Some drivers can find flashing yellow lights confusing at times

Q I think flashing yellow left-turn arrows are helpful — go when it’s safe — but they may need better signs to alert people what’s happening if they start adding more of these flashing yellow signals.

There’s a flashing yellow for left on the Embarcadero in San Francisco allowing you to essentially make a U-turn at the Ferry Building or turn left and drive onto the pier to the back of the building.

This light never turns green. It’s either red or flashing yellow.

I’ve seen drivers sit and wait through several cycles until they realize it’s never going to turn green and they should go on the yellow. I also was behind a car that was a full car length behind the line so it never changed because he never tripped the signal. I finally got out of the car I was in to tell him to move up. It changed immediately.

— Susan Krauss, Alameda

A I passed your plea onto Ricardo-theSF-Traffic-Man, so a few signs could be coming. He says flashing yellow

arrows have been used for over 20 years along southbound Embarcadero to warn left-turning vehicles that waterfront path pedestrians have the right-of-way. That’s a different situation than the new San Jose flashing yellow light along Stevens Creek Boulevard and Henry Avenue, which means drivers can turn when safe to do so and don’t need to wait for a green left arrow.

The Roadshow clan was recently in the Iowa City area for a wedding and there were a zillion flashing yellow arrows in use.

Q Adding flashing yellow left-turn signals on Van Ness Avenue and on 19th Avenue in San Francisco would be a recipe for disaster.

I’d imagine deadly car accidents daily on those streets. A ton of drivers run red lights and block intersections.

There’s also too many cars and too many pedestrians so its a bad idea. We need more signals with green-arrow left turns only and better technology to reflect traffic conditions.

— Kevin L., San Francisco

A I doubt you’ll see flashing yellow arrows on Van Ness, which is undergoing major changes to eliminate several left turns to speed up buses, according to the San Francisco Examiner. Van Ness will have only two remaining left turns: northbound at Lombard Street and southbound at Broadway. Van Ness ranks high on the number of crashes in San Francisco and left turns are the leading causes of collisions.

Q On Russ Hills’ question about what to do if a relative with a disabled parking placard dies, you don’t have to wait in line at DMV to return it. There is a slot to deposit the card, as I did for my late brother at the Santa Clara DMV.

— Mary Essaian, Sunnyvale

A Thanks for the tip. No one wants to stand in line at the DMV these days.

Look for Gary Richards at Facebook.com/ mr.roadshow. Contact him at mrroadshow@ bayareanewsgroup.com or 408-920-5037.