Here is the chance to vent some road rage. I figured this might fit best into this area of the forum.
That said, here is your chance to open up and say what about the whole road experience (traffic, poor design, etc) really angers you.
I can start.
I-5 in Portland, OR. What a substandard freeway. I'm not even willing to guess how many years out of date it is. Here are my biggest pet peeves about it.
- Heading south from Vancouver, WA there is a serious "choke point" in Delta Park, where through traffice is funneled into only 2 lanes.
- This same instance occurs after the northern I-405/US 30 split near the Rose Garden.
- The Terwilliger curves are dangerous, and I doubt pass Interstate standards (I-5 is a D student if it does meet standards) the worst part is you have to constantly go uphill to reach these dangerous curves, and at rush hour, truck traffic that struggles to get up this stretch....along with Oregon drivers amazing ability to drive under posted speed limits, makes this a nightmare.
I really wish ODOT would entertain the notion of just one extra through lane along I-5, versus more and more mass transit options. While I agree with mass transit being necessary, there are times where a car is necessary, and with the projected growth through 2020, Portland's entire freeway system is ill equipped to handle it.
Now that I've "vented" :-P What're your pet peeves?
The congestion on NJ 23 pisses me off!
I-80.
ca sr 91 in riverside, and orange countys :banghead:
An official rant thread? I see my post count skyrocketing in the near future. Just from today:
* It's bad enough trying to get up to I-80, but now I-80 takes forever to get it's speed limit up to 75 east of Lincoln, NE. For a while it went from 65 to 75 around NE 63. And there's hardly any signs of work between NE 63 and NE 66, just a bunch of survey stakes in the median, some grading way off the road, and one bridge in the process of being replaced. Six miles and just one overpass is being replaced. And who scheduled the six laning and bridge replacements? It seems that work zone is being dragged out in the name of ticket revenue.
* Do we really need to use "Right Lane Closed Ahead" signs when the right lane that is closed sprouts - not a merge lane - and is not one of the currently available lanes? Just block the lane when it sprouts; an out-of-towner shouldn't know the difference.
* Why the heck does it require closure of the right lane of EB I-80 at the Platte River for some work that appears to be happening way down the embankment? I want to see more work going on closer to the highway, or just close the shoulder. And if this work zone can be posted at 75, then more of the one between NE 63 and NE 66 can be posted at that too.
* More great speed limits for revenue on US 6 west of I-680. Did NDOR even bother to do a speed study?
* Real great signage for EB US 6 losing a lane at I-680. No exit only tabs, no rapid short dashes. Just one lousy diagram way in advance which I seem to have missed since I was dealing with heavy traffic and a dump truck sandblasting my car.
* And how hard is it to sign access to I-480 from EB US 6? Bad enough the directions are inconsistent - one sign uses north, another uses east. Even worse when a ramp that provides access to both south and east I-480 is only signed as south.
* If EB I-480 is always as empty during rush hour as it was today, there's no reason it should be posted at a measly 50.
* I swear some drivers have an extra sense to know when you want to change lanes, and enjoy making such a maneuver as difficult as possible.
Why can't ODOT and OTA make their guide signage more consistent in layout from sign to sign? Or heck, is it too much to ask for the same shade of green on each sign? I mean, even MoDOT beats us in this regard... :rolleyes:
*gasp* what was that? Oregon 217 was NOT jampacked with cars tonight around Canyon Road/Beav-Hills???? I must be on something, because surely that cannot be the case..[/sarcasm]
It wasnt that bad today, suprisingly. Maintained a speed above 45 the entire way home :D
QuoteIt wasnt that bad today, suprisingly. Maintained a speed above 45 the entire way home
Were you driving home between 10-10:30 am or after 8pm? :-P Those are about the only times I see 217 flowing! It's also really bad where it merges with I-5. You have two extra lanes coming off of 217, but the right lane becomes Exit Only for Carman Drive. Ugly situation.
Sigh... one of these days I'll compile my Hampton Roads rants here... there are quite a few.
The decision to cancel the I-80 realignment along the railroad tracks in North Sacramento/Arden-Arcade (replacing what is now Business 80) and transfer the funds to light rail really has come back to haunt the area on a daily basis - even on Sundays, Business 80's bottleneck across the American River remains cumbersome!
Would've been nice to have seen planned Route 143 ever constructed in this area, as an alternative to the 30 or so stoplights along Watt Avenue. Probably never going to happen though.
A-10 between Montreal and Sherbrooke, numerous plotholes on the freeway and it's *bleep* :angry:
I-80 in New Jersey: Up to 8 (or 10?) lanes and it's still backed up for miles!!!!! What the f*ck?!!!
MN 61 hasn't seemed to been maintained ever since it was US 61.
