Lucky day

Kri$han said:

...The appropriate maneuver in this instance is to pull into the intersection and perform the 'S' turn, to position yourself parallel to oncoming traffic, in order to have the best view possible (and not to be angled towards traffic). Very few people do this, as I imagine not very many people took driving lessons at Young Drivers; arguably the most expensive and most comprehensive driver training in Ontario...

Click to expand...

Years ago wife came home and taught me the "s" turn manoeuvre, from Young Drivers, and I've been doing it ever since. The "S" turn gives you the best sight lines of oncoming traffic. I agree that staying behind the pedestrian lines does not give you a clear view of oncoming traffic, but it is safer from perpendicular traffic.

Alex_San said:

From what I know, and I may be wrong, cops at the construction sites are there on their "off" days, making an extra buck in the process, so that may explain why they don't give a flying f***

Click to expand...

Unless you did something that endangered them and they would be on you like flies on crap.

Owen said:

Angle of view can be drawn quiet easily much like the same way you look at angle of view/field of view diagrams for different camera lenses. Sight lines are sight lines whether you're in a car or looks at a piece of paper with objects drawn on them.

You can keep sitting in traffic, if you like.

Click to expand...

I think I need to see an example of the sight lines you're drawing to prove that you can see just as much by staying behind the pedestrian line at an offset intersection. Please, prove this (if you don't mind).

I'll even promise to annotate your image and show you on your own diagram that you can see more by using the 'S' turn. Perhaps what you're understanding as the 'S' turn is not what I am referring to, hence the disagreement here.

Yeah, I keep having to sit in traffic because of idiots NOT turning left at intersections properly, and holding the rest of us up. ugh.

Kri$han said:

I think I need to see an example of the sight lines you're drawing to prove that you can see just as much by staying behind the pedestrian line at an offset intersection. Please, prove this (if you don't mind).

I'll even promise to annotate your image and show you on your own diagram that you can see more by using the 'S' turn. Perhaps what you're understanding as the 'S' turn is not what I am referring to, hence the disagreement here.

Yeah, I keep having to sit in traffic because of idiots NOT turning left at intersections properly, and holding the rest of us up. ugh.

Click to expand...

There's no hold up if you start moving as you anticipate a gap in oncoming traffic. You'll actually finish your turn at the same time.


If the car in the intersection is positioned any further to their left, they'll be in the lane of oncoming traffic or dangerously close to it.
If they're any further forward, they can't see around any cars waiting to turn left coming from the oncoming direction.
If they're any further forward than right in front of the pedestrian intersection, then they probably won't be able to make the turn in to the left hand lane and have to cross in to the right. That would be an issue with any cars turning right coming from the south.

So, if sight lines are pretty much the same and you can finish the turn in the same time (assuming you're moving forward as you anticipate a break in on coming traffic), there's no benefit to sitting in the middle of an intersection.
.....unless, as the OP has already illustrated, you want to risk getting hit from the side because someone wasn't paying attention to the lights.

I've accidentally ran a red light before. Everyone has.

For the intent of illustrating field of view, that diagram will not do. MS Paint will suffice, here.

The S-turned car is blue, the other is red.

It can be clearly seen in my not-to-scale MS Paint diagram that the blue car which is further offset, due to the S-turn, has a wider field of view to see oncoming traffic. This effect gets magnified further by larger intersections, larger vehicles in the oncoming turning lanes (where the orange cars are) and/or intersections with higher turning lane offsets.

When you stay out of the intersection, your view is worse, and you will not be able to see traffic well enough to execute the turn; hence holding everyone up behind you by letting opportunities to turn pass.

Maybe you should never go through any intersection at all, because anyone can blow a red light any time?

Owen said:

I've accidentally ran a red light before. Everyone has.

Click to expand...

This is true, but usually it happens when the intersections are clear... Was there a car in the intersection when you ran it?