Left Lane Ends?

[jakeroot]

I FUCKING HATE LEFT LANES ENDING. ALSO WHEN A NEW LEFT LANE IS CREATED. I don't know why but it pisses me off.

Jesus, tone it down Skidrow.

I hate right lanes ending, as they punish those lawfully staying right. Ending the passing lane makes more sense.

[bzakharin]

From what I've seen, the left lane tends to end if there are long-term plans to widen the highway beyond the lane drop by adding lanes in the median or if widening was accomplished by adding a lane in the median. Makes construction easier and lessens impact on existing traffic. Ohio does this quite often, as does New York.

If it's a new lane, how hard is it to re-stripe the other lanes such that the right one ends (assuming this is preferable)? There will have already been multiple temporary re-stripings during construction.

[jeffandnicole]

From what I've seen, the left lane tends to end if there are long-term plans to widen the highway beyond the lane drop by adding lanes in the median or if widening was accomplished by adding a lane in the median. Makes construction easier and lessens impact on existing traffic. Ohio does this quite often, as does New York.

If it's a new lane, how hard is it to re-stripe the other lanes such that the right one ends (assuming this is preferable)? There will have already been multiple temporary re-stripings during construction.

Because it's often not preferable.  And the decision to make the right or left lane end is done by the planners in the offices looking at a whole bunch of statistics, traffic flow counts, etc, a process that general takes many months or years, not in the field as a last second decision.

[cl94]

From what I've seen, the left lane tends to end if there are long-term plans to widen the highway beyond the lane drop by adding lanes in the median or if widening was accomplished by adding a lane in the median. Makes construction easier and lessens impact on existing traffic. Ohio does this quite often, as does New York.

If it's a new lane, how hard is it to re-stripe the other lanes such that the right one ends (assuming this is preferable)? There will have already been multiple temporary re-stripings during construction.

Because it's often not preferable.  And the decision to make the right or left lane end is done by the planners in the offices looking at a whole bunch of statistics, traffic flow counts, etc, a process that general takes many months or years, not in the field as a last second decision.

It is occasionally done, but it typically isn't a great option unless there's a lot of entering traffic relative to what is already on the expressway. This example is such a case during rush hour periods, hence why the lane is added on the right. While AADTs might not look like much, I can tell from being on it that peak hour volumes warrant such a configuration.

[mrsman]

From what I've seen, the left lane tends to end if there are long-term plans to widen the highway beyond the lane drop by adding lanes in the median or if widening was accomplished by adding a lane in the median. Makes construction easier and lessens impact on existing traffic. Ohio does this quite often, as does New York.

If it's a new lane, how hard is it to re-stripe the other lanes such that the right one ends (assuming this is preferable)? There will have already been multiple temporary re-stripings during construction.

Because it's often not preferable.  And the decision to make the right or left lane end is done by the planners in the offices looking at a whole bunch of statistics, traffic flow counts, etc, a process that general takes many months or years, not in the field as a last second decision.

It is occasionally done, but it typically isn't a great option unless there's a lot of entering traffic relative to what is already on the expressway. This example is such a case during rush hour periods, hence why the lane is added on the right. While AADTs might not look like much, I can tell from being on it that peak hour volumes warrant such a configuration.

On the vast majority of highways that I have driven, the lane drops occur on the right.  As is the case on the highway shown by cl94, where a lane addition occurs at an entrance, give the entering traffic their own lane and have thru traffic stay left and on the opposite side, when dropping a lane, drop the rightmost lane into an exit and have the left lanes continue.

I've also seen highways that drop a lane every time they interchange with another major road.  The right lane exits and then traffic from the other road comes in to the highway from the right to form a new right lane.  If this becomes the expectation, then it also make sense to have a lane drop on the right when a highway narrows for good (as in a case where a 6 lane road becomes a 4 lane road as it leaves the metropolitan area.)

Yet, in situations where KREPT is enforced, it would make more sense to drop the left lane, as presumably, there would be less traffic in the left lane then the other lanes.

[bzakharin]

I've also seen highways that drop a lane every time they interchange with another major road.  The right lane exits and then traffic from the other road comes in to the highway from the right to form a new right lane.  If this becomes the expectation, then it also make sense to have a lane drop on the right when a highway narrows for good (as in a case where a 6 lane road becomes a 4 lane road as it leaves the metropolitan area.)

Wow, I've never seen that, except on 42/76 North/West and on I-295 North (where it's the *left* lane that does this) in NJ through that interchange, but that is going away. Where is this consistently done?

[odditude]

I've also seen highways that drop a lane every time they interchange with another major road.  The right lane exits and then traffic from the other road comes in to the highway from the right to form a new right lane.  If this becomes the expectation, then it also make sense to have a lane drop on the right when a highway narrows for good (as in a case where a 6 lane road becomes a 4 lane road as it leaves the metropolitan area.)

