Current Events > ATTN: CEmen who are good at driving. Can you figure this out?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Consider this intersection:



This is a graphical reconstruction of a real intersection near my place. I've been having some trouble there.

As you can see, you have a 3-lane one-way street.

There is an intersection, and after the intersection it becomes a four-lane street, with the rightmost lane being a bus lane.

Now, the thing is this: this bus lane is only effective from 6 AM to 9 AM. So, if you're driving here at 8 in the morning, normal cars effectively ignore the bus lane. In this case, it's easy to figure out which lane to get to on the other side of the intersection:



I'm always in the middle lane when I drive there, so imagine the blue car is me.

Now, my question is... what is the proper way to handle this intersection, say, at noon when the bus lane is just a regular lane? In those hours, the 3-lane street turns into a 4-lane street after the intersection. This causes a lot of confusion.

What usually happens is that the pink car either goes into the bus lane or it goes into the lane it normally goes into during morning hours.

Meanwhile, the yellow car actually goes one lane to the right of the lane it usually goes into.

And meanwhile, the blue car, me, is sandwiched between two cars in the middle of the intersection! I almost got in accidents on many occasions with this exact situation:



So, my question for you good drivers is...

What lane should each car go into (a) during the hours where the bus lane is effective and (b) during the rest of the day?
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Yellow car is fucking up.

Shouldn't they go into the same lane no matter what, and then make the switch once they're through the intersection?
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They should stay in their lane. I appreciate the illustrations btw
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Why is the yellow car moving towards the right?
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yellow should stay far left, blue 1 lane to the right of yellow, red 1 lane to the right of yellow. After the intersection red can merge to the bus lane if they want. the right lane is a new lane, you don't change lanes in intersections, you change after intersections.

i would probably work to be in the left lane to avoid idiots though.
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sktgamer_13dude posted...

Shouldn't they go into the same lane no matter what, and then make the switch once they're through the intersection?

Yes. It's illegal to merge lanes in intersections where I live. idk if it's nationwide, but it should be
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I'm not an experienced driver, I've actually never drove a car before. But I'd say:

a) the way you drew it
b) also the way you drew it, then cars can adjust lanes as normal on a multilane street afterwards
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Everyone stays in their lane. It's not rocket science. The pink car can switch lanes into the bus lane after the intersection. The Yellow car should have their license revoked for moving from the left lane to the second left lane
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Normal lane assignments don't change just because there's an extra lane.
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UrCa1988 posted...

Normal lane assignments don't change just because there's an extra lane.

The issue is more the angle I'm guessing and the idiots not turning slightly left.
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I think part of the problem is how to count lanes

During daily hours, some pink cars think "I'm in the rightmost lane, so I'll stay in the rightmost lane" and so they get in the bus lane. Other pink cars get into the usual lane because they don't count the bus lane.

And yellow cars often think "I'm in the third lane, so I'll stay in the third lane" and if they count the bus lane as a regular lane (which it is during regular day hours), then the third lane is one lane to the right for them.

It's very shitty intersection, honks go blaring every day in that place.
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Did your state vote blue or red?
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sktgamer_13dude posted...

Shouldn't they go into the same lane no matter what, and then make the switch once they're through the intersection?

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Yellow car should stay in the left lane.
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NeoShadowhen posted...

Yellow car is fucking up.

This. You absolutely should not be executing lane changes in the middle of an intersection; it's dangerous and illegal. Yellow car done fucked up.
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Here's the google map of the place. My drawing was good but I forgot the right lane could also turn right. Anyway:

https://goo.gl/ELtqUp

If you advance slightly, you can notice how the white SUV in the left lane does exactly the same thing as the yellow car in the drawing - goes one lane to the right

It's just so common in that intersection
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If it's something that people commonly do, the city should probably put lane markers in the intersection
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who changes lanes in an intersection?
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NeoShadowhen posted...

Yellow car is fucking up.

This, it's simple as that.
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Yellow car's lane should be obvious. I could see the confusion based on the Google maps image for the other two cars since they aren't lined up well. Everyone should stay leftmost though, especially since the other road would turn in to the bus lane.
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CableZL posted...

If it's something that people commonly do, the city should probably put lane markers in the intersection

Exactly this. If it's not 100% clear, there should be some dotted lines added. Everywhere around here that has something ridiculous like this has it (generally when a newer road meets an older road)

Edit: But yes, yellow is wrong. The road still sucks though.
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If you look at the above view for that intersection it does look like the leftmost lane turns into the 2nd from left lane in the intersection.

That is a very badly designed intersection.
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The law is no one changing lanes in an intersection here. So yellow shouldn't be veering right in the middle of the intersection where as pink should be planning to move into the bus lane AFTER clearing the intersection.
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IMO the safe play is to drive in the yellow lane and stay in the yellow lane until traffic sorts itself out. It is the least chaotic and you are as far away from that right lane clusterfuck as possible. And considering that yellow consistently goes into blue lane yellow lane is by far the best lane to be in.

But yeah yellow car is fucking up
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Whoever designed that needs to be shot.
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