Driving situation

In My Humble Opinion
1

Let’s say you regularly commute in a state with some of the worse drivers imaginable…

And let’s say there is a highway exit that comes to a rotary…

This exit has 2 lanes; one goes around the rotary, the other takes you directly right, just prior to the rotary…

Now let’s say that this exit used to always back up (both lanes) because evidently the mere presence of a rotary scares people half to death, even those going right and not entering the rotary…

So, the kind folks at the state painted the road striping a solid white between the two lanes exiting the exit. This solid white striping extends past the rotary completely, then breaks to allow merging and such, again past the rotary. This was done to show people that you have a dedicated lane if turning right. That’s right, dedicated, as in you have right of way to flow off the exit and go right and then merge if need be PAST THE FREAKN ROTARY.

Now I realize, there’s a big scary rotary up ahead, and most Americans HATE rotarys. I realize too that it was kinda ambiguous in the past as to yielding and such, again that damn scary rotary.

But come on, the right lane is now clearly marked as a dedicated right turn lane, meaning no stopping, or yielding until past the rotary completely. You just stay on your side of the thick white line. In fact, please note that there is only a yield sign way over on the left, in case you actually have to enter the rotary, from the left lane.

My question, would others here stop in the situation above, given you have a dedicated lane, only because there is a scary rotary ahead?

2

Stopping on a highway exit ramp could be taken as an invitation to the car behind you to “drive your car all the way up my tailpipe!”. If the car in front of me stops, then clearly, I will too. but otherwise, I don’t see a point for stopping just because its a rotary.

ETA: those are the same as roundabouts - right?

3

Yep, roundabout = rotary

4

Here in Oregon they are putting in more roundabouts. I admit it was a little strange the first time I used one, but I grew to like and accept it immediately. I have also had the pleasure of knowing how bad traffic would back up at an intersection before the roundabout was installed, and how much more smoothly the traffic flows now. I know over in Bend they are spending what looks like the entire roads budget installing roundabouts, and I see people cruise very smoothly through them.

I look forward to more bad intersections being converted and hope that drivers will continue to figure it out up here.

5

I also live in a state notorious for terrible drivers, and I wouldn’t stop. Of course, there are plenty of rotaries here in MA, and the rule of thumb seems to be if you can sneak in without actually striking another car, you are entitled to do so. It’s actually pretty easy to merge into a rotary, as long as you’ve got a decent sight distance.

6

Yeah, this one is actually in MA. And again, if going right, you never actually enter the rotary, yet people still stop like freakn morons. I think the white striping isn’t enough, the state needs to add jersey barries to get the point across.

Personally, I love rotaries, if designed well. It’s a pleasure driving in Ireland with all their rotaries.

7

Huh - where is it? I drive on 3 highway exit rotaries routinely, and I rarely see people stop unless they have to.

8

Exit 46(?) south on 93.

9

Just saying: I LOVE roundabouts. There is not a single one where I live (western Pennsylvania). However, we are just back from St Martin, where we spend 2 weeks each winter, and there are roundabouts all over the island.

Traffic flows smoothly.

The worst intersection on the island was just replaced with a roundabout and the change is remarkable.

10

Ah - must be all those New Hampshire bozo commuters.

11

Yep. I think many people are oblivious to the fact that you are not supposed to cross a solid white line. I deal with an exit daily where I should be able to exit safely, directly into my desired lane but need to always look out for bozos that do not heed the solid white line.

12

(50% tops)

13

I love rotaries and they work great in the towns they are putting them in around here (upstate NY). So much better than stopping at a stupid light and waiting. I don’t know why some people are so afraid of them.

That is all I have to say. OP, I think you should make us a diagram in Paint so we can better picture what you have to say, but the way it sounds, one shouldn’t have to stop at all.

14

I tried and failed to find this on google maps. Can you be more specific?

15

I don’t think I’d slam on the brakes even if I were in the lane with the rotary! They don’t scare me.

It could be people in the other lane are slowing/stopping just because some drivers tend to do what they see others doing. Other drivers are slowing so they do too. Sometimes it makes sense (the other drivers know something you don’t like an animal has run into the road), but in this case it doesn’t (they should know the others are slowing for the rotary).

16

I think he means here. The only issue I see with his description is that solid white line or not, even if you stay all the way to the right to get directly onto 113 westbound, you’re still physically connected to the rotary - you’re not really separated from it by anything but the line. And in MA, a solid white line is pretty meaningless.

17

You are correct, that is the location. However, the photo is out of date since the change.

The right turn and the rotary are still connected since the change, in that they share pavement with no median. But again, the right turn is a very clear straight shot now, without physically entering the rotary, and again, the thick white striping.

People exiting the rotary now have their delineated lane also heading west. Both lanes then merge well past the rotary near where 113 peels off to the right.

So basically, people stopping when turning right are like someone stopping on a highway on-ramp that still has a half mile merging lane and no traffic coming at them.

You really have to see it over that old image, because that image shows how terrible it used to be since the changes. I mean, that rotary always had terrible site distance.

18

What’s kind of cool is that, because of the way the picture was taken, the Northbound cars on 93 are all shortened and the southbound cars are all stretched.

Special Relativity in action! :wink:
ETA for the physics-impaired: The last bit is a joke.

19

Another big problem with that particular rotary is that 110 East has a traffic light about 400ft from the rotary, leading into a busy business area. In addition, the 110 East exit from the rotary is 2 lanes, so folks “in” the rotary exit into the left 110E lane. Sight lines, even with the changes, still suck.

Add to this, the large amount of traffic coming from 110E out of the Lowell area, and 113E, all heading to Rt 93 North, and during rush hour you get a mess.

That rotary works great at noon, but like most of the MA rotaries, they aren’t built for peak hour operation.

I’ve driven by that exit more times than I care to count, and the exit just south of there doesn’t help the overall traffic situation, with a huge traffic load trying to get on 93N, both as through traffic, and to immediately get off at 110/113.

20

Yep, heading east is still a mess. But heading west coming from I93 south is now great, so long as the moron in front doesn’t stop!