It's amazing that there are advantages to this. It seems the main one is the observation that intersections have many overloaded functions which combine to expl

It's amazing that there are advantages to this. It seems the main one is the observation that intersections have many overloaded functions which combine to explode the complexity of operations that can occur: intersections handle cross traffic between roads, 4 different points of turning from one road to the orthogonal one via left turn, 4 different points of turning to orthogonal via right turn, four points of u-turns, and pedestrian crossing. Whichever maneuver you pick, there are that many other maneuvers that each other car might be involved in at the same time and you have to interact with. That's an insane level of complexity, and the complexity of the whole system affects all the cars coming from each of 4 directions. The Michigan turn takes roughly half of these, the 4 left turn modalities and 4 u-turn modalities and displaces each of 4 to a location where it only affects a single direction, the oncoming one, although it has the side effect of doubling the number of right hand turns at the main intersection, but these are safer turns than left ones. A variation on this I have seen on highways and interstates throughout the US is to have a left turn slow down and two-way median turn around lane that is in between the actual roads where one would turn, ensuring that no dangerous left turns take place. The left turn is replaced with a u turn which is even more dangerous due to the lower speed at which one clears oncoming traffic, and there are seldom any pedestrian situations since pedestrians aren't usually found on highways. But it does avoid the otherwise conflict with negotiating the crossing with several other directions at once, to your right cross traffic, left cross traffic, left across-left turn traffic, right across-left turn traffic, and oncoming traffic, reducing all this to having to deal with oncoming traffic only. And if I had not read this link I never would have thought about all this stuff, so thanks for posting.