left turn lane

[Vaquero]

When did the "left turn only" lane become an acceleration lane for merging right?
I thought it was a yankee thing due to airmen being transferred in. I guess not
Hell, the city cops are doing it too now. Head on collisions are becoming common.

Irritates me to no end. Inconsiderate bastards. I can't even use the damned lane for turning left anymore.

End rant.

 

[mitchntx]

End rant.

Why do people wait till the very last minute to enter the left turn lane ... even though they've been on the brakes for a 1/4 mile?
Turning left? get over there ...

/rant

 

[karlac]

Noticeably in Austin (and in AR), it seems a thing for the first car to count to ten after the left turn light changes to green, then proceed at a pace guaranteeing against any danger of whiplash, while insuring only two cars get through.

It's just too damned prevalent to not be on purpose...

 

[scgstuff]

When did the "left turn only" lane become an acceleration lane for merging right?
I thought it was a yankee thing due to airmen being transferred in. I guess not
Hell, the city cops are doing it too now. Head on collisions are becoming common.

Irritates me to no end. Inconsiderate bastards. I can't even use the damned lane for turning left anymore.

End rant.

Why do people wait till the very last minute to enter the left turn lane ... even though they've been on the brakes for a 1/4 mile?
Turning left? get over there ...

/rant

Because, see above....too many people using it to accelerate and people don't want the head on collision.

 

[AustinN4]

Noticeably in Austin (and in AR), it seems a thing for the first car to count to ten after the left turn light changes to green, then proceed at a pace guaranteeing against any danger of whiplash, while insuring only two cars get through.

Nah, just too busy texting or talking on the phone. Hang up the damn phone and drive!

 

[Anger]

Noticeably in Austin (and in AR), it seems a thing for the first car to count to ten after the left turn light changes to green, then proceed at a pace guaranteeing against any danger of whiplash, while insuring only two cars get through.

It's just too damned prevalent to not be on purpose...

usually a woman checking her makup or any person, looking down at their phone. sooooooo annoying.

 

[benenglish]

When did the "left turn only" lane become an acceleration lane for merging right?

It got that way when excess traffic density got to the point that making a left smoothly into a driving lane became impossible for minutes at a time.

I know streets in/around Houston where I wish they'd do what they do in New Jersey. (Yes, I can hardly believe I'm advocating copying them on anything, but still...) In places where the density is bad, they will often remove the center line on the road and replace it with a concrete barrier. You can't turn left out of a parking lot onto some busy roads; you must turn right and then travel till you reach a dedicated U-turn lane and light which they install as soon as they can find a wide spot in the road.

The first time I had to regularly deal with that set-up I hated the delay involved in turning right in order to turn left. After a while, though, the whole concept of not getting into a collision began to grow on me.

 

[Brains]

In places where the density is bad, they will often remove the center line on the road and replace it with a concrete barrier. You can't turn left out of a parking lot onto some busy roads; you must turn right and then travel till you reach a dedicated U-turn lane and light which they install as soon as they can find a wide spot in the road.

Much of Westheimer is setup like that, helps keep that road somewhat more sane than it otherwise would be with the terrible Houston drivers.

 

[robertc1024]

I'm just like Vaq on this one. Drives me nuts. I come home on a road like that - I had two incidents today. I'm driving down the 4 lane road with a left turn lane and those idjits are cruising along - I'm always thinking "Are they coming over?" "Are they going to side swipe me?" "Are they going to pull out in front of me when I'm going 30 MPH faster than them?"

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

When did the "left turn only" lane become an acceleration lane for merging right?
I thought it was a yankee thing due to airmen being transferred in. I guess not
Hell, the city cops are doing it too now. Head on collisions are becoming common.

Irritates me to no end. Inconsiderate bastards. I can't even use the damned lane for turning left anymore.

End rant.

