Ask me about being a Traffic Engineer!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Ask me about being a Traffic Engineer!

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Arafa posted:

And here is my $10,000 question. When stopped, why do some drivers leave gigantic spaces between themselves and the next car, even in tight left turn lanes and other very congested spaces? This has to be one of the worst and most avoidable forms of congestion. Yet I can never find any consistent reason why people do it. I've asked a lot of people and no one really seems to know why. Because of that, I think it must be some unconscious force, like an excessive desire for control or safety or something. Any thoughts?

No concept of spatial relations. Well over 90% of the time, you can trace a line from just behind the front car to the front of the rear car's hood, and it will extend right to the driver's eyes. They see 6 inches of pavement behind the guy in front of them, so they stop rather than roll up and not be able to judge the distance. A lot of them are elderly and even more of them suck at parking.

Vanomaly posted:

Awesome thread!

What do you think about radar signs?

They seem far more imposing than normal speed limit signs.

gently caress those things. The ones in town near me turn red if you're over the limit and have a strobe light on them that only goes off at night if you're more than 5 over. Reflections off of other signs and trucks on the I95 overpass make it read ~80mph no matter what speed you're going. Did I mention the strobe light at night? What better way to make people drive safely than to blind them with a strobe light that only works after dark and induce migraines? I'd imagine it's much worse for epileptics.

# ¿ Jul 30, 2009 03:54

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# ¿ Apr 30, 2024 08:25

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

The plows here are nasty. They knock over mailboxes so often that people have taken to sticking a 4' by 8' piece of plywood in front of the box in winter to improve visibility. They also peel up pavement markings, carve up islands, and even rip out train tracks. That was a costly mistake.

Long shot here, but last winter or the winter before, one of the signs for CT-15 exit 35 southbound was demolished by something. I've been assuming a snowplow went off the road because I really don't know what else could have done that kind of damage. Do you have a record of it? Is the cost why it's not finished being replaced yet?

# ¿ Aug 2, 2009 17:35

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Socket Ryanist posted:

I pity anyone who lives on treasure island because fuuuuuck

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...002401&t=h&z=19

There's about 10 car-lengths between the stop sign and a merge with 50+ mph traffic (as high as 70 sometimes). Fuuuuuck!

10 car lengths? Quit whining http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=...,39.59,,0,11.82
Note the uphill grade and the fact that traffic you're merging into just came down a huge hill.
The first ramp on the other side is almost as bad.
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=...245.52,,0,18.02

Move around a bit, the whole thing is a clusterfuck of epic proportions.

Cichlidae posted:

What's

so

bad

about

stop-controlled

ramps?

We've knocked out hundreds of them, many on an interstate no less, and still have dozens. One of them is consistently the #1 most dangerous spot in the state.

Oh, I see you got to it first. Which one is the worst? It's got to be 40 on CT-15N, right? (as if 2 entrances on the same road wasn't bad enough.) If not, maybe this one, which looks like the angle is even worse? http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...p=12,13.12,,0,6

Cichlidae posted:

As I mentioned earlier, there are really only two ways to stop speeding: changing the geometry to force people to drive slower, and ramp up enforcement. The former wouldn't work very well on an expressway, where people expect to be able to speed. The latter is feasible, but it's out of my hands; when and where the cops choose to set up speed traps is up to them.

The problem with enforcement is that people turn into (reveal that they are?) gibbering idiots and jam on the brakes when they see police lights.

# ¿ Aug 7, 2009 02:17

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

Yeah, the cloverleaf there is currently the worst interchange in the state, in terms of violating modern standards. It even has a road coming in from the side to intersect 2 of the ramps. Luckily, that's all getting fixed in a few years, along with adding full access to the new US 7! Don't get your hopes up, though; it's never getting extended past Norwalk. Wilton's got the route completely blocked.

PDF of the planned interchange. It's not pretty, but it works.

Is demolishing Wilton an acceptable alternative?

You're right, it sure as hell isn't pretty. What's the deal with whiny Norwalk residents complaining about how it will change the atmosphere and character of the town? Norwalk doesn't have atmosphere or character, that's why they built Darien.

While we're at it, what are your thoughts on this?the blue box,

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=41.16503,-73.235035&spn=0.005751,0.011362&t=h&z=17
The purple box is all signal controlled, and the blue box is sign controlled.

