At one of Minsk’s busiest intersections, the traffic organization scheme has changed. A left turn from Lobanka Street onto Prititskogo Street (toward the MKAD) is now prohibited. However, an additional left‑turn phase on the traffic light remains, and it lights up every cycle. How can that be: there’s a turn arrow, but you can’t go? Let’s find out together with driving instructors Yuri Krasnov and Vitaly Zhukovsky.

“ A large amount of traffic was piling up”

The intersection of Prititskogo Street with Lobanka and Kuntsevskaya Streets has always been busy. Here the borders of four microdistricts, densely built with “sleeping quarters,” meet, and nearby there’s a large shopping and entertainment center, a little farther out hypermarkets, and, most importantly, the city exit onto the Grodno highway (M6) and exits onto both MKAD rings. Obviously, peak hours in the morning and evening overloaded the intersection to the point of congestion. Something had to be done.

“During peak hours, one of the directions always suffered because a large amount of traffic accumulated: there was not enough share of the green signal to let everyone go,” said Denis Livanovich, deputy head of the UGAI of the MINGORISPOLCOM, on the ONT television channel. “This problem is especially evident on Lobanka and Kuntsevskaya Streets, because on both sides there are bus stations and dispatch centers from which the flow of public transport originates. And

We arrived at the intersection and watched for a long time how traffic moved from Lobanka Street.

— The solution for Minsk is new. Usually, if a turn is allowed for public transport, it still has to yield to oncoming traffic. That's how it works, for example, on Independence – Surchanov or Independence – Gorodskoy Val. No one is allowed to turn left there, but a bus can. It stops and waits for oncoming traffic to pass. Here they did it differently: the arrow for turning lights up, and public transport does not yield to anyone. It's very convenient, — remarks Yuri Krasnov.

Add that the flow of public transport from this side is quite intense.

— I think the left‑turn arrow will soon be removed here — so that it doesn't bother anyone, — counters Vitaly Zhukovsky. “Bus drivers already know they can turn, and it won’t even provoke others into thinking there’s an option to turn.”

— But with the arrow it’s safer, — disagrees Krasnov. “Of course, it would be great if the arrow lit up exactly when the bus approaches. But that requires special sensors. Imagine how it would be without this additional section: the bus would drive onto the middle of the intersection and stand there, waiting, letting oncoming traffic pass.”

• So make a cut so that the oncoming traffic is stopped on red at that time, — suggested Zhukovsky.

Currently the green signal on Lobanka Street lasts about 25 seconds. Halfway through, the additional left

It is clear that it is difficult for some to adjust, especially if people have been traveling this route for many years. But one must admit that here they tried to do everything to attract drivers' attention. Signs have been posted, including at the traffic light itself, and “bricks” have been drawn on the asphalt. In other words, it is very hard to reach the intersection and not notice that something has changed here, says Krasnov.

Does this mean that every person who still turned left originally knew what to do…