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Go on green -- with care When driving east on Hilton Road near the Fred Meyer in north Medford and wishing to turn left onto northbound Crater Lake Highway, I know from experience that if the two full circle traffic lights are green, approaching traffic is stopped and I may proceed. Without the benefit of experience, how is one to know that? The situation is similar when approaching the same intersection from Poplar Drive to make a left on southbound Crater Lake Highway. -- Arnold W., Medford You've got the basics down, Arnold. But whatever you do, don't turn left without looking in the street first. East-west drivers at that intersection don't have to yield to oncoming cars, but they do have to yield to pedestrians, said Kim Parducci of Medford Public Works. The intersection is set up the way it is to give pedestrians a few extra seconds to cross the five-lane road. The intersection is a "split signal," meaning that all of the eastbound traffic from Hilton makes all of its moves -- straight, left and right -- while the westbound traffic waits. Then all the westbound traffic makes its moves while the eastbound traffic waits. And during both of those sequences, the pedestrians have the right of way as they cross the road. Parducci said that you're right, that motorists must go through the intersection once or twice to understand the system. The city could put up a sign to let drivers know about pedestrians, Parducci said. (Send your questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by fax to (541) 776-4376; or by e-mail to: [email protected] Please include your name, address and phone number for verification.) Today's News Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA