Texas

[wxfree]

My description wasn't entirely descriptive.  I don't mean a dead end with an informal ramp.  I'm referring to an intersection in which traffic on one road has no legal public way to go other than back.  I've seen them at right angles, converging L intersections.  That's inconvenient, but it's much easier to notice the direction restriction.  The one I found today is worse.  It's not really an intersection, but a transition from ramp to frontage road.  If it were all one-way it would be perfectly normal, but with two-way traffic it's much too easy to follow the natural movement along the slight angle into opposing traffic.  They could pave another 50 feet or so of frontage road, with a normal yield where the ramp comes in, and then put in a regular dead end, and add a sign at the last intersection.  Or tear out the ramp, tolerate an informal ramp, and use the next exit to the east as the proper route.  There's almost nothing there, anyway.

[sprjus4]

Interim build- two lanes (one lane in each direction) separated by a 68' grassy median.

I don't recall ever driving on a highway/freeway/tollway with one lane in each direction separated by a median.

IIIRC, CA120 from Manteca to I5 was one lane each way with a median before it's current configuration was built.

CA-132 in Modesto was recently built like this as well. 2 lane freeway with a large median on a 4 lane right of way.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/cGvWz3Bk8eypssgc8

[CoreySamson]

* Drivers turning left seem pretty timid, I've missed several lights when the driver in front didn't inch out;

If I'm remembering correctly, much of Texas is behind on the times when it comes to permissive lefts (with the exception of minor cross streets). I would say the majority of Texan traffic signals on major arterials and highways only allow protected lefts, with FYAs a recent invention. Picking a random intersection in San Antonio, it was still protected-only up until 2021: https://maps.app.goo.gl/BfPjkgEiq1Wbp78v5

My hometown only switched to FYAs in the past 3 years, and many new intersections are being built even today around here with only protected lefts. As a result, I would suggest the left turn timidity that you are seeing is Texan drivers still adapting to the adoption of permissive left turns, having not grown up with them, as in other states. Also, I would guess that the Texas frontage/feeder road system's general lack of permissive lefts (where traffic flow breaks down if permissive lefts are present) also contributes to the lack of Texan knowledge on permissive lefts.

Also, congrats on the move! Sucks that it had to be in the summer months.

[jakeroot]

* Drivers turning left seem pretty timid, I've missed several lights when the driver in front didn't inch out;

If I'm remembering correctly, much of Texas is behind on the times when it comes to permissive lefts (with the exception of minor cross streets). I would say the majority of Texan traffic signals on major arterials and highways only allow protected lefts, with FYAs a recent invention. Picking a random intersection in San Antonio, it was still protected-only up until 2021: https://maps.app.goo.gl/BfPjkgEiq1Wbp78v5

My hometown only switched to FYAs in the past 3 years, and many new intersections are being built even today around here with only protected lefts. As a result, I would suggest the left turn timidity that you are seeing is Texan drivers still adapting to the adoption of permissive left turns, having not grown up with them, as in other states. Also, I would guess that the Texas frontage/feeder road system's general lack of permissive lefts (where traffic flow breaks down if permissive lefts are present) also contributes to the lack of Texan knowledge on permissive lefts.

Also, congrats on the move! Sucks that it had to be in the summer months.

Thanks! And it's funny you mention it being during the summer. Okinawa, where I was living, has a very similar climate to here. More rain, though, but otherwise pretty similar this time of year, so I'm kind of used to it. But Okinawa is also where I got really used to turning from the middle of the intersection (Japanese law requires drivers to turn from the middle, there's even waiting lines at most major intersections). So coming here, weather-wise it reminded me a lot of Japan, but the drivers have so far been the exact opposite of my experience over there .

I did some research on flashing yellow arrows here in San Antonio, it looks like the city started using them quite a while ago; they were installed at Cesar Chavez and Flores back in Fall 2014. It does seem like this was a very early installation for the city.

There is also this left turn FYA across a crosswalk, but in my experience it never flashes yellow. There are also some right-facing FYAs, too. So, there is some experimentation going on!

[ElishaGOtis]

* Drivers turning left seem pretty timid, I've missed several lights when the driver in front didn't inch out;

If I'm remembering correctly, much of Texas is behind on the times when it comes to permissive lefts (with the exception of minor cross streets). I would say the majority of Texan traffic signals on major arterials and highways only allow protected lefts, with FYAs a recent invention. Picking a random intersection in San Antonio, it was still protected-only up until 2021: https://maps.app.goo.gl/BfPjkgEiq1Wbp78v5

My hometown only switched to FYAs in the past 3 years, and many new intersections are being built even today around here with only protected lefts. As a result, I would suggest the left turn timidity that you are seeing is Texan drivers still adapting to the adoption of permissive left turns, having not grown up with them, as in other states. Also, I would guess that the Texas frontage/feeder road system's general lack of permissive lefts (where traffic flow breaks down if permissive lefts are present) also contributes to the lack of Texan knowledge on permissive lefts.

Also, congrats on the move! Sucks that it had to be in the summer months.

Thanks! And it's funny you mention it being during the summer. Okinawa, where I was living, has a very similar climate to here. More rain, though, but otherwise pretty similar this time of year, so I'm kind of used to it. But Okinawa is also where I got really used to turning from the middle of the intersection (Japanese law requires drivers to turn from the middle, there's even waiting lines at most major intersections). So coming here, weather-wise it reminded me a lot of Japan, but the drivers have so far been the exact opposite of my experience over there .

I did some research on flashing yellow arrows here in San Antonio, it looks like the city started using them quite a while ago; they were installed at Cesar Chavez and Flores back in Fall 2014. It does seem like this was a very early installation for the city.

There is also this left turn FYA across a crosswalk, but in my experience it never flashes yellow. There are also some right-facing FYAs, too. So, there is some experimentation going on!

Hook turns have entered the chat

[Revive 755]

There is also this left turn FYA across a crosswalk, but in my experience it never flashes yellow. There are also some right-facing FYAs, too. So, there is some experimentation going on!

Texas is also using the Illinois all-text, square version of the flashing yellow arrow sign?  See example one and

[wxfree]

I just looked up the web site for the Texas Historical Commission to find the text of a roadside historical marker.  I remember many years ago stopping to read them.  I'd heard fewer years ago that they finally got put online.  Anyhows, it led me to a map showing the marker locations where the text can be read.  It also includes a great resource on ancient highway routes.  It shows different roads at different times.  I don't know how accurate it is, but they didn't lazily overlay existing maps.  In some places, it shows roads where there's now nothing, where there's now an Interstate the old road is shown swinging across without regard for what's there now, and in cities sometimes it follows existing roads and sometimes it ignores them.  This suggests to me that they put some effort into making it accurate.

Interestingly, the 1916 Meridian road is shown going right by the capitol and along Congress Avenue.  It's shown along Lavaca Street in 1940 and the Interstate in 1960.  I don't know anything about the old names being used that recently, but gives us an idea of when the routes changed.  I remember driving right up to the capitol and parking just outside it.  These days, after 9-11, the whole area is blocked off and accessible only to official vehicles and pedestrians.

In addition to the road maps, it has a boatload (sorry, I meant metric boatload) of information, including things I didn't know about near where I live.  It's a great map.

https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/Map