Either folks on the road between 4-6 p.m. are substantially less intelligent than most, or common sense and courtesy just goes on strike at that time.
Where Illinois Avenue meets the Turnpike, there are TWO left-turn lanes. Those needing to turn left can only do so during a green arrow on the traffic light.
The red cars are in the rightmost left-turn lane, and will turn into the right lane on the Turnpike. The blue cars are in the leftmost left-turn lane, and will turn into the left lane of the Turnpike.
The green arrow in the picture shows where the lanes split off, and behind that point, it’s unlikely that any of the cars will get to turn during the relatively brief green arrow turn signal.
DO YOU SEE WHAT’S WRONG IN THIS PICTURE?
The little yellow car would like to turn left, wouldn’t mind a bit to be in the left lane, but can’t get into the leftmost left-turn lane because all the red cars are blocking the entrance to the nearly empty side of the left turn lanes.
Why? If there’s plenty of room in one of the lanes and almost none in the other, why not move over and make efficient use of the available left turn lanes?
The lady in the little yellow car is getting pretty angry as she watches the light cycle through, missing the whole thing, as the left lane sits empty. Not a good way to end the day.
Sounds like driver’s ed. is failing in some fashion. Common sense is out the window with drivers most of the time these days. That intersection is hugely disfunctional. It is set up pretty good, but it carries so much traffic in every direction the law of averages on getting poor drivers bunched up there increases dramatically at that one spot. No wonder side streets in Oak Ridge are used so much. I avoid that intersection as much as possible.
From South Illinois, it’s often faster to cut across Raccoon Road to the Turnpike rather than navigate that intersection. Other than that, however, the only “back road” option to go west on the Turnpike is a gravel road that often floods (Tuskeegee to Wiltshire). Even then, turning left out of Wiltshire can be problematic at busy times, since there’s no light.
A little courtesy and common sense would go a long way to solving the problem.
After living in St. Louis for 25 years, I got a laugh our of the idea of “traffic” in Oak Ridge. Thanks.
Ok, here is the West version for me, Raccoon (soon to be Oak Ridge Boys Rd.) to ORTP, to Robertsville, down Robertsville. Yeah, a little farther but less headache of “traffic” as doc points out. Then there is the peverbial Oliver Springs resident hospital route to go East.
Think you have problems? Try making that intersection, going any direction, in fire apparatus. This is one of our more popular accident locations–mostly left turners trying to occupy the same space. Does this say anything about “leftists”?
I don’t think Racoon will become OBR (or A, or L, or B). LOL
Hey — at least the fire truck is allowed to cross over into any vacant lane and mosy on through the light no matter what the color.
Still, I don’t envy you that job. People have also grown rather inconsiderate about pulling over to make room for emergency vehicles, and they ought to just be run over when that happens.