Basically “go, but watch out”

Hmm 🤔🤔

Does it ever turn red then? Why not just have a no turn on red for the cross street?

You have the right of way, but other lanes coming into the intersection will treat it as a “right on red” in which they’ll go if they see an opening. In other words, the road is yours, but be cautious

ALERT YOU TO PEOPLE CROSSING

IF PEOPLE PRESS BUTTON (OR IS SENSOR) WILL FLASH YELLOW SOMETIMES RED

CARS HAVE RIGHT OF WAY HERE BUT PEEPS HAVE RIGHT OF NOT CRUSHED

THEY ARE BE CAREFUL LIGHTS

Isn’t that what flashing yellow mean? Proceed with caution?

I read this in a screaming voice lol

THINK TALKING OLD DOG IN TRENCH COAT VERY ENCOURAGING THIS CLAMSHELL WITH PEN ON STRING SEEN SOME THINGS

Flashing green is Massachusetts only and pretty rare nowadays (there were a lot more of them when I was a kid).

It means caution, and that the light may go to red and yellow (another MA exclusive) if somebody presses a walk button. Red and yellow simultaneously means a pedestrian light. When I was taking drivers ed that meant you couldn’t drive across a crosswalk when red and yellow was on. No right on red (this predates that) and you stop even if you are in the middle of the intersection (so you don’t cross a crosswalk). I haven’t seen a red and yellow in a few years though, so maybe they don’t do them any more.

In the Masshole world it means go and go fast or someone is laying in their horn at you if you slow down.

There is one light on Lafayette St. that is still red-yellow. I believe it to be the last one in Salem. Flashing green lights are often paired with flashing red lights in the opposing part of the intersection; flashing red is treated as a stop sign.

It usually means pedestrians can use the walk button to cross, so use caution and be prepared to stop.

Right turn on red is okay after you come to a full stop and only if there isn’t a pedestrian in a crosswalk or traffic turning. If there’s a “no turn on red” sign, you can’t turn either.

Trying to get a “jump” on a pedestrian in the crosswalk is the fastest way to add points to your insurance.

At this time of year in Salem, just assume a cop is watching.

If you head up Maine way in your travels, just remember there’s no right turn on a steady red arrow. Otherwise, right on red after stop is fine.

Close your eyes and floor it.

Flashing yellow is a yield sign in disguise

No, no. Flashing yellow means proceed with more caution than flashing green, but not as much as a flashing red, which includes stopping.

Welcome to Massachusetts.

This is the answer BUT they do not mention this variation in the MA driving guide book and MUTCD banned any flashing green lights a long time ago so I wonder if Salem just didn’t get the memo?

It means my brother is out and about so look out

Go, stop, go, stop, go, stop, go, stop, go

I know of one in Stoneham, at a crosswalk by the Stone Zoo.

TIL no right turn on a steady red arrow.

I've seen a simultaneous red and yellow light in Malden. I think it only does that if someone presses the "walk" button on one of the lights to cross a crosswalk.

You’ll usually see it at a crosswalk, it turns red when someone pushes the beg button.

Pretty much. But it's based on an older convention for pedestrians. mriguy posted about it above.

Flashing green -> Red + Yellow

In effect, the driver should behave just like a flashing yellow turning to red. But the flashing green was used for pedestrian crossings. Most of these were converted to the modern walk buttons with a standard red light. But that takes funding. The new cheaper pedestrian crossings with the yellow LED lights have the same function now.

The short answer is that it means yeild.

Basically means…mayyyyybe

That means it’s time to change the bulb. 😛

Also one in Beverly on Cabot St. it’s a walk light at a crosswalk.

go but with caution...similar as the blinking yellow light

It's that stupid intersection in downtown? That means be careful because people don't know there's a road there. It's tourist season, I would avoid that area at all costs. Remember that stop sign that was live streamed because people always ran it? It was in Salem the roads are nuts and nothing makes sense.

Proceed with reckless abandon.

Flashing red is a stop sign. Flashing yellow is caution. Flashing green is nothing.

https://www.mass.gov/doc/chapter-4-rules-of-the-road-0/download does list a "pedestrian hybrid beacon (PHB)" with red and yellow lights:

>A Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB) allows pedestrians to safely cross a roadway. A PHB only operates when activated by a pedestrian. When all lights are dark, you can proceed with caution. When the bottom yellow light is flashing, you must slow down. When the bottom yellow light is solid, you must prepare to stop. When the top two red lights are solid, you must stop for pedestrians. When the top two red lights are flashing, you must stop and proceed with caution if clear.

But "flashing green circle" is not listed. I don't remember ever hearing about those in Driver's Ed and I've never seen one.

The town where I live has pedestrian crossings with a button that turn on blinky yellow LED lights temporarily. Or ones that trigger a traffic light to turn red. Those seem to be the more modern version.

Edit:

http://archive.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/02/03/lines_lights_and_rule_breakers/?page=1 quotes a Cambridge PD officer (in 2008) saying flashing green is the same as solid green but intended to get people to slow down, typically used when the cross traffic has a flashing red.

I used to live somewhere where some lights would change to flashing yellow along the main street and flashing red on the side streets late at night. But still never seen a flashing green.

They have one of these in Hadley on Rt. 9. It confuses everyone all the time. Seems like the same purpose as this blinking green, just more up to code. I’d be curious what mass highway says about the blinky greens.