QuoteMN 61 hasn't seemed to been maintained ever since it was US 61.
MN 61 should still be US 61. That route, connecting to the US-Canadian border deserves better than a state highway.
Forgot to rant about gas prices yesterday. Why is gas the same price in Iowa again as it is in Nebraska, when Nebraska has the higher gas tax?
1. Whoever timed the lights on US 21 near I-40 in Statesville seems to have been in a coma for the past ten years. They put all these huge buildings (restaurants, Walmart, etc.) on this road and have let it become impossible to take less than 20-30 minutes to go two miles to I-40 from Lowes.
2. Likewise NC 150 at I-77 in Mooresville.
3. If I-40 between what is business I-40 (or was) and I-85 in Greensboro isn't really I-40, why is it still numbered with I-40's mileposts? I know that was last year, and don't get me started on the fact that they just built that big connector so I-40 traffic could avoid Death Valley, but there appear to be no signs of renumbering the section.
4. Exit 170 off I-85 in Durham County says "TO NC 751 Duke Univ." (literally; it's an all-text sign). No mention of Business US 70 or formerly US 70, which it has been almost since the beginning of time. Southbound I-85 says US 70, which is correct (it's really designated as that west of the intersection).
5. Why does NC DOT love to upgrade one sign in a series of many to newer standards (case in point, Exit 174--Farmington Road off I-40 between Mocksville and Clemmons, or Exit 94--Dysartville Road/Lake James off I-40 in West Burke County)...but leave the rest alone?
6. Why is so much of Virginia's BGS still greened over after almost 20 years after the changeover to milepost-based exits? Maine, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Florida don't have this anywhere near that badly, and they've been converted since 2004, 2001, 2000, and 2002, respectively.
7. NO RANT 7. WE DON'T WANT IT. (Sign seen on I-81 in Pennsylvania before they renumbered to the milepost numbering system).
My biggest pet peeve in roadding: CARBON COPY signing!
"Real great signage for EB US 6 losing a lane at I-680. No exit only tabs, no rapid short dashes. Just one lousy diagram way in advance which I seem to have missed since I was dealing with heavy traffic and a dump truck sandblasting my car"
Relax, NDOR is under the impression you want to avoid going down Dodge St (US6) at all costs, and is just trying to be helpful :)
I-65 south of Franklin, TN, going southbound at anything close to rush hour: the damn highway goes from 10 lanes down to 4 lanes in about 3/4 of a mile. Do the math.
It's gotten to be easier to just take 31 to 43 to get back to Florence during that time of day. :banghead:
It would be nice if more jurisdictions provided mast arm street name signs to identify cross streets. Not enough places do that.
Every state needs to go to milepost-based exit numbering for the interstates, and exit numbering in general for all freeways.
Mileposting of state and U.S. highways would also be good everywhere -- guess I am spoiled by what New Jersey does.
I'm with aaroads on "carbon-copying" guide signs -- I think it is a lack of attention to detail on the part of engineers more concerned with construction of the bridges and roadways.
In a related rant, there are guide signing techniques of yesteryear still in use in areas where upgrades should be done for safety. I lived near one such location for awhile, and despite crashes, it still has not been changed.
Speak of mast arms...another pet peeve of mine?
SPAN WIRES. I HATE span wires. They look cheap and tacky and aren't as visible as mast arm installations.
The only place I've ever been that does span wires right is Indiana, where all the lights are perfectly lined up horizontally on their installations. Most places just run a cable and let it sag, and it looks like utter shit. :banghead:
Seattle!
What exactly is "carbon copy signing"?
ODOT is apparently unable to distinguish between signs that should be green, blue, and brown. Much of the time they're mixed up...parks sometimes end up with blue signage and museums with green, or vice versa. It means that there aren't a whole lot of brown signs in Oklahoma.
Example of Carbon Copy signs:
(https://www.aaroads.com/delaware/delaware200/i-495_sb_exit_001_03.jpg)
a sign like this
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Flh6.ggpht.com%2F_ZkmN2RrOJxw%2FSbvYw6P7kGI%2FAAAAAAAAEGg%2Fm8vn6DUl3OI%2Fs720%2FIMG_2332.JPG&hash=4c92e00c4213b155afc595b79c341ea3caad485f)
replaced wholesale with this (note that South US 13 TO US 40 was what was originally displayed. In 2000, DELDOT added access to U.S. 13 northbound, so a greenout went up with "North US 13"). Did sign crews adjust the sign to read "US 13 to US 40"? No, they brainlessly created the same with in the corrugated sign style that MD uses.
