This Graphic Has Me Questioning My Driving And I Am Breaking Down

"Mach-inator" (Mach-inator) 05/10/2017 at 10:59 • Filed to: None

2

50

Is this how you wait in a median?!?!?! IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE, but I have NEVER seen anyone do this EVER!! Have I been doing things wrong this whole time?!?! Should I retreat to a cave and never come back out? What is my purpose?

What other driving techniques/laws have I been oblivious of my whole life? My driving is a lie *sobs in a corner*.

Klaus Schmoll > Mach-inator 05/10/2017 at 11:04

0

When I was in driving school, they called the “correct” way from your graph the American way. Europeans tend to do it the “wrong” way.

WilliamsSW > Mach-inator 05/10/2017 at 11:04

0

The right graphic *is* correct, and I’ve seen it done, but yeah, a lot of people do it wrong.

Think of a car coming from left to right, wanting to make a left hand turn. If you follow the left hand graphic, you’ll confuse the heck out of that driver.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Mach-inator 05/10/2017 at 11:07

2

If both cars pull up all the way, this issue disappears. Also if both cars pull up all the way, you can’t do it the “correct” way without going back into traffic. This also only works if the median is massive. It also doesn’t take into account what happens if there’s more than one car in line to make a left. I’m calling bullshit on this graphic.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Mach-inator 05/10/2017 at 11:07

9

It makes sense up until the point where you realize that there are likely other people waiting to turn behind the guy who is currently turning and they will be blocking your path.

Just pull up farther.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 05/10/2017 at 11:09

3

^^^^

Seriously, just stop being stupid and pull up. I sarcastically wave to them to pull forward when they block my view and clearly also can’t see.

McMike > Mach-inator 05/10/2017 at 11:13

3

Please point me in the direction of who created that graphic.   I would like to have a word with them.

Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig > Mach-inator 05/10/2017 at 11:14

0

What are they driving, though? Looks like a C5 with an Enzo front clip.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 05/10/2017 at 11:14

2

The really stupid part? When they are holding up the lane behind that wants to go straight through because they aren’t far enough ahead, they can’t see enough to complete the turn and get out of the way of those people BECAUSE THEY AREN’T FAR ENOUGH AHEAD.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 05/10/2017 at 11:16

1

I think an Aston of some kind.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Mach-inator 05/10/2017 at 11:24

3

Seconding Smallbear - pulling up further resolves most issues, and if you’re in the “correct” location as the graph indicates, your sight lines are worse for any obstruction in the median. Also, the issue raised in the graphic only applies if there are going to be two cars turning at a time. I think traffic from the side lanes is more of an issue, but if it’s a low-traffic side road...

All this to say, there are intersections where the “correct” way is better, but there’s one in particular near a friend’s house that I would never do any way but Smallbear’s improved “wrong” way.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Mach-inator 05/10/2017 at 11:25

1

Despite Smallbear’s complaints, I use this method successfully just about every day. There are lots of median crossovers like this in the Baton Rouge area.

TheRealBicycleBuck > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 05/10/2017 at 11:30

0

In my area, the medians are about 25 feet wide which is just long enough for a car. Trucks barely fit. If both do it the “incorrect” way, there isn’t enough room to pull forward so both drivers can see without sticking the nose of the truck into traffic.

This is why I always do it the “correct” way. That way there are no issues with being able to see around or over a truck.

Milky > Mach-inator 05/10/2017 at 11:33

6

Solved.

facw > Mach-inator 05/10/2017 at 11:38

0

So I would say the right option is correct for situations where there is a road crossing the split. If there are just driveways, I’d prefer the left options, and if it is just a turnaround, it’s insane to do the right one, not that I don’t see cars doing that little dance.

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig 05/10/2017 at 11:49

1

My vote, 599.

yamahog > Milky 05/10/2017 at 11:58

8

Legit decided against a wedding venue partially because I didn’t think my family of New Yorkers could successfully navigate the Michigan left required to enter the venue.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 05/10/2017 at 12:10

0

That’s all fine and dandy if there’s room to pull up without sticking the nose of your vehicle into traffic.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > TheRealBicycleBuck 05/10/2017 at 12:15

1

And if there’s not you’re screwed either way.

