# Is it illegal/ticketable to cut through a parking lot to avoid a traffic light?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-ticketable-to-cut-through-a-parking-lot-to-avoid-a-traffic-light/603846>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 23, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-ticketable-to-cut-through-a-parking-lot-to-avoid-a-traffic-light/603846 "2011-11-23T04:25:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-ticketable-to-cut-through-a-parking-lot-to-avoid-a-traffic-light/603846/62 "2011-12-02T21:42:49Z")

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> [@OpalCat](#):
>
> What about this situation, which I do with semi-regular frequency:
> 
> There is a light that changes very frequently and during heavy traffic times you may wait through 4-5 cycles of the light to get through. I’m almost always turning right at that light. There are residential streets nearby, however, which you can take to bypass the light, that is, take a right onto a side street, then a left onto another side street, then a right onto the street I meant to turn onto in the first place.
> 
> Since I’m still travelling on legal streets the whole time, this is legal, right?

Drivers on James Island were frequently making right turns on a side street off Camp to avoid the bottleneck at the light on Folly. Residents complained about all that traffic, so a no right turn sign from 6AM-8AM was put up. Many drivers ignore the sign, but I don’t know if any got a ticket.

A similar situation was on Fleming Rd near the tennis courts. One of the residents was a city council member and had such a sign put up on her side street before Maybank. I don’t think it was ever enforced, and the public outcry was such that the sign was eventually removed.

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**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-ticketable-to-cut-through-a-parking-lot-to-avoid-a-traffic-light/603846/63 "2011-12-02T22:09:55Z")

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Well this is in a predominantly residential area in the suburbs… I doubt many other people take this shortcut. Certainly not enough to put up a sign.

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-ticketable-to-cut-through-a-parking-lot-to-avoid-a-traffic-light/603846/64 "2011-12-02T23:00:59Z")

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The default for public streets is that you can drive on them, even in a residential area.

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