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US
There are too many “accidents”, caused by failure of making a left-hand turn. Not only are pedestrians and cyclists at risk, but so are drivers. Enough is enough!
ONE OF
A KIND PSA.
#ToTheLeft was inspired by Beyoncé’s hit song Irreplaceable because a life is irreplaceable. As a driver, I want the road to be uncomplicated when I use it. The lack of left turn lights can be difficult for new drivers, old drivers and drivers from other countries. There is no law in Ontario that tells you how many cars can be in an intersection making a left so people craming against each other and then rush to make the turn. There are many tragic stories on the news. People are mad and tired, the province needs to take action. No one is really honing in on protected left turns. Most campaigns are looking to make roads safer by other means or they mix in the left hand turn with other initiatives.
Specifically the goal is to get the government, invest in more protected left-hand turn lights. This way, once most of the intersections are covered, the other provinces can follow suit. There are just too many accidents happening in Ontario, these could be reduced/prevented if there were more lights installed.
Our aim is to also educate others on the importance of these protected left-turns. Cyclists and pedestrians are also part of the discussion. Often they are the victims because they do not have any protection on them when crossing. They abide by their lights which tell them it's safe to cross but the lack of protected left turn lights put them in harm's way.
We want to remind people that they should not blindly accept the road as is and motivate them to change conditions that do not serve them. In order to mobilize enough voices to care and do something about road safety, there needs to be a way to get everyone up to speed on the issue. The public is not aware of the many facts and figures on protected left turn lights. Here are some of the key facts you need to know.
Who is in charge of roads in Ontario?
"MTO is responsible for maintaining all roads under its jurisdiction – including major highways like the 400 series. Not all roads fall under provincial jurisdiction. City streets are generally the responsibility of the municipality in which they are located" (Conner, 2021).
Turning left or right at an intersection
If you have gone into the intersection when making a left turn and the signal light changes to red, you can still finish you left turn as this is not counted as running the red light. When the light is red, you still have about three seconds to make a left turn.
Protected Only vs Protected-permissive left-turn
What makes POs safer is that they have fewer contact points than other turn methods. PPLTs give drivers a chance to turn left on an intersection even though there is no arrow to safely give them the right of way. This allows drivers the chance to continue their during busy times.
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