Diverging Diamonds- Is it a case off too many engineers or not enough?

Started by Princeton_Man, December 08, 2017, 05:55:59 AM

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Princeton_Man

During a tournament trip a few years ago, I was introduced to a new traffic phenomena known as a diverging diamond. During that introduction, I came close to getting a traffic ticket. I realized my blunder and had pulled onto the shoulder (headed in the wrong direction of traffic travel) and it was 0500 on a Saturday morning.  I believe the officers who witnessed my blunder summoned every officer on duty figuring a pickup truck from West Virginia pulling a boat in the wrong direction of travel had to have two meth heads in the front seat.

I blamed the lacking signage, poor road markings, the fact that was dark, and we were new to the area. Once the officers felt assured we were straight and sober Bass anglers just trying to get to the tournament, we were allowed to get turned around and headed in the right direction.

Since that time, I've run across a few "diverging diamonds". Now we have one in Virginia at the entrance to the university! :surrender: What ever happened to the simple "cloverleaf" exits and on ramps?? Half the population in Blacksburg is foreign and can't drive worth a #### as it is. Cloverleaf exits are so simple and easy to navigate, and they don't require traffic lights. Am I missing something here or is the diverging diamond a result of over-engineering?

Here's a link to a video the highway department has produced. https://youtu.be/IqG87_txaMo

What do you think?
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Oldfart9999

Yeah, we have one here and it's not on a highway, it's on a 6 lane portion of a major road and has a ramp to and from a highway, the drug culture has caught up with us!! The other thing that drives me nuts are the roundabouts that most are afraid to enter or to exit, same dingbats that don't understand Yield signs. ~rant ~xyz ^-^
Rodney
Old Fishermen never die, their rods just go limp.

Princeton_Man

Quote from: Oldfart9999 on December 08, 2017, 06:13:10 AM
Yeah, we have one here and it's not on a highway, it's on a 6 lane portion of a major road and has a ramp to and from a highway, the drug culture has caught up with us!! The other thing that drives me nuts are the roundabouts that most are afraid to enter or to exit, same dingbats that don't understand Yield signs. ~rant ~xyz ^-^
Rodney

Oh yeah, we have the round-a-bouts too. Have you ever seen a fool stopped in the inner circle with a turn signal on waiting to move into the outer lane? I have!  lo
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Dobyns Rods - LSCR Club

Pacific NW Ron

What!!! I thought round-a-bouts were crazy.
If this becomes popular I think I'll forfeit my drivers license.
Ron
Enjoying retirement in the great Pacific Northwest.  I've turned into a fair weather angler.  Why do it today when I can do it tomorrow?

Ron Fogelson

It works well however it still makes me feel off when driving through one

Here is a better video
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HD-0QnUlLOQ

Mike Cork

I've hit a couple of them and it seemed faster but I'm with you Princeton_Man. I like a clover leaf, the arguments I've heard is that they are faster some of the time but more importantly they take less concrete to build and less land taken up. Springfield, Mo is testing a coupe of them. Their city counsel brought it to the mayor as a way to help with flooding in the city, less concrete means less run off.

I don't use one except when visiting my father up there in Springfield so I just don't have the experience to get used to them. Still confuses me when I first hit one but if I watch the signs closely as I travel through it, they work.

Fishing is more than just a hobby

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Princeton_Man

Signage and good marking are critical for the diamond. Just about anyone can navigate cloverleafs. In the case here, they have a "T" intersection (4 lanes) that is currently controlled by one traffic light. A cloverleaf would have eliminated the need for a traffic light and kept traffic flowing. Once they get this mess in place they'll have two traffic lights.  ~b~
Stratos 285 XL Pro 150 Evinrude ETEC

Dobyns Rods - LSCR Club