Driving in Buffalo, the oddities

[Stoner]

I noticed last night you can't go all the way down Exchange Street anymore to turn right onto Washington. Why did they change that? Was it me?

When you come to the roundabout at Niagara Square, are there two lanes? Why would one want to get in the inside lane of a roundabout? If it's one extremely generous Kramer lane, does one split the difference? Stay to the right?

I know parts of Main were reopened to vehicle traffic. I still don't have the nerve to do it. How do cars and the Metro trains share the space?

Thank you.

[sabills]

46 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

I noticed last night you can't go all the way down Exchange Street anymore to turn right onto Washington. Why did they change that? Was it me?

When you come to the roundabout at Niagara Square, are there two lanes? Why would one want to get in the inside lane of a roundabout? If it's one extremely generous Kramer lane, does one split the difference? Stay to the right?

I know parts of Main were reopened to vehicle traffic. I still don't have the nerve to do it. How do cars and the Metro trains share the space?

Thank you.

I've done it. Its tight but not too scary. The cars are separated from the train by a curb (if I remember correctly).

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Is it true that you guys now drive on the left, like in jolly ol' England?

[grinreaper]

2 hours ago, N S said:

Is it true that you guys now drive on the left, like in jolly ol' England?

Only when passing.

[Scottysabres]

That roundabout is 2 lanes, you use the inside lane to keep the flow of traffic rolling as others slow to turn.

[gilbert11]

1 hour ago, Scottysabres said:

That roundabout is 2 lanes, you use the inside lane to keep the flow of traffic rolling as others slow to turn.

And go around in circles?  Sounds like fun! 

[Hank]

24 minutes ago, gilbert11 said:

And go around in circles?  Sounds like fun! 

I do that sometimes. It is fun!

[Eleven]

5 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

I know parts of Main were reopened to vehicle traffic. I still don't have the nerve to do it. How do cars and the Metro trains share the space?

I drive into the back of the train and let it tow me.  Saves on gas.

1 hour ago, Scottysabres said:

That roundabout is 2 lanes, you use the inside lane to keep the flow of traffic rolling as others slow to turn.

It's three, actually, and walking across it on Delaware, you know the main road through downtown, is pure hell, because the idiots can't figure out to put a crosswalk in, much less a light.

[darksabre]

I don't believe anyone here that those roundabouts have "lanes". They're a free for all. 

[Eleven]

34 minutes ago, darksabre said:

I don't believe anyone here that those roundabouts have "lanes". They're a free for all. 

Especially Niagara Square.  I take my life in my hands about eight times per week on average. (That's two trips across and two trips back.  I have to cross it twice each trip.)

[Doohicksie]

Most roundabouts I've seen have two lanes.  If you're getting off right away or maybe going straight through, use the outer lane.  If you're going straight through or "turning left", use the inner lane.

[Eleven]

7 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Most roundabouts I've seen have two lanes.  If you're getting off right away or maybe going straight through, use the outer lane.  If you're going straight through or "turning left", use the inner lane.

You should see DC sometime.  There are four lanes split into about seven and a half in some cases.

[Doohicksie]

Try driving in the UK sometime.  Same idea, except BACKWARDS!

[Eleven]

6 minutes ago, Doohickie said:

Try driving in the UK sometime.  Same idea, except BACKWARDS!

Big Ben.  Parliament.

[North Buffalo]

17 hours ago, N S said:

Is it true that you guys now drive on the left, like in jolly ol' England?

Lol my wife thinks so cars pass her on the right..

[North Buffalo]

11 hours ago, Eleven said:

You should see DC sometime.  There are four lanes split into about seven and a half in some cases.

Memorial bridge is worse but at least Mass Ave, Conn Ave and 16th streets have pass unders

[Sabres Fan in NS]

I think 'roundabouts' are the worst thing ever.

We have a few around here and you get used to them I suppose.

What I really don't like is that there is one new area with something like 5 of them in a row and by the end of it you are either killed in a car crash, or stuck in  the middle doomed never to get out.

[Doohicksie]

9 minutes ago, N S said:

I think 'roundabouts' are the worst thing ever.

No, the worst thing ever is an intersection that takes 5 minutes to cycle through all the signals when there's no other traffic.  And you have to wait.  I like roundabouts:  At least you can keep moving in the absence of other traffic and not wait for the light to cycle.

[MattPie]

The Magic Roundabout in Swindon, England, was constructed in 1972^[1] and is a ring junction consisting of five mini-roundabouts arranged around a sixth central, anticlockwise roundabout. Located near the County Ground, home of Swindon Town F.C., its name comes from the popular children's television series The Magic Roundabout. In 2009 it was voted the fourth scariest junction in Britain.^[2]

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

[darksabre]

That is horrifying 

[Doohicksie]

Yeah, I'm a big fan of roundabouts, but that's a bit much.

[Doohicksie]

Fort Worth is getting a bit roundabout happy with new roads.  They considered one for a monster intersection that's an asymmetric 6-point junction just west of downtown.  That would have been a good spot for one but they chickened out and put in conventional lights.  It takes forever to get through that intersection, especially at rush hour.  With buildings built right up to the road in recent years, there's no way they could make the roundabout concept work anymore.

(If you don't geek out on city planning or traffic design, stop reading here.)

The cartoon at the center is the concept for the roundabout considered back in 2001, and the bright red shapes are the recently built buildings around the intersection.  You can see how the new buildings obliterate the attempt to evenly space entries/exits of the asymmetrically arranged streets around the circle.

[bob_sauve28]

Behind the shelter in the middle of the roundabout
The pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray
And though she feels as if she's in a play,
She is anyway

[Wyldnwoody44]

3 minutes ago, bob_sauve28 said:

Behind the shelter in the middle of the roundabout
The pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray
And though she feels as if she's in a play,
She is anyway

Penny lane in the nickel city, haven't heard that in a quarter of a century, I bet dollars to doughnuts that a ten 

[Frieda]

I'm getting a Go-Pro dash cam, a Russian music CD and film crash videos next time I'm in Buffalo.