How to make left-turn arrows more fuel-efficient

We love those left-turn arrows when the streets are jammed and no one is going to give you a break. But it's a different story when there's no traffic and you are just sitting there itching to be released from your turn-lane prison. It's not only a time-waster but, many argue, a waste of ever more expensive gasoline. That's why some traffic experts are looking harder at adopting more "permissive" signals that give motorists more opportunities to make that left when there's no traffic around, reports the Riverside Press-Enterprise.

While restrictive left-turn arrows are considered better for traffic safety, the rising price of gas is putting more pressure to consider other options. How much time and gas do you save each time you can turn left without waiting? Probably not much. But those savings do add up on a cumulative basis. The big savings, however, are reserved for drivers who make the effort to avoid left turns, period. After changing its Southern California routes to cut down on left turns, UPS estimates it cut its fuel bill by about $1 million.

-- Jesus Sanchez

Photo: Karen Tapia / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Ruby Jackson]

Two wrongs don't make a right, but three rights make a left!