The lights in the purple box are phased 1; 2-3; 4. The first problem comes from the fact that 1 backs up and blocks the left lane in the underpass. This is compounded by 1 being a short signal and the fact that even someone running a late yellow on 4 at 30mph will leave them in the intersection when 1 turns green, compounded by the fact that people at light 4 (Exit 24 northbound on 95) tend to treat the first 5-10 seconds of light 4 as optional. Several times in the past few years, I have been waiting at light 1, which is on a short timer, and been blocked for the entire green light cycle by people running light 4.

I come from Black Rock Tpk in the top left of the picture, and I usually head toward BJ's Wholesale, which is just past the bottom right road coming off the circle. The ideal way to do it would be to take light 1, move right, and take that road. I usually don't even bother because it's quicker to (check the Google maps link) take light 2, especially if 1 is backed up into the left lane, then turn left onto Kings Hwy, left onto Commerce Drive, and make a right on red onto Black Rock.

In the blue box, 1 is unrestricted, 2 yields to 1, and 3 has a stop sign. When I'm heading back home and there's any appreciable amount of traffic, I get stuck at 2 for several minutes waiting for a break in traffic. The people at stop sign 3 are just plain hosed until 2 clears out. There's also the issue that unless you want to turn right and continue on Rt1, you have to weave to get to the stop sign in the middle that leads to Black Rock Tpk, the other major road in town, and the entrance to 95S, or left if you're some poor unfortunate motorist who is coming north on Black Rock and needs to head south on Rt1. There's also the wait at the stop sign and yield up top because traffic heading south on rt1 coming in from the top right has right of way.

Here's the best I could do quickly

Black Rock Tpk is in blue, and both ways are down to one lane in this area. Rt1 is two lanes in each direction, and if you eliminate the wide shoulders and the super wide right lane under the bridge on the left, you can route four lanes under it, probably with a Jersey barrier median. This would get really messy if there were an accident under the bridge, but I think the curve in the road would help slow down traffic to the point that it's safe, and people won't be stopping under the bridge anymore.

The northbound exit 24 ramp is now a bridge over the new rt1 and has a stop sign at the end. People who want to head south are SOL because they should have gotten off at exit 23 in the first place. The hosed up entrance to 95 northbound is pretty much the same as it is, but I'm not sure what to do with people coming from the left, so I left a stub there.

Black Rock and rt1 now meet at a signal controlled intersection, and people going south on Black Rock who want to get on 95 northbound have to make a left turn onto rt1 then take their first right after the intersection. People heading north on Black Rock can turn right like they always have.

The dotted line is a maybe, I'm not sure how it would affect traffic flow, maybe people should just take Kings Hwy to Commerce Drive. Red dots are stop signs.

FakeUsername posted:

So is that what this is?

http://tinyurl.com/kt2ddx

All I know is that it's one HUGE intersection with one set of lights. It also makes for a fun highspeed U-Turn from I40W to I40E if you catch a green light

We have one of those, too. The old bridge was a clusterfuck, and this works well
http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=41.231981,-73.220707&spn=0.002872,0.005681&t=h&z=18

# ¿ Aug 11, 2009 16:24

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

I feel bad saying it, but the month after the interstate bridge collapse last summer, traffic was great in Fairfield county on I95, presumably because so many people took the parkway to avoid the Saugatuck river bridge.

I do Fairfield to Stamford daily. Any bridges I should be particularly concerned about on 15 or 95?

# ¿ Aug 12, 2009 02:58

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Is there any way to unfuck the I91-I95 junction? Traffic going south on 91 backs up for miles every day.

# ¿ Aug 13, 2009 15:24

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

I'm glad I have my own office because when you posted that 91-95 improvement, I raised the roof and would have embarrassed myself if there was anyone around.

Cichlidae posted:

2009. CT 8 and 25, new freeways, now connect to I-95. Much of the land has been abandoned due to heavy industrial pollution, and Bridgeport is a den of crime. Many of the roads are unchanged, and their narrow footprints make them dangerous to motorists.

I remember when I was in high school, going to the post office downtown to drop off our tax returns. I asked my dad why he didn't want my mom driving down there and his answer was "because I know what that area of Bridgeport is like; I won't hesitate to run someone over to get away if I have to, she will." Some parts are nice, but not the parts in that picture (except Harbor Yard.)

# ¿ Aug 14, 2009 19:02

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

Yeah, Bridgeport's not even in my district and we constantly talking about it. It's achieved something of a legendary status here, and the single crack house left standing in full view of 95 doesn't help.

We drove past this weekend, and it's gone. Harbor point's undeveloped land is all fenced and covered with grass now.

# ¿ Aug 20, 2009 01:46

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

Maybe you could call and complain, and they just don't realize there's a problem. We're talking about engineers here; who knows how oblivious we can be?

