McCrimmon Parkway widening -Davis drive wow (Raleigh, Durham: sales, real estate, how much)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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So, which movement do you want to suffer to give this minor left turn more time?
Anyway, sounds like it is timed appropriately. You cleared the intersection on the yellow, which is allowed and efficient (don’t let the green stay on that phase any longer than necessary.)
You’ve also described one of the problems at intersections. Big footprints, not always in a great place. Load the intersection with developments in all four corners that dump traffic too close (in this location, I believe additional signaled intersections on all four legs which make it very difficult to coordinate.) allow all movements at all intersections. Very inefficient. Just like so many intersections on Long Island (and elsewhere.)
Yup, there are now signals close to the intersection on all four sides that didn't use to be there.
Frankly, I don't mind waiting at a red light if I know I can safely cross the intersection when the light is green. And I got across the intersection safely that time (although the light turned red while I was underneath it) but the people behind me didn't. That's the kind of thing that leads to people running red lights. It is also the type of situation where people will act like they are going to go and then they realize they might not make it across and slam on their brakes causing a rear ender (I see these kinds of accidents all the time in my line of work, again the short light cycle leading to impatience).
I get the concept of those new-fangled left turn lanes and how it reduces potential accidents and congestion, but man for people who are not familiar with it or from out of town, I can see it being a real pain. Can only imagine how many times the left lane going straight will have to stop because somebody wants to do a traditional left and will sit in the lane until the traffic clears.
Frankly, I don't mind waiting at a red light if I know I can safely cross the intersection when the light is green. And I got across the intersection safely that time (although the light turned red while I was underneath it) but the people behind me didn't. That's the kind of thing that leads to people running red lights. It is also the type of situation where people will act like they are going to go and then they realize they might not make it across and slam on their brakes causing a rear ender (I see these kinds of accidents all the time in my line of work, again the short light cycle leading to impatience).
I'm guessing that if you have an intersection where all the movements can clear out within the signal cycle, then that intersection probably doesn't require the extreme intersection treatments that we're talking about here. You can definitely give excess time to the left turns so that everybody "gets to go" but then there's less time allotted for the thru traffic which is almost always greater volume wise than left turning traffic (obviously there are exceptions). So it's a balancing act when an intersection is approaching or is at it's maximum capacity and in extreme cases, you'll need stuff like the displaced lefts that are proposed here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JMMH
I get the concept of those new-fangled left turn lanes and how it reduces potential accidents and congestion, but man for people who are not familiar with it or from out of town, I can see it being a real pain. Can only imagine how many times the left lane going straight will have to stop because somebody wants to do a traditional left and will sit in the lane until the traffic clears.
Definitely - hopefully there are ways to mitigate confusion but signing and marking it so that it's obvious.
I get the concept of those new-fangled left turn lanes and how it reduces potential accidents and congestion, but man for people who are not familiar with it or from out of town, I can see it being a real pain. Can only imagine how many times the left lane going straight will have to stop because somebody wants to do a traditional left and will sit in the lane until the traffic clears.
I've traveled on some of those interchanges, shown in the videos posted, while visiting Utah. They're definitely different. If you pay attention to the signs posted, it's not really that bad figuring them out.
I've also have used both "Michigan Lefts" and "New Jersey Jug Handles", two other types of intersections where you can't turn left at the intersection.
In Europe recently, I was struck by how few intersections I came to outside the urban cores had traffic lights. Traffic circles/Roundabouts were ubiquitous and kept roads flowing. I see so many intersections around here that seem like they’d be a lot better served that way. Other than a handful of well-publicized retrofits (like Hillsborough St), you don’t really see them much here.
In Europe recently, I was struck by how few intersections I came to outside the urban cores had traffic lights. Traffic circles/Roundabouts were ubiquitous and kept roads flowing. I see so many intersections around here that seem like they’d be a lot better served that way. Other than a handful of well-publicized retrofits (like Hillsborough St), you don’t really see them much here.
IMO, for the most part we are much more auto dependent here than the urban cores in Europe. There's a significant percent of people who don't drive due to better bike/pedestrian infrastructure, mass transit/ access/inter-city transportation access and some cities like London and Stockholm have implemented congestion fees reducing traffic in the urban cores by up to 20%. Roundabouts are great but once you get past certain volumes, aren't as effective. I'm a fan of roundabouts but since there are much more vehicles here, they are less likely to be implemented at the major intersections around here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by cjseliga
VDOT has a great website with a bunch of Innovative Intersections and Interchanges, showing "real life" examples and breaking down each one:
In Europe recently, I was struck by how few intersections I came to outside the urban cores had traffic lights. Traffic circles/Roundabouts were ubiquitous and kept roads flowing. I see so many intersections around here that seem like they’d be a lot better served that way. Other than a handful of well-publicized retrofits (like Hillsborough St), you don’t really see them much here.
Your experience in Europe must be different from mine. As for Hillsborough St, the City has basically destroyed it as a useful through-route. I don't know why they even bothered to leave it open to cars... it might as well have been converted to bus, delivery vehicles, cycles, and pedestrians. Oh wait, that didn't work for Fayetteville St in downtown, but the difference is that Hillsborough St used to be a way to get from A to B. Not anymore... all that traffic has shifted onto Wade Av and Western Blvd, which were already over-crowded.
If you want to proclaim the redesign/destruction of Hillsborough a great triumph, go ahead, but I won't join the applause.
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