We are associated with many of the world's leading experts in intersection efficiency and sustainable design.
|
Find Innovative Locations |
|
Upload or Edit Records |
|
Build Project Portfolio |
|
To navigate, press the arrow keys.
Alternative Intersections - Drive Slower, Travel Faster!
Have you ever been stuck blocks away from a busy intersection, then inched
forward watching the light ahead turn green and red several times before you even reach the front of the line?
This is frequently because a single traditional signal simply has too many jobs to do. As traffic grows,
left turn arrows are added for safety. But these arrows add inefficiency, complexity, and pedestrian uncertainty.
It all translates into fewer vehicles able to traverse the intersection.
To compensate, planners and engineers
have historically seen little choice but to resort to expensive and destructive solutions such as adding more
lanes or even bridges.
read more...
Fortunately there are a number of emerging designs that are finding innovative ways to serve left turns without
traditional left-turn arrows at the main intersection. This restores maximum efficiency - and that can translate
into huge increases in the number of vehicles served, and huge reductions in overall delay. So racing at 45 mph only
to be stopped for several minutes at each signal can actually be much slower than traveling 25-35 mph through
quality pedestrian environments - if you can get through the signal on the first try!
Place-Making Form AND Engineering Function - Everybody Wins!
Many designs, originally conceived to simply move more vehicles, also have
many amazing Place Making attributes that can support and even encourage quality pedestrian spaces and Transit
Oriented Development. Some, such the Town Center Intersection actually require streets to be narrowed rather
than widened in order to move more vehicles. read more...
Quadrant Intersections spread
some of the traffic to "backage roads", which means prime right-of-way at the main intersection can be
relinquished for landscaping, transit stations, and other amenities.
ThrU-Turn Intersections
such as Bowties and Median U-Turns create a
simpler, safer street for pedestrians to cross, and they often utilize roundabouts and center islands
where place-making monuments and landscaping can help define a Place.
Continuous Flow Intersections are
typically better suited for more auto-oriented environments, but they also achieve amazing efficiency and
are good candidates for locations where eventual grade separation is a strong possibility.
In all, there are over a dozen specific design types that all have a common thread - they achieve high efficiency
by handling left turns in creative ways. Some are relatively common in certain locales, others have yet to be built
anywhere in the world! All are getting a lot more attention than they used to, and more and more are coming on-line
quickly!
Top 10 Reasons to Investigate Alternative Intersections
- Very High Return on Investment!
- Improves Quality of Life!
- Many designs are very aesthetically pleasing, and can catalyze pedestrian-oriented "Places!"
- Attracts investment to revitalize struggling areas!
- More feasible to convert general purpose lanes into other uses such as transit only lanes!
- Better access management, but also frequently better business access!
- Reduces right-of-way impacts!
- Avoids widening streets, and even grade separation!
- Fewer conflicts and less congestion improves safety!
- Better mobility enhances the local economy!
|
|