Video: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Roads-Travel_mich_left_213414_7.swf (http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Roads-Travel_mich_left_213414_7.swf)
I have a love/hate relationship with these
I have yet to do one myself (have not been to Michigan that much...) but I'm pretty sure I'll be royally confused when I do one....... :rolleyes:
I grew up with these, and my first time driving out of the state I wondered why they didnt have them (it was Ohio). Thats why I love them, simply because I grew up with them, but I just hate the extra driving involved..
Theyre starting to get rid of them in some places, I know Telegraph Rd/Eureka Rd in Taylor doesnt use them anymore.
sometimes I do that voluntarily. Some intersections - for example, small street intersecting an 8-lane boulevard - are marked only with a stop sign and a left turn is next to impossible... so one makes the right and the U-turn whenever they can.
Pretty straightforward. It cuts down on left turn congestion at traffic signals, but I'm sure it gets congested in the U-turn lanes.
Be well,
Bryant
Some places it's faster to do a Michigan left than wait for the traffic light to change.
There is consideration of using a Michigan left instead of a SPUI for the MO 100/Hanley Road intersection around St. Louis.
I'm a little confused about the premise behind Michigan lefts. When I was in Michigan in 2007, even little side streets are prohibited from taking left turns, and so I had to go south and take the U-turn. So, what is the idea behind M-lefts?
cutting down on left turns cuts down on congestion, both on the side streets as people wait, and due to people on the mainline having to brake for people making daredevil lefts.
the fewer left turns in an interchange, the better.
Take out the left-hand turns at an intersection and potentially take out a phase of the traffic signals (if they are protected turns). More roads should be geared toward moving through traffic.
Mi. Lefts have become just second nature growing up with them all my life. and for those of you that do not know, when the U-turn area is wide enough for two cars but dosent have two entrance lanes, this does not mean that u can take a wider turn just to get in front of the car that was originally in front of you. this only makes the inside car blind to cars that are driving by. PLEASE do not do this! :D
Thats so my pet peeve about driving in michigan
Try driving in Grayling, MI on the I-75 Business Loop. Going north you must crossover the median to go SB and vice versa. Kinda a pain sometimes, mainly in the winter. Otherwise its not bad going with the flow of traffic.
If anyone drives through Columbus, OH (near Westerville), on SR-161 W at Buenos Aires/Strawberry Farms, you find a "Michigan Left." It's the only way to turn left on Strawberry Farms Blvd. In Columbus of all places!!!!
Quote from: juscuz410 on March 06, 2009, 06:26:32 PM
If anyone drives through Columbus, OH (near Westerville), on SR-161 W at Buenos Aires/Strawberry Farms, you find a "Michigan Left." It's the only way to turn left on Strawberry Farms Blvd. In Columbus of all places!!!!
So, do they call it an "Ohio State Left?" :bread:
The very idea of a Michigan left is unheard of here in NY, where U-turns are prohibited (except on certain roads that allow them at interchanges, such as NY 104 in Wayne county and NY 332 north of Canandaigua) and it's discouraged to make a turn into a lane other than the nearest (ex: if you make a right turn, you should go into the rightmost lane, and if you make a left turn, you should go to the leftmost lane. Many people ignore this, especially if they are going to make another turn soon).
At first, it looked stupid, but then I realized I did that myself a few times. When the wait for the left turn was too long, I just go straight, make a U-turn at the next intersection, then turn right. Turning right to turn left could work too, but then I'd have to wait for the light coming back.
Quote from: deanej on March 07, 2009, 01:38:20 PM
The very idea of a Michigan left is unheard of here in NY, where U-turns are prohibited (except on certain roads that allow them at interchanges, such as NY 104 in Wayne county and NY 332 north of Canandaigua) and it's discouraged to make a turn into a lane other than the nearest (ex: if you make a right turn, you should go into the rightmost lane, and if you make a left turn, you should go to the leftmost lane. Many people ignore this, especially if they are going to make another turn soon).
Well true U-turns are prohibited here in Michigan too. Every instance I've seen of a "Michigan left turn" involves a median in the roadway with a turnaround lane in the median past the traffic signal.
One would wonder what's worse, Michigan lefts or jughandles :crazy:
I drove in New Jersey in Feb 2008 and I hated them!!!! :pan:
Almost every intersection in NOLA is the same way, sometimes even with lights just for the u-turn
LMFAO!
Michigan lefts work really well when M-DOT signalizes the hell out of them, like in most of the urban and suburban areas of the state, which always makes me wonder because for that much signalized traffic control you could just have traditional left turn lanes and cut out the middle man. Also, I have seen instances though, where the traffic waiting to make the U-turn portion of the turn backs up into the intersection at Michigan Lefts that are controlled only by stop signs. On the Marquette bypass there is an intersection with Michigan Lefts and an intersection with traditional left turn lanes that come right in order, at M-553/McClellan Ave. and Grove St, respectively if you are coming from the west.
