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I am travelling in Pennsylvania, USA, and I come across this sign:
Intersections here often have three sets of traffic lights, one with left turn signal signs, one with right turn signal signs, and one with none.
All of the lights in the intersection are the standard 3 light variety. The green light is either a standard circle or an arrow. It is NOT the type with a green light and a red arrow. There are no signs that say "No turn on Red".
Can I turn right on red?
From Pennsylvania Driver's Manual
When there is a STEADY RED LIGHT, you must stop before crossing the marked stop line or crosswalk. If you do not see any lines, stop before entering the intersection. Wait for a green light before you start.
You may turn right while the light is red, unless a NO TURN ON RED sign is posted at the intersection. You must first stop, check for and yield to pedestrians and other traffic.
You may also turn left after you stop at a red light, if you are in the left lane and are turning left from a one-way street onto another one-way street, unless a sign tells you not to turn. You must first stop and yield to pedestrians and other traffic.
And additionally
Although not common in Pennsylvania, a RED ARROW is used in other states. It means you may not turn in the direction the arrow points.
The sign you posted:
RIGHT TURN SIGNAL This sign is posted close to a traffic signal to indicate that the signal controls right turn movements.
In practice this usually means that there are situations when it is possible to turn right but not go straight.
There is also DMV Guide to Young Drivers which states:
Making right turns at intersections with lights or signs:
- Even when the light is green, look out for traffic turning left from the oncoming lane.
- Unless there’s a sign that says “No Turn on Red,” in Pennsylvania it’s legal to turn right even on a red light after coming to a complete stop – but only if there’s no traffic coming from the left or across the street, or pedestrians in the crosswalk.
So if you need to make a right turn on Red and there are no specific prohibitions you can do it in PA.
Yes, unless another sign forbids it. The sign is there to let you know there will be a turn arrow exclusively for you. It does not disallow right on red. If there is not a sign that says "No turn on red" or "No turns," you may turn right on red.
One "gotcha" with some intersections that have a separate right turn signal is that the light may cycle green, yellow, red along with the main intersection and then quickly turn green again if/when the cross traffic from the right gets a green arrow. No matter how short the red interval, such a light must be treated very differently from one which simply stays green. If a car becomes entitled to the right of way while the light is green, it will retain that entitlement as long as the light remains green. Once the light turns yellow, unless passage through the intersection is imminent, the car must yield right of way to on-coming traffic and continue to do so--even if the light turns green again--until all such traffic has cleared the intersection.
