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What to do with Subways in the future?

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Posted by alphas on Thursday, June 11, 2020 11:18 PM

Miningman

The ideal place to live is a population 15,000-30,000. 

 I disagree.  The ideal place to live is on the outskirts of a population of 15,000-30,000.  Close enough to have everything you need but distant enough not to have to face urban problems plus you get more land with your house.

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Posted by Gramp on Thursday, June 11, 2020 10:22 PM

There's a big difference between traffic circles and roundabouts. Roundabouts put in here at killer intersections have all but eliminated severe and fatal accidents. 

https://www.mtjengineering.com/

 

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Posted by scilover on Thursday, June 11, 2020 5:03 AM
Unfortunately, I don’t think there is a solution to this. People will still use the subways to commute and it’ll be impossible to maintain social distancing in a tight subway train.
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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, June 2, 2020 7:00 PM

Then there's the one in West Springfield, MA that attendees at the Amherst show are probably familiar with.  N 42.09751 W 72.59696

There's another, similar circle about a mile north on Riverdale Street as well.

 

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Posted by Electroliner 1935 on Tuesday, June 2, 2020 5:09 PM
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Posted by MikeInPlano on Tuesday, June 2, 2020 2:01 PM

tree68
At the present, the problem has been exascerbated by a reduction in the number of trains running, packing the remaining riders in even tighter.

Yup.  As has been pointed out many times lately, reducing the number of trains or closing some of the stations merely has the effect of crowding more people into the remaining trains and stations.

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Posted by MikeInPlano on Tuesday, June 2, 2020 1:58 PM

Miningman

Maybe... possibly ... if I had to ride the subway to work I would refuse to do so. 

Ennui-- definition ' a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement'  example ' he succumbed to ennui and despair'

So both the Flames of Hell and the Flames of Ennui

So, no subway for you.  In a city such as New York, what would be your alternate mode?  Taxi, which you effectively share with every other person who has ridden in it.  Bus - just another subway from a pandemic perspective.  Drive your own car - not.  That leaves walking or something akin to a peda-cab (which is just another form of taxi-cab).  Have fun.

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Posted by tree68 on Sunday, May 24, 2020 4:59 PM

zugmann
I'm sure you've been to Latham. That's a fun one. 

I haven't, actually.  

But I've spent some time in New England, including MA, NH, and ME.  That's enough for me.

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Posted by zugmann on Sunday, May 24, 2020 12:03 PM

tree68
Traffic calming is a popular reason for the smaller circles.  Larger circles often involve multiple route possibilities, making for a complicated intersection and the required signalling if they all came in to one point.

I'm sure you've been to Latham. That's a fun one. 

  

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Posted by tree68 on Sunday, May 24, 2020 11:32 AM

Traffic calming is a popular reason for the smaller circles.  Larger circles often involve multiple route possibilities, making for a complicated intersection and the required signalling if they all came in to one point.

LarryWhistling
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Posted by zugmann on Sunday, May 24, 2020 7:56 AM

It's basing conclusions on one factor - single vehicle accidents.  It's a conclusion reaching for evidence.

 

And how many of them were people playing Tokyo Drift? I mean, I've been tempted but my truck is as far from a drift car as you can get. 

 

There's a lot of people that don't like traffic circles.  I didn't initially - until I've seen some ones that made a lot of sense.  Beats putting traffic lights up every 500'.

  

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Posted by Euclid on Sunday, May 24, 2020 7:33 AM

What is unfair about the report?

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Posted by zugmann on Sunday, May 24, 2020 7:26 AM

Euclid

Roundabouts cause more accidents, but fewer deaths and injuries.  They are part of the regulatory fashion known as "traffic calming."  They also promote traffic fairness.  It is unfair to give a high speed road the right of way over lower speed roads.  So they must take turns.  They are similar to a living wage. 

https://www.citylab.com/design/2017/03/the-other-side-of-roundabouts-more-crashes/518484/

 

 

 

From your source:

 

"Burdett and crew focused on crashes involving single vehicles—such as when somebody suddenly careens off the shoulder—which have an oddly high occurrence at roundabouts. Between 30 to 50 percent of accidents at single-lane roundabouts around the U.S. have involved lone vehicles. "

They're cherry pikcing one type of wreck and damning the whole concept.  I don't think it's a fair report. 

