What's Happening in Encinitas, CA…

Encinitas drivers coming through the South Vulcan Avenue and D Street intersection have been seeing something in recent years

It is at this spot that the city has chosen to implement a one-year test program to see if a traffic control device will reduce accidents.

The previous signal had four lights, one of which was an arrow for dedicated left turns. In its place, the new signal has a left-turn arrow that flashes yellow, meaning a driver may make a left turn when it's safe to do so, even if the green arrow is no longer showing.

Unlike the green left-turn arrow, the flashing yellow does not give the turning driver the right of way; it merely means he or she can make the turn when it's safe to do so. The signal is called a ‘protective/permissive’ device.

Some residents appear to have found the signal confusing, and worry about doing something wrong. One resident, Paul Vrakas, said he had “never seen anything like it”, and Encinitas traffic engineer Luke Baker said El Cajon is also experimenting with the signal, making it the only other San Diego County community to do so.

Baker also noted that California in general has been slow to adopt the Federal Highway Administration's findings, which indicate this type of signal is more intuitive and lowers the number of accidents at intersections protected this way.

The city might work with a postcard printing company on a Mailing card for residents warning them to be aware of the new signal.
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