"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
02/17/2014 at 15:16 • Filed to: None
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"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
02/17/2014 at 15:16 • Filed to: None | 1
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It looks like they're going to build some of these in the Austin area, at Parmer/IH-35 and in up at IH-35 next to the IKEA (for you Austinites here). Anybody ever driven through one? It looks interesting.
dogisbadob
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 15:19 |
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Yay you can British or JDM for a hundred feet yo!
Converse
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 15:20 |
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In the Atlanta area we have at least 2 diverging diamonds. Everybody bitches and complains about the complexity, etc. at first. The first month or so are hell because no one knows how to follow arrows or stay in their lane. Once people are trained properly, these do reduce traffic.
roflcopter
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 15:21 |
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There's one of those in Lexington KY as well, I've driven through it a few times but don't live there so I can't really comment on whether I would like it or if it really improves flow. It wasn't too complicated or anything and seemed to actually limit the stupidity that can usually happen(people not stopping right on red, going for small holes turning left, crap like that).
PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 15:23 |
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This is pretty ingenious! I like it!
so long as they can figure out a way to time the lights so there isn't a huge clog-up on the bridge
Hooker
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 15:23 |
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This. Seems. Asinine.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 15:23 |
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Repeatedly. They do very well for a cross-road with a lot of stoplight action to secondary roads - not really necessary for a sufficiently wide road or one that doesn't have to transfer a lot of traffic to side roads. The one I got to compare before and after the DD was put in was at Ashford-Dunwoody Rd. in Atlanta. Due to limits on the size of the bridge, need to transfer a lot of traffic off the main road to the adjacent Hammond Dr and others, the entirety of Ashford Dunwoody in that area tended to turn into traffic-light snarl. Now, after the change, it still snarls, but in a controlled manner that allows people to actually use the exit/get into the snarled system. A critical issue before the intersection change was long-term stops on the ramps from the beltway, hurting traffic for many other things...
Comparing the situation there to well north near the Mall of Georgia, which is two lanes wider using more traditional intersections, it's kind of like the "no replacement for displacement" argument. Think of the DD as VTEC for intersections.
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ttyymmnn
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
02/17/2014 at 15:26 |
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I hope it works here. The IH-25/Parmer intersection I mentioned has terrible backups on the interstate feeders. They desperatley need built-in U turns, which are quite common here, but an intersection like this would mean much less new construction, since you wouldn't have to build two new bridges to accomodate the U turns. It seems quite clever.
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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> Hooker
02/17/2014 at 15:27 |
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Seems, yes. Is also somewhat befuddling. However, it works well for limited-expense reworking of an existing bridge/intersection location without adding a lot of lanes.
Stef Schrader
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 15:31 |
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WAT.
{ facepalm }
Welp, glad I don't live up north. This will hinder my quests for köttbullar, though, so no, sir, I don't like it.
Between this an MoPac's asinine toll lane that NO ONE will use and that will back up EVERYONE when a car breaks down and there's no breakdown lane...AAAAAUUUUGGGGHHH. Meth is a helluva drug, Austin. Stop smoking it when you lay out road plans.
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ttyymmnn
> Stef Schrader
02/17/2014 at 15:36 |
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The MoPac toll lane really pisses me off. Just build a fourth lane and be done with it! There was a time when we paid road taxes and got roads. Now we pay road taxes and get toll roads. Rick Perry can suck my tailpipe.
I live near Parmer/IH-35, and use that intersection often. Seriously, anything that can help will be a bonus. They really need U turns, but I figure they can achieve a similar result without having to build two new bridges. I'm cautiously optimistic.
CAR_IS_MI
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 15:36 |
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I have seen, used these before.
In theory they are great.
The problem is, they expect 'people' to use them. People who already cant drive. People who get nervous when new things are about. People who repeatedly end up on the suddenly "wrong" side of the road.
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ttyymmnn
> CAR_IS_MI
02/17/2014 at 15:38 |
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That's my worry. The learning curve is going to be steep. And with the way people in Texas look at red lights as more of a suggestion than a command, it might be a royal mess. But I live near one of these proposed intersections, and it's terrible now. Just about anything could be an improvement. Unless they figure out a way to put a toll on it.
davedave1111
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 15:40 |
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That does the same job as this ?
Or maybe this ?
Not much difference between those two.
Your way seems a bit odd to me, but only because with the amount of engineering going into it anyway it would surely not be much more expensive to add a couple of crossover bridges and make the junction free-flow.