You leftists, always its complain complain, guess next thing it gonna be RACIST because you cannot turn left...me, I won't turn left, instead I will drive a block further, go R, drive block, go R and BINGO, never had to give in to those leftists..LOL

 

[txinvestigator]

When did the "left turn only" lane become an acceleration lane for merging right?
I thought it was a yankee thing due to airmen being transferred in. I guess not
Hell, the city cops are doing it too now. Head on collisions are becoming common.

Irritates me to no end. Inconsiderate bastards. I can't even use the damned lane for turning left anymore.

End rant.

It is an unlawful use of the lane.

 

[centexshooter]

It out to be legal to take a shot at them. Austin drivers qualify as the biggest posterior orifices in the country.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

It out to be legal to take a shot at them. Austin drivers qualify as the biggest posterior orifices in the country.

It's NOT???? Opps

 

[AcidFlashGordon]

In many states, that center "turn" lane is where you start and complete your left turn. If you're coming from a cross street, you don't have to wait for cross traffic. You make your left turn, stopping in the center lane of the street you're turning on to. Then, when there is an opening in the traffic, you merge into the traffic lane.

That's how it's supposed to work. But anything dealing with cars, people and brain-dead dipshits never works as it's supposed to. Just like at a turn lane with no green turn arrow. You're supposed to pull out into the intersection and when it's clear, make your left turn. Too many asswads just sit at the line and when the light turns red, no one gets to make their left turn!

 

[AustinN4]

In many states, that center "turn" lane is where you start and complete your left turn. If you're coming from a cross street, you don't have to wait for cross traffic. You make your left turn, stopping in the center lane of the street you're turning on to. Then, when there is an opening in the traffic, you merge into the traffic lane.

Not say'in he was correct, but I was told by an APD officer that what you described is a ticketable offense, that the center turn land was only to be used by the cars on the road where the center turn lane was. He said cars entering that street from the side were to fully enter the street and turn left without using the center turn lane. That said, what you decribed makes more sense to me as a practical matter.

 

[rushthezeppelin]

My biggest pet peeves with left hand turn lanes is when the lights literally only last 5 seconds and there is a half mile backup of people wanting to turn left. Incredibly prevalent problem in Wilco....hell I've seen this same crap no matter where in the country I go. People suck ass at programming lights. I've even tried to get a hold of the people who program them and these people are some of the most allusive people in the entire public sector. Never once have I even been able to get a voice-mail or email to voice my concerns. I hear in SA they actually have a giant traffic center where people actually watch all those damn cameras sitting up on the light poles and will actually manually control lights to speed traffic along, as much as I'm not the biggest fan of cameras (granted it is public so no expectation of privacy) this is hands down the best use for them if we are going to have them. Also for downtown areas I hear that alot of Europe has made great impacts on their traffic (and accident) problems by putting in roundabouts instead of lights. Instead we use roundabouts as pretty spots to put trees and big rocks in fancy subdivisions, sometimes even when there is no cross-street to actually warrant some traffic control.

 

[benenglish]

I've even tried to get a hold of the people who program them and these people are some of the most allusive people in the entire public sector. Never once have I even been able to get a voice-mail or email to voice my concerns.

The Houston Chronicle used to have a (full-time?) columnist who covered nothing but traffic. I found I was able to get good information from him because he knew everybody responsible for laying out roads in and around Houston. Like you, I've never successfully penetrated the bureaucracy.

Also for downtown areas I hear that alot of Europe has made great impacts on their traffic (and accident) problems by putting in roundabouts instead of lights.

As traffic control devices, roundabouts make so much more sense than stop signs or lights in so many places that I'm shocked they haven't been widely adopted in the U.S. Then again, I think the "Michigan Left" (where you go straight through the intersection, U-turn a half-block later at a light, then make a right) makes sense, too, so what do I know?

Instead we use roundabouts as pretty spots to put trees and big rocks in fancy subdivisions, sometimes even when there is no cross-street to actually warrant some traffic control.

Upscale shopping areas that plop them down in the middle of giant parking lots make me crazy. I guess they think it adds architectural interest. I just wish I had a tank whenever I visit a certain glorified strip mall in The Woodlands so I could demolish the damn thing.