I would think that this would be less of a problem than a lot of types of product design because the people who design roads have probably done a fair share of driving. You can't idiot-proof everything, though.

# ¿ Aug 21, 2009 16:02

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Simkin posted:

I think he meant chip seal in terms of actual road surface: http://www.slurry.com/cont_chipseal.shtml

I've seen it commonly used (albeit less so in recent years) to turn a gravel road into an actual paved surface, or to recondition an asphalt road on the cheap. It's alright for cars, but it can ruin your day if you're on a bicycle/motorcycle, and don't even think about it if you're on rollerblades or a skateboard.

They do that around town in Fairfield, but they don't sweep up after it and let cars driving over it press it down instead of using a steamroller. It's 2 months of hell for anyone who cares about their car's paint and a year of something that't scary and dangerous to bike on because it's sharp gravel loosely held to the road.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2009 18:52

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

Oh jeez, we get people like that all the time as soon as something goes sour. It's always, "what kind of idiot would out a crosswalk in the middle of nowhere?

Sounds like my cue to whine.
Morehouse Highway in Fairfield has two stop signs between Adley Road and Fairfield Woods Road. Heading South, Adley is at the top of a huge hill and no stop sign, and there's a hill back down toward Morehouse. Barnhill and Godfrey each have their own stop sign, and at its peak Morehouse Hwy has maybe 100 cars per hour in each direction, more like 30 at most times, and fewer from the cross streets. Would you guess those just there to stop people from flying down a straight road from one blind hill to another, or maybe because it's heavily residential, or is it just a case of people complaining until they put up the signs?

# ¿ Sep 14, 2009 18:33

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

It's equally likely that someone just complained that people were driving too fast and sent enough letters to the mayor/first selectman to get him to put the signs in. If they're not warranted, they really shouldn't be there, and you could probably get them removed if you could prove that. Wouldn't that be fulfilling?

My complaining is more about the fact that I can't cruise down Morehouse Hwy at 35 (25 limit) without stopping than anything else. I'd guess that residents weren't happy with people like me and thats why the signs are there in the first place. If I complain about anything, it'll be the fact that my road hasn't been paved in 25 years and is really starting to need it (PS I will ram my car through the front door of town hall if you assholes chip seal it instead of actually paving it.)

Socket Ryanist posted:

Commuters do support public transit funding though: They want OTHER people to stop driving so that the roads will be nice and empty for them to drive on!

Can I be spared some wrath if I fully admit that this is exactly how I feel?

# ¿ Sep 15, 2009 20:47

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Thought you might find this amusing, wonderful city planning in Darien.

Cichlidae posted:

In New York, for example, gridlocking was enough of a problem that they put in some heavy fines for any car that enters an intersection without a clear exit. That includes, for example, pulling into the intersection while waiting to turn left. You can see a facsimile in Grand Theft Auto IV, where the intersections are painted with white crosshatches and signs say "Don't block the box."

They don't gently caress around in NYC. That white sign says "Do not Block the Box" and the black bar says "Fine + 2 points"
11 points in NY gets your license revoked.
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=...164.18,,0,-14.8

Cichlidae posted:

The private sector has a higher base salary, but the benefits are better in the public sector. Don't expect a yearly bonus, but my dental plan, for example, is completely free, and my health insurance is only about $10 a week.

As a fellow state employee, I have to vouch for our insurance. I forget how much the state pays (something like 5-10k per year) and getting a comparable individual plan on your own would cost about $28k. Then there's the retirement plan that matches your 5% contribution with 8%.

# ¿ Sep 29, 2009 18:49

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

We're still getting screwed on our retirement plans relative to the older folks. My bosses are all Tier 1, which means they get 2%/year of service and don't need to pay anything. I'm Tier 2A, which means I have to pay for the privilege of 1.33%/year.

Tier I is nice, 2 and 2A are better for the long term, but I don't plan to work for the state for 20-25 years, so the Alternative Retirement Plan was the obvious choice for me.

# ¿ Sep 30, 2009 21:59

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

I take the Merritt to and from work most days, and the recent paving near exit 44 has made the commute a lot more pleasant, especially since one of my simple pleasures in everyday life is taking the big downhill curve toward 44 going north at wide open throttle when nobody's around.

What's the deal with the big project between 44 and 46, is that just widening lanes?

Cichlidae posted:

They never told me about the Alternative Retirement Plan. I'll probably be moving out of the country in 5-10 years, so I should look into it.