The Opponaut formerly known as MattP123
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 15:44 |
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This is obviously not real, but the principle is there. Sure it requires some more concrete, but it does not require a 3 minute video to explain.
Soloburrito
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 15:44 |
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Looks awesome. There are a few parts of 360 this could benefit as well, but I HAVE no idea why people there keep shooting down proposed improvements.
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Stef Schrader
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 15:46 |
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Only problem: Perry'd probably enjoy that.
The toll roads here tick me off. Back in my day, that was an Okie abomination. Turnpikes were north of the wrong border, and they stayed there. Then someone sleazy must've paid off someone else who's just as sleazy and now we have toll roads in Texas that are run by a shady-as-balls company (billing people for cars they no longer own, zero care given to accuracy since screwups make them a profit, not paying their contractors for their whole amount of work, etc., etc.). They were supposed to become normal roads once they were paid for...why hasn't that happened yet?
Oh, and if you actually want to divert traffic around Austin, DON'T CHARGE FOR IT. PEOPLE JUST PASSING THROUGH WILL NOT USE THE TOLL.
Drivingforfunandprofit
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 16:02 |
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Just read about them doing this in CO. I think it would be much better than the current system. http://kwgn.com/2014/01/28/mcc…
Porsche924GTR
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 16:19 |
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We have two up here in Atlanta with more going in. Yes - they work very well...as soon as you get used to it. There is about 4Million gallons of paint on the lanes now to keep people in the correct lanes - which maybe that's all they really needed before.
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ttyymmnn
> Porsche924GTR
02/17/2014 at 16:22 |
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I think that what is so intriguing about it is that the new intersection takes up no more space than the old one did. And you can probably implement it fairly quickly (in road construction terms).
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Porsche924GTR
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 16:55 |
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Most of the construction is visual aides. Painting and shaped islands/medians to help drivers figure out where they are going. The biggest improvement is one light change for traffic flow instead of a turn signal and then a forward signal. Less light changes = faster flow of traffic.
Awe_thentiX
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 17:18 |
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As an engineering student who also is in Austin quite a bit, I LOVE the idea. However, I actually understand how they work, whereas most of the general populous does not. It'll be a clusterfuck for a while until people finally learn.
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ttyymmnn
> Awe_thentiX
02/17/2014 at 17:22 |
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Do you attend UT? My wife works for one of the Deans of the COE.
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Awe_thentiX
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 17:25 |
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I'm actually a student at Missouri S&T. But born and raised in Austin, where my parents still live. Currently living in Arlington for this semester.
davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> Awe_thentiX
02/17/2014 at 18:17 |
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Nice! My wife and I went to UMR, and my in-laws were there when it was MO School of Mines - ha! Who is your internship with? We're both in Tulsa, working in oil & gas.
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davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 18:22 |
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I frequent one of these (while travelling) in Springfield, MO - it might have been the first one, actually...
The problem I've experienced at one of these is at the merge lane, coming off the highway. You're slowing down from a high rate of speed and trying to join traffic quickly and safely, and your first reaction is to look left IN THE NEARBY lane for oncoming traffic. Unfortunately, with this type of interchange, you need to look across the nearby lanes to the far lanes to see if there is traffic oncoming. Seems like a recipe for accidents, but apparently they are safer overall.
92Camaro
> davedave1111
02/17/2014 at 19:42 |
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I agree with you. Just put round-abouts at each cross and it all becomes immediately more simple. No traffic lights, no left turns, no stopping during lighter traffic, less line paint, no yielding to oncoming traffic. There are many more reasons I'm sure. Maybe I should have picked civil engineering.
DocWalt
> ttyymmnn
02/17/2014 at 20:13 |
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I drove through one in Minneapolis. I had known about them, but it was still a touch weird.
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Bubbles22
> ttyymmnn
02/23/2014 at 11:18 |
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For whatever reason, Austin, more than any other town in Texas, simply refuses REALLY address traffic. Usually blaming it on cost. As though it will be less expensive next year or anytime in the future. I can name a dozen spots around Austin where TxDOT engineers (I am guessing it's them) designed something that confuses drivers and causes a traffic cluster#^&@# every day when a logical (albeit more expensive) solution would not only fix current traffic issues but also deal with expected growth. This is another example. Simple normally works best and this is obviously not that.
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Bubbles22
> Soloburrito
02/23/2014 at 11:24 |
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Good lord! People along Mopac were complaining about the free noise barriers being erected behind their houses to keep freeway noise down. They actually prefer the 24/7 noise of a freeway to the concrete wall. Not necessarily pretty, but still.