Michigan left

[jonnii]

I'll see your Michigan left and raise you a magic roundabout

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Roundabout_(Swindon)

[jrwoodruff]

That just looks like insanity. To think, Americans are confused by simple one-lane roundabouts.

[drawkbox]

New Jersey Jughandle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jughandle

You have to make a left by basically taking almost like a freeway ramp off to the right.

If you miss your left turn ramp on the right in some parts of Jersey, you end up driving many miles to get another opportunity due to all the Jersey barriers that basically prevent real left-hand turns.

[scott_s]

Missing a turn in New Jersey is a unique kind of frustration. The frustrating thing is that these are not highways, but simple routes that in most states would have normal intersections.

The system is clearly more efficient if you know exactly where you are going - it's an expert system. Which also implies it's unforgiving to people unfamiliar with it. (As in, me.)

[jleader]

When I was in highschool in New Jersey in the 1970s, right-on-red was legalized; a classmate realized that this meant that under light traffic conditions, if he faced a red light while driving down the highway, he could turn off onto the jughandle, then make a right back onto the highway, regardless of whether the cross-traffic light was still green or had turned red.

More recently, Google maps at one point had a routing bug that caused it to propose a 360-degree double U-turn at every intersection while traveling along US 1, which in practice would result in the same maneuver.

[mgkimsal]

ARGH - I HATE those. Couple those with poor signage and out-of-towners will be lost for, well, if not hours, certainly tens of minutes. :/ (cherry hill ... lost several times in that area and no ways to turn around for miles).

[ghurlman]

The worst offenders are easily the towns that mix the jughandle turns with "traditional" left turn intersections; you never know which damn lane to be in to turn.

Looking at YOU Brick, NJ! >:/

[lysium]

The reverse Jughandle is the standard way to change Autobahns in Germany, driving many miles if you miss the intersection included. But hey: no speed limit!

[markkat]

I know where we have one of these in Michigan. It's awful. You need to make it, or you are in for quite a detour.

[timsco]

I like how the Wikipedia article does not mention how this strategy turns the streets into soul sucking suburban wastelands. The Michigan left may reduce accidents, but it divides neighbourhoods (reference: anywhere on 8 Mile).

This is a very bad idea.

[roc]

The divided boulevard divides neighborhoods, not the Michigan Left. Left Turn lanes would actually make it harder to cross 8 mile.

I'm not a fan of Michigan zoning whatsoever, but in this case, the damage is done with or without the Michigan Left.

[modulow]

As a 28-year Michigander (Flint/Detroit area), I don't think the left turning mechanism is responsible for any neighborhood divides...you could say that the divided highway contributes to this, but I am more inclined to blame "White Flight" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_flight).

[ekanes]

Can you explain why? Unless I'm misunderstanding, pedestrians can still cross, and the neighbourhoods are divided by the massive highway, rather than the specific turning pattern...?

[chaz]

Worse than any other road that size? It's an eight-lane road and that, by itself, is a big socio/economic dividing force, regardless of the type of intersection.

[tvchurch]

Like these neat random articles? Check out Best of Wikipedia: (http://bestofwikipedia.tumblr.com/)

Usually twice a day, always good. (Not my site, btw)

Cheers.

[keiferski]

Related:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_left

The driving practice of the first left-turning vehicle taking precedence over vehicles going straight through an intersection.

[steveklabnik]

I can confirm that this happens quite often around here. Sometimes, it's fantastic, and alleviates a lot of congestion.

Another odd Pittsburgh-ism that has its own Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_parking_chair I'm not a big fan of this one.

[agscala]

Not to mention that Michigan also puts signs for major intersections before the actual intersection (like 1/4 a mile), but they can be difficult to find (or not even there) at the actual intersection...

[bugsy]

It's amazing that there are advantages to this. It seems the main one is the observation that intersections have many overloaded functions which combine to explode the complexity of operations that can occur: intersections handle cross traffic between roads, 4 different points of turning from one road to the orthogonal one via left turn, 4 different points of turning to orthogonal via right turn, four points of u-turns, and pedestrian crossing. Whichever maneuver you pick, there are that many other maneuvers that each other car might be involved in at the same time and you have to interact with. That's an insane level of complexity, and the complexity of the whole system affects all the cars coming from each of 4 directions.

The Michigan turn takes roughly half of these, the 4 left turn modalities and 4 u-turn modalities and displaces each of 4 to a location where it only affects a single direction, the oncoming one, although it has the side effect of doubling the number of right hand turns at the main intersection, but these are safer turns than left ones.

