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I'm not sure why the four way stop "makes the most sense". In Europe one road (perhaps arbitrarily) would be declared the main road, and the other road gets yi

I'm not sure why the four way stop "makes the most sense". In Europe one road (perhaps arbitrarily) would be declared the main road, and the other road gets yield signs, or even just yield road markings (triangles).

realityking 2y ago
Or, in the absence of any signage, it'd just be "right before left". Relatively common in the outskirts of cities where there isn't one road that has significantly more traffic than the other one.
- lupusreal 2y ago
  Right before left is how four-way stops work. Putting the signs up doesn't cost much, so why skip them?
  - tinodb 2y ago
    No, that’s not the same. On a 4-way stop you have to completely stop. Also how I remember my year in the US (I’m from NL) is that the first to reach the stop has right of way, not the “left” one. But I might be wrong on that last one? Didn’t have a drivers license at the time (but was surprised - and turned off from - 4-way stops).
    - reginald78 2y ago
      That's how it works in my state. The right before left thing is just the tie breaker.
lupusreal 2y ago
If one is obviously a main road then it's a two way. If neither is, then it's a four way. If the intersection is lightly trafficked then there's not any reason not to make it a four way because it won't cause meaningful delays anyway. When a county has several hundred country road intersections that get a few dozen cars or less a day through them, it doesn't make sense to even spend time studying each one. Just throw up some stop signs and consider the matter resolved.
- zippothrowaway 2y ago
  Or do what they do in the UK. For all of these, make them 'mini-roundabouts' which is literally a dot painted on the center of the road. You follow the rules of the roundabout without building one. Works just as efficiently as a four way stop with light traffic - actually more, since you don't need to stop if the intersection is empty.
- Symbiote 2y ago
  And then every single car must stop. That's a huge waste of energy. The European way requires half as many signposts, and at most half as much stopping and starting of cars.

realityking 2y ago

Or, in the absence of any signage, it'd just be "right before left". Relatively common in the outskirts of cities where there isn't one road that has significantly more traffic than the other one.

lupusreal 2y ago
Right before left is how four-way stops work. Putting the signs up doesn't cost much, so why skip them?
- tinodb 2y ago
  No, that’s not the same. On a 4-way stop you have to completely stop. Also how I remember my year in the US (I’m from NL) is that the first to reach the stop has right of way, not the “left” one. But I might be wrong on that last one? Didn’t have a drivers license at the time (but was surprised - and turned off from - 4-way stops).
  - reginald78 2y ago
    That's how it works in my state. The right before left thing is just the tie breaker.

lupusreal 2y ago

If one is obviously a main road then it's a two way. If neither is, then it's a four way. If the intersection is lightly trafficked then there's not any reason not to make it a four way because it won't cause meaningful delays anyway. When a county has several hundred country road intersections that get a few dozen cars or less a day through them, it doesn't make sense to even spend time studying each one. Just throw up some stop signs and consider the matter resolved.

zippothrowaway 2y ago
Or do what they do in the UK. For all of these, make them 'mini-roundabouts' which is literally a dot painted on the center of the road. You follow the rules of the roundabout without building one. Works just as efficiently as a four way stop with light traffic - actually more, since you don't need to stop if the intersection is empty.
Symbiote 2y ago
And then every single car must stop. That's a huge waste of energy. The European way requires half as many signposts, and at most half as much stopping and starting of cars.