Can I Make a Right Turn at a Five-way Controlled Intersection on a Red Light?

Anyone stuck at Penman and Florida in Neptune Beach has asked themselves this question, but I'm sure there are other five-way (maybe six-way?) controlled intersections that present the opportunity to consider whether to make a right turn on a Red or wait for the green. Based on my fairly good knowledge of traffic laws, it's probably legal to make the right turn to the immediate next lane (if no restrictions are posted), but you have to be prepared to yield to anyone entering that lane from any of the three or four other lanes that might have a green, including anyone trying to rip a u-turn. 

While it may be legal to make that right turn, I wouldn't say it's safe. Not only could someone be entering the intersection in a vehicle, but you always have to be aware of pedestrians, bikes, and possibly golf cart traffic. In fact, I think all directions of the 5-way at Penman get a Red light when a pedestrian gets at least one of the walk signals, but none of the right-turn lanes flash a separate no-right-turn sign, so you've got to be aware.

The image in this article shows where you should be able to make a right on a red in a controlled intersection, but make sure you are yielding to anyone and everyone that may be coming into that lane.

Culver's Arlington Location (UN)Explained

Evan Clagnaz is a lot like me. He's from Wisconsin. He wants a Culver's in the Arlington area of Jacksonville. He trusts other people. He has a few million dollars to invest in a restaurant. Etc. 

OK, fine, at 36 I didn't quite have $4+ million to invest. Or at 46. Maybe at 56 (fingers crossed), but by then, all the Culver's restaurants will have been built in Jax, and I'll have missed my chance to own one. Except for maybe one that fails because it’s been built in the wrong location.

My Guides to Jacksonville

I've met several people thinking of relocating to Jacksonville, and I often tell them to check out my website for my guide to the city. Except I did just that myself and realized it's not that easy to find, so here's a guide to my guides. 

Also, if you're thinking of moving here and want to hire an actual guide, that can be arranged. Use the contact form to work out the details. Or ask your realtor to take you everywhere...they love doing that.

That Gasoline Smell on Jax Roads

Since I'm driving around Jacksonville a lot more recently, I have noticed something that makes me kind of ill. At least once per day, I get behind a vehicle that smells of gasoline, and I kind of wonder why. The smell isn't coming exclusively from old pickup trucks, though old pickups almost always smell like something is wrong with them. (I tell my kids that an old Dodge smells like gas, an old Ford smells like oil, and an old Chevy smells like gas and oil.) In Jacksonville, it seems that decade-old compact cars, newish SUVs, pickups, delivery vans, motorcycles, and everything in between, often emit a gassy smell.

Sawgrass Village Shopping Center Road Rage

I guess folks with expendable income show up in their Mercedeses and Lexuses (Mercedes and Lexi?) to the Sawgrass Village Shopping Center on Valentine's Day. At 1:15 on Valentine's Day, it was if there was a senior citizen convention at the shopping center. One of them nearly made a citizen's arrest on me, just before another one nearly crashed into another patron of the NY strip mall. Overall, there were too many mini and mega SUVs vying for the same parking spots, presumably occupied by shoppers looking for that perfect gift to curb the whining before it even happens.

The Worst Real Estate Client Ever

The title of this article was from a query I got from Help a Writer Out. The author wanted stories from realtors. I figured that since I couldn't send in my story because I'm not a licensed agent, I'd write about that worst client ever here. Me.

Jacksonville's 630 City Online Guide - Now MyJAX

I wrote an article about using JAx 630City before, and it worked for me. A year later, my neighbor still has a broken recycling bin, and I am tempted to just fill out the form for him, but I'd rather teach local Jacksonville neighbors to fish than hand them a fish. In the spirit of trying to get you to do your own part in requesting services for which you pay (and help keep the city looking nice), here's a quick guide to what services you can ask for from the city of Jacksonville.

Real World AAA Membership Benefits

I had written an article at one point that argued why BP Motorclub was so bad, but there's really no point to saying ill of the dead. The real question isn't which auto club is best. The question is whether you have AAA or you don't. There's no real competition for most of us, so what does a real world with AAA look like?

Giveaway! Florida Drug and Alcohol Course & Permit Exam

This contest is currently Closed

If you are a parent of a soon-to-be driver or a kid who's looking to get a license, I've got a giveaway that's perfect for you. I have been authorized to offer Aceable's (Florida-valid) combined Drug and Alcohol Course & Permit Exam (valued at $48 online; on sale for less right now) as a giveaway for New Jax Witty readers.

DNA Evidence Caught a Hit and Run Driver?