We had the opposite problem, they told a bunch of people that they could only get ARP and not Tier 2/2A, so that doesn't surprise me. If you don't have enough actual/vested service, you only get back what you contributed rather than pension, so ARP sounds good for you. If you do end up changing, email or PM me and I'll send you a copy of the 10/5/1 year ROI chart for all the options. It's the perfect time to dump your money into the high risk markets, which apparently gained something like 15% annually after the 98 market crash. Once the DOW hits 12k again, back to the CT Stable Value Fund.

Cichlidae posted:

We have similar issues anywhere that a freeway ends, which happens all over the place in Connecticut. When someone's been driving for hours on end, she doesn't expect to stop for a signal. We get around this by putting up a lot of signs and blinking lights, but the most dedicated of idiots will still ignore them. Around here, we used to put up electronic signs that said "STOP AHEAD" and flashed whenever the signal ahead was red (plus a little longer to let the queue clear). These days, we just put up a ton of signs and try some geometric changes.

Wasn't the end of the rt7 expressway in Norwalk (if you can even consider the few miles an expressway) really bad when it was first rebuilt a few years ago? I remember a few fatal accidents and seeing those water filled barrels stacked 10 or 12 deep before the cliff. Now it's a nice hill with a bunch of signs and a big blinking arrow on it.

GWBBQ fucked around with this message at 05:28 on Mar 20, 2012

# ¿ Oct 3, 2009 04:59

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=41.050525,-73.534756&spn=0.001452,0.00284&t=k&z=19
The exit ramp is blind to traffic coming up from behind on the right until between the first and second dashes after the solid line.

In your professional opinion, should it be legal to kill or maim drivers who exit the ramp and immediately make a blind triple lane change to turn right instead of taking the exit half a mile back that safely puts you into one of those lanes?

Cichlidae posted:

Sea travelNiemand wei� was die Zukunft bringt, but I'm betting on ships that take advantage of ground effect, more efficient engines, and hopefully some new/bigger canals to facilitate things.

Unfortunately, the world's largest cargo ships each emit as much carbon and particulate pollution per mile as 70 million cars. The only alternatives are to filter/sequester emissions or pump it all into the water, which creates an entirely different environmental nightmare. Burning fossil fuels to move cargo needs to be reduced or eliminated, possibly with carbon neutral biofuels, but on a large scale we need something more sustainable *cough* nuclear *cough*

Winter Light posted:

What's up with Connecticut's plow whenever/ocassionally sand/never salt policy?

Sand washing into rivers and wetlands was really loving with wildlife, including protected species. Surprisingly, salting is a lot more innocuous, plus it turns our roads an awesome whitish grey and doesn't require street sweeping in spring.

Cichlidae posted:

There are some more exotic interchanges that would work out, but it's tough to settle on one without the volumes on hand. Both roads are at-grade arterials, not freeways, and they shouldn't need a gigantic interchange; a well designed partial cloverleaf could push through nearly as much traffic as the existing cloverleaf. If the turning volumes are relatively small, then let's do something awesome and build this:

Look at that awesome mofo! Hell yeah!

Let's elevate or drop the ring to whatever height it needs to be since it needs to be grade separated from the highways anyway, and have the ramps go under it and join up with the inside of the ring as indicated in my crappy MS Paint edition (yes, those are supposed to be connected to the ring.) If I'm visualizing it right, this would require no weaving as opposed to the original having people exiting the ring have to cross the paths of people entering the ring.

# ¿ Oct 28, 2009 19:05

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

Hey, I'd love to switch over to nuclear, and a big part of the reason I chose to work in France instead of Germany is because of their success in that field. All the same, how's that going to help us move cargo across oceans? You'd need a tremendous battery to hold enough energy for a trans-oceanic trip. Maybe you could use electrolysis to get a lot of compressed Hydrogen or a similar scheme, but that would hurt efficiency (and, therefore, the bottom line.)

I meant nuclear powered cargo ships, the way the Navy does it. It would have to be one of the negative void coefficient designs to eliminate meltdown risk, and in case of accident or hijacking there would have to be some sort of safety mechanism to scram and jettison the reactor and let a big insurance policy to cover recovery, but once the public gets over nuclear paranoia (we're over 50% approval for new plants on land, so it's looking good,) we need to consider it as a serious option.

Winter Light posted:

Do you have another source that I may have missed? Either number, that's an amazing amount of pollution.

I was going on the article that said 13 of the biggest were equal to all 780m cars in the world and rounding up because I'm lazy.

Puck42 posted:

But I think that's mostly blamed on the idiots around here that don't understand how to let cars merge on the freeway in an organized manner.