Quote from: froggie on March 21, 2009, 07:44:01 PMPerhaps...but they're cheaper and more easily replaced after storms (i.e. hurricanes)
This is true, but the least they could do is do it right. Around here they all sag, and look like what would be a temporary light installation in NH done on a span wire during major road work, i.e. widening.
Oh, I could see why that'd be kinda annoying. We don't get much greenout out here, and when we do, the replacement signs are designed from scratch every time. Of course, half the time the old signs are designed better, so be careful what you wish for...
(Though, in your example, I'd argue that the second 13 was silly in the first place: why not just green out the "South"? Then you'd have two off-center shields, but it's better than having too much stuff to look at...)
froggie, I know, but still, most of the highway is in horrible, I guess it is better than what it was back in 2000.
Another rant for me is the MTO (Ministry of Transportation Ontario), they hate the north, the north hates them, no one seems to get along. (They sure are good at maintaining and keeping a safe road though)
That US 501 does not have a real bypass of Conway and that SC 22 is worthless as it did not relieve US 501 whatsoever(as 501 is more direct to Myrtle Beach over SC 22, which is more direct to N Myrtle Beach)
WSDOT: Delay this, delay that...
Quote from: froggie on March 22, 2009, 07:05:10 PM
A particular annoyance of mine: split-phase signal timing. There's some locations where it's useful, but too many state DOTs overuse it...
I agree with you 100% on this. DelDOT engineering favors safety over traffic flow, at least that's what a roadgeek/DelDOT employee told me in disagreement about it once.
Illinois also goes overboard with split phasing.
My rants from today:
* Lousy slow drivers who have to do 50 in a 60 for no good reason. Real nice when trying to keep up with a tornado-warned storm.
* Do we really need the EB I-80 to NB I-680 ramp to have a speed limit of 50? What's wrong with an advisory speed.
* Real cute to have a symbolic left lane ends sign when it is the right lane that ends on NB I-680 near Center Street.
* I-680 really should be posted at 65; hardly anyone does 60.
QuoteA particular annoyance of mine: split-phase signal timing. There's some locations where it's useful, but too many state DOTs overuse it...
I agree with you 100% on this. DelDOT engineering favors safety over traffic flow, at least that's what a roadgeek/DelDOT employee told me in disagreement about it once.
Here's my latest rant:
I-605!!!
I-605, mentioned for the 10th time by you.
Yep...maybe a I-190 and I-105... :-D
As someone who used to drive the SR 18 corridor almost daily (I commuted from Tacoma to North Bend three times a week for almost two years), I'm with CG
I-605
I drive on SR-18 from Tacoma to Snoqualmie Pass from my relatvies' home
1) I wish that GDOT would use merge arrows and the dashed lines all the way to the end of a lane that's ending. I like Alabama, because they at least use the dashed lines when a lane is terminating.
2) A lot of places in Georgia, at least the places that I've traveled, have lanes that end with no type of notification. One example is Marietta Boulevard, just north (?) of Bolton Road (in NW Atlanta). This is a dangerous intersection that is currently being modified.
3) I-285, the speed limit is too low. It should be at least 65 m.p.h. Traffic is already at 65 or better -- mostly better (lol).
Be well,
Bryant
Bryant:
As a former Cobb and Clayton County resident (I was a co-op student and worked on alternating semesters in the Atlanta area, hence the wide range), I can attest to the need for 65mph on I-285. I suspect there might be small stretches in Fulton County that might not warrant it, but at least for MOST of I-285 would be great. Is it still nicknamed the Speedway or Racetrack?
QuoteSPAN WIRES. I HATE span wires. They look cheap and tacky and aren't as visible as mast arm installations.
The only place I've ever been that does span wires right is Indiana, where all the lights are perfectly lined up horizontally on their installations. Most places just run a cable and let it sag
Um... running a cable and not having it sag would require either that the cable and everything hanging from it have zero mass or that gravity not exist. You can minimize sag, but you cannot eliminate it. It's physically impossible.
That said, the problem with minimizing it is that you have to pull the cable tighter... as you do that, the horizontal forces at the ends get larger and larger and so the supports (and particularly their foundations) become harder and harder to design and more and more expensive to build.
Without getting too technical or mathy... suffice to say pulling the cable taught is more trouble and expense than it's worth. Entirely defeats the purpose of span wire installations being cheaper and easier.
OracleUsr said:
Bryant:
As a former Cobb and Clayton County resident (I was a co-op student and worked on alternating semesters in the Atlanta area, hence the wide range), I can attest to the need for 65mph on I-285. I suspect there might be small stretches in Fulton County that might not warrant it, but at least for MOST of I-285 would be great. Is it still nicknamed the Speedway or Racetrack?
