Worst Traffic Device Ever

highspeedhijinks

In the course of everyday driving, you will encounter some pretty strange traffic devices, from those chaotic traffic circles (thanks, Europe!) to parking signs that involve a troll and a riddle to tell you when you can and can’t park. Here in my hometown they’re about to install a unique traffic device known as a single point intersection that’s intended to reduce traffic congestion and to and alleviate the burden of waiting 6 days and a year for your turn to go. The thing is, it’ll be the only intersection of its kind in all of upstate NY. No one is going to know how to use it, and confusion + bad drivers = accidents, which will lead to more traffic congestion. See where I’m going with this? I personally think though that over time, the single point intersection will become customary and serve its purpose. In my opinion, the single worst traffic device of all time has to be the 4-way stop intersection. No one remembers what side they’re supposed to yield to, so instead of taking their turn they sit there at the line in an indecisive stupor–and the rest of the idiots blow them altogether, not realizing that stop sign applies to them. My question to you now is, what do you think is the worst traffic device on the road today?

INTERSECTION

bridge

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Posted at 1:35 am in David Clarke, Traffic

Comments

gold94corolla
Apr 13, 2010 at 3:44 pm

Ah yes, the SPUI. We have a few of those in downtown Maryland. I’d say they do a good job, especially in tight places.
No matter what the intersection type, there will always be people who don’t know how to drive them. They all have their perks.
I like traffic circles most of the time, at least single-lane circles. Add a second lane, and you’ve got a death trap!

trsupra147
Apr 13, 2010 at 10:47 am

the worst in my area is here on google maps 39.80451,-76.993416, there is 2 one ways 6 stop signs, one of them is stop only if you dont turn right but you have to stop at the stop sign to straight after that. basicly you go and hope no one hits you…. 3rd street and high street swap over a railroad track. its hard to you really tell you how it works youll have to look for your self

artie99
Apr 12, 2010 at 4:41 pm

My least favorite traffic device is any stop light at an intersection that doesn’t need one.
Like bustedwheel, I like traffic circles… actually no, I LOVE them. I have traveled to Grand Cayman a few times and fell in love with them there.
Nothing infuriates me more than driving along a major roadway and having to stop for one car that has probably been sitting at the intersection for several minutes while no cars were coming and as soon as I approach, without fail, it turns red.
Of course there are intersections that need lights because of space or volume. But on a moderate to low traffic road in spacious areas, there is no need for lights. Traffic circles keep traffic moving instead of sitting wasting gas and adding more emissions to the air. They also prevent major accidents. Very few people get killed at circles compared to lighted intersections.
If you grew up with circles, you would be terrified to go through lighted intersections worrying that someone could blow through the red at full speed.

Jen Dunnaway
Apr 12, 2010 at 4:08 pm

My traffic pet peeve is those intersections that are controlled by a blinking red in one direction (“stop!”) and a blinking yellow in the other (“caution!”). The drivers facing the blinking yellow don’t understand what they’re being told, and often slam on their brakes in confusion. Meanwhile, the drivers with the blinking red don’t realize they’re supposed to stop and will often sail blindly into the proceeding cross-traffic. I’ve seen so many near-Tbones at this kind of intersection that I’ll completely avoid roads that have more than one of them.

retroman
Apr 12, 2010 at 2:34 pm

My hometown has an intersection that confuses most outsiders. It consists of three different roads converging on 2 different intersections a mere 30 feet apart from one another. If you go to google and search these coordinates (40.786836,-81.551833) you will see what I mean. Millersburg Rd. SW forks off into Main Ave. W and Tremont Ave. W. Those two are then immediately intersected by 23rd ST NW. In order to get onto Main from Millersburg Rd., you are allowed to go left of center without stopping as long as there’s no oncoming traffic coming off of Tremont. Whether you choose Main or Tremont you are immediately hit with a traffic light so as to allow traffic from 23rd to merge onto either Main or Tremont. Again confusing for outsiders. The most confusing part of all though is if you are coming up Main to merge onto Millersburg Rd. You are not only hit with a traffic light, but a stop sign as well just 30 ft or so after the light. Traffic from Tremont does not have to stop, but because the fork in the road is so slight I often see people who are unfamiliar with the area stop there anyway. I’ve also seen those same people blow throw the same stop sign when they are coming up Main, the road that the sign is meant for. Again, confusing. Hard to explain, I know, which is why I provided coordinates to show you, but it’s a wonder there haven’t been more accidents here.

