Traffic circles would be a lot easier for people if they learned how to signal properly. You ALWAYS signal your intention, even if going straight. This almost never happens in my experience.
If you are about to enter the circle and intend on taking the 2nd exit, your first signal is actually left. Once you pass the first turn, you signal to the right indicating you are exiting.
If you are taking your first exit, your initial signal is to the right, and you are entering from the right lane.
If you want to drive in circles signal left, and do 360's.
The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Tron_fdc For This Useful Post:
One thing that has me scratching my head is the map shows the Southland Drive and 90th Ave connections as 'future construction.' Does that mean the road will initially only hook up at Anderson?
I remember reading an article (that I can't find right now) where someone from the city said that all connecting roads would be built either in advance or on a similar time frame to the SW ring road construction.
That picture shows an "updated as of Nov 2014" and I think it needs a further update. The legend refers to a purple "proposed" pathway and I'm either blind or don't see any purple on it.
Location: Close enough to make a beer run during a TV timeout
Exp:
Quote:
Originally Posted by DoubleK
How does that make anything any worse than it is today for traffic exiting on 22x?
People heading south of 22x get a major benefit.
Currently the traffic lights at 162nd act as a "meter", only allowing a certain number of cars through at a time, and allowing the cars going onto Stoney/22X to clear out before the next batch comes through.
A good example of this is on Deerfoot when they removed the traffic lights at 130th and then Douglasdale. Granted there were fewer people in the SE at that time, but prior to that there was never really a NB problem in the morning at Anderson/Southland. There was a SB problem in the afternoon; similar to what we see today.
Once the lights were removed at Douglasdale, the metering stopped and traffic reached a pinch point that had never existed before.
Currently the traffic lights at 162nd act as a "meter", only allowing a certain number of cars through at a time, and allowing the cars going onto Stoney/22X to clear out before the next batch comes through.
Since they added two lanes in both directions on the Stoney/22X bridge across McLeod this is far less of an issue than in years past. The S/B McLeod to E/B Stoney/22X used to be backed up even with the 'metering' effect of the light at 162nd Ave.
This twinning has changed traffic patterns in the area for the better. E/B traffic leaving Spruce Meadows used to be backed up for miles before they twinned the lanes.
It's a short term inconvenience until the ring road is complete.
I may be mistaken but I seem to remember the traffic circle rules as follows (for 2 lane traffic circles). Of all intersections, traffic circles rely heavily on the proper use of signal lights.
Left (inner) lane always has ROW except it cannot take the first exit.
Right (outer) lane always must yield to inner lane but it can skip first exit and proceed to second exit but must exit on the second and cannot continue around.
How do you signal in a traffic circle? Your turning so your signal automatically turns off unless you hold it, and you turning so usually your hands are occupied turning the steering wheel.
EDIT: I guess not, but similar. If you enter in the right lane you may exit at the next road but you must exit at the road after.
EDIT2: Wait it's weird, one of the segments only has one lane. Seems weird but I never see a problem at that traffic circle so it works.
I use that one almost daily it's terrible IF you actually follow the signs it is impossible to make the 3/4 turn if you enter northbound without changing lanes.
#1 rule of traffic circle design is never change lanes.
What the F? Who designed the Northbound exit? It appears you can only exit from the outer lane, so if you are in the inner lane you have to change lanes before exiting. That's just messed.
They meter on ramps in the states with lights. They should look at that here...
That wouldn't really help in this case. Metering an onramp is meant to space out traffic merging onto the freeway. But in Ken's example, most of the traffic causing the backups are already on the freeway. The change is that those cars are no longer delayed in catching up to the pack. That problem wont be solved until the province eliminates the absurd bottleneck it created by having four lanes (plus a merge off 130th) condense into just two lanes at Anderson.
How do you signal in a traffic circle? Your turning so your signal automatically turns off unless you hold it, and you turning so usually your hands are occupied turning the steering wheel.
? You have to signal at all times in a traffic circle, otherwise who does anyone know your intention and when to yield or not. You keep your left signal on until you want to exit then you turn your right signal on, its not that difficult
? You have to signal at all times in a traffic circle, otherwise who does anyone know your intention and when to yield or not. You keep your left signal on until you want to exit then you turn your right signal on, its not that difficult
Um.... you don't keep your left signal on when in the signal.
Frankly I've never understood the reason to signal when entering the circle anyways. It's not like you are changing lanes, you are just entering in the same lane you are in, the lane just happens to be curved.
Um.... you don't keep your left signal on when in the signal.
Frankly I've never understood the reason to signal when entering the circle anyways. It's not like you are changing lanes, you are just entering in the same lane you are in, the lane just happens to be curved.