Bryant said:
Hey OracleUsr,
I-285 on the Westside needs to be upgraded, especially at I-20. A lot of times big rigs are changing lanes at the last minute to exit onto I-20 West, which is a left hand exit. The I-20 East entrance to I-285 South is hectic too. If you don't merge left, you'll exit onto SR 139 (M.L.K. Jr. Drive/Adamsville).
Anyway, I'm not sure about the nickname, but it's one of the fastest roads I've driven on. Sometimes, I've hit 80 without even noticing it, it's so smooth (lol).
Be well,
Bryant
Duke87 said:
Um... running a cable and not having it sag would require either that the cable and everything hanging from it have zero mass or that gravity not exist. You can minimize sag, but you cannot eliminate it. It's physically impossible.
That said, the problem with minimizing it is that you have to pull the cable tighter... as you do that, the horizontal forces at the ends get larger and larger and so the supports (and particularly their foundations) become harder and harder to design and more and more expensive to build.
Without getting too technical or mathy... suffice to say pulling the cable taught is more trouble and expense than it's worth. Entirely defeats the purpose of span wire installations being cheaper and easier.
Not to mention that the poles would have to be extensively supported with guy wires in order not to cave in to the pressure of gravity on the span.
Quote from: Bryant5493 on March 25, 2009, 06:07:40 PM
3) I-285, the speed limit is too low. It should be at least 65 m.p.h. Traffic is already at 65 or better -- mostly better (lol).
Be well,
Bryant
I think that applies to a lot of beltways and freeways in urban areas. I-465 around Indy is the same. The best beltway speed limit I know of is I-435, which is mostly at 65, but with the northern part at 70. I think I-270 around Columbus may be posted at 65 since I-70 stays at 65 until near downtown.
Well I don't hate the MTO and the Ontario government that much anymore. I guess that there is only one thing I have been waiting for and it is this (http://www.chroniclejournal.com/stories_local.php?id=174913)...
(I mean it might not be a freeway for all of it's length, but I am looking forward to watching the construction progress every now and then)
Quote from: Duke87 on March 25, 2009, 08:17:46 PM
QuoteSPAN WIRES. I HATE span wires. They look cheap and tacky and aren't as visible as mast arm installations.
The only place I've ever been that does span wires right is Indiana, where all the lights are perfectly lined up horizontally on their installations. Most places just run a cable and let it sag
Um... running a cable and not having it sag would require either that the cable and everything hanging from it have zero mass or that gravity not exist. You can minimize sag, but you cannot eliminate it. It's physically impossible.
That said, the problem with minimizing it is that you have to pull the cable tighter... as you do that, the horizontal forces at the ends get larger and larger and so the supports (and particularly their foundations) become harder and harder to design and more and more expensive to build.
Without getting too technical or mathy... suffice to say pulling the cable taught is more trouble and expense than it's worth. Entirely defeats the purpose of span wire installations being cheaper and easier.
I think what I'm talking about here, in the case of Indy, are "box spans" - something like a suspension bridge, more or less. I don't care about the cable itself sagging - I care about all the lights being level with each other.
Case in point, see this Indy installation:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi141.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr60%2Fmr740ti%2Findyspanwires.png&hash=29b6d28aff01e6a437712ecd58f70d775736bf50)
That's a nicely (properly) done span wire installation. Unfortunately Indy's the only place I've seen them done that way. NY uses pipe length to get the lights mostly level with each other in their span wire installations, that's acceptable as well. Alabama, however....well, here's what I mean by "just running a wire and letting it sag":
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi141.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fr60%2Fmr740ti%2Fbamaspanwires.png&hash=c3d51a810b6c92ba80edfecfc34664d0e5f47039)
That's just downright hideous. And sadly, that's the way most places do it.
I guess this is what happens when you live in NH for 15 years and grow accustomed to mast arms.
^^ I prefer mast arm spans, but a lot locations in Georgia use wire spans. There are several areas where wire spans are being replaced with mast arm spans. One region that I'd single out is Clayton County, Ga. All of SR 85 in Clayton County, excepting about three intersections or so, have been replaced with mast arm spans. Most of SR 54 in Clayton have mast arm spans too, with many more to come, according to a contact of mine with the Clayton County Department of Transportation and Development.
Be well,
Bryant
Regarding the wire span posts above, they don't bother me all that much, but I wish ODOT would install more signals on the side of the assemblies. For example, have a signal that's visible by looking to the right. It's really annoying being in a sedan that's behind a truck....I just have to assume the light is green when I follow them through an intersection.
What bugs me about them is when there are signals for multiple directions on a diagonal wire, as when it's windy out they swing around and you can't always tell for sure which direction is yours...
And DrZoidberg, that's a problem on ALL signals. Though around here it seems any built within the last 10 years have duplicate turn signals on the sides, sometimes even on their own pole.