GTwildfire
Apr 12, 2010 at 11:18 am

When I think of traffic circles… I think of National Lampoon’s European Vacation. “Hey kids, there’s Big Ben!…” LMAO

GTwildfire
Apr 12, 2010 at 11:14 am

Jersey Jug handles have to take the No.1 spot. South Jersey is notorious for them and as a result – no kidding – you have to be psychic to get anywhere unfamiliar where these jug handles have taken root. Some jug handles actually take you on a brief tour of residential neighborhoods… no kidding!
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Coming up on a close second is the FIVE MINUTE + stop light. Sorry, but there is NO EXCUSE to hold a stack of cars for FIVE MINUTES… OR MORE. God forbit you have to endure 2 or 3 iterations before you can go on your daily commute. If that becomes a routine, you spend up to 1 hour and 15 minutes at ONE stop light PER WEEK – and these lights exist. I have fantasized about hideously carving up traffic engineers like Christmas goose while being held captive by their achievements. If you’re in the Philly/Tri-State area and you sit at one of these intersections than see lots of cooked rubber as you proceed, it’s probably mine.
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Third would have to be 2-way stop intersections. I say this because most are 4-way in my area and people get used to them. I’d say more accidents at stop sign intersections happen because the one already stopped thought it was a 4 way intersection and got T-boned as a result. Unfortunately they don’t always indicate 2 or 4 way at the intersection and people are left to their own, feeble devices.

Bourkemaster
Apr 12, 2010 at 9:41 am

I just spent a weekend in Camden, NJ. I’m not sure what was the more eventful traffic anomaly…It could have been the absurd jughandles. It may have been the intersections where the stoplight facing your direction is hanging over the opposing lane, or it may have been the one intersection that had three signs that said “Wait for Green”.

shaved6
Apr 12, 2010 at 7:48 am

We have 2 of these types of intersections within 15 minutes of my house in Michigan. They seem to work very well and so far no accidents have occured. The main problem would be that the dashed lines that signify lanes will wear down because they are driven over by the other traffic so the city will need to make sure to keep them nice and bright.

In my town we also are seeing more and more round-abouts. The one exit to my town incorporates 2 round abouts on each side of the freeway. The main problem with these seems to be people not paying attention to the speed of cars in the round-about so they end up cutting cars off.

Analogy
Apr 12, 2010 at 6:49 am

I’m going to have to say that I’m a fan of circulars, too. They keep traffic flowing pretty well. Yes, there are a ton of idiots who don’t know how to use them and/or panic, but those are the same idiots that don’t know how to use anything else on the road, too. That said, what Sheboygan, WI did recently really pisses me off mostly because I think the evil giant, Walmart, was behind it — put like 7 circulars in a row at every conceivable intersection/driveway including at the I-43 on/offramps. To make matters worse, they gave the circulars the tightest possible radii; I love feeling 12 G’s even when only going 12 mph (sarcasm).

bustedwheel
Apr 12, 2010 at 5:36 am

I actually like the circles, and think they can work great. Unfortunately they never do as the concept of how to use them is lost on most people.
Check this mess out. If anyone can tell me what they were thinking here, i’d like to know.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=cambridge,+ma&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Cambridge,+Middlesex,+Massachusetts&gl=us&ei=9iDDS6mZN4L68AbqkZS2Dw&ved=0CAsQ8gEwAA&ll=42.397732,-71.141635&spn=0.002179,0.004823&t=h&z=18