11-10-2018, 10:10 AM
(11-10-2018, 08:44 AM)jamincan Wrote: I notice that the interchange with Wellington is going to have a giant, high-speed slip ramp onto Wellington heading west. Why in the world do traffic engineers insist on these lanes, often even for regular intersections? They make it very difficult to assess oncoming traffic since they end up positioned in the merging driver's blind spot. At the same time they encourage people to drive faster than is suitable by giving a generous turn radius. The victim of the design (the acceptable cost to avoid the inconvenience of stopping, I guess, according to our Region's Transportation Commissioner) is naturally going to be cyclists.
As a rule, I think slip lanes should only be used where there are few cyclists on the road (due to a MUT or something that crosses the lane at a more oblique angle that allows greater visibility) and where a suitably long ramp that allows merging to occur at speed is possible. It should almost never be used in an urban context. It's not the end of the world to stop and turn when safe!
I believe that is the existing ramp. But yeah, it’s not really appropriate in this context, and it’s interesting to note that the other one (on-ramp from westbound Wellington) is being removed. It seems like it would make much more sense just to have a normal intersection with Wellington.
Personally, as a pedestrian, I like the smaller separate right turn lanes because when I’m crossing the main intersection I don’t have to worry about right-turning vehicles, only straight-through and left-turning vehicles. But I want them to be shaped so that people don’t treat them like highway ramps.