What you have to understand about highway traffic is that if you allow a car to enter a space in front of you, you are outright admitting that the other driver's penis is bigger than yours and yielding superiority. Obviously, this can never be allowed to happen for such a petty reason as smoothing out traffic and making the commute faster and safer for you and tens of thousands of other people.

Choadmaster posted:

Check these babies out:
Power Plant: Two A4W nuclear reactors with four shafts
Speed: 30+ knots
Range: Capable of continuously operating for 20 years without refueling

Cost: about US$4.5 billion each

Seriously, though, it could surely be done a lot cheaper if you're not outfitting and operating a gigantic war machine (though that might put a stop to the Somali pirate issue). Now I want a nuclear-powered car that needs refueling every 70 million years...

The reactors themselves are under $1B each, and each one produces more than enough power to move any of the world's largest ships. With a time to refuel of 23 years and the annual cost of bunker fuel for a 12k TEU container ship being $40-50M per year, we're looking at cost savings. If they're anything like land based reactors, after the initial lifespan they can be overhauled, refueled, and run for another 20+ years at much less than the initial cost. Imagine saving money switching to something with zero emissions.

# ¿ Nov 2, 2009 07:18

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

I know signals are coordinated for flow in certain directions, but is it possible to coordinate them so that if you fly through one intersection too fast, the next one will turn red to stop you from speeding/out of spite?

I'm convinced that a few of our local signals do this, at one in particular I make it through the next light 1000' up the road fine if I'm doing 25-30, but if I'm doing 35 it turns red for long enough that I would have had to stop if I were doing 25. The second light is on sensors for the side road that crosses it (and there's no way there's enough traffic on the cross street to justify a light,) but only seems to change if I'm speeding. Are they really out to make speeding difficult or am I just drawing unjustified conclusions based on two completely uncoordinated signals?

Cichlidae posted:

Finally, we have the problem that these things are supposed to last 3-5 years, and we only replace them once a decade thanks to $$$.

You can't really tell, but the depressions from so many cars driving over the same spot are about 3" deep. My last car would scrape the mufflers and rear diff on it

Cichlidae posted:

Even with the safety issue, some politicians are hard to sway. The #1 most dangerous spot in our state is almost entirely the result of a town that doesn't know how to say "yes."

Is this exit 40 on the Parkway?

# ¿ Nov 10, 2009 22:45

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Is preserving the integrity of asphalt on concrete (I assume it's thinner than on gravel) why bridges don't have rumble strips on the shoulders?

# ¿ Nov 12, 2009 22:53

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Lobstaman posted:

As I approach the overpass for Elm St there is a VMS board and typically it's off and traffic flows nice and smooth. But, whenever it's on (usually saying take Rt 3 for I-84) left lane traffic grinds to a halt. There is a slight curve and a hill leading up to the sign.

The greatest enemy of the CT driver, the gentle curve

The I-95 one I can understand since trucks need to slow down a bit, but on the Parkway, people jam on their brakes because they're afraid that going over 45 will send them flying off the road, up the hill, and into the trees.

# ¿ Nov 30, 2009 19:12

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

These boxes are to be placed anywhere there's not enough room on the far side of an intersection, which is a pretty loose definition, so I imagine some cities will put them all over. They're town-maintained, as well, not a state installation, even on state roads. They probably won't be painted until Spring, since epoxy laid in cold weather isn't under warranty.

Stamford has been painting them in the past few months and to my surprise, people other than me have started paying attention to whether or not they're blocking the intersection most of the time. Where they haven't, I'm hoping they're waiting until it gets warm for a few more because they're really needed.

# ¿ Dec 29, 2009 18:24

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

Yeah, I noticed this morning that that legislation was from September. My bosses just waited until now to email it to me

I'm glad to see people obeying it, and I hope it'll stick! When I was in France, they enacted legislation that smoking in restaurants was prohibited, but it was never enforced at all, so people just ignored it. Of course, the French have a long tradition of ignoring laws. There was even a field of marijuana growing behind the local police station.

Nevermind, the intersection I was thinking of (Long Ridge Rd. and Cold Spring) does have it painted after all. People going from Cold Spring past Long Ridge to turn left onto High Ridge always used to block cross traffic on Long Ridge because the road simply can't handle that volume, although signal timing between this intersection the one at High Ridge, and the first one up the hill on High Ridge is not synchronized well for rush hour. Now they stop right at the edge of the box and don't pull forward until it's clear up ahead.

