AARoads Forum

National Boards => General Highway Talk => Traffic Control => Topic started by: roadman65 on December 31, 2020, 10:56:03 AM

Title: Strange arrows on pavement
Post by: roadman65 on December 31, 2020, 10:56:03 AM
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/50779528173/in/album-72157633808337073


New ramp lane striping on I-95 near Melbourne, Florida.
Title: Re: Strange arrows on pavement
Post by: UCFKnights on December 31, 2020, 12:02:27 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on December 31, 2020, 10:56:03 AM
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/50779528173/in/album-72157633808337073


New ramp lane striping on I-95 near Melbourne, Florida.
Thats common throughout the state, no? I don't like the placement of that one between 2 turning arrows, usually they're slightly more upstream.
Title: Re: Strange arrows on pavement
Post by: formulanone on December 31, 2020, 01:10:19 PM
Quote from: UCFKnights on December 31, 2020, 12:02:27 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on December 31, 2020, 10:56:03 AM
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/50779528173/in/album-72157633808337073


New ramp lane striping on I-95 near Melbourne, Florida.
Thats common throughout the state, no? I don't like the placement of that one between 2 turning arrows, usually they're slightly more upstream.

Straight-ahead arrows with reflectors are common for exiting the ramp, or midway along them. Not exactly sure why they're in between the left turn arrows, though perhaps there's a red reflective side to prevent wrong-way drivers. (In that case, the reflectors should be on the curved arrow shapes.)
Title: Re: Strange arrows on pavement
Post by: Rothman on December 31, 2020, 01:17:07 PM
Eesh.  That looks like a recipe for disaster.
Title: Re: Strange arrows on pavement
Post by: 1995hoo on December 31, 2020, 01:23:17 PM
Not at all unusual in Florida. I've seen the same in Pembroke Pines and elsewhere. It makes no sense to have the straight-ahead arrows.
Title: Re: Strange arrows on pavement
Post by: webny99 on December 31, 2020, 01:25:11 PM
I'm not familiar with the location (and street view doesn't seem to be up to date), but if it's the northbound ramps, the biggest issue is that you actually can't go straight there (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ellis+Rd,+Melbourne,+FL/@28.0976816,-80.7054147,18.25z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x88de0e92adbc5075:0x97d86553819a6617!8m2!3d28.0989808!4d-80.6952202!5m1!1e1). I only point that out because it's not totally clear from the image.
Title: Re: Strange arrows on pavement
Post by: SkyPesos on December 31, 2020, 01:52:01 PM
The straight arrow on exit ramps by itself isn't uncommon. What is unusual is its placement between the turn arrows. Normally, they're placed before the turn arrows either at the start or the middle of the ramp. Here's an example in my area of what it normally is like
(https://i.imgur.com/zasr92C.png)
Title: Re: Strange arrows on pavement
Post by: US 89 on December 31, 2020, 02:31:05 PM
Quote from: formulanone on December 31, 2020, 01:10:19 PM
Quote from: UCFKnights on December 31, 2020, 12:02:27 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on December 31, 2020, 10:56:03 AM
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/50779528173/in/album-72157633808337073


New ramp lane striping on I-95 near Melbourne, Florida.
Thats common throughout the state, no? I don't like the placement of that one between 2 turning arrows, usually they're slightly more upstream.

Straight-ahead arrows with reflectors are common for exiting the ramp, or midway along them. Not exactly sure why they're in between the left turn arrows, though perhaps there's a red reflective side to prevent wrong-way drivers. (In that case, the reflectors should be on the curved arrow shapes.)

Straight-ahead arrows are extremely common in Georgia, but they're always before any turn-lane markings. Here's an example from I-285 in Atlanta (https://goo.gl/maps/t9CbghkF328L7tTu8).
Title: Re: Strange arrows on pavement
Post by: CoreySamson on December 31, 2020, 03:03:23 PM
The reflectors look a lot like  something I've seen used a lot on exit ramps (https://www.google.com/maps/@29.0650409,-95.4527125,3a,23.4y,187.96h,77.59t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1swqijAt-Wn7KSbGpDhCLX7Q!2e0!7i16384!8i8192) in my area, except these are located much closer to the gore sign, so it's more clear what's going on. I believe they exist to combat wrong-way drivers at night, as the back of each reflector is red. The dumb thing about these is that even though they've all been installed in the past couple years, the glue that holds the reflectors to the tarmac doesn't appear to be that durable (something to do with the heat?) and many of the reflectors get jarred loose by cars running them over, so I don't like them too much.
Title: Re: Strange arrows on pavement
Post by: Amtrakprod on December 31, 2020, 03:15:12 PM
Quote from: roadman65 on December 31, 2020, 10:56:03 AM
https://www.flickr.com/photos/54480415@N08/50779528173/in/album-72157633808337073


