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Jeoh posted:London's CYCLING SUPERHIGHWAY is getting some pretty good usage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLCm2hoM9aE Just curious, what separates this from a typical buffered cycle track? Is there some special feature I'm not noticing?
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May 10, 2016 22:22
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Cichlidae posted:Just curious, what separates this from a typical buffered cycle track? Is there some special feature I'm not noticing? It's called marketing.
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May 10, 2016 22:28
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Carbon dioxide posted:It's called marketing. Must be. It's barely wide enough to pass on.
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May 11, 2016 20:50
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My city is getting a big puzzle piece crosswalk. Previous artistic crosswalks at least were within standard white crossing lines, this one seems to be totally doing it's own thing. It's at a major signalled downtown intersection that routinely sees hoards of pedestrians so it's still clearly a crosswalk. I'm just curious because I know in the US they're very very fussy with their standardized markings. It's not done yet so they might be painting white strips over the old ones.
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May 12, 2016 19:37
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Massachusetts would slap that down pretty quickly. Towns got in trouble just for painting crosswalks a different color, that would give the district engineer an aneurysm.
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May 12, 2016 20:36
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Baronjutter posted:My city is getting a big puzzle piece crosswalk. Previous artistic crosswalks at least were within standard white crossing lines, this one seems to be totally doing it's own thing. It's at a major signalled downtown intersection that routinely sees hoards of pedestrians so it's still clearly a crosswalk. I'm just curious because I know in the US they're very very fussy with their standardized markings. It's not done yet so they might be painting white strips over the old ones. As a driver, it would take me so long to figure out what the hell that was that I'd plow into a bunch of pedestrians without even seeing them.
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May 12, 2016 20:55
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Oh hey they just got finished, look not too bad. All I can think about is autism awareness though.
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May 12, 2016 22:27
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I feel like just an eye-melting shade of yellow or something is good enough. the puzzle pattern really fricks with me.
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May 13, 2016 03:41
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It needs to have retroreflective white bars or stringers in order to be a valid crosswalk. I don't know if those outlines are going to pass the test.
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May 13, 2016 04:21
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Cichlidae posted:It needs to have retroreflective white bars or stringers in order to be a valid crosswalk. I don't know if those outlines are going to pass the test. That's a crosswalk in Canada. It does.
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May 13, 2016 05:18
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It seems like it's signalled as well.
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May 13, 2016 12:27
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All the cars need is their stop bar and the lights. They could replace the whole thing with dark gray cursive that says "this is not a crosswalk" and it wouldn't change anything. Stop at the stop bar on a red light, easy. I know drivers have a hard time with just about everything but I think they can manage that. It's not like they're stop extra hard on a red if there's a regulation striped crosswalk. Mid-block or unsignalled crosswalks are another story.
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May 14, 2016 07:07
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Baronjutter posted:All the cars need is their stop bar and the lights. They could replace the whole thing with dark gray cursive that says "this is not a crosswalk" and it wouldn't change anything. Stop at the stop bar on a red light, easy. I know drivers have a hard time with just about everything but I think they can manage that. It's not like they're stop extra hard on a red if there's a regulation striped crosswalk. That depends on whether the state has a vulnerable users bill. In some states (CT included), if a car hits a ped, it makes no difference whether the ped was in a crosswalk or not. In a state without one, if the light is green and a ped steps off the curb and gets creamed, what happens next depends on whether there's a marked crosswalk. Regardless, I think there is a definite safety bonus to having those retroreflective white lines. With bars or stringers, you can see a pedestrian wearing black even in the dead of night because they stand out against the bright retroflective paint. So even though yeah, crosswalks at intersections don't serve a legal function here, I will still design every single one of them to meet the MUTCD requirements, even if it clashes with the aesthetic.
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May 14, 2016 15:03
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Would the bars still serve a legal function if the lights are out for whatever reason?
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May 14, 2016 23:43
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John Dough posted:Would the bars still serve a legal function if the lights are out for whatever reason? Absolutely. Since they're retroreflective, a car's headlights are all that's needed to make them visible. On the other hand, if you're just using white paint without the beads, then it's practically invisible at night and there is probably a case of gross negligence going on.
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May 15, 2016 04:50
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All the road markings here turn 100% invisible if it's dark and slightly rainy. Some areas have fancy glowy paint but for the most part you just have to remember how the roads work.