 

[benenglish]

OT Warning

Much of Westheimer is setup like that,...

The single weirdest traffic stop of my life happened about 20+ years ago on Westheimer back when the street racing there was pretty out of control. Nearly everyone knew that when there were 4 lanes and it was Friday or Saturday night, you stayed in the right two lanes. A pair of racing cars was liable to be doing over 100mph in the left two.

So I'm driving through one of the areas where the racing is the worst, exactly at the speed limit, in the second from the right lane. My mom is in the car and I'm doing my best super-perfect citizen driver impression on account of that when I get lit up.

I pull into a parking lot, stop, lower my window and have my license in my hand before the cop walks up. Then things got weird. Both officers got out of the car. The female officer who approached the right rear of my car drew her gun. The male officer who approached me stayed way back from the window when he asked for my license, hand on gun the entire time. He fumbles a little trying to read my license in the bad light because he doesn't want to take his hand off his gun.

Then he gets a call from dispatch on his radio. I don't remember the jargon and codes but they were dispatching him to something else. He went back and forth with dispatch 3 times, telling them he was involved in this stop. Dispatch had to tell him once in a normal voice then once in an angry voice "You're cleared from that!" before he threw the license at me through the window and started back to his car.

It was clear he was leaving so I yelled back "Why did you stop me?" He replied "Get out of here!" "OK, I will, but why did you stop me?" If I had a broken light or something I wanted to know about it. "I told you to get the **** out of here!" I knew he was going to leave, no matter what, so I didn't see the harm in pressing the issue. I got out of my car and started walking toward his, yelling "Just tell me why you stopped me!" They tore out of the parking lot and I got no response.

To this day, that was one of the strangest encounters with an LEO I've ever had. I figured he would automatically just tell me that I had a light out or failed to signal a lane change or something but that I was getting off lucky tonite and that would be the end of it. He could have wasted less time by simply answering my first inquiry. Instead, he just had to take on a "I don't answer to you" attitude and refuse to answer, even though that would have been in his best interest.

I sincerely hope that psych testing weeds out applicants like that nowadays.

 

[TX69]

Noticeably in Austin (and in AR), it seems a thing for the first car to count to ten after the left turn light changes to green, then proceed at a pace guaranteeing against any danger of whiplash, while insuring only two cars get through.

It's just too damned prevalent to not be on purpose...

Two years ago I had a guy idle through a left turn lane and then proceeded to go 7-8mph on a 50mph three lane road. He drove like this for a mile and a half. The vehicle was a fairly new black Mercedes SUV. I had seen and somewhat followed this guy coming out of a Home Depot with his toddler son. He was visibly upset while on the phone and was stern with his son. I stayed behind the driver and called the local PD. The dispatch lady asked several questions and when I told her the events involved a child she pressed the panic button and asked that I stay behind them just far enough to follow. Four squads showed up and blocked the car. Three of the LEO's came at the driver with hands on their weapons and got him out of the car and to the ground. The last LEO went in for the toddler and put him in his squad.

They asked me a few questions about what I saw and made sure I was the one that called in. Went on my way while they were talking with the guy. Had there not been a child involved I would have just passed and honked at the guy as I went on my way.

 

[Southpaw]

The Houston Chronicle used to have a (full-time?) columnist who covered nothing but traffic. I found I was able to get good information from him because he knew everybody responsible for laying out roads in and around Houston. Like you, I've never successfully penetrated the bureaucracy.

As traffic control devices, roundabouts make so much more sense than stop signs or lights in so many places that I'm shocked they haven't been widely adopted in the U.S. Then again, I think the "Michigan Left" (where you go straight through the intersection, U-turn a half-block later at a light, then make a right) makes sense, too, so what do I know?

Upscale shopping areas that plop them down in the middle of giant parking lots make me crazy. I guess they think it adds architectural interest. I just wish I had a tank whenever I visit a certain glorified strip mall in The Woodlands so I could demolish the damn thing.

They are using something pretty similar to this in San Antonio in parts if 1604 and 281.