Did I do something wrong?

"Slant6" (slant-6)
05/12/2015 at 16:40 • Filed to: None

Ok, so I’m driving back to school from lunch and I come up to this road thing.

And those arrows aren’t there in real life and I’m pretty sure google has it wrong.

Doesn’t this sign mean I can go either way?

So I go to the left side, you know cause the sign said it’s ok. A Mercury Taurus thing comes driving on my side of the road (it’s a 2 lane street right?). I stop because of the potential head on collision and the Mercury driver stops an inch away from my bumper. The guy who I think goes to my school gets out and yells and asks why I’m driving the wrong way. I just yelled back that he was going the wrong way. He looked like he wanted to fight me and I had to get to class so I just drove around him.

Had he hit me would it have been my fault or his? I’m pretty sure I’m right but I’ll accept if I’m wrong.

Edit: Street view link for anyone that wants to hunt for a one way sign:

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

DISCUSSION (26)

Sam > Slant6
05/12/2015 at 16:42

What does the actual sign say?

Slant6 > Sam
05/12/2015 at 16:43

Something about the park.

Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole > Slant6
05/12/2015 at 16:44

Are you in ‘Murica? We drive on the right hand side, boy!

I’ve always known that sign to show two lanes of traffic splitting, not “Pick a lane, either lane.”

KamikazePigeon > Slant6
05/12/2015 at 16:46

I would have done the exact same. If you are in the wrong, that sign needs to be changed and a proper no entry sign towards the left section and/or a one way sign pointing to the right.

Slant6 > Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole
05/12/2015 at 16:48

But I was on the right hand side. Wouldn’t a one way sign (of which there are none) or a round about sign (again, none in sight) make this more clear? And when lanes split isn’t it usually on the highway where you have a choice to keep going one way or go the other?

Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole > Slant6
05/12/2015 at 16:52

You said you went to the left lane. Think of it this way. The lines on the road (be them painted or imaginary) just turned into a big ass park that the lanes of traffic have to go around. To continue on Culpepper towards Stevens, you continue on the side you are currently travelling, ie, stay right.

Destructive Tester > Slant6
05/12/2015 at 16:54

To be honest, I'm thinking you may have been in the wrong. That being said, this was a piss-poor use of signage. It would be better served with a ONE WAY sign directing you to the right.

FWIW, I have a street much like this near my house and it has much better signage.

FastIndy > Slant6
05/12/2015 at 16:58

From the MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices):

Section 2C.20 Double Arrow Sign (W12-1)

Option: The Double Arrow (W12-1) sign (see Figure 2C-3) may be used to advise road users that traffic is permitted to pass on either side of an island, obstruction, or gore in the roadway. Traffic separated by this sign may either rejoin or change directions.

Guidance:

If used on an island, the Double Arrow sign should be mounted near the approach end. If used in front of a pier or obstruction, the Double Arrow sign should be mounted on the face of, or just in front of, the obstruction. Where stripe markings are used on the obstruction, they should be discontinued to leave a 75 mm (3 in) space around the outside of the sign.

That means that you were in the right, and those ARE in fact two-way streets!

Slant6 > Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole
05/12/2015 at 16:58

So is the park effectively a median?

Slant6 > FastIndy
05/12/2015 at 17:00

Thanks!

Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole > Slant6
05/12/2015 at 17:03

ttyymmnn > Slant6
05/12/2015 at 17:04

The sign implies that you can go to either side of the island. In the absence of the sign, you should stay right. There are no streets entering or exiting the oval, so there’s no reason for you to be on the left side.

Slant6 > ttyymmnn
05/12/2015 at 17:07

So I’m right but I have no reason to be?

Leadbull > Slant6
05/12/2015 at 17:09

The road was designed to create the sequence of events as follows:

1. Two cars reach an impasse

2. The drivers exit the cars

3. The drivers hold a gladiator-type contest, using the park as an arena

4. The winner gets right of way

Slant6 > Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole
05/12/2015 at 17:11

False. If park was a median there would be a divided highway sign.

Kinja'd!!!

See FastIndy’s comment. I’m right. That doesn’t mean this road isn’t stupid though.

Slant6 > Leadbull
05/12/2015 at 17:14

The park actually is an arena of sorts. Whenever fights start at school and don’t end in arrests (0r the warriors just don’t get caught) they either go to this park or the Church down the road.

Leadbull > Slant6
05/12/2015 at 17:17

See, urban planners know exactly what they're doing.

ttyymmnn > Slant6
05/12/2015 at 17:17

No, I think you’re wrong. I think in the absence of other instructions, you should default to the right side of the park. But I will grant you that it is ambiguous. If you lived in the house that has a driveway on the west side of the park, you might not want to have to go all the way around if you are approaching from the south. But still, I think you should have stayed right, if the sign was not there.

Slant6 > ttyymmnn
05/12/2015 at 17:22

But the sign is there: (pointed out to me by commenter FastIndy)

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Option:
The Double Arrow (W12-1) sign (see Figure 2C-3) may be used to advise road users that traffic is permitted to pass on either side of an island, obstruction, or gore in the roadway. Traffic separated by this sign may either rejoin or change directions.

Guidance:
If used on an island, the Double Arrow sign should be mounted near the approach end.

If used in front of a pier or obstruction, the Double Arrow sign should be mounted on the face of, or just in front of, the obstruction. Where stripe markings are used on the obstruction, they should be discontinued to leave a 75 mm (3 in) space around the outside of the sign.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

I will stay right next time just to avoid conflict but legally I’m allowed to go on either side.

Ferrero1911 > Slant6
05/12/2015 at 17:28

As others have pointed out, the sign does say you can go to either side. I think someone put up the wrong sign. Maybe they were trying to clarify that you should stay right and by adding the wrong sign made it worse. If there was no sign you would stay right.

Slant6 > Ferrero1911
05/12/2015 at 17:32

Agreed. This is just a stupid interchange.

ttyymmnn > Slant6
05/12/2015 at 17:37

OOOOHHHH. I read the bit where you said “the arrows aren’t there” and thought you meant that the yellow sign with the arrows was not there. In that case, the sign is telling you that you can go to either side. Sorry. Reading comprehension FTW. Since the sign is there, yes, you are correct in going to either side of it.

Slant6 > ttyymmnn
05/12/2015 at 17:45

Sorry. It was a bit unclear. I’m glad we’ve come to an understanding.

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > Slant6
05/12/2015 at 17:47

As I understand it, you are/were correct as long as the sign is there, which the street view tells me is. Might want to edit the post to say, “The sign was there but the arrows from Google Maps were obviously not.”

ttyymmnn > Slant6
05/12/2015 at 17:48

Nah, you were clear. I was just reading too fast.

Slant6 > Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz)
05/12/2015 at 20:11

Thanks. Will do.