Four-way stops and traffic circles
One of my least-favorite traffic control devices is the four-way stop. I hate 'em, in fact. I can't wait for the Town to put lights at Morriss and Firewheel, my least favorite intersection, but I don't know if think it's on the current upgrade calendar. My second-least-favorite intersection is in front of Lifetime Fitness, Peters Colony at Churchill, during the daytime when it's busy. The people on Churchill think they should not have to stop, so they tend to rush through the intersection. I tend to agree with them, even though I'm normally crossing Churchill to get to Peters Colony.
Good story this morning on the Star-Telegram regarding traffic circles and how they're much more efficient at handling traffic than four-way stops. They do require more space than a traditional four-way stop intersection.
The folks who laid out FM's Lakeside development put in small traffic circles, which for now stand out like sore thumbs because no one's driving the roads now. But I bet they'll be good for traffic when the new hotel goes in there.
posted by Chip Mahaney @ 7:57 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
People's inability to navigate four-way stops is one of my pet peeves. I think that they are a much more effective traffic control device than you think. The problem I see is that everybody seems to distrust the other driver rather than expecting the system to work.
If you get there first, GO! Don't wait for everybody else to get there and make sure they come to a complete stop. Someone will see that as a sign that you are not going to take the initiative and they will try to take it themselves. If I see that the other person is getting there first, I will slow down so that I am still rolling to a stop when they are waiting. Most of the time they will still wait until I completely stop before they go. This drives me nuts.
If it is your turn, GO! Don't check and re-check to make sure nobody is going to go out-of-turn. The longer you wait, the more likely that prospect becomes.
If you think that being more aggressive at these intersections will cause more accidents, remember that everyone will most likely be taking off from a (mostly) complete stop, so it will not be hard to avoid the people who don't follow the traffic rules.
Yes, I learned to drive in New Jersey, so whaddaya?
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