Why doesn't the intersection of Washington and Lakeville (heading east) have an left turn arrow? This is a very busy intersection and desperately needs one. Please fix it!

They won't fix it. In fact, they are TAKING AWAY the protected left-hand turn lanes.
For the life of me, I can't understand WHY they took the turn arrows out of the east/west Caulfield/McDowell intersection. Now it is DANGEROUS, not to mention it only lets one or two cars through at busy times. Then drivers are lined up behind you, honking and enraged. Ridiculous. If anyone has a good explanation, I would like to hear it. I really would like to hear WHY they took away the green arrows.

I remember reading about this, apparently it's designed so left-turning cars can go on "solid green" if its clear. This is what was in the paper:

New signals designed to boost traffic flow

'Left turn on green' lights installed at 13 Petaluma intersections

March 23, 2005

By COREY YOUNG
ARGUS-COURIER STAFF

There's a reason for those odd-looking five-light traffic signals showing up at intersections around the city.

Petaluma crews installed the lights earlier this year to ease the flow of traffic and cut down on the amount of time drivers sit waiting to turn left.

Instead of only turning when a green arrow appears, the lights give drivers in left-turn lanes a chance to make their turn on solid green if there is no oncoming traffic.

"This is an attempt to allow people to make left turns when it's safe to do so," said Gene Beatty, the city's interim public facilities and services director. "You don't have to sit through another cycle until you get an arrow."

So far the response from Petaluma drivers has been mostly positive, the city said.

"They seem to like it," Beatty said. "It helps them get through town faster."

Signs posted by the new signals advise drivers to yield to oncoming traffic before making a left turn on green. Warning signs announcing the changed conditions were posted near each of the 13 upgraded intersections.

The signals were installed at such intersections as Rainier Avenue and North McDowell Boulevard, Rainier and Sonoma Mountain Parkway, Ely Boulevard and East Washington Street, and South McDowell Boulevard and Caulfield Lane.

Some drivers are still figuring out the new lights, and there have been "quite a few accidents," Police Sgt. Tim Lyons said.

Since the beginning of the year, 27 accidents have occurred, a quarter of them resulting in injuries, Lyons said.

"A majority of the collisions tend to happen right after the lights are installed," he said. "Typically, people are confused. They look up at the solid green light and think they are safe to go."

In addition, "Some people try to beat the light," Lyons said.

The police department created an announcement that aired on Petaluma Community Access, discussing rights-of-way at the new signals.

If a driver pulls into the intersection on a solid green -- waiting for oncoming traffic to clear -- and the green light turns yellow or red, he or she still has the right of way to complete the turn and get out of the intersection once oncoming traffic has cleared, Lyons said. No driver should enter the intersection until it is clear, even if the light turns green.

The lights still feature a green arrow, when a left turn can be made while oncoming traffic is stopped.

"A green arrow means you're protected," Lyons said. "Once you hit the solid green, you yield to oncoming traffic -- and that's where we have problems."

Officials are monitoring the new signals, which cost between $5,000 and $10,000 each, to see if the timing of the lights should be adjusted or if an unusually high number of collisions is occurring, the city said.

However, "For the most part, I think it's been pretty successful," Beatty said.

McDowell at Caulfield is in the middle of getting it's signals majorly remodelled again. There is a crew working down there today. Third time in about five years. Perhaps they'll get it right this time after the previous two disasters.

Left turn pockets seem to be an endangered species on many of our intersections. Makes one wonder how the traffic engineers over at city hall are going to deal with things like the Kenilworth development.

Another roundabout, perhaps?

The Kenilworth development project will screw McDowell & Caufield, Lakeville, E. Washington, Payran and the surrounding roads. It's in the Draft EIR, plain as day.
I wonder if any of the planners and council actually read it though.

Plain as day, like this?

from page 4.13-63:

"As explained earlier in this section, the proposed project in 2010 and
2025, in combination with cumulative projects, will contribute to significant
impacts to operations at local intersections, and on Highway 101. As discussed
in detail below, while most of the potential impacts can be mitigated to
a less-than-significant level, impacts to Lakeville Street/Caulfield Lane intersection
and Highway 101 would remain significant and unavoidable."

So of 20 transportation impacts listed in the draft EIR, all but three can be mitigated to a "less than significant" level. And one of those refers to the loss of some parking spaces at the swim center, not to traffic. The project would contribute to, but not be the only cause of, traffic impacts at Lakeville/Caulfield and on the freeway.

Folks, the EIR is posted on the city's Web page at http://www.cityofpetaluma.net/cdd/plan-eir.html if you want to read the "facts" for yourself. But - it is out of date any way since the residential housing behind the new stores have been axed, I believe.

While I don't cherish the thought of even worse freeway traffic or gridlock at the Lakeville/Calfield site, it's not all Regency's fault. The city, tho, should take this info and have a master traffic plan to deal with these "cumulative" impacts of all the prjoects (I guess this is where the new general plan and the Rainier extension comes in?)

Thanks Looma, not quite that though, plain as day like this.

"4.13-33
AM Peak Hour intersections operating below acceptable Base Case levels of service:

East Washington/highway 101 Southbound ramps
LOS D AM peak hour signalized operation

Lakeville street/Caufield Lane
LOS F Am peak hour signalized operation

Caufield lane/Payran Street
LOS E AM peak hour signalized operation

Lindberg Lane/Payran street
LOS D Am peak hour all way stop operation

PM Peak Hour
East Washington Street/McDowell Boulevard
LOS D PM peak hour signalized operation

lakeville Street/Caufield lane
LOS F pm peak hour signalized operation

Caufield Lane/Payran street
LOS E peak hour signalized operation."

The current GP allows the "acceptable level of service" as a letter grade C, the new GP allows for grade D.

Please also keep in mind that these traffic projections were done with the calculations as if RAINIER AND THE SOUTHERN CROSSING WERE FULLY OPERATIONAL.

And we all know that that will be the best case scenario traffic wise, when pigs fly perhaps.