# ¿ Dec 30, 2009 18:27

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

Do you actually live in Stamford? That city, despite not being in my district, has been the cause of many many headaches lately. Back on topic, I'm glad to hear that people are actually paying attention to the box. They must be familiar with how it works in New York. If the most aggressive region can handle it, there's hope for the rest of the state!

I work here, but live in Fairfield, which has installed one traffic light and may have filled as many as 4 potholes in the 25 years I've been alive, so there's not much to talk about at home.

# ¿ Jan 5, 2010 22:47

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

In congested situations, or if someone is making a left turn, it's fine to pass on the right. When the Level of Service is A-D, though, you really don't have an excuse. I've always wondered, if someone was traveling slowly in the left lane (illegal) and you passed him on the right (also illegal), which would get pulled over?

Both should be pulled over, the driver who passed on the right should be given a verbal warning about the dangers of passing on the right and the person blocking the left lane should be summarily executed right there on the shoulder of the road.

Mandalay posted:

Wasn't the Acela high speed train introduced in CT in the last decade? I took the TGV from Montpelier to Paris and it was a very pleasant experience. However, the non-high-speed segment from Barcelona to Montpelier was zzzz.

Until they finish upgrades on every track section (I think 2018 is the target for Metro North,) They can't do any more than 75mph through the Metro North New Haven line, even though they can do 150 in some parts and 125 east of the New Haven line.

Pagan posted:

As a model train enthusiast, I think it's kinda neat whenever I get to see a big freight train go by. Any minor inconvenience is completely mitigated by getting a front row seat to something I consider pretty awesome.

I've lived in CT all my life. I never saw a cargo train running until this past summer, and certainly never a big one. I'm used to 4 and 6 car New Haven Line trains, and occasionally an 8 car on a busy route. My mind was blown when I went to Miami and on the way from the airport to our hotel we had to stop for a 194 car train that took over 3 minutes to pass the crossing.

# ¿ Jan 13, 2010 02:32

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

What's with the streetlights they put up on the Parkway? Is it just those few around one bridge or are there going to be more?

# ¿ Jan 31, 2010 08:11

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

you or someone else posted a link earlier in the thread explaining traffic jams simply as a standing wave in the flow pattern. One of the big spots for this is at entrance ramps, where nobody wants to yield to anyone else and everyone has to jam on their brakes to avoid accidents. Everyone also slows down if there's a cop parked on the side of the road, even if he's parallel to traffic and not running radar. I noticed the other day that when there was a state trooper parked a few hundred feet back from the entrance right after exit 9 in Stamford, where the merge is usually terrible, that the slowdown happened a little bit back and by the time they got back up to speed, there was enough space to merge and traffic flowed nicely for a few miles. I've been wondering if anyone has looked at strategically placing patrol cars before big chokepoints like this to smooth out traffic during rush hour, or if you have any thoughts on the idea.

Cichlidae posted:

Yes, that's the prevailing practice. If a contractor screws up badly enough to merit being banned, he'll generally swap around management and change the company's name slightly. Next thing you know, he's back on the job.

Hey, it's technically a different company, right?

Fairfield pulled one of these fuckups with our Black Rock Metro Station project and handed $19,000,000 to a guy who was convicted of multiple felonies in the '80s Savings and Loan scandal. Oops, he disappeared with the money.

# ¿ Feb 12, 2010 20:37

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

This is the only rail bridge over rt1 in Branford I see, is it the one you're referring to that needs to be replaced?
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=branf...2,220.6,,0,3.73

# ¿ Feb 22, 2010 20:05

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

OK, I'm going to try this. Since I started reading this thread, I've noticed things done wrong everywhere I drive. It's like the FedEx arrow, but due to incompetence rather than skilled design.

Text should be "Right Lane Closed Ahead"

Warning sign used as a construction sign, warning and construction signs mounted on the same post

Text should be "Right Lane Closed Ahead"

Half-assed conversion of a warning sign into a construction sign or someone ran out of "Right Lane Closed Ahead" signs, shrugged, and put up a left lane one with some tape over it.

The hill warning sign should be permanent, not on a stand like it appears to be.

Either guide sign mounted on the same pole as the construction sign or wrong color on the Parsons Way to Montevideo Road sign. Also appears to be a warning sign on the same post as a street sign, but I can't read it.

No construction sign warning of lane closure?

GWBBQ fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Mar 18, 2010

# ¿ Mar 18, 2010 17:15

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

We have some pretty awful IT policies here, because our IT guys are just engineers who knew how to use computers 15 years ago and got shoveled into the new IT division. Every computer is locked to a specific Ethernet port, and if you want to move the computer, you need to have someone drag the cables through the floor. The print server is so old that they lost all the install disks and no new computers or users can use the old printers. Their PC spec requires all systems to have a dedicated sound card in addition to the mobo sound, and if you plug the speakers into the onboard sound, it crashes the computer. Well, that's more of an OEM problem, but you get the idea.

