http://www.newsobserver.com/news/growth/traffic/gas/story/1014719.html


My prof, Dr. Hummer emailed this article to us. Interesting stuff.

3/27/2008 10:44:37 AM

Maybe we can build all roads so that they go downhill...then we can install some inexpensive hydraulic pumps with the capability of changing the slope so people can go the other direction...i might even ride my bicycle to work!

3/27/2008 10:46:00 AM

its not a superstreet, it is a michigan left

3/27/2008 10:48:30 AM

Quote :

"In recent years, roundabouts have grown in popularity. Since 1999, when the state had no roundabouts, the state has put in about 52"

i didn't know there was a distinction between roundabouts and "traffic circles"...

3/27/2008 10:52:55 AM

what's next? new jersey jug-handles?

3/27/2008 10:56:43 AM

Personally, I'd much rather sit at traffic signals for minutes at a time than make forward progress in some new fangled intersection.

3/27/2008 11:19:29 AM

or you can live next door to almost everything you need

3/27/2008 11:26:22 AM

I hate the inherent inefficiencies created by new developments that make the road curve left and right for the hell of it. Theoretically it is for traffic calming, but isn't really curvy enough to slow people down (except the 1% that wants to go 100 mph down a secondary street), and just requires more driving time, distance, and fuel use to get to the same spot.

3/27/2008 11:37:03 AM

what bothers me most is the lack of synchronicity in traffic lights along main roads

3/27/2008 11:44:34 AM

Quote :

"Roundabouts such as the one Wake Forest installed in 2006 can have aesthetic advantages."

Dude, they installed that roundabout after I had my EPIC crash. It's right near main street, where route 1-A goes past the Seminary. There's WAY more traffic right there than there is anywhere else in Wake Forest. Apparently there had been a bunch of crashes there, and, in 2003, I totally wiped out and crashed through the nice pretty rock wall that borders the seminary. EPIC FAIL. But they have a roundabout now, so they fixed all that. If you squint your eyes, you can still see where the rocks on the wall are piled lopsided.

[Edited on March 27, 2008 at 12:26 PM. Reason : Toned down the surfer talk.]

3/27/2008 12:23:23 PM

lights synced at 35 are also synced at 70

3/27/2008 12:31:51 PM

I noticed a lot of roundabouts/circles when I was in Summit Co, CO. My theory is they use those instead of stop signs so people don't get stuck in the snow.

3/27/2008 12:34:16 PM

Traffic circles are old, many old NC towns have them. For some dumbass reason incoming traffic doesn't stop, but traffic in the circle has to do crazy lane changes.

I'm telling you, roundabouts like these are the hot shit:

3/27/2008 12:34:57 PM

^love them.

3/27/2008 12:36:12 PM

Quote :

"some new fangled intersection"

new? wat?

3/27/2008 1:24:42 PM

yeah, roundabouts are hands down better than signaled intersections

i'm doing a policy analysis right now of putting one at Hillsborough and Dixie, needless to say the pros far outweigh the cons.......they save money and electricity too

Ya'll watch out for the 2 roundabouts being built on Hillsborough this summer, they're going to be a very nice addition

3/27/2008 1:52:53 PM

We wouldn't need so much gas if we replaced the roads with water slides that went everywhere important.

3/27/2008 2:06:58 PM

speaking of new-fangled intersections, I'm a big fan of the new style of interstate overpass intersections, like they put in at I-40 exit 276 at the Southpoint mall.

Instead of using a traditional overpass that is simply a road over the interstate with two 3-way intersections at either side of the bridge (where you often have to wait through two light cycles to get across the bridge and turn left onto the interstate), all in and off-ramps lead into one massive intersection with multiple traffic flows.

here's the traditional style, this is exit 287 Harrison Avenue


Here's the intersection at exit 276




i think this style provides a very good compromise between the traditional overpass intersections, which can get very backed up and can take a while to navigate through, and the cloverleaf intersections, which take up a huge amount of space. I've noticed several new bridges on I40 and I-85 with this style, so I guess they're getting popular

[Edited on March 27, 2008 at 2:15 PM. Reason : .]

3/27/2008 2:15:01 PM

What ^ is talking about in stupid amounts of detail: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-point_urban_interchange

Hopefully they get the changes on hillsborough st happening sooner rather than later. I think that it's high time north/central campus got some updating done to improve the look and feel of the area. The roundabouts will definitely help.

3/27/2008 2:57:40 PM

Roundabouts are nice but there will always be people too incompetent to use them. "Do I go now?" The circle on Pullen drove me crazy because dumbasses would get in the circle but still yield at every entry point, thinking they had to wait for others to enter. Still other dumbasses would blunder into the circle without looking first, nearly causing collisions with cars already in the circle.

3/27/2008 3:19:19 PM

^that's pretty much the only tradeoffs to roundabouts, there is a learning curve for the retards

3/27/2008 3:38:51 PM

Quote :

"its not a superstreet, it is a michigan left"

A superstreet is a modified michigan left.

3/27/2008 3:43:59 PM

Yeah, but what is described in that article is a Michigan Left.

3/27/2008 4:00:08 PM

i love roundabouts

3/27/2008 4:29:19 PM

I HATE Michigan lefts. They are the stupidest thing in the world. I live in Michigan now, and won't miss them at all when I move. I hate the fact that you have to make 2 turns instead of one (the right turn followed by the U-turn), and that you also have to pull into the fast lane when you're making your U-turn. It's just a nightmare.

3/27/2008 4:45:29 PM

Quote :

"Roundabouts are nice but there will always be people too incompetent to use them. "Do I go now?" The circle on Pullen drove me crazy because dumbasses would get in the circle but still yield at every entry point, thinking they had to wait for others to enter. Still other dumbasses would blunder into the circle without looking first, nearly causing collisions with cars already in the circle."

I would rather buy a car that doesnt have 200 hp than get hit in a roundabout by retards. Body work > Gas .





[Edited on March 27, 2008 at 5:59 PM. Reason : .]

3/27/2008 5:58:18 PM

paging blah....she knows all about civil engineering

3/27/2008 6:00:35 PM

Quote :

"I HATE Michigan lefts. They are the stupidest thing in the world. I live in Michigan now, and won't miss them at all when I move. I hate the fact that you have to make 2 turns instead of one (the right turn followed by the U-turn), and that you also have to pull into the fast lane when you're making your U-turn. It's just a nightmare."

They work well though. It doesn't matter whether you like them or not, it matters if they get the job done.

Quote :

" Option 'A' Do Nothing Cost: $0 Drive Time on 15/501: 4.9 minutes in AM peak 5.5 minutes in PM peak Average Speed: 11 mph in AM peak 9 mph in PM peak Option 'B' Cost: $900,000 Drive Time on 15/501: 3.8 minutes in AM peak 4.5 minutes in PM peak Average Speed: 14 mph in AM peak 12 mph in PM peak Option 'C' Superstreet Cost: $2,855,000 Drive Time on 15/501: 2.0 minutes in AM peak 2.2 minutes in PM peak Average Speed: 29 mph in AM peak 27 mph in PM peak"

http://www.ncdot.org/projects/Superstreet/propalts.html

Clearly, we have a winner.

[Edited on March 27, 2008 at 6:17 PM. Reason : -]

3/27/2008 6:17:16 PM