04-07-2015, 01:10 PM
(04-07-2015, 09:45 AM)Watdot Wrote: During rush hour it actually is bad. There frequently is "grid lock". People trying to leave the McDonald's block traffic when they try to turn left, causing traffic heading eastbound on Columbia to stop and back-up into the intersection of Columbia/King. That stretch of Columbia is brutal in the morning and late afternoons during the week. I avoid it and go down Weber Street now. If you look at the redevelopment plan for Columbia, you will notice they are planning to eliminate left-hand turns onto Regina from Columbia when traveling westbound. How/why McDonald's would be except is beyond me. That McDonald's should really become an urban format soon. That means eliminate the drive-thru, the area won't be able to handle the traffic in the next 5 years. Entry and exits should move to being on King (for northbound only) and Regina Streets for their deliveries and limited parking.+1
I don't understand why drivers insist on turning left onto 4-lane streets, especially during busy periods, even if it's legally allowed. It's difficult to find an opening without creeping out and blocking traffic coming from the left. That almost always causes grid lock until the bully driver manages to inconvenience a few dozen other drivers in all four lanes of traffic just so they can make their left turn. Instead they should be required to turn right and go around the block. In my experience it's usually faster to make a series of right turns than to wait for an all-clear to make a left.