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Yellow crosshatch pavement markings

As drivers, we must be able to recognize and know the meaning of signs, signals and pavement markings. In general, we know the meaning of most of these, but with the pedestrian safety action project in Malone, now nearing completion, an interesting question has arisen — namely, is it permissible to drive on yellow crosshatched pavement?

Most drivers would say that it isn’t legal to drive on yellow crosshatched markings, but, with the new pedestrian islands, the upstream and downstream areas adjacent to the islands are marked with yellow crosshatching to inform motorists that they shouldn’t drive on these markings or they will hit the raised islands.

But what makes for an interesting discussion on this subject is that the Kinney Drugs store in downtown Malone has an entrance just west of one of the islands and the area in the center of the street, just west of the island, is marked by yellow crosshatching.

If an eastbound motorist wants to turn left into the Kinney Drugs store entrance that is just before the pedestrian island, the driver has two choices: wait in the eastbound driving lane for a break in oncoming traffic then execute the left turn, or, get out of the through lane and wait on the crosshatch lines for a break in traffic to complete the left turn. Which should he/she do?

If the driver waits in the drive lane his/her vehicle would be blocking the eastbound traffic lane. If the driver waits on the crosshatched markings, the eastbound lane would not be obstructed, although the driver could perhaps be ticketed for waiting on the markings. Realistically, there would be no harm in waiting on the crosshatched area as no other traffic or pedestrians would be there.

As far as I can tell there is no section in vehicle and traffic law (VTL) that specifically deals with waiting temporarily on crosshatched lines or even driving across them. The closest wording in VTL seems to be section 1126, which is about no passing zones, two-way left turn lanes and basically longitudinal yellow lines.

Pertinent to this discussion is an article on this subject by Dan Hartzell who answers questions as “The Road Warrior” about transportation in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania. The question posed was very similar to the Malone situation but where the yellow crosshatching was in a left lane, the purpose of which was to guide all vehicles into the right lane prior to a dedicated left turn only lane, so that drivers would not be caught in the left turn only lane if they wanted to go straight. It’s almost identical to westbound on W. Main Street just past Harrison, where the left lane is guided into the right lane by yellow crosshatching prior the dedicated left turn only lane onto Academy.

The questioner asked if it was proper to wait on the hatched markings in the queue for the left turn if there wasn’t room for an additional vehicle within the left turn lane so as not to block the through traffic lane. The Road Warrior questioned several traffic engineers. Whitehall, Pennsylvania traffic engineer Frank Clark, of Keystone Consulting Engineers, said the shadow area functions “more or less as an advisory marking,” though, technically, you probably could be cited for crossing the double yellow.

The state Transportation Department’s District 5 Traffic Engineer Dennis Toomey said, normally, the hatched areas are intended to make sure that people who want to go straight through an upcoming intersection do not unexpectedly get caught in the left-turn lane, forcing them quickly to merge to the right.

Both engineers cautioned they can’t speak for municipal or State Police. “That’s an enforcement issue,” Toomey said, though he thought it unlikely that many officers would cite people for queueing on the hatched areas. “I would hope not, if [the motorist] is trying to do something in a safe manner,” he said.

So, the Warrior’s advice would be, try to stay off the hatched area but don’t worry about resting upon it when lined up for your left turn. But, uh, if you get a ticket for doing so, good luck. Don’t call the Warrior. He’s not a lawyer. The same goes for me.

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