A local woman was arrested for being behind the wheel of a car in a hit and run accident nearly two years ago. If you break the law, you should face the consequences, so I am glad the police found the driver. The news kind of questioned why it took so long to catch her, and I can see that scrutiny. A witness saw the accident and called the police. The story implied the driver never stopped or called the police herself. But the news did say that the arrest was made because of DNA evidence.

Kernan and McCormick Intersection Options

This article may not get very many hits because no one is going to search for something that seems to be a no-brainer. But I was inspired to create an interesting design option based on a road configuration I saw in The Villages. And if anything is a no-brainer, it's that nothing can be inspiring in The Villages. But this was. With all of its uses of traffic circles / roundabouts, one intersection stood out to me, and it could lead to an option for Kernan and McCormick if we're willing to think outside the box.

Profiles In Courage: Bayley Judah

Here's one for all the millennials out there. Bayley Judah represents who you are, or at least how the rest of us see you. But it's not because we're wrong that we see you as spoiled kids who are looking to score big without any effort. The older, wiser among us might shake our heads, but other millennials will see this story as proof that you've got it all figured out.

Is It OK To Kill Geese With Your Car In Jacksonville?

A Nextdoor post got a lot of heated debate recently, and I decided it was a good idea to weigh in on the issue. The initial post said that someone accelerated into a flock of geese, killing at least one goose. People angrily responded. Some mentioned it was a federal crime to kill geese. Others just said it was wrong. Then a couple of guys got into the discussion with their opinions that it was OK to do, or at least there's nothing any of us can do about it.

Solutions to Potential Accidents

Jacksonville has plenty of potential problems on the road, especially the fast surface roads that are treated like mini-expressways. On my side of town, that's Beach, Atlantic, and McCormick. I decided to take one area of concern to me that I know well and suggest some solutions. While I know this has been looked at before and deemed un-fixable, I believe that the city might want to reconsider before someone gets into a major accident for lack of planning, which I would argue happens daily in Jax.

Impressions of Magnolia Grove at Kernan and McCormick

I took the kids over to the new subdivision in the area in order to see the trends in new homes and neighborhoods. The basic takeaway is that we're happy to be in Kernan Forest, and this short review might help those of you considering the location.

Yes, There Are Supposed to be Signals at Kernan Forest Blvd and Kernan

I was at an HOA meeting tonight, and it surprised me when I asked about the widening of Kernan that the HOA did not seem to agree with one of the design elements I'd seen. The board members told me that there were no plans for traffic lights at Kernan Forest Boulevard and Kernan Boulevard, based on their own experiences with meetings and plans. However, the plans that are readily available online (and the only way I knew any information about the project), clearly show traffic signals at Kernan Forest, Running River, and Mastin Cove.

What is Your Quest? Crossing Jax Bridges

I was looking at some traffic data to see how busy my area of Jacksonville is when I came across the FDOT data for the area. After some playing around on the website, trying to find the busiest roads, I noticed that the bridges of Duval County are anything but serene. Let's do the math and figure out what it all means.

Based on 2016 data, here are the average daily traffic numbers for Jacksonville's bridges, starting from the north, including two bridges over the Trout River (first two) and three on the Ortega River. 107500 , 12900 , 73861, 72500, 52000, 12200, 30000, 159500, 5400, 43500, 22500, 137000, 47500. 

That's 776361 major bridge crossings per day, not including those over the Intracoastal. Actually, let's add those in. 23000, 51000, 42509, and 65500 = 958,370.

That means there are more major bridge crossings per day by vehicles than people in Jacksonville, or even Duval County. So what does it all mean? First, there's a lot of water here. Second, bridges must cost us a lot of money. Third, there must be a huge number of people who do not live in Duval County who use the bridges.

Jax Traffic Dames Point Bridge to 9B on The 295

If you're from out of town or live near me, the 295 is an important road. Here are the traffic cams from the Dames Point Bridge south to the 9B. Reload to see more current images.
Includes cams at the bridge, Merrill, Southside Connector, Monument, Atlantic, St. Johns Bluff, Beach, Town Center Parkway, JTB, and down past Baymeadows.  Enjoy.

Magnolia Grove Subdivision Jax: What You Need To Know

Welcome home to the new Magnolia Grove subdivision on McCormick and Kernan in Jacksonville. KB Home has begun marketing the subdivision, which is right in my neck of the woods. Actually, the woods were torn down to make way for the houses, but it's right over there. So what do you need to know and ask before tossing your hard-earned money at one of these new homes?

Why Rome, Italy, and The Villages, FL, Are Similar, And Why It Matters

Ah, Rome. I was there back in 1999, and it was a treasured three days. The architecture, the art, the history, and the awful smell of air pollution. And what city in the United States reminds me the most of Rome? It's The Villages, Florida.