Sec. 14-299. Traffic control signals. Right turn on red.
Sec. 14-299. Traffic control signals. Right turn on red. (a) For the purpose of
standardization and uniformity, no installation of any traffic control signal light shall
be made by any town, city or borough until the same has been approved by the State
Traffic Commission. Such approval shall be based on necessity for, location of and type
of such signal light and shall be applied for on a form supplied by the State Traffic
Commission and shall be submitted to said commission by the traffic authority having
jurisdiction. Approval of any such signal light may be revoked by said commission at
any time if it deems such revocation to be in the interest of public safety, and thereupon
such signal lights shall be removed by the traffic authority having jurisdiction.
(b) When traffic at an intersection is alternately directed to proceed and to stop by
the use of signals exhibiting colored lights or lighted arrows, successively one at a time
or in combination, only the colors green, red and yellow shall be used, except for special
pedestrian control signals carrying word legends, said lights shall apply to drivers of
vehicles and pedestrians and shall indicate the following:
(1) Circular green alone: Vehicular traffic facing a green signal may proceed straight
through or turn right or left unless a sign or marking at such place prohibits either such
turn or straight through movement, except that such traffic shall yield the right-of-way
to pedestrians and vehicles lawfully within a crosswalk or the intersection at the time
such signal was exhibited; pedestrians facing the green signal, except when directed by
separate pedestrian-control signals, may proceed across the highway within any marked
or unmarked crosswalk.
(2) Yellow: Vehicular traffic facing a steady yellow signal is thereby warned that
the related green movement is being terminated or that a red indication will be exhibited
immediately thereafter, when vehicular traffic shall stop before entering the intersection
unless so close to the intersection that a stop cannot be made in safety; pedestrians facing
a steady yellow signal, except when directed by separate pedestrian-control signals, are
thereby advised that there is insufficient time to cross the roadway before a red indication
is shown and no pedestrian shall then start to cross the roadway.
(3) Red alone: Vehicular traffic facing a steady red signal alone shall stop before
entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection or, if none, then before entering
the intersection and remain standing until the next indication is shown; provided, on or
after July 1, 1979, vehicular traffic traveling in the travel lane nearest the right hand
curb or other defined edge of the roadway, unless a sign has been erected in the appropriate place prohibiting this movement, may cautiously enter the intersection to make
a right turn onto a two-way street or onto another one-way street on which all the traffic
is moving to such vehicle's right after such vehicle has stopped as required in this
subdivision and yielded the right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within an adjacent
crosswalk and to other traffic lawfully using the intersection. Pedestrians facing a steady
red signal alone, except when directed by separate pedestrian-control signals, shall not
enter the roadway. The Commissioner of Transportation, in the case of state highways
and the traffic authority, as defined in section 14-297, in the case of highways maintained
by towns, cities or boroughs, shall review all traffic control signalized intersections on
highways within their respective jurisdictions to determine those intersections where
signs should be erected to prohibit right turns on a steady red signal as hereinbefore
described and cause to have erected such signs by June 30, 1979. For purposes of uniformity, each municipality shall report the results of its reviews to the State Traffic
Commission and shall not erect or cause to be erected signs prohibiting right turns on
a steady red signal until such signs have been approved by the State Traffic Commission.
(4) Green arrow: Vehicular traffic facing a green arrow signal, shown alone or in
combination with another indication, may cautiously enter the intersection only to make
the movement indicated by such arrow, or such other movement as is permitted by other
indications shown at the same time, but such vehicular traffic shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within a crosswalk and to other traffic lawfully within the
intersection.
(5) Whenever special pedestrian-control signals exhibiting the words "Walk" or
"Don't Walk" are in place such signals shall indicate as follows: "Walk": Pedestrians
facing such signals may proceed across the roadway in the direction of the signal and
shall be given the right-of-way by the drivers of all vehicles; "Don't Walk": No pedestrian shall start to cross the roadway in the direction of such signal, but any pedestrian
who has partially completed his crossing on the walk signal shall proceed to a sidewalk
or safety island while the "Don't Walk" signal is showing.
(c) When an illuminated flashing red or yellow signal is used in a traffic sign or
signal, it shall require obedience by vehicular traffic as follows:
(1) Flashing red: When a red lens is illuminated by rapid intermittent flashes, drivers
of vehicles shall stop before entering the nearest crosswalk at an intersection, or at a
limit line when marked or, if none, then before entering the intersection, and the right
to proceed shall be subject to the rules applicable after making a stop at a stop sign.
(2) When a yellow lens is illuminated with rapid intermittent flashes, drivers of
vehicles facing such signal may proceed through the intersection or past such signal
only with caution.
(d) Lenses of the following colors only shall be used and shall be arranged vertically
in the signal face or, when necessary, horizontally, and shall conform to the following
positions: When arranged vertically, red shall be located at the top, yellow shall be
located directly below red and the remaining indications below the yellow in the following order: Flashing yellow, circular green, vertical arrow, left-turn arrow and right-turn
arrow, as needed; when arranged horizontally, red shall be located at the left, yellow
shall be located directly to the right of red and the remaining indications to the right of
yellow in the following order: Flashing yellow, left-turn arrow, circular green, vertical
arrow and right-turn arrow, as needed.
(e) When lane-direction-control signals are placed over the individual lanes of a
street or highway, vehicular traffic may travel in any lane over which a green arrow
signal is shown, but shall not enter or travel in any lane over which a red X signal is
shown.
(f) If a traffic control signal, approved by the State Traffic Commission, is erected
and maintained at a place other than an intersection, the provisions of this section shall
be applicable except as to those provisions which by their nature can have no application.
Any stop required shall be made at a sign or marking on the pavement indicating where
the stop shall be made, but in the absence of any sign or marking the stop shall be made
at the signal.
(1949 Rev., S. 2518; 1967, P.A. 428; P.A. 75-297; P.A. 78-309, S. 1.)
History: 1967 act restated provisions of Subsecs. (b) to (d) and added Subsecs. (e) and (f); P.A. 75-297 added provisions
in Subsec. (b)(3) re right turns on red; P.A. 78-309 revised and amplified Subsec. (b)(3) and changed emphasis by allowing
right turn on red unless sign prohibits it, whereas previously turn allowed only where sign permitted it.
See Sec. 14-111g re operator's retraining program.
Cited. 181 C. 515.
Cited. 2 CA 523, 525.
Duty of operator approaching intersection where traffic light is red. 3 CS 177. That stop sign was obscured from view
by large truck not justification for failure to stop. 6 CS 264. All silent policemen or stanchions are obstructions in the
highway, but they are not nuisances. 15 CS 93.
Subsec. (a):
Cited. 2 CA 523, 525.
Cited. 5 Conn. Cir. Ct. 333. Cited. 6 Conn. Cir. Ct. 335, 452.
Subsec. (b):
The provisions of this subsection are subject to the specific exceptions created by the express provisions of section 14-283. 114 C. 406. Right-of-way and duty of driver approaching green light. Id., 640. Cited. 119 C. 267. Cited. 122 C. 518.
When street marking and green arrow create separate lanes; right to proceed in right-hand lane. Id., 520. Cited. 124 C.
688. Cited. 125 C. 38. Cited. 149 C. 61. A driver when faced with a green light at an intersection must act as a reasonably
prudent person with a knowledge that he cannot proceed in disregard of other vehicles in the intersection. 165 C. 422. A
duty of reasonable safety is placed on a driver who wishes to turn left. A driver facing a green light may have a higher
standard of care as he is required to yield to certain vehicles that constitute an imminent hazard. Id. Cited. 170 C. 490.