What kind of printers and computers are you using? I might have the install disks around in my pile of 15 year old stuff. I'm so glad we have a 5 year replacement cycle and I have a job that justifies upgrading myself pretty much yearly and passing on the old computer to someone who doesn't need top of the line.

GWBBQ fucked around with this message at 16:43 on Jul 16, 2011

# ¿ Mar 19, 2010 17:31

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

I saw that, too, and my immediate thought was that it looks just as bad as a cloverleaf with weaving and single lanes wouldn't be enough for high volume roads, good to know I'm on the right track.

Also, I found a problem with one of your signs.

Any estimate of how many you guys lost in last weekend's storm? The one for exit 21 on I95 southbound is also down, but with so many road crews out and the cone next to this one, I assume the damage has been reported.

# ¿ Mar 23, 2010 14:50

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

For those of you wondering about Protected or Permissive left-turn phasing, I came across an excellent flowchart today that goes over a bit of the design process.

Several people asked why a signal would ever be protected-only when protected-permissive would allow a higher throughput. According to this flowchart, pretty much anything can make a signal protected-only. (And yes, it should be "fewer," not "less.")

I am going to send a copy of this chart to the City of Stamford with a request for the addition of a protected left turn at a bad intersection. I doubt they'll listen since they have dug up the road and half-assed repaved it a few times since that street view picture was taken and apparently consider it finished, but oncoming traffic waiting to turn left completely blocks the view of cars going straight so you have to either pull halfway through the intersection and wait until the light turns red or pray, cross your fingers, and hope that your life flashing before your eyes doesn't distract you enough that you're unable to fit your car through the gap between street parked cars and cars in the opposing lane that's 6 inches wider than your car on a good day.

Cichlidae posted:

Additionally, we need to ensure that the gas tax actually gets spent on roads, not handed over to the state general fund. Rhode Island, especially, is notorious for this. The state legislature sees that gas tax money as an easy source of income to fill holes in the other departments' budgets. I guess they never played SimCity.

Connecticut has simply moved the slider for transportation funding all the way to the left.

Choadmaster posted:

And I haven't gotten far enogh to start hitting all the "quotes from God" billboards yet. I should really stay in my boring liberal corner of socal.

I've got some news for you, I live in a county that hasn't voted Republican since 1988, and we have quotes from God billboards.

Nesnej posted:

This kind of goes outside the scope of the question, but since the amount of damage caused by a vehicle is largely dependant of its axle load, reducing maximum allowed axle loads could be a solution. It would just have the unfortunate effect of making road transportation less fuel efficient and also increase the number of trucks. Out of the frying pan, into the fire, so on and so forth.

In CT, what we need is complete, unified, unwavering support for NY to get federal funding for a rail tunnel under the Hudson River. We have a lot of truck traffic because it's more cost effective to throw containers on a truck and drive them up than to haul them by train up north of Poughkeepsie and back down to the New Haven line, and only a freight line under the Hudson will solve that. I just drove into work at noon and northbound was backed up for at least 15 miles, much of it trucks.

GWBBQ fucked around with this message at 18:25 on Mar 26, 2010

# ¿ Mar 26, 2010 18:11

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

...

Back to traffic, a few months ago, I called the state police from I95 (it says something about driving in CT that I have their dispatch on speed dial, and probably not something good,) and said "I just passed mile marker ..." "I'm sorry, sir, we don't use mile markers anymore. Can you give me an exit number or approximate location?" Fortunately, I could. Too bad enabling location doesn't transmit for non-emergency calls.)

GWBBQ fucked around with this message at 05:36 on Mar 20, 2012

# ¿ Apr 9, 2010 15:33

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

Q: Why couldn't the governor cut the red ribbon to inaugurate the Busway?
A: After spending $750M on the project, she couldn't afford scissors.

She was too busy frothing at the mouth slandering the state's workers for not taking more pay cuts and giving more concessions because pandering to Republicans is more important than finding real solutions to the budget crisis she did nothing to avoid in the first place.

# ¿ Apr 10, 2010 23:07

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

Boy, you don't mince words I'm already losing 3% of my salary for the next 10 years to pay for retiree healthcare, and, in all likelihood, losing the vast majority of my retirement benefits.