Your comment about a living wage has nothing to do with anything, except I guess you didn't want to waste your soapbox?

  

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Posted by Euclid on Sunday, May 24, 2020 7:06 AM

Roundabouts cause more accidents, but fewer deaths and injuries.  They are part of the regulatory fashion known as "traffic calming."  They also promote traffic fairness.  It is unfair to give a high speed road the right of way over lower speed roads.  So they must take turns.  They are similar to a living wage. 

https://www.citylab.com/design/2017/03/the-other-side-of-roundabouts-more-crashes/518484/

 

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Posted by blue streak 1 on Saturday, May 23, 2020 11:24 PM

 Tell them to quit putting so much mayo on their sandwiches .

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Posted by tree68 on Thursday, May 21, 2020 9:25 PM

The small circle I mentioned has the road around the outside, a paved area inside of that, then a small island.  The idea is that cars and other smaller vehicles stay on the road portion, and larger vehicles can use the inner paved area.  I've seen other small traffic circles like that.

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Thursday, May 21, 2020 8:57 PM

MidlandMike
 
Semper Vaporo

Around here they are working toward just sticking a flowre pot in the middle of an existing intersection and calling it a round-a-bout.

  

See what happens if a big truck tries to get around it.

If he is going straight, no problem. If he is turning right he might have to pull to the left, and might hit it if he pulls to far to the left, but if turning right... hmmmm... well make it a short flower pot and his tractor can go on one side and the trailer wheels can pass on the other side... maybe?

Semper Vaporo

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Posted by MidlandMike on Thursday, May 21, 2020 8:31 PM

Semper Vaporo

Around here they are working toward just sticking a flowre pot in the middle of an existing intersection and calling it a round-a-bout.

 

See what happens if a big truck tries to get around it.

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Posted by zugmann on Thursday, May 21, 2020 7:56 PM

Semper Vaporo
Around here they are working toward just sticking a flowre pot in the middle of an existing intersection and calling it a round-a-bout.

They've done "test roundabounts" around here where they basically have a pentagram of cones or barrels in the middle of an intersection.  No signage, no lane markings - then they wonder why people aren't following it correctly.  

  

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Posted by tree68 on Thursday, May 21, 2020 2:35 PM

Semper Vaporo
Around here they are working toward just sticking a flowre pot in the middle of an existing intersection and calling it a round-a-bout.

They basically did that here when the city took over a commonly used portion of a parking lot and turned it into a city street.  The spot where two existing streets and the new one intersect with a rear access road for the shopping center now has a small circle.  In fact, they had to construct it so large trucks could also get through.  It's not very busy, though, just saves a full stop if no other traffic is in sight.

We do have another spot that could be referred functionally to as a circle/rotary/roundabout, although it's about two blocks long by half a block wide.  Known as Public Square, it's been here for many years (going back to the horse-drawn era) with several "formats," and these days includes traffic lights (which traffic circles don't have).  Still, traffic moves around it counter-clockwise with a number of entry/exit points.

LarryWhistling
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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Thursday, May 21, 2020 2:09 PM

Around here they are working toward just sticking a flower pot in the middle of an existing intersection and calling it a round-a-bout.

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Thursday, May 21, 2020 10:08 AM

My observation has been that a traffic circle works better with limited "spokes" and a larger diameter.  I've ridden in cabs in the Dominican Republic that went through large diameter traffic circles (near Punta Cana) in which I did not fear for my life.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by York1 on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 8:54 PM

A traffic circle near my daughter's house has issues during rush hour.  Large numbers of cars going north enter the circle from the south and exit north half-way around.