I know that South Carolina(especially in the Myrtle Beach area, not so sure about anywhere else) uses two red balls at the top of some of their left turn signals. All of them that I know of though are either on US 17 or on US 501 though.
Such traffic signals on wires are uncommon in Europe, they're either temporary or considered something for the third world frankly.
DrZoidberg said:
Regarding the wire span posts above, they don't bother me all that much, but I wish ODOT would install more signals on the side of the assemblies. For example, have a signal that's visible by looking to the right. It's really annoying being in a sedan that's behind a truck....I just have to assume the light is green when I follow them through an intersection.
Bryant5493 says:
I have the same problem. I drive a Dodge Neon. I either have to hold back a little to see if the light is still green, or either swing the car slightly to the left or right to tell its color.
Be well,
Bryant
The double-red ball signals are a throwback to the past. North Carolina used to use them, extensively, to differentiate them from the regular traffic lights. Now, the red arrow makes it possible to use a standard sized traffic signal as a left- or right- turn signal, or the doghouse-type signal.
One thing I hated was that double-red-ball signal where the two red lamps were side-by-side.
Quotefrom OracleUsr: The double-red ball signals are a throwback to the past. North Carolina used to use them, extensively, to differentiate them from the regular traffic lights. Now, the red arrow makes it possible to use a standard sized traffic signal as a left- or right- turn signal, or the doghouse-type signal.
One thing I hated was that double-red-ball signal where the two red lamps were side-by-side.
That was actually what I was referring to.
In Central New York, we have a mix of span wire and mast arm signals. Both look fine to me.
My only problem is when the signals are out of sync or don't stay green long enough. One irritating area is NY 38 in Auburn.
The first section has lights for three blocks in a row. Two of the lights are synced, but the third is not. Here's a map (http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=42.938666,-76.572036&spn=0.003542,0.008583&z=17). The signals are at Seymour, Cottage, and Perrine streets. The one at Seymour is out of sync.
Another section, just south of there, has two lights, about a block apart. They turn green at the same time, but don't stay green long enough to go through both. The lights are at the intersection of the Arterial and NY 38, which multiplexes on the Arterial for a block. Here's (http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=42.932999,-76.569402&spn=0.001771,0.004292&z=18) a map of this one.
Oh, here's a rant I thought of. ODOT has this annoying tendency to post the road directionals and the terminus signage on the same pole. So you'll get something like
[END]
[ 53]
[177]
[<->]
...which, you know what it's trying to say, but it looks like it's trying to tell you that both 53 and 177 end both to the left and the right! It would be slightly better if they put the directional on top...
[177]
[<->]
[END]
[ 53]
but even better would be, you know, actually springing for another pole...
[END]
[ 53] [177]
[<->]
^^ Gotta save a bit of money any way you can. :D
Be well,
Bryant
QuoteSPAN WIRES. I HATE span wires. They look cheap and tacky and aren't as visible as mast arm installations.
Awww, I love span wires. I HATE mast arms and some of them are just of horrific design. Span wires can sometimes add in a little flair like at a few intersections here in Orlando. Mast arms seem bulky, monotonous, and
boring; they have no personality. Some of the horribly designed ones are on US 17/92/441 between FL 528 and I-4. Why green? and why all the extra tubing for no reason? Some look like you're passing through railroad crossings and others are just WTF? (see Oak Ridge Road intersection). It seems like a waste of money and over-beautification compared to how simple a span wire would look.
Also, I wish Florida counties would recognize all of their (at least) 3-di CRs, and the state to properly sign some of the SRs that don't get much respect in the field.
The signal assemblies on OBT through there (Which I have photographed but not yet posted), resemble mini sign bridges. That style of signalization is rare and overkill IMO. One other intersection where I know sign bridges are used to host signals is at the junction of U.S. 202 and Pennsylvania 309 in Montgomeryville. It also is ugly...
Quote from: aaroads on April 05, 2009, 01:20:08 PM
The signal assemblies on OBT through there (Which I have photographed but not yet posted), resemble mini sign bridges. That style of signalization is rare and overkill IMO. One other intersection where I know sign bridges are used to host signals is at the junction of U.S. 202 and Pennsylvania 309 in Montgomeryville. It also is ugly...
There are also signals on the sign bridges at the intersection of NY 252 and NY 15 in Henrietta, south of Rochester. I couldn't find a picture though.
Oregon DOT, Multnomah County, and the City of Portland. These three are joining forces to ensure that any new road construction in Portland is for bikes only.
Today, we saw another roadblock on the badly needed Columbia River crossing to replace the existing I-5 Interstate bridge. I'm convinced Portland could swell to 5 million and a single highway wouldn't be widened.
