Solid-line turn lane separation

[Pete from Boston]

This is apparently common in the Evansville, Indiana area: a lane where a shoulder would normally be, marked off for its full length with a solid line like a shoulder would normally be, that is in fact a right turn lane.

Here's one on the Lloyd Expressway:

http://goo.gl/maps/9HGfb

Is this MUTCD compliant?  Is it common elswhere?

Back east a solid line of this length means "do not cross" and this is counterintuitive for me (ending me up periodically about to turn right from a through lane with someone pulling up on my right also turning).  In my experience, the solid line only covers the last X feet before the stop line, where you are indeed discouraged from switching lanes.

[Brandon]

Sort of like this on Larkin Avenue in Crest Hill, Illinois?

https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=41.552739,-88.1263&spn=0.002172,0.002411&t=h&z=19

Around here, in the Midwest, a single solid line is meant to discourage movement, but not prohibit movement.  People cross them all the time.

[SteveG1988]

http://goo.gl/maps/LKFdQ

US 206 north of NJTP Exit 7, the turn lanes are seperated by a small median

[Revive 755]

Sort of like this on Larkin Avenue in Crest Hill, Illinois?

https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=41.552739,-88.1263&spn=0.002172,0.002411&t=h&z=19

This one might be MUTCD compliant, but it could still be a liability issue for whoever maintains that stretch of road.  I see no arrows or 'only's to indicate that it is a turn lane, not one of the rare sections of shoulder on a curb and gutter section.  IMHO the northern quater of that line should be marked with 2' dash - 6' skip markings.

Could be a section of the MUTCD that needs to be revised for the next edition - seems weak to me to only have arrows for turn lanes that are not part of a lane drop as a should statement.  Figure 3B-27 also seems to contradict the text a little, since the arrows in the left turn lane are not marked as optional.

[NE2]

Around here, in the Midwest, a single solid line is meant to discourage movement, but not prohibit movement.  People cross them all the time.

Same in Florida (and the MUTCD default), though the DMV lies and says you shouldn't cross unless necessary to prevent a crash.

[Brandon]

Sort of like this on Larkin Avenue in Crest Hill, Illinois?

https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=41.552739,-88.1263&spn=0.002172,0.002411&t=h&z=19

This one might be MUTCD compliant, but it could still be a liability issue for whoever maintains that stretch of road.  I see no arrows or 'only's to indicate that it is a turn lane, not one of the rare sections of shoulder on a curb and gutter section.  IMHO the northern quater of that line should be marked with 2' dash - 6' skip markings.

That would be IDOT.  They maintain Larkin north of IL-7 (Theodore St) to just north of US-30 (Plainfield Rd) where it switches to county maintenance.

[deathtopumpkins]

Only place I've ever seen this is on US 258 (Mercury Blvd) in Hampton, VA: http://goo.gl/maps/Ox2f8

[briantroutman]

This has got to be right up there with the "Merge Early - It's the Law" nonsense as a situation where the current state of affairs really sucks. Apparently, even police departments and DMVs can't get it straight. (http://bit.ly/13XW5ch)

"Don't cross a solid line" was one of those unquestionable rules that was drilled into me even before I started driving. I've not seen it listed in any driver's manual, but I try to comply, even in cases where a freeway acceleration lane is bordered as a ridiculously long solid line. And yet you have situations like this–where a turn lane is delineated by a solid line. Based on application, it seems like many DOTs use the solid line to mean "you may cross this line, but don't use this lane to pass".

I've also seen absurdly protracted solid lane lines in construction zones, sometimes for the entire work area. So I find myself momentarily boxed in behind a gravel truck as a work zone begins–and they're telling me I need to creep along at 35 with rocks raining down on my windshield for five miles even once the other lanes are perfectly clear?

It's inconsistency like this that fosters disregard for traffic laws in general.

[djsinco]

The "barrier line" is a solid line that is misused in thousands of examples. Most drivers ignore them anyway. However, I learned last year, the Bergen County (NJ) sheriff's office will gladly write a ticket for touching the last 36 inches of one.

This was the case when a couple of friendly drivers on Rt 17 in Paramus sped up to prevent me from "getting ahead" of them while trying to safely merge. The fathead cop should have written the ticket to them. I fully understand that traffic already on the highway has the ROW, but speeding up to close a gap is a pretty shitty move...

