Chris from Aurora writes,What's driving you crazy? Hi, Jayson. Heading west on Del Mar Circle at Peoria, there is a solid traffic light for each of the two lanes. One lane to drive forward on Del Mar Circle and the other to turn left on Peoria. I would love to find out how many accidents happen at this intersection and how to advocate for a change as I have been involved in an accident there. The easiest solution would be to change the light for left turns to a flashing yellow arrow. That would at least give drivers an indication that they must yield to oncoming traffic. I appreciate your interest and ideas.Let me start Chris by explaining that for all drivers, left turns always yield to straight or right turning traffic. It doesnt matter if the traffic signal is a solid green ball or there is a yellow arrow or no signal at all, left always yields.That westbound to southbound left turn movement currently operates under a permissive only rule where you yield to opposing traffic with a solid green ball signal. For more context, at signalized intersections, left turns typically operate in one of three modes: Permissive, Protected and Protected/Permissive. Permissive only Left turns are made by yielding to opposing traffic, using either a solid green or flashing yellow indication. Protected only Left turns are made during a dedicated green arrow phase. Protected/permissive Left turns receive a green arrow phase and may also turn during a permissive phase when gaps in opposing traffic allow.I talked with Carlie Campuzano, deputy director of transportation and mobility for Aurora Public Works. She tells me that City staff are developing an Aurora-wide Safety Action Plan to identify priority locations with the goal of reducing serious injury and fatal crashes. As part of this effort, all intersections were evaluated for crash patterns and potential improvements. Based on this analysis, a project has been identified to convert the existing permissive-only left-turn phasing at this intersection to protected-only phasing with a green arrow.MORE: Read more traffic issues driving people crazyThat means to make the left turn to go south on Peoria, drivers on Del Mar Circle would only be allowed to go left during a green arrow cycle. The light would then turn yellow and finish on red and stay that way until the next light cycle.I looked at statewide crash data and counted 5 crashes at this intersection in 2025, 1 in 2024, 3 in 2023 and 4 in 2022. I did not look at every individual Aurora Police crash report so I cant tell you for certain if any or all of the crashes happened with the westbound to southbound movement.The city believes converting the Del Mar to Peoria permissive left-turn into a protected only left turn could help reduce the frequency of left-turn crashes. I followed up asking why not instead put in a protected/permissive arrow cycle since traffic volume is generally light, especially on the weekends and nights. I was told a flashing yellow arrow would still result in a permissive operation, which would not have the same safety benefits as it would to convert the intersection to protected only. I was also told that since the current signal cabinet and control equipment is old, it cannot run a flashing yellow arrow without significant hardware upgrades.Completing this work will require that the signal head be changed out, and that the signal control cabinet and equipment be replaced. Cabinets have long lead times and come with a greater expense, so this will likely take over a year to complete. The cost is estimated to be over $30,000, Campuzano says.When exactly could the signal changes happen? Im told they dont have an exact timeline as City staff are currently reviewing the safety improvements that have so far been recommended in the Safety Action Plan. That plan will determine how to efficiently and cost effectively implement all of the citywide transportation safety improvement projects.Campuzano says the action plan is still being finalized and is expected to be completed by summer 2026, and it will guide future safety investments across Aurora. If the signal upgrades are given the go-ahead this summer, it wouldnt be until summer 2027 at the earliest so expect changes in the next year or two or three.Denver7 Traffic Expert Jayson Luber says he has been covering Denver-metro traffic since Ben-Hur was driving a chariot. (We believe the actual number is over 25 years.) He's obsessed with letting viewers know what's happening on their drive and the best way to avoid the problems that spring up. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or listen to his award winning Driving You Crazy podcast on any podcast app including iTunes, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Podbean, or YouTube. ...read more read less