Wow, I've never seen that, except on 42/76 North/West and on I-295 North (where it's the *left* lane that does this) in NJ through that interchange, but that is going away. Where is this consistently done?

I-95 in Philly, for one.

[mrsman]

I've also seen highways that drop a lane every time they interchange with another major road.  The right lane exits and then traffic from the other road comes in to the highway from the right to form a new right lane.  If this becomes the expectation, then it also make sense to have a lane drop on the right when a highway narrows for good (as in a case where a 6 lane road becomes a 4 lane road as it leaves the metropolitan area.)

Wow, I've never seen that, except on 42/76 North/West and on I-295 North (where it's the *left* lane that does this) in NJ through that interchange, but that is going away. Where is this consistently done?

I-95 in Philly, for one.

Two different types of situations:

First, is the sitaution where every exit forces a right lane must exit, and every entrance becomes an exit only lane for the next exit.  In California, a must exit lane like this is denoted with thick white broken paint, known as "elephant tracks" and can be seen on this stretch of US 101 in Agoura Hills:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Agoura+Hills,+CA/@34.1433704,-118.7442362,355m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x80e8211e23aa1c95:0xac0ef6ae2ddffdd6!6m1!1e1

The second situation, which is what I was contemplating, was where the right lane will normally continue, but at a MAJOR road (like another freeway), the lane will exit.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sawtelle,+Los+Angeles,+CA/@34.0313225,-118.4336304,197m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x80c2bb63292faa89:0xbc2ba15575fd9c5b

In this example, I-10 is normally a 4-4 freeway.  Eastbound, the entrance from Bundy Drive (one exit west of I-405) adds an extra lane to the right, so now there are 5 lanes.  But the right 2 lanes force an exit onto I-405, so only the left 3 lanes continue on I-10 through the interchange.  Then, 2 new lanes from I-405 join from the right.  The 5th lane forces an exit at Overland Ave, and then 4 lanes continue eastbound, with a 5th lane coming from the Overland entrance.

Something similar occurs westbound and at many other interchanges in the LA area.

Given that this is an expectation in the LA area, that the right lane may end at a freeway interchange, it would make sense to end a lane on the right and not on the left.

[Buffaboy]

Here is one (of many) I know in the Buffalo area. This is on the Milestrip Expressway:

[Zzonkmiles]

What is that yellow stripe in that picture? Is that a feature unique to New York roads that means the lane is ending? It seems mildly confusing because solid yellow lines typically indicate the lane boundaries in construction zones.

[iBallasticwolf2]

What is that yellow stripe in that picture? Is that a feature unique to New York roads that means the lane is ending? It seems mildly confusing because solid yellow lines typically indicate the lane boundaries in construction zones.

That is GSV showing the road.

[jeffandnicole]

What is that yellow stripe in that picture? Is that a feature unique to New York roads that means the lane is ending? It seems mildly confusing because solid yellow lines typically indicate the lane boundaries in construction zones.

If you look closely, you can see the yellow stripe on the right shoulder of the opposing direction of travel as well. And I've never heard of a yellow line indicating anything specific in a construction zone.

[bassoon1986]

I know of one instance for sure in Louisiana but I feel like I've seen more and can't picture where. I-20 westbound leaving Shreveport just west of the Pines Rd. exit returns from 3 back to 2 westbound lanes.

[mariethefoxy]

NY 27 Sunrise Highway has a Left Lane drop past Exit 53 or 54, I forget which one but its east of Nichols Road and NY 112.

NY 135 has a Left Lane drop North of Exit 13W, but the highway is about to end shortly after so it doesn't really matter.

All the other ones are Right Lane ends like when the HOV Lane ends on I-495 in Medford, the right hand lane ends and the HOV lane that just ended becomes the left lane.

The lane drop on Northern State Parkway is an Exit Only situation for the Wantagh Parkway, same thing for when the rightmost lane ends on the Southern State parkway and it drops from 4 to 3 lanes going Eastbound at Exit 18 Eagle Ave.

[PHLBOS]

What is that yellow stripe in that picture? Is that a feature unique to New York roads that means the lane is ending? It seems mildly confusing because solid yellow lines typically indicate the lane boundaries in construction zones.

If you look closely, you can see the yellow stripe on the right shoulder of the opposing direction of travel as well. And I've never heard of a yellow line indicating anything specific in a construction zone.

Courtesy of GSV.

[ghYHZ]

The law, and basic driving rule, is to keep right except to pass.  Thus, in my opinion, the left lane is always the one that should end.  This re-enforces keeping traffic to the right.  If it was the right than that ends, traffic has a tendency to keep to the left, and that breaks down the efficient flow of traffic.

Truck climbing lanes are an exception - the lane is purposely there for unusually slow moving vehicles. 

Here's how Newfoundland does it.......the Centre (or Left) Lane yields to the Right Lane (and it's marked on the asphalt)









.....and at the end of the most easterly freeway in North America (TCH 1 in St. John's)......they don't actually drop a lane. They just continue in different directions