PALM HARBOR - North county motorists are seeing a new type of traffic signal at the intersection of Belcher Road and Nebraska Avenue in Palm Harbor.
Pinellas County Public Works has installed a flashing yellow arrow as part of the overhead signal controlling left turns at that intersection.
Flashing yellow arrows allow motorists to turn left with caution, after yielding the right of way to oncoming traffic. A recent study by the Federal Highway Administration reported that the flashing yellow arrow helps move traffic through an intersection faster and more safely than solid green signals alone, while allowing additional traffic management flexibility for road agencies. The study concluded that drivers are less likely to make left-turn mistakes when guided by the flashing yellow arrows.
The new signal was shown to work better at warning motorists to turn left carefully, traffic permitting.
The new signal at Belcher Road and Nebraska Avenue will serve as a test site for Pinellas County. Accumulated traffic data will be compared to data collected from a similar control intersection at Belcher and Tampa roads. If the data prove the flashing yellow arrow is beneficial to traffic flow and safety, the signals will be installed at other locations throughout Pinellas County.
Pinellas County is among the first areas in the United States to implement flashing yellow arrow left-turn signals at intersections where circular green signal lights were previously used. This distinction is shared by markets in Michigan, Oregon, Maryland, California and Colorado.
