General Road and Highway Discussion

[ijmorlan]

I see.  So what you are describing are what the region refers to as something like "enhanced, delayed decision point slip lane" (because drivers must slow down and nearly stop at the corner instead of being able to turn at speed) and they are preferred by regional engineers in new construction.

Yes, they are not as bad as traditional turn islands. But I disagree that these are better for peds than no slip lanes, yes, they do reduce the crossing distance, but I still don't believe drivers are looking for peds while making turns, the main goal is still to benefit drivers, why not just have a tighter turn with no slip lane.  The value here is only that drivers can turn faster.  Large trucks can easily make these turns, even far tighter turns.  They're only "better" when prioritizing cars is the assumed condition.

Well, this pedestrian would rather cross an intersection with carefully designed slip lanes. So you may want to consider that this isn’t entirely a motor vehicle enthusiast vs. pedestrian safety enthusiast issue.

Why are they called “delayed decision”? It seems to me the driver has to make a decision to use the slip lane earlier than they are forced to make that decision at a non-slip-lane intersection or at one like Weber and University which has small slip lanes.

I’m a bit confused by “The value here is only that drivers can turn faster”. With the slip lanes I favour, I don’t see how they can turn faster, because of the tight turn at the exit.