An interesting article from today's Oregonian.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/unusual_allies_protest_columbi.html (http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/unusual_allies_protest_columbi.html)
Well, if Portland really wants to be a big stick in the mud, they'll end up being bypassed or something. It'll come back to bite them in the ass eventually. If nothing else, they'll get a reputation as a big clusterfk of backed-up traffic and nobody will want to do business there. So...
Quote from: Scot5114
Well, if Portland really wants to be a big stick in the mud, they'll end up being bypassed or something. It'll come back to bite them in the ass eventually. If nothing else, they'll get a reputation as a big clusterfk of backed-up traffic and nobody will want to do business there. So...
They already have to a certain extent, and the elected officials there are actually proud of it and want to make it even worse.
That's why we shouldn't bother wasting money on the CRC--Portland is not going to allow anything to be done with the bottlenecks on the north side of town. We should be trying to build a freeway bypass on the westside instead that avoids Portland City Limits.
-Alex
I've got quite a rant...
On this past Saturday I randomly decided to drive down to the Outer Banks in NC because it was so nice out. All was good until I went to exit from I-64 EB onto I-464 SB to the Chesapeake Expressway (VA-168), only to find the shortest merge lane I have ever seen and the Expressway exit 3 lanes of traffic over. Me and several other cars ran out of lane to drive in and were stuck on the shoulder, where no one would let us in for a few minutes, before some nice SUV did. But this was already after my exit, so I had to continue on down 464 (which turned into US-17) and turn around at VA-190, cutting across 4 lanes (the light was red for oncoming traffic) to that direction's exit, which had a nice long acceleration lane where it met the Expressway.
I might have gotten into traffic and across those lanes on 464 if I was not coming off of the tightest loop ramp I had ever seen, which forced me to do only 20 mph.
Here's the interchange in question on Google Maps with my route marked out:
Google Maps is giving me problems so just find it yourself if you want to. :-P
QuoteI've got quite a rant...
On this past Saturday I randomly decided to drive down to the Outer Banks in NC because it was so nice out. All was good until I went to exit from I-64 EB onto I-464 SB to the Chesapeake Expressway (VA-168), only to find the shortest merge lane I have ever seen and the Expressway exit 3 lanes of traffic over. Me and several other cars ran out of lane to drive in and were stuck on the shoulder, where no one would let us in for a few minutes, before some nice SUV did. But this was already after my exit, so I had to continue on down 464 (which turned into US-17) and turn around at VA-190, cutting across 4 lanes (the light was red for oncoming traffic) to that direction's exit, which had a nice long acceleration lane where it met the Expressway.
I might have gotten into traffic and across those lanes on 464 if I was not coming off of the tightest loop ramp I had ever seen, which forced me to do only 20 mph.
Here's the interchange in question on Google Maps with my route marked out:
Google Maps is giving me problems so just find it yourself if you want to.
I've never gotten on VA 168 South that way and it's pretty easy to get from I-64 West(going east)/US 17 South to VA 168 South(Exit 291B) from family trips to Nags Head a few years ago. I notice that now as US 17 South traffic must use VA 190(Exit 292) to Dominion Blvd and that VA 168 South traffic from I-64 West/Outer goes right to VA 168 South and doesn't have to traverse any ramps involving US 17. I can see form Google maps how tight that is though. :-/ My real rave about VA 168 is that the speed limit is only 55 throughout, which must be a pain especially south of VA 190/Kempsville Rd.
I would like to rant about the interchange shenanigans in Bellmawr, NJ
On Sunday, I was coming down the 295 freeway towards the split for 76 and 42. We get to the split, and all of a sudden, we are funnelled onto the arguably the narrowest 2 lanes in New Jersey around an incredibly tight curve, with a substandardly narrow underpass right in the middle of the curve. After surviving this curve, motorists are then funnelled onto very narrow and confusing C/D roads meant to facilitate traffic between 76, 42, and 295, with exit ramps about 1/8 mile apart from each other, making for very tight merges. Coming up to the interchange is no picnic either, especially if you're trying to get from 42 to 295 north. This is also a very tight curve, with almost no decel and merging room, and they insist you do 25 from doing 70 on 42 North.
Now I heard that this was in the planning stages of getting rebuilt? Is this true, and if so do they have a starting date for the project? That interchange is absolute hell in South Jersey.
See this, from NJDOT's website.
http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt295/ (http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt295/)
74/171: Well I'll just have to use the "Outer" beltway in the future... it's actually shorter, I just prefer the drive on "Inner".
I find that whole interchange revolting.
As for the speed limit, I think the entire VA-168/NC-168/US-158 thing could use higher on stretches, not just the expressway. As it is many portions of it are only 45.
