This could Get Interesting

[Reddog]

Coming Soon to the Atlanta Area...

Diverging diamond interchanges.....



I can hardly wait to see how the dumbass drivers here handle this change...

Wiki info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diverging_ ... nterchange

Seems the French Invented it.

Is that a Bad Thing?

[Forrest]

This design is just ASKING for a traffic jam.

[Sniper62]

Lol at first i was like ok that looks kinda normal...then i watched the vid, wtf. Why dont we all just go drive on the left side of the road everwhere. I seem to remember somthing simular in korea

[Pegasusbelgar]

Two large roundabouts where the crossovers are would be so much better, traffics keeps flowing and no need for lights.

[Cono]

Won't work. Atlanta drivers aren't capable of handling any type of intersection with crossing traffic. With the volume of traffic, especially in the area indicated, those intersections would be blocked by traffic attempting to "beat the light" and make it through. Then, you would end up with traffic backing up onto the interstate as well as the side streets. Wait..............that's what happens now!!!! Those cross-overs are just introducing a complication into a situation that needs to be simplified. At least three changes need to occur to improve Atlanta's traffic situation.....

1.) stricter requirements for obtaining and retaining licenses
2.) police enforcing existing traffic laws (i.e. the blocking of intersections, etc.) instead of sitting on the side of the road eating donuts and playing with their laser guns collecting money like the highwaymen of long ago.
3.) the traffic engineers actually considering coordinating the timing of the traffic signals to ease the flow of traffic rather than creating bottlenecks.

Traffic circles won't work either. Too much volume and drivers will approach them and stop wondering what to do next since they have no guidance signage. Personally, having driven a lot overseas, I like traffic circles.

[FuelPump]

It sounds like Atlanta drivers are on par with drivers here in Perth. A system like that would be a traffic jam waiting to happen here.

We should organise an International Dumbass Driverthon. I think Perth drivers would do pretty well.

But yeah, traffic planners have a bad habit of timing traffic signals to operate at peak efficiency to create bottlenecks and impede the traffic flow here as well. Our guys must read the same textbooks as your guys Cono.

I've found that the only way to beat the bottleneck is to drive at around 5-10 km/h faster than the speed limit, and use agressive lane changing techniques to get ahead of traffic. Once you get past one set of lights, the rest seem to stay green long enough to get through, but only if you speed. Kind of counterproductive if the aim of the game is road safety.

I fully agree with all three of your points Cono.

Traffic circles (roundabouts) can work great, if you take the dumbass driver factor out of the equation, and have engineers who accurately predict the peak traffic flow. Otherwise they can block up royally.

[Kizmet]

I get dizzy just looking at that.

Makes my head hurt.

[Cono]

I get dizzy just looking at that.

Makes my head hurt.

Not surprising, you being one of those South Georgia country hicks not used to the big city.

[Pegasusbelgar]

I get dizzy just looking at that.

Makes my head hurt.

Maybe it is not a good idea to introduce roundabouts then.

I understand some states in US do have them.

[Sniper62]

I get dizzy just looking at that.

Makes my head hurt.

Maybe it is not a good idea to introduce roundabouts then.

I understand some states in US do have them.

lol i was telling my dad about this and he said that when they introduced roundabouts that people got into all kind of accidents because they didnt understand it

buncha places have em though

[Cono]

We have at least 2 here in Douglas County. One is out in the boonies and works quite well, mainly due to little traffic. The other is at Arbor Place Mall. Both are pathetically designed and the one at the Mall is so small, I just drive across it with my truck instead of trying to go around the circle and risk scraping up my sidewalls on the short curb. I think someone on the Douglas County commission took a trip over to France or England several years ago and thought it would be a good idea to introduce traffic circles to the rednecks here.

I bet if your average American ever experienced the circle around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, they'd probably have a heart attack.