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Surprise unveils flashing yellow arrow safety campaign and plans protected left turns on Bell Road
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Summary
Councilman Greenberg and transportation staff presented a flashing yellow arrow public-safety campaign and a Bell & Litchfield study recommending fully protected left turns during peak hours, new median signage and a PSA; the conversion is scheduled for mid‑January and longer term dual lefts are proposed by 2030 pending funding.
Councilman Greenberg and city transportation staff unveiled a flashing yellow arrow safety campaign at the Surprise City Council work session on Jan. 6 and described near‑term changes to left‑turn phasing along Bell Road.
Greenberg framed the effort as a safety mission to reduce failure‑to‑yield left‑turn crashes and said staff developed an informational and signage campaign plus a short public service announcement. Eric Boyles, transportation staff, reviewed prior studies and a 2024 left‑turn phasing study and described a Bell & Litchfield safety analysis that recommended fully protected left turns during peak times to reduce severe left‑turn crashes.
Boyles said pilot protected phases were tested at three Waddell Road intersections earlier and that the Bell & Litchfield conversion will serve protected left turns both on the front and back of the signal cycle during peak periods (roughly Monday–Friday, about 5 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.). He said the intent is to shorten queues and reduce conflict between left‑turn and through movements. The study also recommends conversion to dual lefts on Bell Road by 2030 depending on funding availability, including potential Highway Safety Improvement Program grants.
City staff will deploy median informational signs near turn bays, use dynamic message boards on Bell Road and release a PSA and social media video; staff said outreach will include high schools. Councilman Greenberg previewed the PSA during the meeting and staff said a press release and video would be posted ahead of the conversion date (presented as mid‑January in the briefing).
Council members raised concerns about queuing and local traffic impacts. Vice Mayor Hastings and Councilwoman Melton asked whether the conversion would aggravate backups when only a single left‑turn lane exists; Boyles said he expects to manage queues by providing protected time at both the beginning and end of the signal cycle and to study right‑lane storage opportunities. Chief Ray said the city monitors crash data regularly and noted that failure to yield on left turns is where more severe crashes are observed: "The failure to yield on the left turns, that's where you're gonna see more of your significant accidents," he said.
Staff said the Bell & Litchfield changes will be monitored and that they will provide additional crash data and operational analysis on request. The council approved no formal motion; a motion to adjourn closed the session.
Staff said the flashing yellow arrow PSA and informational signs are part of a wider effort to increase driver awareness at top crash intersections and that they will return with performance data after implementation.