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May 15, 2016 04:54
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Baronjutter posted:All the road markings here turn 100% invisible if it's dark and slightly rainy. Some areas have fancy glowy paint but for the most part you just have to remember how the roads work. Retroreflective beads last somewhere from 1-6 years depending on ADT. If you're in a place without plows, they might last longer. Since we started embedding the markings in grooves, they've been lasting much longer and becoming more visible in bad weather. Signs, too, tend to wear out after a little while, 10 years or so. Certain colors wear much faster than others. Red, I've noticed, fades VERY quickly and I'm not sure why. There are other relatively low-cost technologies to maintain retroreflectivity, especially in inclement weather, but ConnDOT in particular has an aversion to them. That will probably change in the next few years. However, we don't have the money to pay for this stuff. On state roads, signs and markings typically get replaced after they've been through 2-3 lifetimes. On local roads, they might only get replaced when there's a bad accident or when someone complains. The benefit to keeping them bright outweighs the cost of installing them, but you know how the US is about investing in infrastructure. If you asked the NCUCTD (the group that makes the MUTCD), they would probably say that pavement markings or signs that are no longer retroreflective are no longer traffic control devices. And at that point, you have an uncontrolled road. Some signs we could definitely live without, but centerlines, lane lines, and edge lines are crucial. So the short answer to a question you didn't really ask is, yes, the existing conditions aren't to spec. That doesn't mean we should keep neglecting our infrastructure, it means we should try harder.
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May 15, 2016 13:54
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They've been letting a lot of the road markings fade and get a lot worse than they usually allow for around here because there's some big plans to re-do a lot of the major streets in town more along the "complete streets" basis and much better bike infra. There's been the usual reactionary mewling by the "business community" but the whole big "biketoria" plan just passed its council vote and is official now. I was actually impressed by public works. I called them saying a random crosswalk had faded a bit and was located away from street lights so it's hard to see people trying to cross at night. I got a call back about an hour later telling me that crosswalk is absolutely on their list for a major overhaul but with the biketoria plan still in the works they wanted to hold off. No point installing curb bubbles or an island and more lighting when the next year the whole street's getting ripped up for protected bike ways.
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May 15, 2016 19:11
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When they finished paving US 3 in Massachusetts, they put the grooved pavement markings in this time, and they went through this winter no worse for wear. They also re-striped all of the exits to use Connecticut-style dashed lines for merges for ramps. They've shown up in a few other places (495 around Worcester) but otherwise that style of dashed line for ramps is very new here. 495 in the Lowell area was paved last year, yet the pavement markings are pure poo poo. They're not grooved and they seem to be very cheap. Some of our markings are truly awful. Trying to drive on 93 in Somerville at night is dreadful, and it's worse if it rains. Route 128 also has poor markings. There's just no way to know what lane you're in.
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May 15, 2016 22:45
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A large new retail center was opened at this intersection.  The crosswalk is 50 meters long with a crossing time of 28 seconds. The traffic directors there have people run or start crossing early to make it across. Some people get trapped in the middle anyways. Both roads are very busy roads with the start of a freeway on the north side and the international airport on the south side. It's also been on the local news. How do they fix that? mamosodiumku fucked around with this message at 05:21 on May 16, 2016 |
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May 16, 2016 05:16
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With a bridge. Roads that wide are utterly incompatible with any sort of pedestrian activity.
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May 16, 2016 05:32
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Considering it's China I'm surprised they didn't put a massive bridge on top of it. That's what they do at most intersections.
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May 16, 2016 11:12
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Jeoh posted:China  Taiwan #2, China #4.
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May 16, 2016 13:10
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Koesj posted:
I mean, it's not immediately obvious but that there was Street View should've been a clue.
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May 16, 2016 15:01
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Well it's only the second largest city in the country 
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May 16, 2016 15:13
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I was randomly walking around DC and noticed this one. Oops?
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May 18, 2016 01:14
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Varance posted:I was randomly walking around DC and noticed this one. Oops? I'm missing it, what am I looking for?
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May 18, 2016 01:34
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Devor posted:I'm missing it, what am I looking for? Jefferson Drive at the Washington Monument?
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May 18, 2016 01:36
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Deteriorata posted:Jefferson Drive at the Washington Monument? The whole city is named after George, he doesn't need our roads too 
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May 18, 2016 01:38
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Devor posted:I'm missing it, what am I looking for? Unit on the SW 15th St sign is supposed to be the block number.
