Dear Mahatma: It's time to address a dangerous problem with Interstate 630 exits to Baptist Medical Center. I exit from I-630 west and have to immediately get into the far right lane. Never have I had a car yield exiting from eastbound I-630. I think there needs to be a stop sign for cars exiting from I-630 eastbound since they have a longer exit lane. -- Throw on My Brakes
Dear Brakes: The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department demurs. It says neither a stop nor a yield sign is technically required because this is a weaving section, where motorists yield to one another as the lanes come together and, with proper use of turn signals, lane changes are made.
Because of the very short distance for the weaving, yield signs were placed for one of the off-ramps. But stop signs would not be the right signage.
As the Good Book says: "At intersections where a full stop is not necessary at all times, consideration should first be given to less restrictive measures such as yield signs."
Regular readers of this column know the Good Book as the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
Dear Sage of the Roads: I walk at the Two Rivers Bridge, a beautiful setting except for the litter. My husband and I pick up litter here at least once a week. Litter around the Interstate 430 bridge is a particular problem. Can there be signs that read "Do Not Throw Trash Off the Bridge?" -- Patricia
Dear Patricia: You and the mister are saints. David Nilles, who speaks for the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, suggested the answer is not in the signs but in ourselves.
The problem, he said, isn't where people litter but that they do, and he pointed out that his agency spends $5 million a year picking up litter along state highways.
Doggone it, he said (in so many words), people who see littering should call the litter hotline at (866) 811-1222 and pass along the make, model and license plate of the offender. Three calls on the same violator will result in a letter of warning. A fourth could result in an in-person visit from the Arkansas State Police or the Arkansas Highway Police.
Vanity plate seen on a BMW parked downtown: HI CAR.
Dear Mahatma: Traveling west on Chenal Boulevard there is a traffic light at the intersection with Autumn Lane. It used to give a green left-turn signal. Now there's a yellow left-turn signal. Why did this happen? -- Johnny
Dear Johnny: Bill Henry, the city's traffic engineering manager, said this intersection has the new flashing yellow arrow displayed during the permissive left-turn phase, with a green arrow displayed during the protected left-turn phase.
Permissive means you can turn, but only after yielding to oncoming traffic. Protected means you got the right of way, baby.
Vanity plate seen on an SUV: 6 BOYS. Somebody must be tired. Got to be their mother.
Mahatma@arkansasonline.com
Metro on 04/11/2015