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Highway 401 Widening - Highway 8 to Townline Road
As Jamincan points out, there is already a solution to this, and it’s perfect, because it folllws the already-existing rules and is an easy-to-understand extension of them!

I first saw this in Quebec as a kid and instantly loved it. All on-ramps had this protective barrier between the existing rightmost two lanes to help people merging in. Love it.

Thanks for the link Dan - I had submitted a huge tweet thread to the MTO but deleted it when I realized I might have been wrong with all the satellite photos. I should have left it! Not that I could ever expect the Ford government to do anything about it...
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(01-10-2019, 01:33 AM)jeffster Wrote: OK, unsure if this has been brought up about the lane markings: I was thinking about it, and realized that the lines may have been painted this way as a reminder, not for the merging drivers to merge to their left, but rather as a warning to the drivers that just inherited a new lane to their right, NOT to go into the furthest right lane (for the odd drivers that understands that the right hand lane is for slower traffic).

Otherwise, drivers are seeing a free lane just as new traffic is coming onto the highway, which will cause major issues.

I don't think it was a design flow. It was intentional as to keep people safe.

Why can't drivers move into the right lane?  Its a lane.
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(01-10-2019, 08:53 AM)danbrotherston Wrote:
(01-10-2019, 01:33 AM)jeffster Wrote: OK, unsure if this has been brought up about the lane markings: I was thinking about it, and realized that the lines may have been painted this way as a reminder, not for the merging drivers to merge to their left, but rather as a warning to the drivers that just inherited a new lane to their right, NOT to go into the furthest right lane (for the odd drivers that understands that the right hand lane is for slower traffic).

Otherwise, drivers are seeing a free lane just as new traffic is coming onto the highway, which will cause major issues.

I don't think it was a design flow. It was intentional as to keep people safe.

Why can't drivers move into the right lane?  Its a lane.

They can move to the right if they really want to, but the thick markings are a warning of merging traffic to their right and that they need to pay attention. Normally you wouldn't go into the far right lane (in this example) until the road markings tell you that it's safe to do so.
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So my vote goes: Wide, thick, but identically-spaced white markings when new permanent lanes come in, signifying to keep your space from these lanes for a bit, but they will become part of the flow. Regular width, but more frequent/densely packed lines, showing a lane is about to end, and those tightly packed white lines will soon become a solid white line, e.g. the standard right-edge-of-highway marking.
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Bringing it back to the original discussion about people merging immediately off those interchanges - technically they shouldn't be merging immediately regardless of lane markings. The lane is there for them to accelerate and match the speed of traffic. By the time they do that, the markings would be normal and furthermore if they're looking at the road and signage as they ought to be, it should be plainly apparent that the lane isn't ending.
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(01-10-2019, 12:42 AM)danbrotherston Wrote:
(01-09-2019, 09:46 PM)Canard Wrote: Argh, so now... I'm looking at this in other places.  Everything I thought I knew, is wrong.

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.670873,-7...authuser=0

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.668055,-7...authuser=0

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.6151209,-...authuser=0

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.6012831,-...authuser=0

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.79507,-79...authuser=0

...in all these instances that I could think of off the top of my head for where I've encountered lanes that don't end, they use the thick, double-frequency dashed lines.  This is mindblowing, it doesn't make any sense at all to me.  Arghhhhhhhh!!!

I could have sworn I was taught in Driver's Ed that this meant the lane you're in is about to end...

You're not wrong, this is in fact the taught and expected meaning according to the MTO.  If it is common to find them in other places there are either a lot of road engineers reading books wrong (unlikely) or the design standards are broken (likely).  But it's clear this is a broken design.

https://www.ontario.ca/document/official...t-markings

From the linked doc:
Broken lines that are wider and closer together than regular broken lines are called continuity lines. When you see continuity lines on your left side, it generally means the lane you are in is ending or exiting and that you must change lanes if you want to continue in your current direction.

With italics to emphasize - it generally means the lane is ending (but therefore does not always  mean that).  All in all I think it would be better if there was a sign to indicate the new lane doesn't end, or perhaps there should be a solid line on the left for some distance so no one changes lanes for a while and then people will realize they don't have to.
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"In Ontario, lane markings generally serve an advisory or warning function and by themselves do not possess any legal force," writes Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) spokesman Bob Nichols in an email statement.

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/globe-d...e25498287/
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(01-10-2019, 10:03 PM)MacBerry Wrote: "In Ontario, lane markings generally serve an advisory or warning function and by themselves do not possess any legal force," writes Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) spokesman Bob Nichols in an email statement.

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/globe-d...e25498287/

What is the point? Nobody cares if they have legal force, the "push" sign on a door also isn't legally enforceable, but it's still part of the design which is essential to it being used correctly.
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(01-10-2019, 06:15 PM)jamincan Wrote: Bringing it back to the original discussion about people merging immediately off those interchanges - technically they shouldn't be merging immediately regardless of lane markings. The lane is there for them to accelerate and match the speed of traffic. By the time they do that, the markings would be normal and furthermore if they're looking at the road and signage as they ought to be, it should be plainly apparent that the lane isn't ending.

It's true.  Markings don't change this strange fascination with HAVING to be in the middle lane or further left no matter what.
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(01-11-2019, 09:35 AM)Spokes Wrote:
(01-10-2019, 06:15 PM)jamincan Wrote: Bringing it back to the original discussion about people merging immediately off those interchanges - technically they shouldn't be merging immediately regardless of lane markings. The lane is there for them to accelerate and match the speed of traffic. By the time they do that, the markings would be normal and furthermore if they're looking at the road and signage as they ought to be, it should be plainly apparent that the lane isn't ending.

It's true.  Markings don't change this strange fascination with HAVING to be in the middle lane or further left no matter what.

When I drive to work along the 401 on weekend mornings,  it is unbelievable to see how many people, trucks included refuse to drive in the right lane (#3).  I just stay in lane 3 and drive by everyone with the cruise control on....
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The one that kills me is on early weekend mornings when traffic is very sparse... I’ll see someone enter, and immediately zip across to the far left lane and then just park there. It’s mind boggling. Quite often I always have the rightmost lane all to myself, when traffic will be horribly congested in the left two lanes.

What is so hard to understand about this rule?
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(01-11-2019, 10:34 AM)Canard Wrote: The one that kills me is on early weekend mornings when traffic is very sparse... I’ll see someone enter, and immediately zip across to the far left lane and then just park there. It’s mind boggling. Quite often I always have the rightmost lane all to myself, when traffic will be horribly congested in the left two lanes.

What is so hard to understand about this rule?

Oh yes !!!  I have seen that so many times, or they think that they have to immediately get into lane two regardless of another vehicle or not....
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(01-11-2019, 10:34 AM)Canard Wrote: The one that kills me is on early weekend mornings when traffic is very sparse... I’ll see someone enter, and immediately zip across to the far left lane and then just park there. It’s mind boggling. Quite often I always have the rightmost lane all to myself, when traffic will be horribly congested in the left two lanes.

What is so hard to understand about this rule?

Yes!!  Ugh.

Or you'll be in the middle lane, passing someone in the right lane and someone pulls out into the middle lane, for no reason.  It's like, there's no one in front of you, why would you move over and slow down the flow of traffic?  

/rant
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I once had someone pass me on the right shoulder when there was no one in the centre or left lanes.

But off topic. Someone want to move this conversation to general roads and highways?
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Noticed all the missing light posts on the stretch of widened 401 have now been installed (although not yet turned on). The middle section has now been mostly paved, and they're working on pouring the median. Probably only a few more weeks until opening?
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