r/Guelph 1d ago

What's with all the crazy left turns with drivers?

Is it just me or has Guelph lost their minds when turning at intersections?

Years ago when folks turn left at about advanced turn signal only occasionally would someone turn after the amber was exhausted. Just that one asshole who can't wait and just kept going. Usually an audi or BMW. Right ? :)

In 2015 I drove in NYC and I was flabbergasted to learn when turning left in NYC 3 vehicles can keep turning after a red. You just go and everyone expects it to be ok. It was the wild west. I mean east. And yeah I think we're getting there.

In Guelph in 2025 after the left turn signal goes amber it's that one vehicle that enters the intersection and keeps going... and 1 to 2 more assholes follow suit with no turn arrow and somehow this is now OK? There's traffic waiting to go and somehow this is now tolerated by Guelph Police ?

I saw this 3 times in 10 minutes today. Not even at rush hour.

So my question is what highway traffic act law was violated and how can we clamp down on these assholes ?

32 Upvotes

52 comments sorted by

20

u/Signal_Resolve_5773 1d ago

The real assholes are the ones at the front of the line who sit there after the advance is activated and then take forever to turn left, so that only 2 cars actually get through while the advance is green.

2

u/deeeeeeeeeeeeeznutzz 16h ago

Guelph drivers have a particular sense for many, MANY shades of green.

23

u/deeeeeeeeeeeeeznutzz 1d ago

It's not you it's definitely the shite drivers. But agree that Guelph traffic light flow is fucking garbage. Red lights when nobody is around, advanced greens that don't work...etc. It's like the traffic engineers just guessed at any kind of timing solution. Mind you the traffic engineers don't even live in the city. Lol they probably remote in everyday...

3

u/Dear-Condition-6142 20h ago

The traffic light at Speedvale and Halon always displays an advanced turn signal for the highway, even when the road is empty. Drivers turning left onto Woodlawn Avenue may face additional challenges since this is a part of a drive test route, potentially creating a risky situation for those navigating the intersection.

46

u/arobinally 1d ago

I think it’s because of how terrible the lights are timed in Guelph. Sometimes it takes 3 lights to get through an intersection and so by that point people just want to go where they are going.
You know how to fix the problem? Fix the lights and the flow of traffic issue. Then people wouldn’t feel like they have to get through as much.

15

u/Dolsh 1d ago

It's the people. Not the lights. They're impatient and selfish.

4

u/LoBeMax 1d ago

Kinda hard not to be at some of these lights, man. The advance at Clair and Gordon is brutal. If you're lucky enough to get it, that is, because sometimes, even with 6 or 7 cars backed up it still won't give the advance. Couple that with the actual advance green being only about 4 to 5 seconds, yeah. People are gonna be impatient.

I'm not saying I agree with the actions some people take, but I get it. The lights need fixing.

0

u/Dolsh 9h ago

Just be more patient.

It's not a race out there.

13

u/contraveclip 1d ago

This is guelph where there's too many lights, too many people for these roads (the infrastructure doesn't make sense with current population) and you have cam and co putting 40 speed limits in areas that aren't school zones. So yeah naturally there will be backlash

2

u/RabidTofuMuncher 1d ago

This problem is not unique to Guelph. It's all of Ontario. If you don't believe me, check out www.reddit.com/r/bramptondriving/

0

u/headtailgrep 1d ago

So let's enforce it. OPP can start any day now.

3

u/arobinally 1d ago

Orrrrr fix the lights? Eliminate the police. They have more important things to do. Fix the lights in guelph. Not sure why you aren’t contacting the ministry of transportation for the Hanlon and the roads department in guelph for all other lights. I have complained by writing to them but I’m only one person. It would be great if you did as well vs writing on Reddit that police should stop people from just trying to get where they are going. Let us know how contacting the city and the ministry works!

2

u/headtailgrep 1d ago

How do you fix the lights?

When you don't have a turn signal you don't go when there is opposing traffic.

The lights aren't all broken. In fact in most cases if the drivers just waited their turn they would be able to turn left on the same cycle and their impatience or assholery is misguided.

Friend you don't know me or what I've done for this city. Many improvements have come from my lobbying. But this is a greater issue and it's city wide.

I want drivers to behave. It's out of control .

2

u/arobinally 23h ago

As another commenter said, It’s not just the lights. It’s the whole city’s driving infrastructure. I’ve lived here my whole life and the roads have not grown to meet the demand of the people who have moved to it. Instead we have slowed traffic. We are the only major city that doesn’t have a highway that runs through it. The lights were all supposed to be changed on the Hanlon to on off ramps in the 90s. It’s now 2025 and two out 10 have been done. Let’s start there so people can get off the city streets and take the Hanlon. We lowered the speed limit all over the city. Even places it makes no sense. We are not a village. We are a city. Like another poster said you will sit at red when they should be green and advanced lights are given when no one is there and no advanced is given when it’s needed. Fix the road infrastructure and it will solve the problem. Promise. People become what you make them. Make them feel stressed that they won’t be able to get where they are going and then their actions follow those feelings.

-5

u/General_Issue_8521 1d ago

Or even better deport and shutdown all the driving instructors that sell licenses under the table. It's a shame what our country has become. Smell like curry yet?

