Lane Change OK, But Not Gridlock

Dear Traffic Talk:

I recently received a ticket for switching lanes in the middle of an intersection.

The traffic in front of me was stopped, and I did not want to sit in the middle of the intersection, as the light was about to turn red. I tried explaining this to the officer, but he wrote the ticket anyway.

Is this an illegal maneuver?

James Carillo

Van Nuys

Dear James:

Changing lanes in an intersection is not illegal, according to Officer Lou Aviles, a California Highway Patrol spokesman.

The citation was probably for a violation of the Anti-Gridlock Law, which states that you may not enter an intersection if there is not enough space to proceed to the other side. If you got stuck in the intersection when the light turned red, you would be violating this law, Aviles said.

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Dear Traffic Talk:

I heard that you can be ticketed for running a yellow light nowadays.

Is this true?

Sue Lee

West Hills

Dear Sue:

Yellow lights are are a warning that a red light is coming soon, we just never know how soon because some yellow lights are shorter than others, the CHP’s Aviles said.

However, it is not illegal to drive through a yellow light, he said.

“Remember that an intersection showing a yellow light should be entered with caution,” he said. “Be aware of how long it has been yellow, but if you can stop without being rear-ended, it is safer to do that.”

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Traffic Talk appears Fridays in The Times Valley Edition. Readers may submit comments and questions about traffic in the Valley to Traffic Talk, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited, and no anonymous letters will be accepted. Fax letters to (818) 772-3385. E-mail questions to valley.news@latimes.com.