No Left Turns: The Three Most Frustrating Words in New Orleans Driving

The Three Most Frustrating Words in New Orleans

No Left Turn. Three words that are seen at nearly every intersection while driving down the likes of Canal and Broad Streets. Three words that confound visitors and frustrate locals. Three words that never fail to add several minutes and profanities to one's drive through the city.

The "No Left Turn" restriction is a traffic management tool used on many of New Orleans' major corridors, where the combination of narrow streets, streetcar tracks, and high traffic volume makes left turns across oncoming traffic a recipe for gridlock and disaster. In theory, the restriction keeps traffic flowing. In practice, it means that getting to a destination one block to your left requires driving three blocks out of your way, making two right turns, and arriving from a direction you didn't know existed.

The Detour That Defines the City

New Orleans' street grid was designed by people who had never heard of a left turn, or possibly of straight lines. The combination of the river's curve, the spoke-like pattern of streets radiating from the Quarter, and the seemingly random placement of one-way designations means that navigation in this city is never a straight line between two points. It's always a puzzle, and the "No Left Turn" signs are the pieces that don't fit.

Visitors learn about the no-left-turn situation the hard way — usually when their GPS instructs them to turn left and they discover, mid-intersection, that a sign they couldn't see until it was too late has forbidden it. Locals learn to plan their routes around the restrictions, developing mental maps of the city that include detour routes for every blocked left turn. It's a skill that takes years to develop and that nobody puts on their resume, though perhaps they should.

Frequently Asked Questions About No Left Turns in New Orleans

Why are there so many no-left-turn signs in New Orleans?

The restrictions are primarily on major corridors where left turns would block traffic flow, particularly on streets with streetcar tracks where turning across tracks creates safety and congestion issues.

Which streets have the most no-left-turn restrictions?

Canal Street and Broad Street are among the most notorious, but no-left-turn restrictions exist throughout the city on major arterials.

What happens if I turn left where it's prohibited?

You risk a traffic citation and, more immediately, you risk a collision with oncoming traffic or a streetcar. The restrictions exist for safety reasons, even when they feel arbitrary.