Left Turn Lanes

[Mergingtraffic]

For those of you that know CT...sometimes they are good at left-turn lanes but most of the time they are not.

According to the DOT, there are a couple projects where instead of adding LT Lanes, they are adding bypass shoulders instead.  Huh!?!?!  Why not just add the flippin turn lane.

Other spots, they have space for the LT lane but paint a double-double yellow line on each side of it.  A good example is CT-137 in Stamford.  It's 5 lanes but the center lane is onlt LT lanes at intersections, not for the strip malls all the way down the road.

And, CT NEVER used the 2-way LT Lane.

[Zmapper]

This is done so that if there is no left turning traffic you may continue in a straight line. Wisconsin is also a heavy user of this idea.

[iwishiwascanadian]

And, CT NEVER used the 2-way LT Lane.

Not exactly true, they are sprouting up all over Hartford (to my disappointment).  The City is making four lane roads (Main Street, Park Street, Asylum Avenue, Capitol Avenue etc.) into two lane roads with a CTL an bike lanes.  I don't mean to make Hartford sound like Toronto with the War on Cars thing, but has anyone ever heard of rush hour??

[Zmapper]

The City is making four lane roads (Main Street, Park Street, Asylum Avenue, Capitol Avenue etc.) into two lane roads with a CTL an bike lanes.  I don't mean to make Hartford sound like Toronto with the War on Cars thing, but has anyone ever heard of rush hour??

If the traffic counts are under 20-25,000 or so, a 2 lane road can handle traffic very well. A 4 lane road is reduced to a 2 lane road every time someone needs to turn anyway.   The bike lanes give people a safe place to ride to work (and school and church and shopping and where ever else they have to go).

[Duke87]

Other spots, they have space for the LT lane but paint a double-double yellow line on each side of it.  A good example is CT-137 in Stamford.  It's 5 lanes but the center lane is onlt LT lanes at intersections, not for the strip malls all the way down the road.

And, CT NEVER used the 2-way LT Lane.

Actually, on High Ridge Road (CT 137), the "double-double yellow line" setup functions as a two-way left turn lane. It's common knowledge around here.

The problem is that, going against all MUTCD standards, there are no markings whatsoever indicating this... in fact, areas of pavement with double yellow lines on either side are, by the book, supposed to represent dead spaces that are illegal to drive through. So of course non-locals misinterpret it. I'll never forget the time my cousin started yelling at me like I was doing something crazy and dangerous when I pulled into the center area to make a left into Burger King.

(for reference sake, here's a street view look at a typical area of this)

[Mergingtraffic]

Other spots, they have space for the LT lane but paint a double-double yellow line on each side of it.  A good example is CT-137 in Stamford.  It's 5 lanes but the center lane is onlt LT lanes at intersections, not for the strip malls all the way down the road.

And, CT NEVER used the 2-way LT Lane.

Actually, on High Ridge Road (CT 137), the "double-double yellow line" setup functions as a two-way left turn lane. It's common knowledge around here.

The problem is that, going against all MUTCD standards, there are no markings whatsoever indicating this... in fact, areas of pavement with double yellow lines on either side are, by the book, supposed to represent dead spaces that are illegal to drive through. So of course non-locals misinterpret it. I'll never forget the time my cousin started yelling at me like I was doing something crazy and dangerous when I pulled into the center area to make a left into Burger King.

(for reference sake, here's a street view look at a typical area of this)

Duke...exactly!  That is what I am saying, why not just restripe it and add signage for a 2-way LT lane!?!?

[Zmapper]

Other spots, they have space for the LT lane but paint a double-double yellow line on each side of it.  A good example is CT-137 in Stamford.  It's 5 lanes but the center lane is onlt LT lanes at intersections, not for the strip malls all the way down the road.

And, CT NEVER used the 2-way LT Lane.

Actually, on High Ridge Road (CT 137), the "double-double yellow line" setup functions as a two-way left turn lane. It's common knowledge around here.

The problem is that, going against all MUTCD standards, there are no markings whatsoever indicating this... in fact, areas of pavement with double yellow lines on either side are, by the book, supposed to represent dead spaces that are illegal to drive through. So of course non-locals misinterpret it. I'll never forget the time my cousin started yelling at me like I was doing something crazy and dangerous when I pulled into the center area to make a left into Burger King.

(for reference sake, here's a street view look at a typical area of this)

Duke...exactly!  That is what I am saying, why not just restripe it and add signage for a 2-way LT lane!?!?

Plus - Isn't a dashed line cheaper than a solid line.

[JREwing78]

Actually, on High Ridge Road (CT 137), the "double-double yellow line" setup functions as a two-way left turn lane. It's common knowledge around here.

I can't be certain from the Google Maps image, but it looks like the lane width in the double-double yellow line area is considerably narrower than the driving lanes. Perhaps this is why they didn't officially make it a two-way left turn lane?

[Duke87]

It's not noticeably any narrower than the travel lanes when driving the road. And it becomes a full left turn lane at intersections, so...

[Mergingtraffic]

I have also noticed a couple new traffic signals around, on Route 7 and CT-73 in Watertown, what the DOT did there was install the signals with left-turn arrow phases.  That is great, but they didn't restripe the road to allow left-turn lanes, even though there is enough pavement for it.

It seems to me, the CT DOT will avoid striping left-turn lanes at all costs, to the point of even adding traffic signals with a left-turn arrow.  I would rather have a left-turn lane and no left-turn arrow on a signal.  Because what if you miss the arrow, then you have to wait for uncoming traffic to clear and it hold up the traffic behind you.

[froggie]

This is done so that if there is no left turning traffic you may continue in a straight line. Wisconsin is also a heavy user of this idea.

As is Minnesota.

A couple other reasons why this is done:  if the existing shoulder is wide enough, it can be done within that existing shoulder, which means all you're doing is restriping (much cheaper than new pavement).  If not, it still requires less pavement area and construction than a full left-turn-lane, and so can be done cheaper and more quickly.

If the traffic counts are under 20-25,000 or so, a 2 lane road can handle traffic very well.

In my experience, the numbers are closer to the 15-20K range.  Under 15K, definitely.  Above that, it depends on the local conditions.  Above 20K, it should probably be left at 4 lanes and then look at other solutions.

[roadfro]

The City is making four lane roads (Main Street, Park Street, Asylum Avenue, Capitol Avenue etc.) into two lane roads with a CTL an bike lanes.  I don't mean to make Hartford sound like Toronto with the War on Cars thing, but has anyone ever heard of rush hour??

The traffic engineering term for this is a "road diet". Generally, it involves taking a four lane road and turning it into a three lane road (one each way plus center turn) with bike lanes and on-street parking on one or both sides (where width allows). Lane widths may also be narrower to fit parking and bike lanes.

This is actually a very "in" thing in traffic engineering right now. It is a component to "complete streets" concept, which uses right-of-way to promote multi-modal travel for cars, bikes and pedestrians...in this application, though, pedestrians aren't fully considered with new and wider sidewalks. Reno has done this with at least three semi-major streets over the past few months during resurfacing, and has plans to do so on at least one other street.

[Bryant5493]

^^

Decatur Street between Piedmont Avenue and Peachtree Street around the Georgia State campus was given a "road diet," making it a bit safer for the student populace to walk.


Be well,

Bryant