I make no secret of the fact that I do not like Rell and have not at any point in the past. The retiree healthcare deduction is there so that in 10 years when whatever Republican shithead we elect tries to gently caress over the unions again and ditch retiree healthcare, SEBAC can tell them that these people have been paying into the retiree healthcare system for ten years and are not going to be left out in the cold. The fact that I don't plan to work for the state long enough to be fully vested in the retirement plan screws me, but hey, that's part of the job. There's talk of not getting our raises for this year and last year until October if at all, I hope they're just rumors.

# ¿ Apr 13, 2010 03:39

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

I suppose it depends on your bargaining unit. I'm in P-4, and we have a pretty solid contract negotiated. I'm sure you saw the letter Rell's goon sent out a couple weeks ago; while our contract says that we're allowed to renegotiate if the projected shortfall goes beyond 350M, we only really have to consider some additional concessions. Even then, I think the union can just choose not to re-open negotiations. Given their response (in which they effectively call Rell evil), I'm hoping that'll be the case, and that we can get a decent governor elected and not another one of Rowland's lackeys.

Sorry for the political mini-derail

The way it's going, I'm hoping for Dan Malloy. I know from stuff around Stamford and took a public policy class he taught, and he's got a good head on his shoulders and is willing to admit when he doesn't know something and listen to others. I can say for sure that he won't pull crap like Rell is doing.

But anyway, back to traffic. I mentioned a few weeks ago that they put up some streetlights on the Parkway around the West Rocks Road bridge, which is being renovated. Are they likely to leave those or just keep them until the project is done (scheduled for next year)? I'm one of the few people who likes driving on an unlit road and I hope it stays that way.

They also have what looks like a steel structure to brace the bridge, how exactly do they repair the historic bridges? I also saw some guys power washing a bridge the other day (where Black Rock Turnpike goes under the Parkway at exit 44,) and they were walking around on top this morning, I assume the washing was part of the inspection routine?

# ¿ Apr 15, 2010 00:05

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

I'm confused. The silhouette isn't one of the standard ones in the Vehicular Traffic or Nonvehicular Traffic sections of MUTCD 2009, and since I'm at an intersection and he's wearing a seatbelt, shouldn't I be checking all approaches for him anyway? As far as the anal probe finger, that seems like something the Department of Health should be warning me about, not the DOT. He looks kind of like the "Seat Belt" symbol in figure 2B-22, but they say you can only make "Minor modifications" and I wouldn't consider an anal probe very minor.

Then there's the text. "Be Progressive" is a bit political for a warning sign, isn't it? I know we need to be respectful of other drivers, even if they are non-humans waving their probes at us menacingly, but wouldn't a W16-1 (vertical rectangle, text "SHARE THE ROAD") get the point across just as clearly and without the unauthorized use of italics?

http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8...,237.55,,1,4.07

# ¿ Apr 21, 2010 18:47

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

If you're ever in this corner of the state, I owe you a beer for those drawings.

Cichlidae posted:

I think I should take a wrench with me into the field from now on and start a collection of pirate signs. Not sure what I'd do with them, but if people can cover their houses in old license plates, why not illegal signs?

the DOT actually approved these back in 1999 when Progressive handed them out for free.

# ¿ Apr 25, 2010 02:08

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

Cichlidae posted:

Approved shmapproved, one of our state statutes says that no sign is allowed within a certain distance of roads that resembles an official traffic control device. That includes words like "stop" or "slow," in fact, which makes me wonder how Stop&Shop got away with its old stoplight signs.

If they considered it close enough to the official seatbelt logo (MUTCD says minor changes are OK,) wouldn't it be OK if not mounted on its own and not a regulatory sign pole? How about if it was just "Buckle Up" and they ditched "Be Progressive"?

# ¿ Apr 26, 2010 19:27

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

A mile or two of freshly paved and re-lined I95 looks like this.

I think Tyler Tube has been sharing whatever he's been smoking or snorting with the line painters.

# ¿ Apr 27, 2010 14:56

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# ¿ Apr 30, 2024 08:25

GWBBQ: Jan 2, 2005

IOwnCalculus posted:

So...are bright pink signs part of the MUTCD? There was a gnarly wreck on US60 this morning, and about half a mile in front of it in the far left median, there was a temporary pop-up diamond sign (the size and material typically set out whenever we park a photo radar van on the freeway), except it was bright goddamn pink. "EMERGENCY SCENE AHEAD". As if the four miles of stopped traffic wasn't a clue.

http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2003r1r2/part6/fig6i-01_longdesc.htm

# ¿ Apr 27, 2010 17:33

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