Drivers turning left in Broken Arrow will see traffic signals with flashing yellow arrows soon.
"It acts just like the green ball in a left-turn lane," said Lee Zirk, the city's general services director. "Oncoming traffic continues to go through, but the flashing yellow arrow tells drivers that they can turn left when it is safe to do so. So, they still have to yield to oncoming traffic."
Left-turn lanes on Tucson Street at Aspen Aspen Avenue and at Redbud Avenue will have four signals: The standard red, green and yellow arrows, plus the flashing yellow arrow that means turns are permitted but drivers must yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians.
Zirk said the new signals won’t be ubiquitous, though.
"Now, we have some old intersections with the old way, and those will likely stay until there's funding or a study shows that, that intersection would benefit from the flashing yellow arrow," Zirk said.
The first new signal will be at Tucson and Aspen once construction is complete, but the city wants drivers to start preparing now. An informational video is posted on the city website.
