Advanced Left-Turn Arrow: When Is It Too Late to Start the Turn?

The opening right turn explains why broken markings beside a bus stop are not automatically the entrance to your turn lane. Stay out until the permitted opening, check the blind spot and yield as required at the slip lane.

Even after the cars ahead turn, check cross traffic yourself. As the distant advance arrow comes into view, anticipate that it may end before your arrival. Keep controlled progress and spacing rather than accelerating to catch it.

The arrow changes from green to yellow and then disappears. Vehicles already committed must clear safely; drivers who can stop safely must not keep starting protected turns as the phase ends. Obey the signal that remains rather than following the queue.

A nearby driveway can make turning traffic stop unexpectedly. Before entering, check there is room to complete the turn without trapping your car in the intersection when the opposing movement or pedestrians are released.

The lesson car accepts that its protected opportunity has ended and waits on the ordinary green. Keep the wheels straight and choose a position suited to the road geometry, with pedestrian paths and opposing travel clear.

Continue watching the light, distant gaps and pedestrians while stopped. A traffic gap alone is not the whole turn decision; check the left-side pedestrian approach again before committing to the turn.

The timing comparison shows that waiting added only a short delay in this example. That duration is not a guarantee at every junction, but it illustrates why saving seconds is a poor reason to race an ending arrow or assume pedestrians will yield to you.