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Posted by: LenS

I'm willing to venture a guess that very few officers in MA know that Left on Red IS Legal under some circumstances.

My interest in this came up back in the late 1970s when I was in Lubbock TX dutifully sitting at a traffic light with my left turn signal on and got flamed by some drivers behind me for not taking a Left on Red. Then I did a little research on TX law and found that if you on a one-way street intersecting another one-way street, you can legally take a Left on Red after stopping.

When I got back home, I asked our resident expert on Ch. 90 and he wasn't aware of any such MA law. I let it lie until I spotted a "NO Left on Red" sign in Waltham (on Winter St. in front of the Doubletree) a few years ago. I asked again and nobody at the PD had a clue. Last year, talking to a friend in Chicopee (who was stopped by a Chicopee PO for taking a Left on Red in the square), he pointed me to the cite. It is indeed in the law. I'll post the URL and the text below.

Left on Red Law

Chapter 89: Section 8 Right-of-way at intersecting ways; turning on red signals

"At any intersection on ways, as defined in section one of chapter ninety, in which vehicular traffic is facing a steady red indication in a traffic control signal, the driver of a vehicle which is stopped as close as practicable at the entrance to the crosswalk or the near side of the intersections or, if none, then at the entrance to the intersection in obedience to such red or stop signal, may make either (1) a right turn or (2) if on a one-way street may make a left turn to another one-way street, but shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and other traffic proceeding as directed by the signal at said intersection. . ."

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Posted by: jo

LenS

Out here in western mass we have very few traffic lights and one way streets. We tend to enforce stuff like Chapter 89 Section 3.

No person shall travel on a way with a sleigh or sled drawn by a horse, unless there are at least three bells attached to some part of the harness. $100.00 civil infraction. Grabbed a selectmens kid for that one. Just kidding, had time to kill this morning.

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Posted by: LenS

Jo,

I'd pick on you about getting so much snow that sleds and dogs are the only way to get around in Western MA :P , but since the Blizzard of '78 I think that Eastern MA has gotten whacked more often with deeper snow than Western MA!

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Posted by: jo

You can pick on us about snow, dogs and sleds just don't mention our sheep. Thems is fighten werds.

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Posted by: texdep

Good thing we up here in MA instead of TX where it is legal to shoot a guy for messing with your livestock!!!!!

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Posted by: Hooah

If you are leaving Davis Square in Somerville (I don't remember the name of the road) you run into just that scenerio.

A one-way street that that intersects with another one-way (that turns left). There is actually a sign at that intersection that states "LEFT ON RED AFTER STOP".

I thought a selectmen must take that route home everyday.

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Posted by: PhilipD

Awesome, now all I gotta do is carry a copy of this law, make some left turns on red (on one way streets ofcourse), and when I get pulled over, I can respectfully present my case to the good officer

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Posted by: quality617

"From a one way, to a one way, left turn on red is legal."

That's an academy note from 1995. I was actually paying attention that day.

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Posted by: Curious EMT

Uh huh it is, and I love using it in Boston!

Get the "wtf" look from people sometimes, oh well. That would be an "easy" on in front of a Magistrate....

I first learned about that law in DC. I was riding in a car driven by SteveHandsleman (the NBC reporter) and he was telling me and my parents all the tricks, becsaue sometimes he need (or so he thinks) to fly accross the city from one Gvt agency to another....

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