What Could Go Wrong?

Pedestrian Melissa Wisner had a translation for a new sign that has baffled drivers on Broadway: “It means there’s going to be an accident.”

The sign, which read “Left lane must turn right,” appeared recently in the left hand lane of the eastbound half of Broadway, just before it meets Elm and York. It’s unclear exactly what it was supposed to mean. The next right-hand turn would be onto York, but that’s one-way, the wrong way. And turning from the left lane would require crossing two lanes of busy traffic.

The city traffic department had the sign removed Wednesday afternoon, after hearing about it from the Independent. Jim Travers, the department’s interim director, said it should have read “Left lane must turn left.” He said the company working at the site has been notified and asked to replaced the sign

Earlier on Wednesday afternoon, a woman driving a red Nissan Rogue burst into laughter when the sign was pointed out to her. She was stopped at the light where Broadway meets Elm.

“I don’t know what it means,” she said, chuckling. “That is crazy.”

“I’d be confused,” said Stephanie Eaton, a nurse on her lunch break who walked in front of the sign. The sign should read “left lane closed,” she offered.

It doesn’t make any sense at all, said Wisner, who passed by with a couple of friends moments later.

Travers initially said he hadn’t heard any complaints about the sign. He immediately sent out a traffic engineer to take a look at the situation. That engineer took down the sign and contacted the construction company to have it replaced by the proper one, Travers said.

The erroneous sign was put there by AT&T or its contractor, Travers said. The company is working on a project involving a manhole there, he said.

Traffic and parking approved a plan that will have AT&T working there for another couple of weeks, Travers said.