A variation on this I have seen on highways and interstates throughout the US is to have a left turn slow down and two-way median turn around lane that is in between the actual roads where one would turn, ensuring that no dangerous left turns take place. The left turn is replaced with a u turn which is even more dangerous due to the lower speed at which one clears oncoming traffic, and there are seldom any pedestrian situations since pedestrians aren't usually found on highways. But it does avoid the otherwise conflict with negotiating the crossing with several other directions at once, to your right cross traffic, left cross traffic, left across-left turn traffic, right across-left turn traffic, and oncoming traffic, reducing all this to having to deal with oncoming traffic only.

And if I had not read this link I never would have thought about all this stuff, so thanks for posting.

[davito88]

I love that this hit the HN RSS. However, I prefer the Pittsburg Left: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_Left

[davito88]

also, they are apparently safer than 'normal' left turns: http://news.ncsu.edu/releases/wmshummersuperstreets/

[fedd]

love this habit to give everything a name.

we do this all the time, just didn't call it anyway.

the next time i collide, i'll come out and say, "i gave you a signal, i was making the Pittsburgh left, you uneducated moron!"

[notyourwork]

These are not related.

[m_myers]

See also the Texas Turnaround for highway frontage roads: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_U-turn

[look_lookatme]

I don't live in Texas anymore and I don't drive anymore, so I never realized this isn't standard around the US. Weird. I loved turnarounds as an option over yielding lefts. You drive a bit further, but it always felt a bit safer, particularly in large strip malls where you have several points of entry along a frontage road.

[pavel_lishin]

I've gotten so used to these, I don't understand why every city with overpasses doesn't have them.

[IgorPartola]

This is the other type of turn we were discussing at lunch today: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2044725,00.....

[notyourwork]

Did anyone else read this as "the state of Michigan has left wikipedia". Pleasantly surprised at what I found on the link though. I love ideas like this, though I fear majority of drives in the states would have trouble adjusting to this style. They have enough trouble parallel parking and making right's on red, lets not confuse them anymore!

[ohyes]

The Michigan left would never work in Massachusetts because of the Boston Sweep (A maneuver in which you merge onto the roadway and rapidly change lanes from far right to far left, without signaling).

[balanon]

I am from Michigan. I hate the Michigan left. It basically puts something between you and the other side of the street. I wonder how much gas I've wasted going right for 1/8 of a mile just to go left.

[maukdaddy]

Probably not much since you'd otherwise waste a lot of gas idling at a red light trying to make a left.

[javanscala]

As a former Michigander, I would disagree. I miss the Michigan left, I find it's much faster in heavy traffic and makes traffic flow more efficiently.

[vnchr]

And proud of it!

- A Michigander

[markkat]

Yeah, it makes you feel almost like Columbus!

-Another!

[callmeed]

I lived in Bend, Oregon for 3 years and we had roundabouts everywhere. You could literally get across town without stopping at a light/sign.

Maybe they are more of a small/medium sized city feature, but it was hard coming back to California and all it's stop lights and stupid turn lanes.

http://www.ci.bend.or.us/roundabouts/docs/CityEdAug07_Rounda...

[pkananen]

I've always been surprised at how living in a different state affects far reaching things such as making left hand turns.

[blinkingled]

I was more irritated than surprised but yeah - I have thought about this point more than once during my early days in the US.

When I first landed - it was almost frightening to drive -the flashy noisy cop cars, the humongous, wide, structured yet confusing mingling of roads. Then you go drive to another state and few surprises get thrown at you!

Oh and Stop signs really absolutely terminally mean STOP - that took a little while to get used to. I failed driving test due to this - the seriousness of driving tests, that was yet another "O'RLY, FOR REAL?" moment!

I get it all now after several years, but it was fun living through the cross state road trips.

--Another Michigander.

[cale]

How about those left turn passing lanes on two-lane roads in Maryland? Feels dangerous, but keeps traffic moving.

[pkamb]

In Washington, you can turn left onto a one-way street on red. This is legal when you are on a one-way OR two-way street, which is unique to Washington and a handful of other states. This applies to turning left onto freeway on-ramps (one way streets) as well.

[throw_away]

left turn to one-way on red is legal in michigan as well, it turns out. having lived in michigan and now washington, I'm glad I learned that this is not the case everywhere before it became an issue.

[Jacob4u2]

Flash animation showing examples of East to North and North to West turns - http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Roads-Travel_mic...

[rfugger]

Reminded me of this brilliant configuration for avoiding left turns at freeway interchanges:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diverging_diamond_interchange