QuoteAs for the speed limit, I think the entire VA-168/NC-168/US-158 thing could use higher on stretches, not just the expressway. As it is many portions of it are only 45.
I thought that the only 45 section was on NC 168 near Moyock, but I haven't been to the Outer Banks since 2005 :confused:
Well through every developed portion it's 45, so that's 4 zones I believe, all in NC, but spread out over both US-158 and NC-168.
Today I got a form in the mail that I needed to complete and return right away. So as long as I was going to be out, I decided to stop at a grocery store and pick up a few items. But I couldn't get to the grocery store due to an apparent fatal accident involving a semi on WB NE 2 - there was a truck on the shoulder with many people given it a close inspection - that had WB NE 2 closed, the road I wanted to turn into to get to the grocery store closed, and traffic beyond that road a disaster on EB NE 2. So where the heck were any signs warning of the closed road back at the last major cross street before the half-closed intersection? There were message boards for the WB NE 2 detour, and arrow boards for some of the closed lanes around the intersection, so surely someone could put out another sign saying "56th St closed north of Hwy 2/use 48th St"?
And where were the fluorescent pink incident management signs?
Pah, they never use those signs just for a wreck.
Hell, here they never even bother completing the detour, just putting up a sign directing you onto a side street and that's it. If they don't just have a cop and some flares.
QuotePah, they never use those signs just for a wreck.
Hell, here they never even bother completing the detour, just putting up a sign directing you onto a side street and that's it. If they don't just have a cop and some flares.
Then you are on a side street with no clue as to where to go next if you don't know the neighborhood. I followed a detour (due to roadwork) in Nashville and ended up 5 miles from where I wanted to be because I didn't know the roads off the main road in that neighborhood.
That was one of the few times where having a GPS would have been helpful for me.
Quote from: froggieIn many states, the standard is to have overhead signals but not side-mounted signals. (...) The only states I can think of offhand that include side-mounted signals as standard policy are all (with the exception of New Mexico) in the Midwest: Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri. I'm sure there's a few I'm missing, but these are the states I can think off offhand.
Add Nevada to that list.
Nevada signal design is something that is done very well (sometimes, it seems there are almost too many signal heads). Installations in the Vegas, Reno and Carson City areas all use at least one pole-mounted signal head for the through movement in addition to the ones on the mast arm. Separate left-turn signal heads also have a left-side pole mounted head auxillary as well (although not all protected/permitted displays in Vegas have the pole mount auxillary).
The pole mounts are standard on all new installations after the early-mid 90s, and are typically put in if an older signal is later modified. There are many instances of large intersections, especially in Vegas, where near-side pole mounts are used for the through movements. At really big intersections with high left-turn volumes (i.e. all over the Las Vegas Strip), there is often a left turn signal head mounted on the reverse side of the opposing direction's mast arm. A good example of these near-side mounts can be seen on this
Google Map Street View of WB Flamingo Rd/SR 592 at Las Vegas Blvd.
@mightyace: I know, that's the problem with doing it! I was coming back home from the ODU Library a few years ago, and Hampton Blvd. (VA-337) was closed due to an accident, so they detoured us off onto a side street and it took us 2 hours to find our way back to I-64. And that was in a city I'm familiar with. :-o
^^ Ooh, that really sucks.
Be well,
Bryant
Detours can actually be fun when they're optional. I, as a habit, tend to ditch a highway if I'm in stop and go traffic and have more than an exit or two to go.
One particularly fun time a couple months ago involved me and my father driving back home from the Bronx, intending to stop and pick up pizza along the way. We hit some real nasty traffic on the Merritt Parkway, so we got off and went through a whole load of crazy back roads in Greenwich. Which works well, since not too many people know those roads and most who ditch the Hutch/Merritt in traffic tend to make a bee line straight for US 1 or I-95.
So, our route to the pizza place would normally have been the blue one, but we went the red way (map) (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=111595727668495324446.00046700b4d9a9e471774&ll=41.104579,-73.595009&spn=0.057043,0.154495&z=13).
I honestly think I'd rather do something like that than sit in traffic, even if it isn't necessarily faster. Because even if it takes longer... I'd rather spend 40 minutes moving free-flow than 30 minutes in traffic.
^^ I agree, I'd rather be moving, even if it is a few minutes/miles longer.
Be well,
Bryant
Quote^^ I agree, I'd rather be moving, even if it is a few minutes/miles longer.
Same here.
It's amazing to me and for me personally fortunate that most people here in greater Nashville just sit in traffic rather than finding an alternate route. All of the interstates that go through Nashville (Is 24, 40 and 65) have parallel US routes.
