Set in their ways...

[angelkirie]

We all know people never read signs...

BG: My town used to be a small town, but it's growing rather rapidly as "the city" is expanding into the suburbs. This one particular road connects several small towns, but is still your basic two lane residential street. As more and more traffic funnels down this road, the city has taken notice and turned your straightforward 4-way stop into something the drivers cannot BEGIN to understand:
...They added an extra lane on the right to allow two drivers to proceed through the intersection at once, (or right turn) and then merge again on the other side. Now in my mind, this is a fantastic idea as there are normally 8-10 cars waiting at this stop sign. Two cars go through at once, time spent waiting is cut in half, right? Of course it's not that simple.

I have seen SO MANY incidences of road rage at this intersection because of the new lane. These people just REFUSE to see the giant 4 foot arrows painted on the road, and will not accept this change in traffic flow. At this point I've started deferring to the person in the left lane if I'm in the right, even if I stopped first. They're inevitably going to think I'm trying to get in front of them by doing something illegal, and flip their shit.

So this happens the other day: Line of probably 6 cars in the left, no one in the right. I pull up, move into the right lane. Come alongside a man in a Lexus SUV as he is stopping. Our turn comes around, I begin to go. As I said, I usually defer to the left lane, but he wasn't very timely on the accelerator so I'm getting to the other side, ready to start merging back. This man STANDS on the accelerator so I can't get over. I let him pass, expecting this behavior at this point. Next intersection is another 4-way stop, no right lane this time, but I'm turning right so I move over anyway. There is one car in the center of the lane going straight. Car going straight begins to move as I'm stopping off to the right. Man in the Lexus again FLOORS IT and doesn't even try to stop. (I'm guessing he thought I was going to illegally go straight? And wanted to prevent me from doing that by blowing the stop sign himself?) He finally realizes a car from his left is partially through the intersection and coming right at him and slams on the brakes, then proceeds to sit there as the car with the right of way has to go wide to the left to get around him. I take my right and LMAO at him. What a jerkwad!

This behavior is EVERY DAY. I'm thinking about trying to get the local news blog to run a piece on it, just a "Hey guys, did you know this new intersection works like THIS now?" blurb. What do you think? Will they ever learn?

[AccountingDrone]

This behavior is EVERY DAY. I'm thinking about trying to get the local news blog to run a piece on it, just a "Hey guys, did you know this new intersection works like THIS now?" blurb. What do you think? Will they ever learn?

Call traffic enforcement and let them know this one guy does whatever every day at about whatever time. Last time I did it, they pulled the jackass over and ticketed him.

[Javarod]

I really hate intersections like this, and especially ones where two four lane roads have a four way stop. If all eight vehicles arrive at different times, who has right of way? With one lane in each direction, that's easy, but with two, confusing, especially as its not covered in any driver's manual i've seen.

[Crossbow]

What do you think? Will they ever learn?

No.


Ok, ok. Many of them might learn. Eventually. After Sir Newton gives them a lesson in "two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time," but there's always going to be a core group that cannot understand or abide any sort of change.

[Jetfire]

My city's gotten on a big Roundabout kick lately. We've installed 4 in the past 2 years, and they've got plans for a big one on the old 4-lane highway soon. Surprisingly, they have gone in pretty smoothly, and other than some people cutting the curbs a bit to keep going straight, they are being adapted to fairly well.

Of course, if the big one goes in, all bets are off, since it'll be a 2 lane Roundabout.

My mom however, hates the roundabouts. I think she overthinks them or something and just goes in a panic whenever she gets near one (thankfully she isn't in the city that often). For me, they're the simplest thing ever; as you approach, look to the left, yield for any traffic, and join in and swing around to your exit. But even if the circle is empty, she'll all but come to a stop before going in. *sigh*

Some people here are hoping that the city will start using 2 lane turn lanes soon. Goodness knows, we have a few intersections that would be ideal for that, but they seem reluctant to go that far yet.

[Crossbow]

Jetfire, tell your mom that they're installing this roundabout. Have a defibrilator standing by...

[greek_jester]

Jetfire, tell your mom that they're installing this roundabout. Have a defibrilator standing by...

Ah, the magic roundabout. A testament to what a stoned designer can do when no-one bothers to review his work.

[Kazim]

Anyone else that notices the pentagram in that pic?

[sms001]

the simplest thing ever; as you approach, look to the left, yield for any traffic, and join in and swing around to your exit. But even if the circle is empty, she'll all but come to a stop before going in. *sigh*

The trend here is to fill the center to obscure vision of most of the intersection, so that people DO focus on looking to the left. Seems to have helped some.

And you might pass this on to mom: yesterday I might have rear-ended someone had I not been paying enough attention. I was approaching at the speed limit, and could see no other cars in or coming up on the intersection, so I didn't prepare to yield by slowing down. Unfortunately, that person ahead of me mistook the yield sign for a stop. No harm no foul, but not everyone behind mom may be that alert.

We found telling my elderly aunt to treat it like a very slow expressway merge seemed to help.

[Pagan]

Some people here are hoping that the city will start using 2 lane turn lanes soon. Goodness knows, we have a few intersections that would be ideal for that, but they seem reluctant to go that far yet.

You're city doesn't have any? We've got double left turns all over ABQ and a few double right turns. Hell, there's one near me that's a triple left turn. Even Santa Fe and Las Cruces have double lefts all over.

Anyone else that notices the pentagram in that pic?

Why yes, yes I did!

[sms001]

I'm sure our Brit friends are familiar with it, but what isn't readily apparent in the piccy is that the inner traffic in the "Magic Roundabout" is REVERSED.

[greek_jester]

I'm sure our Brit friends are familiar with it, but what isn't readily apparent in the piccy is that the inner traffic in the "Magic Roundabout" is REVERSED.

There's a very good reason people in the area tend to use other routes if there's a choice. I knew a courier who learned how to drive in central London, and shrugged off Marble Arch. He still wouldn't go near "that f$&*ing nightmare".

[Jetfire]

You're city doesn't have any? We've got double left turns all over ABQ and a few double right turns. Hell, there's one near me that's a triple left turn. Even Santa Fe and Las Cruces have double lefts all over.

We may have one or two, but I don't think so. We're a small city (about 100k people) in a province of 700k; and our road network has quite a few WTF's just because of the way it's grown. (Main one being no main North-South route through the city, not to mention the main bridge across the river is fed from normal city streets and not a main boulevard or similar).

We have more than a few intersections that should have 2 lane turning lanes, but the city seems paranoid about not putting one in. Leaving a situation up on Regent @ Prospect, where you have 1 turning lane that backs up across the bridge to the mall, a second middle lane that goes through the intersection and gets squeezed down as Regent goes from 2 lane to 1 lane. The buses occasionally use that middle lane as a turn lane when the official lane backs up badly.

[wolfie]

Anyone else that notices the pentagram in that pic?

Even with looking for it, couldn't see it. Where in the picture is the pentagram?

[Aethian]

Anyone else that notices the pentagram in that pic?

Where? I don't see one.