3 ms·

We have had one of these locally for a while now. It does seem to work well but since they're rare and I don't normally drive around that area, when I do I rea

by bradfa 2y ago

We have had one of these locally for a while now. It does seem to work well but since they're rare and I don't normally drive around that area, when I do I really need to pay attention to the road signs to know what's going on and where to go as it's definitely not intuitive. Ours seems like it was put in instead of any other option due to the available real estate. The diverging diamond doesn't seem to take up any more space than the existing roads and intersection did. The existing bridge work for the highway overpass didn't have to change afaict.

sybercecurity 2y ago
There is one in Ohio which I encountered when visiting family. At first, it is confusing and weird, but I imagine you get used to it if you drive through it regularly. Seemed logical as it was a bridge over an interstate, so to make it easier for entrance/exit ramps. Still wonder how many accidents happened there the first month it was open.
- briffle 2y ago
  They started putting in traffic circles about 10 years ago where I live at intersections where they didn't have enough traffic to need a light. it was the same thing. The first time people encounter them, they go a bit slow, but you get used to them very quickly.
- yareally 2y ago
  I think we have at least 2 of them now in the Columbus area.
- shaftway 2y ago
  I read about them, and then I drove through one without even realizing it until afterwards. The walls were high enough that I didn't see vehicles to my right, and the crossings were close enough to square that it just felt like a normal intersection of two one-way streets. Once I realized, I actually turned around to go through it again for the novelty and my ADHD brain flipped off and didn't notice it again. I had to turn around again (to continue in my original direction) and that's when I actually paid attention. I think people find them weird when viewed from above, but when you're going through them there isn't that much to them. If you're in the SF Bay Area and want to try one out, there's one in Manteca, a little more than an hour away.
  - Terr_ 2y ago
    > The walls were high enough that I didn't see vehicles to my right Might it be deliberate? I imagine a lot of drivers might be spooked to see "wrong" traffic, especially if it's headlights at night and they can't quite see the layout.
    - chronial 2y ago
      It's because of the headlights - they bias right and would blind oncoming traffic.
      - Terr_ 2y ago
        That may be the reason in other countries, but parent-poster talks about an intersection in California, and as far as I can tell US regulations require symmetric (unbiased) low-beams, and high-beams are usually symmetric everywhere. > When installed on a motor vehicle, the headlamps (or parts thereof) that provide the lower beam must be of the same type and provide a symmetrical effective projected luminous lens area when illuminated. [0] https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/02/22/2022-02451/federal-motor-vehicle-safety-standards-lamps-reflective-devices-and-associated-equipment-adaptive https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/02/22/2022-02...
toast0 2y ago
> Ours seems like it was put in instead of any other option due to the available real estate. The diverging diamond doesn't seem to take up any more space than the existing roads and intersection did. The existing bridge work for the highway overpass didn't have to change afaict. Yeah, this looks like it could be built pretty space efficiently, especially if you already had an intersection on each side of the bridge. I'm sure there's ways to make it use more space, but it seems like it wouldn't need to be a lot more space anyway.

by bradfa 2y ago

sybercecurity 2y ago

There is one in Ohio which I encountered when visiting family. At first, it is confusing and weird, but I imagine you get used to it if you drive through it regularly. Seemed logical as it was a bridge over an interstate, so to make it easier for entrance/exit ramps. Still wonder how many accidents happened there the first month it was open.

briffle 2y ago
They started putting in traffic circles about 10 years ago where I live at intersections where they didn't have enough traffic to need a light. it was the same thing. The first time people encounter them, they go a bit slow, but you get used to them very quickly.
yareally 2y ago
I think we have at least 2 of them now in the Columbus area.
shaftway 2y ago
I read about them, and then I drove through one without even realizing it until afterwards. The walls were high enough that I didn't see vehicles to my right, and the crossings were close enough to square that it just felt like a normal intersection of two one-way streets. Once I realized, I actually turned around to go through it again for the novelty and my ADHD brain flipped off and didn't notice it again. I had to turn around again (to continue in my original direction) and that's when I actually paid attention. I think people find them weird when viewed from above, but when you're going through them there isn't that much to them. If you're in the SF Bay Area and want to try one out, there's one in Manteca, a little more than an hour away.
- Terr_ 2y ago
  > The walls were high enough that I didn't see vehicles to my right Might it be deliberate? I imagine a lot of drivers might be spooked to see "wrong" traffic, especially if it's headlights at night and they can't quite see the layout.
  - chronial 2y ago
    It's because of the headlights - they bias right and would blind oncoming traffic.
    - Terr_ 2y ago
      That may be the reason in other countries, but parent-poster talks about an intersection in California, and as far as I can tell US regulations require symmetric (unbiased) low-beams, and high-beams are usually symmetric everywhere. > When installed on a motor vehicle, the headlamps (or parts thereof) that provide the lower beam must be of the same type and provide a symmetrical effective projected luminous lens area when illuminated. [0] https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/02/22/2022-02451/federal-motor-vehicle-safety-standards-lamps-reflective-devices-and-associated-equipment-adaptive https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/02/22/2022-02...

toast0 2y ago

> Ours seems like it was put in instead of any other option due to the available real estate. The diverging diamond doesn't seem to take up any more space than the existing roads and intersection did. The existing bridge work for the highway overpass didn't have to change afaict. Yeah, this looks like it could be built pretty space efficiently, especially if you already had an intersection on each side of the bridge. I'm sure there's ways to make it use more space, but it seems like it wouldn't need to be a lot more space anyway.