4 ms·

Says the person who has never seen the ridiculous thing that is single lane road deadlock.

lttlrck 8y ago
Indeed. When I first came to the US I lived in Boston and this happens quite frequently inside the I95. It used to drive me crazy, I hated it, I though it was dangerous and uncivilized :-) it didn’t take long for me to understand why it was necessary and to start doing it myself.
- forgotmypw 8y ago
  For a responsible driver, it is a test to see if you are paying attention. A careful driver will see this about to happen, anticipate it, and allow the turning driver to make his impatient left safely.
dabbledash 8y ago
Pull into the intersection and go when it’s clear (on yellow or red). Gunning it so you can cut off oncoming traffic is ridiculous.
- Izkata 8y ago
  That doesn't solve it at all, you're thinking of a different problem. I got clued in from another comment that only mentioned it offhand, but this is the problem the "Pittsburgh left" tries to solve: The traffic is a single lane, and you want to turn left. Light turns green, and you wait for the oncoming traffic to clear. All traffic behind you is stopped on a green because they can't get around you.
  - c22 8y ago
    Even with multiple lanes this can be an issue as people behind you try to merge right to pass you which in busy traffic increases the chance of accidents and causes slowdowns.
  - dabbledash 8y ago
    Thanks, that’s a great point. That really is a terrible situation. And I’m sure the risks associated with the “Pittsburg left” are significantly mitigated when everyone expects it.
yosito 8y ago
If single lane road deadlock is a problem, the city's urban planners should (and probably will) install a left turn signal to solve it. A better solution than reckless driving is to report the deadlock to the city.
- jhauris 8y ago
  Many of the roads in the city of Pittsburgh are carved into the mountain, sometimes with shops or houses on either side between the road and cliff face. The terrain there is not a trivial thing to engineer around.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- ericpauley 8y ago
  You clearly have never been to Pittsburgh. There is simply no room at some intersections for a left turn lane, and a left turn signal would needlessly block traffic going the other way even when nobody wants to turn left.

Indeed. When I first came to the US I lived in Boston and this happens quite frequently inside the I95. It used to drive me crazy, I hated it, I though it was dangerous and uncivilized :-) it didn’t take long for me to understand why it was necessary and to start doing it myself.

forgotmypw 8y ago
For a responsible driver, it is a test to see if you are paying attention. A careful driver will see this about to happen, anticipate it, and allow the turning driver to make his impatient left safely.

dabbledash 8y ago

Pull into the intersection and go when it’s clear (on yellow or red). Gunning it so you can cut off oncoming traffic is ridiculous.

Izkata 8y ago
That doesn't solve it at all, you're thinking of a different problem. I got clued in from another comment that only mentioned it offhand, but this is the problem the "Pittsburgh left" tries to solve: The traffic is a single lane, and you want to turn left. Light turns green, and you wait for the oncoming traffic to clear. All traffic behind you is stopped on a green because they can't get around you.
- c22 8y ago
  Even with multiple lanes this can be an issue as people behind you try to merge right to pass you which in busy traffic increases the chance of accidents and causes slowdowns.
- dabbledash 8y ago
  Thanks, that’s a great point. That really is a terrible situation. And I’m sure the risks associated with the “Pittsburg left” are significantly mitigated when everyone expects it.

yosito 8y ago

If single lane road deadlock is a problem, the city's urban planners should (and probably will) install a left turn signal to solve it. A better solution than reckless driving is to report the deadlock to the city.

jhauris 8y ago
Many of the roads in the city of Pittsburgh are carved into the mountain, sometimes with shops or houses on either side between the road and cliff face. The terrain there is not a trivial thing to engineer around.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
ericpauley 8y ago
You clearly have never been to Pittsburgh. There is simply no room at some intersections for a left turn lane, and a left turn signal would needlessly block traffic going the other way even when nobody wants to turn left.