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Looking at the old intersection on the satellite map photos, it’s a classic obstructed-A-pillar deathtrap with traffic lights glued on as a failed band-aid fix.

Looking at the old intersection on the satellite map photos, it’s a classic obstructed-A-pillar deathtrap with traffic lights glued on as a failed band-aid fix. See also Ipley Cross, which had the same issue until it was altered last year or so into two right-angle T-intersections separated by a few hundred feet: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23024275 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23024275 (4 years ago, 144 comments) The DOT pages for the Gilroy project may be of interest: https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-5/district-5-current-projects/05-34490 https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-5/district-5-cu... http://sanbenitocog.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Turbo-Roundabout-Project-Fact-Sheet-101423.pdf http://sanbenitocog.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Turbo-Rou... [pdf] http://sanbenitocog.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SR-156-Improvement-Project-Fact-Sheet-091823.pdf http://sanbenitocog.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/SR-156-Im... [pdf] For those in other regions: US traffic signals generally permit a right turn at a stop/red signal after coming to a complete stop, do not use photo enforcement to detect red light violations, and are sometimes ignored by drivers when they don’t see any cross-traffic worth slowing down for. These three properties exacerbate the safety issues with scissor intersections and inhibit the effectiveness of signaling-only fixes.

gene91 3y ago
1 and 2 can be addressed though. It’s easy to ban right-turn-on-red on a specific intersection. People sometimes do not see the sign, but new-style electronic no-right-turn signs addresses this. https://www.orangetraffic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/LS2828-R3-1_Web-Size-1.jpg https://www.orangetraffic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/LS2... It’s also legal to have red light cameras, so they can be installed.
- altairprime 3y ago
  American drivers disregard those electronic signals almost as readily as they disregard unlit signs, stop signs and red lights; especially in rural farmland regions such as Gilroy. (Less so when it’s due to a train track, more so when it’s due to impaired visibility.) Red light cameras are a somewhat effective solution for attentive drivers, so long as their car has a license plate (which is also not reliably enforced in the US). However, the inherent flaws of the scissor intersection, and the risks posed by inattentive drivers, are only addressed by replacing the scissor intersection with something else.
  - user3939382 3y ago
    > so long as their car has a license plate (which is also not reliably enforced in the US). What? If any cop sees you without a plate you’re getting pulled over immediately.
    - pirates 3y ago
      I’ve seen two cars driving without plates within 5 miles of my house just this week. Do you see police officers every single time you drive anywhere (or walk, bike, bus, whatever)? I know I don’t. And even if you do see one, they might have multiple reasons they’ll cite for why they didn’t stop X vehicle for Y infraction.
    - altairprime 3y ago
      I also see at least one car without a plate every day I drive in my metropolitan area. Perhaps other areas are more rigorous. But certainly there’s also Portland (Oregon) or Berkeley (California), where the police no longer allow it: https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2021/06/portland-police-will-no-longer-pursue-minor-traffic-infractions-and-will-limit-car-searches.html https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2021/06/portland-police-wil... The only time I was stopped for a missing rear plate in my ~week of waiting for new car plates a couple years ago, was once by the state police. I imagine it’s because I had a new car and they were confused about how I ended up without plates, which was definitely an unusual scenario.
epistasis 3y ago
Thanks for these links, they are super informative! The split of the project with only ~10% of the project coming from state money, with federal money making up ~90% of the $15M, is quite interesting. It's always fascinating how expensive car infrastructure is in comparison to, say, bike infrastructure. Additionally, it's interesting how there's approximately zero public process for these very expensive car infrastructure process, but a mere bike lane will ensure years of public input, each meeting a chance to veto the project but without any meetings that would allow the bike to definitively be built without further meetings.
- altairprime 3y ago
  Caltrans publishes a guide detailing how and when public input is consulted. https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/transportation-planning/documents/f0009283-ppp-final-v1-0-041018-a11y.pdf https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/transportation... I encourage using the information within to contribute to local and regional planning processes. Note, however, that this does not address the environmental impact lawsuits often used by California drivers to obstruct bicycle infrastructure.
mcint 3y ago
Thanks! I was going to link this after just seeing the article. Nice find on the corridor project too.

gene91 3y ago

1 and 2 can be addressed though. It’s easy to ban right-turn-on-red on a specific intersection. People sometimes do not see the sign, but new-style electronic no-right-turn signs addresses this. https://www.orangetraffic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/LS2828-R3-1_Web-Size-1.jpg https://www.orangetraffic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/LS2... It’s also legal to have red light cameras, so they can be installed.

altairprime 3y ago
American drivers disregard those electronic signals almost as readily as they disregard unlit signs, stop signs and red lights; especially in rural farmland regions such as Gilroy. (Less so when it’s due to a train track, more so when it’s due to impaired visibility.) Red light cameras are a somewhat effective solution for attentive drivers, so long as their car has a license plate (which is also not reliably enforced in the US). However, the inherent flaws of the scissor intersection, and the risks posed by inattentive drivers, are only addressed by replacing the scissor intersection with something else.
- user3939382 3y ago
  > so long as their car has a license plate (which is also not reliably enforced in the US). What? If any cop sees you without a plate you’re getting pulled over immediately.
  - pirates 3y ago
    I’ve seen two cars driving without plates within 5 miles of my house just this week. Do you see police officers every single time you drive anywhere (or walk, bike, bus, whatever)? I know I don’t. And even if you do see one, they might have multiple reasons they’ll cite for why they didn’t stop X vehicle for Y infraction.
  - altairprime 3y ago
    I also see at least one car without a plate every day I drive in my metropolitan area. Perhaps other areas are more rigorous. But certainly there’s also Portland (Oregon) or Berkeley (California), where the police no longer allow it: https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2021/06/portland-police-will-no-longer-pursue-minor-traffic-infractions-and-will-limit-car-searches.html https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2021/06/portland-police-wil... The only time I was stopped for a missing rear plate in my ~week of waiting for new car plates a couple years ago, was once by the state police. I imagine it’s because I had a new car and they were confused about how I ended up without plates, which was definitely an unusual scenario.

epistasis 3y ago

Thanks for these links, they are super informative! The split of the project with only ~10% of the project coming from state money, with federal money making up ~90% of the $15M, is quite interesting. It's always fascinating how expensive car infrastructure is in comparison to, say, bike infrastructure. Additionally, it's interesting how there's approximately zero public process for these very expensive car infrastructure process, but a mere bike lane will ensure years of public input, each meeting a chance to veto the project but without any meetings that would allow the bike to definitively be built without further meetings.

altairprime 3y ago
Caltrans publishes a guide detailing how and when public input is consulted. https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/transportation-planning/documents/f0009283-ppp-final-v1-0-041018-a11y.pdf https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/transportation... I encourage using the information within to contribute to local and regional planning processes. Note, however, that this does not address the environmental impact lawsuits often used by California drivers to obstruct bicycle infrastructure.

mcint 3y ago

Thanks! I was going to link this after just seeing the article. Nice find on the corridor project too.