I've seen quite a few Michigan lefts in the Detroit area when I went there last week - they were confusing at first, but I felt that these were easier to negotiate than Jersey jughandles (U-turns are easier) - This was my first experience with Michigan Lefts.
This is why many Michigan divided highways/boulevards like US 12, US 24, M-1, M-3, etc. in the Metro Detroit area, along with the divided portions of the East Beltline in the Grand Rapids area, are designed with medians wider than those in other states. In fact, many of the ones in the Detroit area have a 204-ft. wide right-of-way, to accomodate those wider medians.
Hell they use freeways as medians :sombrero:
Here, most new avenues and divided highways have michigan lefts. Some of the older avenues, and some maintained by the local municipality don't have any, simply because there isn't enough traffic.
I think Metro Parkway in Macomb County has the widest median i've ever seen, in Detroit at least..with michigan lefts of course
Actually, I think that distinction could go more so to M-59, 4 miles to the north, between M-53 and I-94.
^ thats the road I was thinking of actually :)
And there's a creek in the middle east of 94
Quote from: rawr apples on May 27, 2009, 01:45:05 AM
I think Metro Parkway in Macomb County has the widest median i've ever seen, in Detroit at least..with michigan lefts of course
Metro Parkway is old, considering that it's widening happened sometime in the late 40's.
Yeah since I am a Michigan native and Resident, I do enjoy the Michigan Lefts. The only problem that i have with them is that since I live near a major road that you have to turn right and then go about .3 of a mile out of the way if you want to go north. so it adds about .6 miles to your commute. In addition when coming from the northbound, I have to drive an additional .5 mile out of my way just to make the left. Sometime I just use the nearest local road and drive though the subdivisions to go onto the main roads. But yea, I do like when you get all the green lights and you can just cruse on a divided highway for miles at 50-55mph without stopping like an expressway if you time the lights right and keep the right speed. It increases my fuel economy drastically, since I don't have to hit the break often as compared to a regular two lane road with normal intersections. :spin: :spin: :nod: :biggrin: :biggrin:
Sorry to resurrect a dead thread, but on the subject of Michigan Lefts (which I have very limited experience with, having only really driven on the UP and in far southern Michigan excluding Monroe County), are they often signed like this?
http://classic.wunderground.com/wximage/viewsingleimage.html?mode=singleimage&handle=Hornak&number=29&thumbstart=1&gallery=CURRWEATHER
Quote from: froggie on March 05, 2014, 08:27:34 AM
Sorry to resurrect a dead thread, but on the subject of Michigan Lefts (which I have very limited experience with, having only really driven on the UP and in far southern Michigan excluding Monroe County), are they often signed like this?
http://classic.wunderground.com/wximage/viewsingleimage.html?mode=singleimage&handle=Hornak&number=29&thumbstart=1&gallery=CURRWEATHER
Yes. That's very common for signing a Michigan Left from a cross street.
I was driving in Fishers, Indiana recently, and when I wanted to make a left at the intersection of 96th and Allisonville Rd. I was shocked to find out that you could no longer make any left turns and that you had to take a right and then make a u-turn. I thought this was the stupidest thing ever! After doing some research I found out that this was a Michigan left. This is the first one I have ever seen in Indiana.
Moral of the story, Michigan lefts are stupid!
As a Hoosier, I can say that Michigan lefts are fine as they are. Simply put, the 96th/Allisonville intersection wasn't the best location for them. They seem to work best on divided highways.
Quote from: billtm on May 10, 2014, 11:59:36 AM
I was driving in Fishers, Indiana recently, and when I wanted to make a left at the intersection of 96th and Allisonville Rd. I was shocked to find out that you could no longer make any left turns and that you had to take a right and then make a u-turn. I thought this was the stupidest thing ever! After doing some research I found out that this was a Michigan left. This is the first one I have ever seen in Indiana.
Moral of the story, Michigan lefts are stupid!
Anyone who has spent any amount of time in Michigan (I live in Michigan) will disagree. Yeah, they make left turns inconvenient, but they sure help traffic going straight or turning right since signals can be two-cycle instead of three- or four-cycle. They also cut down on the number of accidents and reduce the possibility of gridlock.
