Roadgeek Rants and Raves

[un1]

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)

[74/171FAN]

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)

[ComputerGuy]

WSDOT: Delay this, delay that...

[Revive 755]

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.

[Alex]

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.

[ComputerGuy]

Here's my latest rant:

I-605!!!

[Alex]

I-605, mentioned for the 10th time by you.

[ComputerGuy]

Yep...maybe a I-190 and I-105...

[corco]

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

[ComputerGuy]

I drive on SR-18 from Tacoma to Snoqualmie Pass from my relatvies' home

[Bryant5493]

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

[OracleUsr]

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?

[Duke87]

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

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.

[Bryant5493]

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

[akotchi]

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.

[Revive 755]

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.

[un1]

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...
(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)

[Crazy Volvo Guy]

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

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:



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":



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.

[Bryant5493]

^^ 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

[DrZoidberg]

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.

[deathtopumpkins]

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.

[74/171FAN]

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.

[Chris]

Such traffic signals on wires are uncommon in Europe, they're either temporary or considered something for the third world frankly.

[Bryant5493]

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

[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.