Wednesday, December 16, 2009

U-turns legal!

Love em or hate em, u-turns will now be legal in WI. This was just sent out by the Chief of Police:

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2009 Wisconsin Act 97
Effective Date: January 1, 2010
Current law prohibits U-turns at all controlled intersections. Beginning 1/1/2010, Wisconsin Act 97 will permit U-turns at controlled intersections UNLESS signs are installed to indicate the maneuver is prohibited by the unit of government responsibility for maintaining the intersection (state, county, municipality).

U-turns will have to be made from the leftmost turn lane in the same fashion as a conventional left turn. Vehicles on the intersecting street attempting to turn right-on-red must yield to the U-turning vehicle.

No backing will be permitted as part of the U-turn, so drivers will have to be familiar with their vehicle’s turning radius. U-turns will also be prohibited on curves and hillcrests where visibility is less than 500 feet.

The new U-turn law will help traffic engineers in controlling traffic on divided highways. It will also reduce issues/costs associated with condemnation where highway projects result in median closings, since reasonable access to businesses and residences across the highway median should now be possible via U-turns.

Also under Wisconsin Act 97, beginning 1/1/2010, passing a left-turning vehicle on the right using a PAVED shoulder will be permitted. This reverses the 2001 Kaufman v. Postle decision.

This does NOT mean that a driver can pass a slower-moving vehicle on the right using the shoulder – the vehicle being passed MUST be making a left turn.

Also, the vehicle making the pass on the right MUST keep all four wheels on the pavement or paved shoulder.
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I wonder how many "no u-turn" sign requests will come through the Traffic Commission? And what about those few places where we have "right turn on green arrow only" signs, will u-turns technically be legal or is that a form of left turn?

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