Ramps

[AsphaltPlanet]

Ontario builds a lot of quick little right turn tapers at major intersections such as this:







Are these common in any other jurisdiction?  Post pictures if they are available.

[Roadsguy]

Here in America (the northeast at least), they're used a lot and are commonly called "porkchops."

Examples:
-http://maps.google.com/?ll=40.098366,-75.353009&spn=0.002384,0.005284&t=m&z=18
-http://maps.google.com/?ll=40.007286,-75.124673&spn=0.004775,0.010568&t=m&z=17 (Google shows one porkchop as a tunnel )
-http://maps.google.com/?ll=40.152112,-75.000197&spn=0.004764,0.010568&t=m&z=17

[NE2]

Never heard 'porkchop' before.

Mississippi seems to use them at almost every rural state highway intersection.

[Dr Frankenstein]

Québec does use them, maybe not as extensively as Ontario.

http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Rue+Principale+%26+Rue+du+Pont,+Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague,+QC&hl=fr&ie=UTF8&ll=45.215362,-73.993306&spn=0.010657,0.01929&sll=45.215271,-73.993038&sspn=0.002679,0.004823&hnear=Rue+Principale+%26+Rue+du+Pont,+Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague,+Beauharnois-Salaberry,+Qu%C3%A9bec+J0S+1T0&t=m&z=16
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Mont%C3%A9e+de+Wakenham+%26+Rue+Adam,+Gasp%C3%A9&hl=fr&ie=UTF8&sll=48.840472,-64.591048&sspn=0.009617,0.01929&hnear=Mont%C3%A9e+de+Wakeham+%26+Rue+Adams,+Gasp%C3%A9,+La+C%C3%B4te-de-Gasp%C3%A9,+Qu%C3%A9bec&t=m&z=16
http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Boulevard+Monseigneur-Langlois+%26+Boulevard+H%C3%A9bert,+Salaberry-de-Valleyfield&hl=fr&ie=UTF8&sll=53.796105,-68.44248&sspn=37.035136,79.013672&hnear=Boulevard+H%C3%A9bert+%26+Boulevard+Monseigneur-Langlois,+Saint-Timoth%C3%A9e,+Beauharnois-Salaberry,+Qu%C3%A9bec&t=m&z=16

[kphoger]

As has been mentioned before, these are not called porkchops.  Porkchops are the islands in the entrance/exits of business parking lots (example here).  They're called that due to their shape.  I don't remember if we reached an agreement on what these little ramps are called or not.  I had been calling them slips, but that apparently refers to the exchanges between frontage roads and mainline lanes.

[NE2]

The official term is "channelized right-turn lane". How about 'chart' as a cutesy acronym?

[deathtopumpkins]

I have always heard either "slip lane" or if you want to be technical, what NE2 said, "channelized right turn lane"

Never heard of porkchops before. I always just called them median islands.

[DaBigE]

Around here, those situations in the OP's photos would be called slip lanes, right-turn bypasses, or channelized right-turn lanes. Porkchops are much smaller and don't have any grass in them.

[formulanone]

I call them "Oh cool, I might not have to stop...thanks for buying up that right of way!"

[/carrying constant entry speed into accelerating exit speed, possible chirp from tire if nobody around]

[roadfro]

Channelized right turn would be the traffic engineering jargon associated with the OP's pictures. In essence, they are a right turn bypass of the intersection, when there is a dropped lane upstream of the turn and an added lane downstream of the turn.

A "porkchop" typically refers to the small island separating a right turn movement from other movements at an intersection, not the turn lane itself. There is not necessarily a dropped or added lane associated with a porkchop island.

Although I'm not familiar with the term porkchop referring to a right-in-right-out (RIRO) intersection or driveway, I suppose a RIRO island could be called as such.

[hm insulators]

Gee, and I always thought porkchops were something you simmered in a skillet with a can of mushroom soup.

There's a channelized right-turn ramp (or something similar) southbound 7th Street to westbound Indian School Road in Phoenix.

[empirestate]

As far as the U.S. goes, a more efficient question would be, is there any place these are not common? Or is there something about the Ontario version that's less run-of-the-mill than I'm noticing? Conversely, of course, since to me these seem as ordinary as squirrels in my backyard, are they in fact a rare sight in Canada?