New ramp lane striping on I-95 near Melbourne, Florida.
Wrong way arrows. MUTCD compliant and required.


iPhone
Title: Re: Strange arrows on pavement
Post by: Scott5114 on December 31, 2020, 04:15:45 PM
I don't believe they're required. They're not used in any of the states I'm familiar with (OK KS MO TX).
Title: Re: Strange arrows on pavement
Post by: 1995hoo on December 31, 2020, 04:31:01 PM
Here's another example from Pembroke Pines (https://goo.gl/maps/zkF5mNh9PvKxeVMu7) where there are right-turn arrows before the straight arrows. Don't try to click closer, it won't work–for some reason it'll dump you on the highway.

On the other side of the road, you find the same sort of thing (https://goo.gl/maps/iKZgHJnWXo5c9h6a8), and again on the other side of the Interstate (https://goo.gl/maps/mmyXuF3DkzCorBHZ8) on both ramps on that side (https://goo.gl/maps/NadQkC3Nv8v7MuNY8).

I've always thought this is just some sort of FDOT weirdness, though it's not universal throughout the state. In Fort Myers, the straight arrows seem to be placed prior to the turn arrows, which seems more logical (though still unnecessary, IMO, as long as there are good "Do Not Enter" and "Wrong Way" signs posted).
Title: Re: Strange arrows on pavement
Post by: US 89 on December 31, 2020, 04:59:35 PM
Quote from: Amtrakprod on December 31, 2020, 03:15:12 PM
Wrong way arrows. MUTCD compliant and required.

Not required:

Quote from: 2009 MUTCD, Section 3B.20 Pavement Word, Symbol, and Arrow Markings
Option:

37 The wrong-way arrow markings shown in Drawing D in Figure 3B-24 may be placed near the downstream terminus of a ramp as shown in Figures 2B-18 and 2B-19, or at other locations where lane-use arrows are not appropriate, to indicate the correct direction of traffic flow and to discourage drivers from traveling in the wrong direction.
Title: Re: Strange arrows on pavement
Post by: hotdogPi on December 31, 2020, 05:03:49 PM
Shouldn't a left or right turn lane arrow facing the opposite direction from the way you're going instantly tell you that you're going the wrong way?
Title: Re: Strange arrows on pavement
Post by: UCFKnights on December 31, 2020, 07:15:52 PM
Quote from: 1 on December 31, 2020, 05:03:49 PM
Shouldn't a left or right turn lane arrow facing the opposite direction from the way you're going instantly tell you that you're going the wrong way?
They aren't highlighted with reflectors that have the arrow in red when you're going the wrong way at night. Assuming you remembered to turn your lights on while you were drunk.
Title: Re: Strange arrows on pavement
Post by: jakeroot on January 17, 2021, 05:37:27 PM
Quote from: UCFKnights on December 31, 2020, 07:15:52 PM
Quote from: 1 on December 31, 2020, 05:03:49 PM
Shouldn't a left or right turn lane arrow facing the opposite direction from the way you're going instantly tell you that you're going the wrong way?
They aren't highlighted with reflectors that have the arrow in red when you're going the wrong way at night. Assuming you remembered to turn your lights on while you were drunk.

With that in mind: why haven't we dressed up the turn arrows with red reflectors and other stuff?
Title: Re: Strange arrows on pavement
Post by: jeffandnicole on January 17, 2021, 05:53:36 PM
Quote from: UCFKnights on December 31, 2020, 07:15:52 PM
Quote from: 1 on December 31, 2020, 05:03:49 PM
Shouldn't a left or right turn lane arrow facing the opposite direction from the way you're going instantly tell you that you're going the wrong way?
They aren't highlighted with reflectors that have the arrow in red when you're going the wrong way at night. Assuming you remembered to turn your lights on while you were drunk.

The straight arrow for off ramps existed way before roadway reflectors.