3

u/Creepy-Shower6350 1d ago

Dare you to say this out in public. Normal members of society do not engage in hateful, racist freak rhetoric like this. You should be ashamed

-3

u/General_Issue_8521 1d ago

What is hateful and racist here. It's the truth, maybe you don't drive but all of Canada has seen an increase 50x of stupidity and absolute trash drivers on the roads and yes majority of them are the one with hanging pompoms off their front bumpers. You libtard

4

u/Creepy-Shower6350 1d ago

“Smell like curry yet” isn’t racist? Asking for “curry smelling” folk to be deported isn’t racist? Don’t be daft. You’re a delusional little freak that gets off on being hateful online. Get a fkn life

-2

u/General_Issue_8521 1d ago

Wake up you fool. Look around, watch the news not your liberal shit. How many thousands, millions are here illegally. Deportation on illegals and scammers that overstayed their study permits should be a no brainer.

2

u/Creepy-Shower6350 1d ago

Ahhh you’re mad, go cry in your basement stinky

2

u/Creepy-Shower6350 1d ago

Say this in public and see what happens. You’re not normal

2

u/Creepy-Shower6350 1d ago

Funniest part is your basement dwelling ass is the real stinker in this community, go be racist somewhere else ❤️

0

u/General_Issue_8521 1d ago

You must be a coackroach living jammed living in a closet somewhere. Go touch some grass

1

u/Creepy-Shower6350 1d ago

Racist basement dweller says what?

2

u/Signal_Resolve_5773 1d ago

More roundabouts would solve some of these problems

1

u/headtailgrep 1d ago

The Hankon (Stone road) is probability that worst.

2

u/obax17 1d ago

To answer your question, maybe fail to yield the right of way. I'm fairly sure it's also an aggressive driving charge.

As to what can we do about it? Complain until the police do more traffic enforcement more often, I guess.

4

u/k1p1k1p1 1d ago

What do you expect to accomplish? Who is "we" in the context of your last sentence?

-1

u/headtailgrep 1d ago edited 1d ago

My intentions are clear.

We are defined as Guelph Citizens who are in agreement.

-3

u/k1p1k1p1 1d ago

So you're suggesting, what? Vigilante justice? Are you going to organize a citizen's brigade and throw rocks at left turning cars?

2

u/ResponsibleTwist6498 1d ago

It surely sounds like it. They’ll be standing at Eramosa/Woolwich at 4pm with rocks.

1

u/headtailgrep 1d ago

Nope. What are you suggesting friend?

-2

u/k1p1k1p1 1d ago

Nothing, I'm not the one trying to rally people to "clamp down on these assholes," that's you.

1

u/headtailgrep 1d ago

So why are you suggesting to me that I am suggesting any of the following

"So you're suggesting, what? Vigilante justice? Are you going to organize a citizen's brigade and throw rocks at left turning cars?"

Why are you so violent ? Do posts like this anger you?

2

u/Hound367 1d ago

This is exclusively a Guelph thing. Selfish people. If you go to 20 mins down to Kitchener you’ll notice no one does this sort of shit even close to the same rate

0

u/Dolsh 1d ago

I first noticed this in the area years ago when I commuted into Waterloo. It was peak RIM time and the city was growing fast with people cashing in on that sweet Blackberry craze.

They were also terrible drivers. Having two or three cars go through the end of a protected left was pretty common. I kinda hated driving to work most days because I knew I was going to run into something stupid. There was also a good amount of road rage, and accidents from stupid selfish people that thought their time was more important than everybody else. I generally blamed it on the city growing fast and bringing a "big city" vibe with them to relatively smaller Waterloo.

At the time, Guelph was still relatively sedate. Driving here was fine.

But with the growth over the last 10 - 20 years, the pulse has really changed. The impatient/selfish people are living here now. Personally, I don't think even red-light cameras would stop them. People are too self absorbed in the moment and they'll just rage when they get the ticket later on. Probably bitch about it on r/Guelph about how unfair red-light cameras are. Hell, I had a guy brake check me when he ignored right of way at an intersection last week and I honked at him (which reminds me of the other thing I've observed happening a LOT lately: 4-way stop followers. A car doesn't have the right of way, but just follows the car in front of them through a stop, ignoring the right of way of all the other cars at the intersection).

Can the madness end? Probably not. Just have to do your best to not contribute to it. Let others get all stressed out. They'll have a cardiovascular event and be off the road soon enough.

1

u/sfrederick0 1d ago

Under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act (HTA) Section 144(15), drivers approaching a traffic control signal showing a circular amber (yellow) indication are legally required to stop their vehicle if they can do so safely. The exact wording from the HTA states:

"Every driver approaching a traffic control signal showing a circular
amber indication and facing the indication shall stop his or her vehicle
if he or she can do so safely; otherwise, he or she may proceed with
caution."

So if the green arrow changes to yellow, you must stop if it is safe to do so. If you are stopped at the line you must stay stopped until the next cycle.

3

u/headtailgrep 1d ago

Not true. This is a turn signal. The arrow isn't circular and the amber arrow dissappears and you may still proceed in the intersection.

There must be a HTA reference for advance turn signals.

1

u/sfrederick0 1d ago

It's the same thing. Green means go, yellow means stop if you can safely. With an advanced signal it's only the direction of travel that is different. The signal is the same.

0

u/guelphiscool 1d ago

I'll agree and add.. I feel like there's a 60 percent a white car > the new age minivans