. I do this in a safe manner, no
excessive parking lot speeds. Neat trick, I didn't waste time sitting at
the red light and as far as I can tell, I didn't break any traffic laws.
Somebody told me this was illegal, but I have never heard of a law which
says you can't legally enter a parking lot and legally exit a parking lot.
Is there a law which says I can not do this?
Here in central Oklahoma we refer to cutting through a parking lot to avoid
a light as a "Boston turn" - don't ask me why. I don't know what the
specific statute is but you can certainly get a citation for this if seen.
Cutting into a corner gas station, pretending to glower at the high price on
the pump, and proceeding on isn't particularly convincing.
--
John Goulden
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"John D. Goulden" wrote:
approach
known
Here in central Oklahoma we refer to cutting through a parking lot to avoid
a light as a "Boston turn" - don't ask me why. I don't know what the
specific statute is but you can certainly get a citation for this if seen.
Cutting into a corner gas station, pretending to glower at the high price on
the pump, and proceeding on isn't particularly convincing.
Actually, I have turned through a gas station. For whatever reason,
their
prices WEREN'T on the sign, as required by California law.
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dg wrote:
On my way home from work, there is an intersection with a traffic light I
must pass through. Sometimes I will see the light turn yellow as I
approach it. If I know the light will turn red before I get there, I
have been known to take a right turn into a tire store parking lot, and
then make a turn exiting the parking lot and back onto the road I was
originally on, effectively bypassing the intersection. I do this in a
safe manner, no excessive parking lot speeds. Neat trick, I didn't waste
time sitting at the red light and as far as I can tell, I didn't break
any traffic laws.
Somebody told me this was illegal, but I have never heard of a law which
says you can't legally enter a parking lot and legally exit a parking
lot. Is there a law which says I can not do this?
Thanks,
--Dan
In most states it is illegal.
Using private property to avoid having to wait on the red light will get you
a ticket if the cop is having a slow day and needs the ticket.
I don't know of any one ever doing it, but it's possible that the store
owner could have you charged with trespassing. Don't know if it'd stick or
not, but somebody ticked off enough might try it.
So what's wrong with waiting another minute or so and not getting a ticket?
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dg wrote:
On my way home from work, there is an intersection with a traffic light I
must pass through. Sometimes I will see the light turn yellow as I
approach
it. If I know the light will turn red before I get there, I have been
known
to take a right turn into a tire store parking lot, and then make a turn
exiting the parking lot and back onto the road I was originally on,
effectively bypassing the intersection. I do this in a safe manner, no
excessive parking lot speeds. Neat trick, I didn't waste time sitting at
the red light and as far as I can tell, I didn't break any traffic laws.
Somebody told me this was illegal, but I have never heard of a law which
says you can't legally enter a parking lot and legally exit a parking
lot.
Is there a law which says I can not do this?
Thanks,
--Dan
It's illegal in Florida, too.
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<snip>
In most states it is illegal.
Using private property to avoid having to wait on the red light will get
you
a ticket if the cop is having a slow day and needs the ticket.
No matter how you answer a question, you always imply that when someone
breaks the law and gets caught, it's because the police are having a bad
day, need tickets, have not fulfilled their quota, or some other similar
response.
The answer is, in many if not most states, it is illegal. It has nothing to
do with whether or not a cop is having a bad day or not, it has to do with
whether or not a motorist has violated a traffic law.
Your complete disdain for law enforcement is well known, but try to give it
a rest.
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Nothing wrong with it at all. I have a condition that requires me to
exploit all possible advantages presented to me. As it turns out, my
practice of cutting through lots to avoid long signals is in fact illegal
(from what I have read here)--because it is illegal, I can live with waiting
at the light. The last thing I want is a ticket and a bill to pay. Thanks
for the advice everybody!
--Dan
So what's wrong with waiting another minute or so and not getting a
ticket?
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When I posted my original question, I also emailed the California Highway
Patrol with the exact same question. I received this response yesterday
afternoon from the CHP:
"Some cities and counties have a local ordinance against this. You should
call the police agency in that area and inquire if they have an ordinance
prohibiting it.\
Office of Public Affairs"
Sooo...While this casual looking email is far from a concrete answer, it
does lead me to believe that there is not a *CALIFORNIA* law against it.
That makes sense to me, I mean I left the public california highway and
entered private property legally. I entered the highway legally. What I do
on private property is between me and the property owner, and possibly a
city/county ordinance concerning the use of private land. I don't think I
will acually ask the local law enforcement about this, but this little bit
of info is interesting.
Thanks,
--Dan
Nothing wrong with it at all. I have a condition that requires me to
exploit all possible advantages presented to me. As it turns out, my
practice of cutting through lots to avoid long signals is in fact illegal
(from what I have read here)--because it is illegal, I can live with
waiting
at the light. The last thing I want is a ticket and a bill to pay.
Thanks
for the advice everybody!
--Dan
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