Cars coming from the east heading west have almost no chance to get into the circle.  You can sit for several minutes before being able to enter the steady stream of cars.  After rush hour, the circle works fairly well.

York1 John       

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Posted by Paul_D_North_Jr on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 8:33 PM

York1, thanks for sharing the photo and explanation.  Didn't know about that one.  I was only in New Orleans once about 51 years ago, right after Hurricane Camille.  Rode the St. Charles line a couple times, but in the other direction, I think. 

- PDN. 

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Posted by Erik_Mag on Monday, May 18, 2020 11:29 PM

        New England - home of the traffic circle.  

Some know them as "roundabouts."

 
In Boston they are known as "rotaries".

There's a famous song about Roundabouts, but darned if I know any songs about rotaries.

My first experience with a rotary was the one on Route 2 & 2A in Concord Mass and smaller versions are becoming quite common here in San Diego county.

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Posted by Deggesty on Monday, May 18, 2020 5:11 PM

We have something like those "Michigan lefts" here used with making left turns onto other roads; after you turn left off one road, you wait at a traffic light to turn left on the other road. It can be a long wait. 

I'm glad I do not drive any more.

Johnny

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Posted by tree68 on Monday, May 18, 2020 2:10 PM

For those not familiar with the "Michigan left", find Highland, MI on your favorite map program and follow M59 west.  You'll see plenty of examples.  

One advantage to the concept is that it doesn't leave traffic backed up across one set of lanes.  While there may not be sufficient acceleration space, there's usually enough space in a turn lane before the "U" for said backup.

The rail line just to the east of the Milford Road / M59 intersection is the former CSX "Saginaw Sub" (nee Chessie, nee C&O, nee Pere Marquette). 

And if anyone cares, I used to live at N 42.63417 W 83.70535 on M59.  The house is long gone, and our landlord's house was moved far back from the highway when they increased the road from two lanes to four.

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Posted by Overmod on Monday, May 18, 2020 12:10 PM

tree68
Of course, Michigan already has that phenomenon known as the "Michigan Left."  That tends to baffle some people...

I always thought of this as a response to the same issue that produced the New Jersey 'jughandles' (which did not always happen only at T intersections; there were examples at River Edge Rd. off Hackensack Rd northbound and at one of the intersections in the east "Princeton" area from north Rt. 1, I think to Harrison St. WB)  Why more jurisdictions didn't use the things where they had room, I don't know.  Part of it probably involves lights at any controlled intersection...

For best performance of 'left turn' it is hard to beat a seagull intersection, again if you have the room.  This can completely get rid of the need for lights on one-half a nominally-divided roadway ... if you can tamper a bit with which lanes are divided from others.  This is the 'other half' of the solution I've been promoting for traffic up and down Farm Road in Shelby Farms Park in the eastern Memphis area, where development has vastly increased traffic count but 'don't split Shelby Farms' is a further watchword for the folks who successfully blocked a real I-40.

The problem with Michigan Lefts is that they require substantial formal acceleration lanes ... but usually don't get them.  The exposure to high-speed 'passing lane' traffic is greatly magnified if there is any kind of 'failure to yield', and the arrangement requires acceleration not just sufficient to 'clear' the fast lane (as, albeit often heart-stoppingly, in a normal left turn) but to accelerate all the way up to a full transition and merge across the fast lane, then quick merge across other potentially traffic-bearing lanes, while decelerating back to safe turning speed. 

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Monday, May 18, 2020 11:29 AM

tree68

They've been making an appearance in Michigan, as well.

Of course, Michigan already has that phenomenon known as the "Michigan Left."  That tends to baffle some people...

 

 

That's odd, I thought the "Michigan Left" was who controlled the state house.

Sorry folks, I just couldn't resist!  Whistling  Wink  Laugh  

And if some out there can't take a little humor, chill out, OK?

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