Quote from: mhh on May 10, 2014, 11:18:22 PM
Quote from: billtm on May 10, 2014, 11:59:36 AM
I was driving in Fishers, Indiana recently, and when I wanted to make a left at the intersection of 96th and Allisonville Rd. I was shocked to find out that you could no longer make any left turns and that you had to take a right and then make a u-turn. I thought this was the stupidest thing ever! After doing some research I found out that this was a Michigan left. This is the first one I have ever seen in Indiana.
Moral of the story, Michigan lefts are stupid!
Anyone who has spent any amount of time in Michigan (I live in Michigan) will disagree. Yeah, they make left turns inconvenient, but they sure help traffic going straight or turning right since signals can be two-cycle instead of three- or four-cycle. They also cut down on the number of accidents and reduce the possibility of gridlock.
Much agreed. I love Michigan Lefts, and even create my own as necessary to make left turns on or off a divided highway. I do wish IDOT would get their act together and use them here in Illinois.
Quote from: froggie on March 05, 2014, 08:27:34 AM
Sorry to resurrect a dead thread, but on the subject of Michigan Lefts (which I have very limited experience with, having only really driven on the UP and in far southern Michigan excluding Monroe County), are they often signed like this?
http://classic.wunderground.com/wximage/viewsingleimage.html?mode=singleimage&handle=Hornak&number=29&thumbstart=1&gallery=CURRWEATHER
I couldn't get the image to load.
I sometimes do my own "Michigan Lefts" at certain intersections in my town where a quick right and a U-ey at the first legal turnaround will get me through the intersection (and the synchronized intersection thereafter) faster than waiting at the left turn signal.
https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zkCtXrcLsabc.kGxHc1LN5Scg
Quote from: hbelkins on May 11, 2014, 01:20:39 PM
Quote from: froggie on March 05, 2014, 08:27:34 AM
Sorry to resurrect a dead thread, but on the subject of Michigan Lefts (which I have very limited experience with, having only really driven on the UP and in far southern Michigan excluding Monroe County), are they often signed like this?
http://classic.wunderground.com/wximage/viewsingleimage.html?mode=singleimage&handle=Hornak&number=29&thumbstart=1&gallery=CURRWEATHER
I couldn't get the image to load.
Here's one for you!
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.claimsjournal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F08%2FMDOT_Michleft_signs2_186089_7.jpg&hash=7c7e49b9106f3818014c559b2de8339477e20921)
And how they are placed in the wild:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fsamanthamenzies.com%2Fhome%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F06%2FMichigan-Left.jpg&hash=af7b5bc99ecfc29ec8c1ac0a407bc85d799d4381)
There's also the overly diagrammatic version: http://goo.gl/maps/59HMn
And the simple version: http://goo.gl/maps/WwC3H (If you back up, you'll see "NO LEFT TURN AT BROADMOOR AVE" followed by "BROADMOOR AVE KEEP RIGHT" before the intersection.)
Quote from: thenetwork on May 11, 2014, 02:08:59 PM
I sometimes do my own "Michigan Lefts" at certain intersections in my town where a quick right and a U-ey at the first legal turnaround will get me through the intersection (and the synchronized intersection thereafter) faster than waiting at the left turn signal.
https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zkCtXrcLsabc.kGxHc1LN5Scg
Says I need permission to access it... maybe because that looks like the URL to edit it?
Wisconsin is just starting to catch on to these, but they could use a lot more of them, particularly when they more heavily use divided streets in cities.
Quote from: getemngo on May 11, 2014, 02:23:20 PM
There's also the overly diagrammatic version: http://goo.gl/maps/59HMn
More like overly
generic.
Quote from: getemngo on May 11, 2014, 02:23:20 PM
And the simple version: http://goo.gl/maps/WwC3H (If you back up, you'll see "NO LEFT TURN AT BROADMOOR AVE" followed by "BROADMOOR AVE KEEP RIGHT" before the intersection.)
Quote from: thenetwork on May 11, 2014, 02:08:59 PM
I sometimes do my own "Michigan Lefts" at certain intersections in my town where a quick right and a U-ey at the first legal turnaround will get me through the intersection (and the synchronized intersection thereafter) faster than waiting at the left turn signal.
https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zkCtXrcLsabc.kGxHc1LN5Scg
Says I need permission to access it... maybe because that looks like the URL to edit it?
Should be fixed...
Osceola, MO has one
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.073409,-93.700182,3a,75y,282.61h,72.41t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sdnAelncouqmpKnJqzbJWzg!2e0
Quote from: Brandon on May 11, 2014, 10:46:18 AM
Much agreed. I love Michigan Lefts, and even create my own as necessary to make left turns on or off a divided highway. I do wish IDOT would get their act together and use them here in Illinois.
The IL-56/Butterfield Road upgrade included a couple "unofficial" (read: unsigned) Michigan lefts. They really should be used more often.