GE90man > Mach-inator 05/10/2017 at 12:16

0

i got yelled at by someone for doing this SMH

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Milky 05/10/2017 at 12:17

1

YES. These are the way to go in high-traffic situations, roundabouts for low volume.

Traffic lights for the scrapheap.

ivnic8 > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 05/10/2017 at 12:21

0

And what happens when some jackhole in a Toyota is #2 in line an pulls up and blocks your turn?

Milky > yamahog 05/10/2017 at 12:37

2

Surely New Yorkers can read. Also congrats!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Milky 05/10/2017 at 12:59

2

Assuming the traffic that gets backed up at that light is polite enough to let entering cars cross two lanes of traffic to get where they’re going...

WRXforScience > Mach-inator 05/10/2017 at 13:01

0

You always stay on the right, if you use the wrong way you are driving on the left side of the road.

Driver’s training in the US sucks, so it’s only mostly your fault for being wrong.

AntiSpeed > Milky 05/10/2017 at 13:09

1

Is this New Jersey? It has to be New Jersey.

Milky > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/10/2017 at 13:12

0

Slightly confused by what you mean, but if there is enough traffic there is usually 2 lanes for turning.

Milky > AntiSpeed 05/10/2017 at 13:12

1

Around here its called the “Michigan left”.

syaieya > Mach-inator 05/10/2017 at 13:20

0

My issue on the correct way is that youre effectively driving in front of someone thats trying to cross a street unless youre exactly timed the same. People tend to be tense and jumpy in these situations and any change in gap is going to make so many folks very nervous.

On a similar situation ive had to force my turn wide just to avoid clipping the turning car and so i was awkwardly pointed perpendicular to traffic

TorqueToYield > Milky 05/10/2017 at 13:21

0

It’s like a jug-handle they moved to the inside median.

The worst is when some jerk has no idea what they’re doing and blocks traffic on the primary highway trying to turn left on the secondary highway regardless of all common sense and multiple signs.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > TheRealBicycleBuck 05/10/2017 at 13:24

0

There is room.

TheRealBicycleBuck > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 05/10/2017 at 13:32

0

Not in the turnarounds down here.

AntiSpeed > Milky 05/10/2017 at 13:32

0

Oh man, that’s even worse than the New Jersey left.

https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-c35c4ecc89045d4bb6d9b8b90c03cbda-c

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Milky 05/10/2017 at 13:35

0

Looking at your original graphic, if the congestion never gets so bad that the “red arrow” cars would be blocked from entering by westbound traffic held up at the light, then it all works fine. If westbound traffic does back up a lot, and there’s pretty much always a long line of cars in both lanes, it requires drivers to be courteous to the “red line” cars entering and trying to make their way over to the turn lane.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > TheRealBicycleBuck 05/10/2017 at 13:45

0

You already said it’s 25 feet wide, which is a full lane wider than the left turn areas I’m used to.

Milky > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/10/2017 at 13:46

0

Oh yea, the lights are timed so you end up waiting for cars turning “left” while the cross traffic is doing its thing. You essentially sit one traffic light back at the intersection and it gives everyone enough time to turn.

TheRealBicycleBuck > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 05/10/2017 at 13:59

0

With the standard F-150 coming in at 17.5' and the cabs being set back far enough to have significant overlap when sitting side-by side, I’m telling you there isn’t enough room to provide adequate visibility. Now switch that out for two SUVs or one truck/SUV and one small car like my WRX, and the guy in the car can’t see a damn thing.

The corollary to this is the T intersection with a right-turn lane. Inevitably, the a-hole who wants to turn right when I’m waiting to turn left pulls forward so far that I can’t see traffic coming from the right. This, despite the fact that they CAN SEE OVER MY CAR from their luxobarge!!!!!

I will continue to do it the “correct” way as depicted in the diagram as this is the only way I can see anything when there’s a larger vehicle involved. Even when I’m in my wife’s Explorer, I can’t pull forward far enough to give the other guy a clear view without both of us sticking the nose into traffic.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Milky 05/10/2017 at 14:44

0

Well, there you go.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > TheRealBicycleBuck 05/10/2017 at 15:20

0

So how do you get to the other side of the car? Drive back out into traffic? Brake in the passing lane to pull in behind them? If you can get past them without doing either of these things, there’s room for them to pull forward. As someone who dailied an AW11 amongst the brodozers, it’s only ever been an issue when they haven’t. Also it sounds like you’re describing making a left turn onto a major highway from a side road. The graphic is for the other way around.

