(East Texas) How many times have you witnessed this happening or even done it yourself on McCann Road in Longview, Texas? You see someone — maybe even yourself — leaving a shopping center parking lot to make a left turn at a non-intersection. They pull into the center left turn lane and then merge into traffic. Is that move legal in Texas?
Is It Legal To Treat The Center Left Turn Lane As A Merge Lane?
A quick answer, NO. This is not a legal move in Texas.
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It’s not happening just on McCann Road in Longview. This also happens on Old Jacksonville Highway, South Broadway in Tyler, South Jackson Street in Jacksonville, Highway 42 in Kilgore, and many other five-lane roads across Texas. Drivers must wait until it’s safe to turn left into the correct travel lane. Treating the marked center left turn lane as a merge lane is against Texas law.
Texas Law on Center Left Turn Lanes
According to the Texas Transportation Code, Sec. 545.060, the marked center left turn lane may be used to make a left turn. You may drive in this lane for no more than 200 feet (Sutton County Sheriff’s Office). In certain conditions, the center left turn lane may be used as a passing lane, ONLY if certain conditions are met.
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How Long Can You Stay in the Left Turn Lane?
I’ve witnessed this so many times on my way home, driving down Old Jacksonville Highway in Tyler as traffic gets backed up near the Walmart Neighborhood Market approaching Grande Blvd. Drivers will get in the center left turn lane and drive down the left turn lane, approaching the traffic signal at Grande. This driving behavior could lead to you receiving a ticket. According to the Sutton County Sheriff’s Office and City of Cleburn, you may not drive more than 200 feet in a center left turn lane without turning left.
It’s commonplace for activities like this to happen, not just in East Texas, but in Texas as a whole. Just be prepared, though, you could be pulled over and receive a citation that could cost you.
When Is It Legal To Use Center Left Turn Lane As A Passing Lane?
If there is a ‘Center Lane Left Only’ sign or arrow markings on the pavement, you may not treat the center turn lane as a passing lane.
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