[kphoger]

As far as the U.S. goes, a more efficient question would be, is there any place these are not common? Or is there something about the Ontario version that's less run-of-the-mill than I'm noticing? Conversely, of course, since to me these seem as ordinary as squirrels in my backyard, are they in fact a rare sight in Canada?

While they may be used in many places, I can't think of too many places where I'd say they were common.  It seems to me that Missouri is fond of them, but I don't know if it's the whole state or just the region I typically visit (southwest).

[The High Plains Traveler]

As far as the U.S. goes, a more efficient question would be, is there any place these are not common? Or is there something about the Ontario version that's less run-of-the-mill than I'm noticing? Conversely, of course, since to me these seem as ordinary as squirrels in my backyard, are they in fact a rare sight in Canada?

While they may be used in many places, I can't think of too many places where I'd say they were common.  It seems to me that Missouri is fond of them, but I don't know if it's the whole state or just the region I typically visit (southwest).

Colorado loves them. Often you have only a painted island (which probably qualifies as a porkchop) to separate you from the through lanes upon turning. My daily turn without stopping, pictured here, into a 1/4 mile long acceleration lane when oncoming traffic is traveling 65 mph is always interesting - more for what the oncoming traffic in the right lane will do if they're not aware I'm not turning into their path.

[Duke87]

The city of Stamford (CT) removed one a couple years ago to make the intersection more pedestrian friendly. Compare the Street View here, which shows the old configuration, to the satellite image, which shows the new configuration. Two of the other corners were also bumped out.

I wouldn't say they're universally popular. Removing them is traffic calming, after all, and you are likely to find examples of such in urban areas.

[kphoger]

And here I thought islands were considered pedestrian refuges....

[empirestate]

I wouldn't say they're universally popular. Removing them is traffic calming, after all, and you are likely to find examples of such in urban areas.

Heck, they're removing one right up the block from me, along with adding new sidewalk neckdowns and more median islands. Although in this case, the porkchop became superfluous many years ago when the street it's on was converted to a one-way in the opposite direction...

As for popularity, I'd say they're most prevalent in suburban locations, but in such areas, they tend to be found in huge numbers in all parts of the country.

[Duke87]

And here I thought islands were considered pedestrian refuges....

In the middle of a street they are. But when you have a channelized right turn like this, they are not, because traffic freely flows through it constantly. Removing it forces right turning traffic to stop at a red signal and yield to pedestrians rather than just blowing through, and gives the peds the full protection of a walk signal whereas previously they had none crossing the right turn ramp.

[formulanone]

As far as the U.S. goes, a more efficient question would be, is there any place these are not common?

Florida rarely uses them, although you'll find them occasionally in some places where intersections meet at unusual angles.

[Revive 755]

The city of Stamford (CT) removed one a couple years ago to make the intersection more pedestrian friendly. Compare the Street View here, which shows the old configuration, to the satellite image, which shows the new configuration. Two of the other corners were also bumped out.

That modification in the NW quadrant doesn't look well designed; the curb should stay straighter instead of cutting back in.  Could be a liability issue if someone has a problem in a time of adverse weather or after dark.

[mcdonaat]

Mississippi uses them at almost nearly rural highway, as noted above. I wish MORE of them were done, since it can let traffic flow without stopping if turning right.

[theline]

There once was a right turn ramp here, where NB Indiana 67, co-signed with US 27, takes a right turn toward Ohio:


The ramp was demolished many years ago, as was a motel on that corner. It was a sweeping, banked ramp. I think that the stubs connecting at both ends are still visible. I believe the path between them was improvised, perhaps for temporary truck storage.

I remember it from my childhood, in the late 50's and early 60's. Even then I thought it was silly, because this part of 67 has always been lightly traveled.

[vtk]

I like my term for these things: Ramplet. 

[cpzilliacus]

And here I thought islands were considered pedestrian refuges....

In the middle of a street they are. But when you have a channelized right turn like this, they are not, because traffic freely flows through it constantly. Removing it forces right turning traffic to stop at a red signal and yield to pedestrians rather than just blowing through, and gives the peds the full protection of a walk signal whereas previously they had none crossing the right turn ramp.

I believe that this is one reason why Maryland has discouraged their use, now favoring roundabouts (when possible) instead.

[agentsteel53]

I like my term for these things: Ramplet.

that's a good one!  I generally call them "cutoff ramps".