Dear Mahatma: We are at Rodney Parham Road and Mississippi Street. For cars turning onto Mississippi, there is a bank of three traffic signals. When all are red, they are (left to right) a red left arrow, a solid red circle and a red right arrow. A steady stream of cars turns right with impunity from the middle and right lanes on Rodney Parham. If I don't turn, all sorts of obscene gesticulating and honking commences. What is correct? BTW, rearranging the letters in "Drivetime Mahatma" creates "Hammed Meat Trivia." -- Drew in Andover
Dear Drew: The last time we passed this way, we were in the middle lane with the solid red circle. It seemed weird to turn right on red, because there was a lane to our right. We turned because the guy behind us was gesticulating.
Turns out (pun intended) that drivers in both lanes may turn right on red after stop, while yielding to any oncoming traffic. That's the word from Bill Henry, the city's chief traffic guy. He even quotes Arkansas Code Annotated 27-52-107, Signal Legend:
"Vehicular traffic facing the signal, after coming to a complete stop, may cautiously enter the intersection for the purpose of making a right turn only, unless there is a sign prohibiting the turn ..."
There is no such sign, Henry added.
Regarding hammed meats, we believe the best breakfast ever is two thick slices of Spam hotted up in a cast iron skillet, two eggs over medium, grits, and fresh baked buttermilk biscuits. We eat this about once a decade when Herself isn't looking.
Dear Mahatma: After driving behind a few dump trucks hauling gravel and losing at least one windshield, I see a sign "Not responsible for breakage." How can that be possible if the projectile originated from the truck? -- Robert
Dear Robert: All we know is what it says in Arkansas Code Annotated 27-35-110, "Spilling loads on highways prohibited." It says that "No vehicle shall be driven or moved on any highway unless the vehicle is so constructed or loaded as to prevent any of its load from dropping, sifting, leaking or otherwise escaping therefrom."
Also, for any "motor vehicle or trailer with an open bed manufactured after Sept. 30, 2001, no sand, gravel or rock shall be transported on the paved public streets and highways of this state in a motor vehicle with an open bed unless the open bed is securely covered with a material which will prevent the load from dropping, sifting, leaking or other wise escaping therefrom." Vehicles or trailers manufactured before then must have six inches of freeboard at the perimeter of the load.
Seems pretty clear to us. But we are an ordinary man, and not a civil litigation lawyer.
But we are a First Amendment scholar, and therefrom declare that anyone can put pretty much any kind of misleading or baloney sign on any vehicle.
Fjfellone@gmail.com
Metro on 02/16/2019