Ahh but you have to know the right situation to do so in. For example it is NOT efficient to get off the highway at a bottleneck. You'll be through it in 5 minutes and moving again anyway, so just stay on. I've always found that true anyway. On the other hand, if you've got a VMS telling you there's an accident, road work, long backup, etc., do try and find an alternate route. However in these situations there is sometimes no alternate route (like on I-64 at the HRBT).
if they have VMS's they use.
Madison, WI and Wausau, WI have VMS's all over the place, but they are not using them to warn of upcoming accidents on the freeways - hence you get backups when cops close lanes.
Might I add these VMS's are just construction types that are "permanently planted" (unlike with Milwaukee)
Rants from yesterday:
* Why does Lincoln, NE, have such a problem with working left turn arrows? I've encountered more broken arrows - as in the light skips the left turn phase - in the past year.
* As often as NDOR is working on NE 2 between Lincoln and Nebraska City, they should just tear up the concrete completely and start over.
* Great job by NDOR on NE 2 at Nebraska City, screwing over the public with a nice speed trap since they couldn't start with an interchange at the eastern intersection with US 75.
* Lovely neighborhoods to have the stoplights on US 71/Bruce Watkins Drive in Kansas City at. Even getting all of them green still screws up traffic.
Well, I have a rant. I'm not sure if I've ranted about it before or not, but... yeah.
Several streets within the Atlanta city limits are riddled with potholes, because of this Atlanta has a "Pothole Posse." This also extends to the suburbs, such as East Point and Hapeville, just to name a few 'burbs.
Also, lanes aren't always striped well. You can see the cracks in the road, where the asphalt/concrete was laid, but that's not good enough. The other day, I was riding down I-20, just east of Downtown Atlanta, and the HOV double white solid lines were faded.
Lastly, there are too many steel plates placed on the roads... that stay there, it seems, forever. It's not too bad during the day, but nighttime makes it worse. I could be driving down the road, at say, 45 m.p.h., then -- BOOM! POW! KERSPLAT! :-D
Be well,
Bryant
QuoteAhh but you have to know the right situation to do so in. For example it is NOT efficient to get off the highway at a bottleneck. You'll be through it in 5 minutes and moving again anyway, so just stay on. I've always found that true anyway. On the other hand, if you've got a VMS telling you there's an accident, road work, long backup, etc., do try and find an alternate route. However in these situations there is sometimes no alternate route (like on I-64 at the HRBT).
I can't argue with you there since I've never been the Norfolk/Hamption Roads area.
Well, around here. The only VMSs are in Davidson County (Nashville) and same with the traffic reports. In this area, is does usually pay to detour in a major backup. (i.e. The traffic is backed up for a mile or more.) But, as I said earlier, you will find few people following you.
And, even if it's not faster, I'd rather be moving than stop and go.
Rants for today:
* Why do we need a detour route, in this case US 77, to be designated as a work zone, when there is no construction occurring on US 75? Is NDOR getting kickbacks from speeding tickets, so they are trying to get more by doubling fines on the underposted US 77 around Lincoln?
* Why is a detour for NE 2 east of US 77 but west of 9th Street routed on I-80 north of Lincoln, and includes a left turn onto a busy US 6 from an unsignalized exit ramp? Is it that hard to use L55W, which is much less out of the way, and already has a bunch of "TO NE 2" assemblies leading to it on US 77?
* I-80 should not be 65 between NE 63 and NE 66 when all of the work is either occurring at least 30' off the roadway during the day, or after dark with lane closures and a speed limit of 55.
* I-80 does not need to still have a lane closed both ways near the Platte River, given the lack of work. Furthermore, why is this section posted at 75, while the section with no lane closures is 65? And why does traffic go 65 in the work zone posted at 75, yet in the 65 mph work zone everyone else is going 75?
* I hope any "hit a worker in a construction zone" laws have exceptions for workers who seem to try and to get hit by opening a door and stepping out into your lane when you are pretty much right beside them. No, I did not hit the worker, but it was a much closer call than I would have liked, and I was already below the posted limit due to other traffic - and it was after dark. It shouldn't have been that hard for him to wait to exit his vehicle, or find a better spot to park so he could exit his vehicle without pretty much stepping into the only open lane on the highway.
This one might be straying from topic, but I am moderately displeased with Google Books, and maybe somewhat with copyright law. I've turned up a lot of older freeway/transportation planning documents, such as plans for Kansas City, Louisville, and I-580 in Omaha, only to find out the library to access them is 50+ miles away - and likely with the demons known as parking meters around. I'm not going to buy a book without a brief look through, and most of the older studies are not sold anywhere anyway. Since these were studies for major government projects, I feel accessing them should be as easy as accessing streetview.