Jonathan and I witnessed a wreck on the drive home in the rain* this evening. It occurred near this intersection:
I've always had a problem with this intersection, and have nearly gotten into accidents here myself. Let's say that North is at the top. So look at the bottom of the intersection. Pretend you want to go straight - from the South side to the North side. Okay, so you'd have to be in the middle lane, because the right lane is a right turn only lane. Why?! There are two lanes on the right-hand side of the North side of the intersection. Why must there be only one lane from the South side allowing a person to go straight? I used to be in the right turn only lane and just go straight, before I realized that I was doing anything wrong. A couple of times I have been in the straight lane and then drifted to the right-hand lane as I crossed the intersection - also dangerous. And lots of other people do the same thing! Especially since we live on the right side not too far from this intersection! Grr!
Despite my frustrations with the intersection, the problem I have was not exactly the cause of tonight's accident. However, the single straight lane was partially to blame.
It was rush hour, and this intersection gets pretty backed up since the left-turn lane is relatively short and the straight lane gets packed. So it's common to have a car speed by on the left to try to make the left turn (speeding by in what is really no lane at all, since the left turn lane hasn't started). It's also common for cars in the straight lane to stop to let people in and out of a gated community with an entrance near the corner. Tonight the car in front of us stopped to let a truck out of the community - turning left (South). At the same time, a car came speeding by on our left and crashed into the truck trying to turn left. The car looked totaled and the truck looked like it barely sustained a scratch. Luckily both drivers appeared to be okay and they were both pulling over and on their cell phones so we think they're okay.
But really, this intersection is just more problems waiting to happen. I think that allowing the right-hand lane to be right or straight would alleviate some of the backup in the straight-only lane, which could then cut down on the left-turn speedsters. That's my civil engineering rant for the day.
*I probably don't even need to tell you that it's raining. Just assume it's always raining here, because you'll be correct like 98% of the time.
I've always had a problem with this intersection, and have nearly gotten into accidents here myself. Let's say that North is at the top. So look at the bottom of the intersection. Pretend you want to go straight - from the South side to the North side. Okay, so you'd have to be in the middle lane, because the right lane is a right turn only lane. Why?! There are two lanes on the right-hand side of the North side of the intersection. Why must there be only one lane from the South side allowing a person to go straight? I used to be in the right turn only lane and just go straight, before I realized that I was doing anything wrong. A couple of times I have been in the straight lane and then drifted to the right-hand lane as I crossed the intersection - also dangerous. And lots of other people do the same thing! Especially since we live on the right side not too far from this intersection! Grr!
Despite my frustrations with the intersection, the problem I have was not exactly the cause of tonight's accident. However, the single straight lane was partially to blame.
It was rush hour, and this intersection gets pretty backed up since the left-turn lane is relatively short and the straight lane gets packed. So it's common to have a car speed by on the left to try to make the left turn (speeding by in what is really no lane at all, since the left turn lane hasn't started). It's also common for cars in the straight lane to stop to let people in and out of a gated community with an entrance near the corner. Tonight the car in front of us stopped to let a truck out of the community - turning left (South). At the same time, a car came speeding by on our left and crashed into the truck trying to turn left. The car looked totaled and the truck looked like it barely sustained a scratch. Luckily both drivers appeared to be okay and they were both pulling over and on their cell phones so we think they're okay.
But really, this intersection is just more problems waiting to happen. I think that allowing the right-hand lane to be right or straight would alleviate some of the backup in the straight-only lane, which could then cut down on the left-turn speedsters. That's my civil engineering rant for the day.
*I probably don't even need to tell you that it's raining. Just assume it's always raining here, because you'll be correct like 98% of the time.
Comments
Nice work baby, time to write your city council. XOXO
Is that road going south just two lanes then expands to four lanes?
Hyde, it is a 2-lane road that expands to four. All I really want is for them to allow people in the right-turn only lane to go straight too. I think every time I go through the intersection, there are people who go straight from the right-only and there are people in the straight lane who drift to be in the right lane on the North side. This a recipe for disaster.