Mach-inator > Milky 05/10/2017 at 15:34

0

I loathe these things but I suppose they’re effective. I have noticed since moving to Michigan that people use them as if there’s 2 lanes even though it’s not striped for 2, I found that odd but I just do what they do to fit in.

Mach-inator > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 05/10/2017 at 15:37

1

I suppose these are valid points. I end up having to wait for the other truck/suv to move out of the way so that I can see anyway.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/10/2017 at 15:37

0

That’s why they give plenty of space past the intersection.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/10/2017 at 15:40

2

The beauty of this is that the main lights can be green longer and there doesn’t have to be any advanced green, which makes for shorter light cycles when it does turn. All which means traffic doesn’t back up as much. To cap it off, these roads (in Michigan) generally have well-syncronized lights.

TheRealBicycleBuck > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 05/10/2017 at 15:59

0

How do I get to the other side of the other car? When they are sitting sideways in the median turnaround, I simply drive past them and pull into the median turnaround exactly as shown in the “correct” graphic. They can see oncoming traffic. I can see oncoming traffic. Win. Win. And no, there is no additional room to pull forward if they are in a large truck or SUV. Put two SUVs in there as in the “wrong” graphic and neither of them can see around the other. I’ve experienced this when driving my wife’s Explorer.

The second scenario is a T intersection from a two-lane road onto another two-lane road. The brilliant engineers at the DOT decided to add a right-turn lane on the street which tees into the other road. People turning right now pull forward and block the sight line for the people trying to turn left, making it that much harder to safely turn left.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > TheRealBicycleBuck 05/10/2017 at 16:05

0

“I simply drive past them and pull into the median turnaround exactly as shown in the “correct” graphic.”

So you drive in front of them without reentering traffic?

“And no, there is no additional room to pull forward if they are in a large truck or SUV.”

...so there isn’t room for you to drive in front of them without reentering traffic? Which is it? The size of the car has nothing to do with pulling forward.

Milky > AntiSpeed 05/10/2017 at 16:08

0

Wat. We only do this for roads with medians.

Milky > Mach-inator 05/10/2017 at 16:11

0

Oh yea. I imagine its that wide for semis, but if you can fit more cars in why not? The road is at least 2 lanes wide so theres room for everyone.

Just don’t like the people that try to skip the line in the left turn lane only to cut in and turn right.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 05/10/2017 at 16:28

1

Yeah, that was my point. This all needs to be orchestrated well to work as seamlessly as it should.

Don’t get me started on the timing/programming of the two stoplights they added off the highway on the road that leads to my house...

BLCKSTRM > Milky 05/10/2017 at 16:37

0

It only makes sense if you already know what the hell you’re looking at. This was as confusing as hell when we first moved there.

It takes a while to build a Michigan left into your muscle memory, but there’s no denying it actually works pretty well once you get used to it.

TheRealBicycleBuck > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 05/10/2017 at 19:20

0

I’m not sure why this is so confusing for you. Look at the “correct” graphic. The arrows show the path both the red and yellow cars take. This is exactly what I do.

The medians are wide enough to allow a full-size truck or SUV to sit there perpendicular to the main lanes, but not wide enough to allow for a truck plus a little bit more. In some locations, the opening is long enough to allow four vehicles to sit there side by side.

On rare occasions, a line will form when more than one vehicle needs to turn left. On even rarer occasions, this will happen in both directions. People are smart enough to leave a gap so the people already cued up in the median can cross over. Sometimes a dumbass gets into the line and doesn’t leave a gap. When that happens, traffic backs up and horns start blaring. It usually gets sorted out fairly quickly.

thatsmr > Mach-inator 05/10/2017 at 21:53

0

This graphic does not indicate a dedicated left turn lane nor a traffic signal. The main drag through my neighborhood has broken grass medians like this, and the “correct” graphic would be correct. In a turn lane and/or signaled intersection, you would use the “wrong”.