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May 18, 2016 01:42
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Varance posted:Unit on the SW 15th St sign is supposed to be the block number. Unit Block is apparently a weird DC thing? I thought everywhere had Unit blocks. Instead of the 0-block, which sounds weird, they call it the Unit Block http://dcaddresscoordinates.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-is-unit-block-in-dc.html
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May 18, 2016 02:12
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Devor posted:Unit Block is apparently a weird DC thing? I thought everywhere had Unit blocks. Instead of the 0-block, which sounds weird, they call it the Unit Block Block numbering is a strange and foreign concept to those of us in New England.
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May 18, 2016 04:06
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I want to shorten 6 lanes to 4 while making the crossings more pedestrian friendly. Who do I need fired to do so, and what regulations will get in my way? Why is it so goddamn hard to save this state some money on operating expenditures?
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May 18, 2016 19:59
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Just go out in the middle of the night and restripe it yourself. Be the change you want to see in the world.
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May 18, 2016 20:38
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My Imaginary GF posted:I want to shorten 6 lanes to 4 while making the crossings more pedestrian friendly. Who do I need fired to do so, and what regulations will get in my way? Why is it so goddamn hard to save this state some money on operating expenditures? It's called a Road Diet. Biggest challenges are making sure the traffic volumes still work, and convincing businesses you aren't ruining them. The typical application is turning a 4-lane undivided (2 lanes each way) into a 2-lane (1 lane each way) road, with a center two-way left-turn lane (aka suicide lane). The idea being that left turns on the 4-lane road are already reducing capacity to functionally a 2-lane road, so you're just formalizing what is already going on. And also giving opportunity for bike lanes or parking or just removing pavement.
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May 18, 2016 20:57
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Devor posted:It's called a Road Diet. Biggest challenges are making sure the traffic volumes still work, and convincing businesses you aren't ruining them. Any literature on the economic and health impacts of road diets? I'd like to turn 70 feet of asphalt into 40 feet. gently caress your traffic patterns, how many pedestrian collisions will be avoided if throughput rates are reduce? So loving what if the intersection is currently the busiest one in town, why the gently caress did you build a bypass if not to be used? Do you have PM's? I'm considering purchasing them again to be able to talk more specifically about what it is I'm attempting to change and from what offices/boards I'm working to change them from.
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May 18, 2016 21:26
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Everybody using that intersection cares about traffic and throughput, and nobody gives half a gently caress about pedestrians.
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May 18, 2016 22:21
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Khizan posted:Everybody using that intersection cares about traffic and throughput, and nobody gives half a gently caress about pedestrians. I give a gently caress about individuals who are most likely to make money for business owners and generate sales taxes, of which pedestrians generate a higher quantity. Why the gently caress don't more folk care about the gently caress'n money in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner?
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May 19, 2016 00:00
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My Imaginary GF posted:I give a gently caress about individuals who are most likely to make money for business owners and generate sales taxes, of which pedestrians generate a higher quantity. Why the gently caress don't more folk care about the gently caress'n money in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner? Business owers, especially small local business owners, are often paranoid reactionary idiots. You can show them 50 recent bike lanes or pedestrian improvements that slightly dug into car or parking capacity but added bike lanes or nicer sidewalks or better crosswalks. You can show them all the cases resulting in unchanged or improved business. You can show them that traffic flow was barely affected. You can show them safety went way up. They will read these, they will thoughtfully take all that information in and think about it. Then they'll write a letter to the editor that the city's SOCIAL ENGINEERING war against cars is going to kill their small business and put 10 people out of work and create gridlock that will create more pollution and make this so called "climate change" even worse. Maybe if the police cracked down on dangerous and distracted pedestrians we'd see better safety figures.
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May 19, 2016 00:05
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My Imaginary GF posted:Any literature on the economic and health impacts of road diets? I'd like to turn 70 feet of asphalt into 40 feet. I don't really have much more to add on the practical side. This is very much a question of whoever is in charge of the local roadways, probably the local DOT. And if they aren't the right people, they'll tell you who to get in front of. If congestion is bad, you probably won't get past them writing a brief email response. If you somehow convince an elected official or two to juice your request, they might do a study to show why it's against their engineering judgment to do the thing. Your complaint sounds pretty dramatic, so unless you're in one of the socialist cities like Portland or Amsterdam, I just don't see it going anywhere. But emails are free.
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May 19, 2016 00:17
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