[deathtopumpkins]

"Don't cross a solid line" was one of those unquestionable rules that was drilled into me even before I started driving. I've not seen it listed in any driver's manual, but I try to comply, even in cases where a freeway acceleration lane is bordered as a ridiculously long solid line. And yet you have situations like this–where a turn lane is delineated by a solid line. Based on application, it seems like many DOTs use the solid line to mean "you may cross this line, but don't use this lane to pass".

Learning to drive in Virginia, I was taught that a single solid line means that crossing it is discouraged, but not prohibited, while crossing a double solid line is prohibited.
Then I got pulled over for changing lanes across a single solid white line after someone slammed on their brakes in front of me.

I've also seen absurdly protracted solid lane lines in construction zones, sometimes for the entire work area. So I find myself momentarily boxed in behind a gravel truck as a work zone begins–and they're telling me I need to creep along at 35 with rocks raining down on my windshield for five miles even once the other lanes are perfectly clear?

Massachusetts has a problem with this. For a while now 128 (95) has had solid lane lines from Washington St west to around US 3, as they've been rebuilding the median and repaving. Even after they finished the eastern section of construction, and shifted the lanes back into their regular spots, the new lines they painted are still solid.

[kphoger]

This is apparently common in the Evansville, Indiana area: a lane where a shoulder would normally be, marked off for its full length with a solid line like a shoulder would normally be, that is in fact a right turn lane.

Here's one on the Lloyd Expressway:

http://goo.gl/maps/9HGfb

Is this MUTCD compliant?  Is it common elswhere?

Back east a solid line of this length means "do not cross" and this is counterintuitive for me (ending me up periodically about to turn right from a through lane with someone pulling up on my right also turning).  In my experience, the solid line only covers the last X feet before the stop line, where you are indeed discouraged from switching lanes.

In this case, it is not actually necessary to cross the solid white line to get into that lane.  If you track back to the west a ways, you'll see that the lane actually splits off from the rightmost through lane in a typical fashion.  So, basically, it's just a normal turn lane that's quite a bit longer than normal.

We have a similar situation here in Wichita, except for left turns rather than right turns.  Rock Road between K-96 and 37th Street has dual continuous left-turn lanes separated from the through lanes by solid white lines.  However, just as in your example, there technically is a gap at the beginning of each one, which means a driver doesn't technically have to cross a solid white line to enter the lane.

Around here, in the Midwest, a single solid line is meant to discourage movement, but not prohibit movement.  People cross them all the time.

The federal MUTCD agrees that a single solid white line should be used to discourage lane changes, while a double solid white line should be used to prohibit lane changes.  However, keep reading.

7. Q: Does a solid white lane line prohibit crossing to change lanes on the approach to an intersection?

A: MUTCD Section 3B.04 says to use a single solid white line to "discourage" crossing the lane line and a double white line to prohibit crossing it. A single solid white line is used for a variety of lines that drivers should be discouraged from crossing in "normal" situations but which drivers do need to cross in some situations. An example is the "edge line"---the line that separates the rightmost travel lane from the shoulder. The single solid white line discourages crossing onto the shoulder but does not prohibit it because it is obviously desirable and/or necessary to cross it in some situations, such as an emergency stop. The MUTCD sets the national standards for pavement markings, but it does not establish what the laws of the individual States may define as the legal meanings of various types of lines in each State. Some States may have laws that prohibit crossing a single solid white line in specific circumstances. Some states also have laws that go beyond just the meaning of the lines, by making certain driving maneuvers illegal under certain situations regardless of the markings, such as changing lanes when it is "unsafe to do so".

http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/knowledge/faqs/faq_part3.htm#q7

The "barrier line" is a solid line that is misused in thousands of examples. Most drivers ignore them anyway. However, I learned last year, the Bergen County (NJ) sheriff's office will gladly write a ticket for touching the last 36 inches of one.

This was the case when a couple of friendly drivers on Rt 17 in Paramus sped up to prevent me from "getting ahead" of them while trying to safely merge. The fathead cop should have written the ticket to them. I fully understand that traffic already on the highway has the ROW, but speeding up to close a gap is a pretty shitty move...

An action doesn't have to be illegal for a cop to write you a ticket for it.  They're human, they make mistakes, they haven't memorized the Vehicle Code verbatim.  The real question is, does New Jersey have a law restricting the crossing of solid white lines?  I've tried looking through Title 39, but it's a headache, and I didn't see anything anyway.  Perhaps someone more familiar with New Jersey's laws could shed light on that?