Keeping your signal on while in the circle displays your intention. If you keep the left signal on it means you aren't exiting or changing lanes. If a car was waiting to enter the circle, they know what you're doing.
I have no idea what the actual "law" is, but I do it more or less as rule of thumb. I learned it over a few years of driving in Oz, so I figured it was the same thing here.
The Following User Says Thank You to Tron_fdc For This Useful Post:
Keeping your signal on while in the circle displays your intention. If you keep the left signal on it means you aren't exiting or changing lanes. If a car was waiting to enter the circle, they know what you're doing.
I have no idea what the actual "law" is, but I do it more or less as rule of thumb. I learned it over a few years of driving in Oz, so I figured it was the same thing here.
I drive traffic circles every day and have yet to see anyone leave their left signal on. If they did I would assume they just left it on accidentally and not trust them anyways. It's pretty clear what the intentions are already. No signal means you are proceeding within the lane, right signal means you are exiting.
In a two lane circle, leaving your left signal on while in the outer lane would imply you want to switch into the inner lane.
__________________
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to BlackArcher101 For This Useful Post:
I drive traffic circles every day and have yet to see anyone leave their left signal on. If they did I would assume they just left it on accidentally and not trust them anyways. It's pretty clear what the intentions are already. No signal means you are proceeding within the lane, right signal means you are exiting.
In a two lane circle, leaving your left signal on while in the outer lane would imply you want to switch into the inner lane.
I agree that no signal more or less means you are going straight. That's not the law though.
Drivers who intend to exit on the second intersecting roadway:
• approach the traffic circle in the red or blue lane
• signal left
• yield to pedestrians at the crosswalk and vehicles in the
traffic circle
• when safe to proceed, enter into the appropriate lane
• continue to signal left in the traffic circle
• signal right on exit
• do not change lanes while moving through the traffic circle
or on exit
If you are in the RH lane and for some reason need to move into the inner lane, you entered the circle incorrectly.
Drivers who intend to exit on the second intersecting roadway:
• approach the traffic circle in the red or blue lane
• signal left
• yield to pedestrians at the crosswalk and vehicles in the
traffic circle
• when safe to proceed, enter into the appropriate lane
• continue to signal left in the traffic circle
• signal right on exit
• do not change lanes while moving through the traffic circle
or on exit
If you are in the RH lane and for some reason need to move into the inner lane, you entered the circle incorrectly.
What you've quoted is not a law, that's a document from the University of Alberta, not a very formal one either. This is why traffic circles are so chaotic in Alberta, there are so many different guidelines that the public reads which conflict.
The Traffic Safety Act only says this in relation to a traffic circle:
"Section 40: Unless otherwise directed by a traffic control device, a person driving a vehicle that is travelling in a traffic circle shall yield the right of way to any other vehicle that in the circle and that is travelling to the left of that person's vehicle."
Haven't been to Edmonton in a while, but I'll restate that in Calgary, no one continues to signal left. If you aren't signalling right, obviously you are continuing through the circle? Even this http://www.transportation.alberta.ca/1993.htm doesn't mention anything about signalling left.
What you've quoted is not a law, that's a document from the University of Alberta, not a very formal one either. This is why traffic circles are so chaotic in Alberta, there are so many different guidelines that the public reads which conflict.
The Traffic Safety Act only says this in relation to a traffic circle:
"Section 40: Unless otherwise directed by a traffic control device, a person driving a vehicle that is travelling in a traffic circle shall yield the right of way to any other vehicle that in the circle and that is travelling to the left of that person's vehicle."
Haven't been to Edmonton in a while, but I'll restate that in Calgary, no one continues to signal left.
Was just the first one that popped up on google. There are a few on there, but yeah Ab transport is pretty vague.
Fairly sure I'm technically correct though. Leaving the LH signal on while in the LH lane indicates you aren't exiting. You can't change lanes while IN the circle, so using your LH signal while in the RH lane to indicate you are going to break the rules isn't correct. If I saw someone doing that I would wonder what the hell they were doing, other than smashing into cars on the inside lane.
I dunno. I do it because that's what I'm used to doing, and it makes sense to me. It certainly doesn't hurt.
On a lighter note, don't do this
The Following User Says Thank You to Tron_fdc For This Useful Post:
Macleod/162 Ave will include a braided ramp for SB Macleod between 162 Ave and 22X that connects to Shawville and 22X, so the only big concern about this interchange will not exist. Beautiful and innovative design from the city of Calgary, is this real life?!
The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Acey For This Useful Post:
So with the new overpass it looks like cars coming south on Macleod can't turn on 162nd going West and enter the southerly shopping area, right? Like to do that you drive past and take the next exit, so all the cars coming from southbound Macleod to west 162 either have to go straight or turn right at Sahwville I think? If so, I'm a big fan.
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Slava For This Useful Post:
