Letting in cars is courteous, but not required

Melissa George of Lake Stevens writes: “Are drivers heading west toward the trestle on Highway 204 required to let in drivers turning right off of Sunnyside Boulevard in Lake Stevens? In the morning, Highway 204 backs up for miles as every driver on 204 stops to let in a driver from Sunnyside Boulevard.”

Tom Pearce of the Washington State Department of Transportation responds: “Vehicles turning right from Sunnyside Boulevard onto SR 204 are required to stop and wait for a safe opening to enter traffic, according to RCW 46.61.190. Drivers on SR 204 are not required to allow vehicles to turn right onto the highway, but if traffic is backed up and they choose to be courteous, allowing vehicles to turn onto SR 204, they can legally do that. It’s the same at any place a drivers who are on a highway have the right-of-way at an intersection where cross-traffic must stop. WSDOT currently does not have funding for any changes at this intersection.”

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