Another question from me about this abominable intersection (or cluster of intersections) by Glaubtenstrasse.
So anyone wanting to turn left like the blue arrow has a dedicated left turning lane, and receives a wonderful, solid, green arrow. No indication whatsoever that one has to yield.
And yet, the oncoming cars/traffic like the red arrow apparently have a plain old green light also and just come driving right through. My experience with this was that I almost turned in front of several oncoming cars on my bicycle. I wasn’t sure about the light on the other side because you can’t see it, so thought maybe it was somehow an anomaly.
The next time I remembered, and was more careful, and there was another cyclist there waiting to turn left. Doesn’t matter that it was bicycles, it could have been cars. The light goes green, with green arrow for us, and it indeed happens again, we have to wait in the middle for the cars to go by and then can turn. Then a bit down the road we stop at another light and I ask, hey, wasn’t it green arrow for us, and she says, yeah, she doesn’t know why, but it’s always like that.
It seems like an utter failure of whoever is responsible for the intersection, no? Or is there some bizzare rule I don’t know about? What could be going on in this case?
I see a yellow blinker on the side of the traffic light, is it blinking without a person in the middle when the light turns green? that would explain it
Honestly, in such situation the green arrow should be replaced with an orange arrow. The additional blinken light is overseen too often. A similar situation existed at Talstrasse/Bleicherweg intersection near Paradeplatz (coming on Talstrasse from the lake).
Or start the blinken light before the green arrow comes.
For sure you are right. There is also one here (image below). I kind of can’t believe that I’ve not noticed this in Switzerland yet. The yellow light is actually *flashing*. But it seems that selective attention is very powerful when dealing with something like driving signage.
It does seem like a bad design especially in the context of other countries’ usage of green arrow-- I’m sure a lot of foreigners have had trouble with this and I’ll bet this system has caused its share of accidents when tourists are here driving.
Those flashing amber lights are actually pretty common at intersections like that and not only in Switzerland. I’m surprised you haven’t encountered more of them to be honest.
Hm. In the US as well? I haven’t driven (or rode bicycle on the streets) in any countries other than the US and Switzerland (and a very very tiny bit in England, Germany, and France)
I learned a few things. But this page only worsens the confusion because it conspicuously omits any mention or possibility of a blinking yellow in the left-turn green arrow case:
> Nach Links abbiegen, bei grünem Pfeil
> Wenn der grüne Pfeil leuchtet, fahre ich weiter. Ich habe Vortritt vor dem Gegenverkehr. Fussgängerstreifen werden mit einer eigenen Ampel geregelt.
And for a different case (right-turn green arrow) they do mention the yellow blinking light, so it’s not like they are just ignoring that issue for the entire page
> Wenn ein gelbes Licht blinkt
> Wenn bei einem nach rechts weisenden Pfeil gleichzeitig ein gelbes Licht blinkt, lasse ich beim Abbiegen nach rechts den Fussgängern auf der Querstrasse den Vortritt.
