Homer Watson and Ottawa Three Lane Roundabouts

[Coke6pk]

Ive noticed quite a few right hand turns from e/b Homer Watson to s/b Ottawa thru the roundabout and not the by-pass.

The Homer Watson SB to Ottawa WB bypass is a crock...

And this is why I love the Kitchener Compass!

Coke

[jeffster]

Ive noticed quite a few right hand turns from e/b Homer Watson to s/b Ottawa thru the roundabout and not the by-pass.

The Homer Watson SB to Ottawa WB bypass is a crock...

And this is why I love the Kitchener Compass!

Coke

I played it fair for a few months then gave up. At least there isn't a "NO RIGHT TURN" sign.

Hopefully they clear up this gong show soon. Actually I was on it about 1 hour ago, living in that area and all, and they were working on it (8:30 PM)...hopefully the madness ends soon.

[KevinL]

The next big thing to be done is the big gantry signs. The poles are all up, I think, so they just have to install the horizontal structures on each.

Concrete pours are nearly finished, too. The end is definitely in sight.

[Canard]

Ooooo! I love those big overhead gantry signs. We have them at Pinebush & Franklin and they're heaven!

[Pheidippides]

Based on this image it looks like the right-most Homer-Watson SB lane will be marked as straight only movements: 
   

I wonder if using more plain language would help with understanding the roundabouts. From my experience people do not understand what "Yield" means, but they do understand what "Give Way" means.

[ijmorlan]

Based on this image it looks like the right-most Homer-Watson SB lane will be marked as straight only movements: 


I wonder if using more plain language would help with understanding the roundabouts. From my experience people do not understand what "Yield" means, but they do understand what "Give Way" means.

The driver testing regime should ensure that nobody with a license doesn’t understand what “yield” means. And it’s not at all clear to me that “give way” is clearer. At a certain point you can only dumb stuff down so much and people simply have to learn how to interact with the system.

[danbrotherston]

Based on this image it looks like the right-most Homer-Watson SB lane will be marked as straight only movements: 


I wonder if using more plain language would help with understanding the roundabouts. From my experience people do not understand what "Yield" means, but they do understand what "Give Way" means.

The driver testing regime should ensure that nobody with a license doesn’t understand what “yield” means. And it’s not at all clear to me that “give way” is clearer. At a certain point you can only dumb stuff down so much and people simply have to learn how to interact with the system.

I was utterly shocked when I met someone who literally did not know the meaning of the word yield.  Was crazy!

[Markster]

I was utterly shocked when I met someone who literally did not know the meaning of the word yield.  Was crazy!

I went to New Zealand, and they use "Give Way" on their signs. I called it a "Yield Sign" and someone (an adult!) said that sounded like some archaic term.

That said, Yields are going out of favour it seems, except at roundabouts. I grew up in a 60's era subdivision that has almost exclusively Yield signs. Modern ones have exclusively stop signs instead, and in a few extra non-intuitive spots to boot.

[tomh009]

That said, Yields are going out of favour it seems, except at roundabouts.  I grew up in a 60's era subdivision that has almost exclusively Yield signs. Modern ones have exclusively stop signs instead, and in a few extra non-intuitive spots to boot.

Of course the common usage of a Stop sign is to treat it almost the same as a Yield sign, with only a "rolling stop" ...

[danbrotherston]

That said, Yields are going out of favour it seems, except at roundabouts.  I grew up in a 60's era subdivision that has almost exclusively Yield signs. Modern ones have exclusively stop signs instead, and in a few extra non-intuitive spots to boot.

Of course the common usage of a Stop sign is to treat it almost the same as a Yield sign, with only a "rolling stop" ...

Yes, the reason for this is near zero compliance plus speeding essentially makes a yield intersection a kill zone.  The street I grew up on had a yield sign but it was converted into a stop sign. 

Unfortunately, we do a very bad job of managing speeds and indicating priority on residential streets.  In the Netherlands, when I visited I think I saw not more than a handful of stop signs over two weeks of traveling.  There's essentially zero stop or yield signs in neighbourhoods.

[tomh009]

In the Netherlands, when I visited I think I saw not more than a handful of stop signs over two weeks of traveling.  There's essentially zero stop or yield signs in neighbourhoods.

Back home, in Europe, when I grew up in the 60s and 70s, there were hardly any stop or yield signs on urban street corners: your responsibility was to yield to the traffic on your right.  I think sometime in the 80s they started installing (mostly) yield signs and (some) stop signs.  I don't believe there has been any movement backwards on that.

But there stop really means stop.  Additionally, it's only used where a full stop is really needed.  Yield means that the other road has a right-of-way, and with full compliance this really should be the default sign rather than a stop.

[jeffster]

I wonder if using more plain language would help with understanding the roundabouts. From my experience people do not understand what "Yield" means, but they do understand what "Give Way" means.

I don't think I've seen the "Give Way" sign around here. Maybe in the UK.

Anyway, I'd be happy if people did learn how to "Yield" at a "Yield" sign and "Stop" at a "Stop" sign.

[KevinL]

There will be overnight closures all through next week for the top layer of asphalt to be applied. Also, I spotted the first gantry sign in place - northbound on Homer Watson.

[mpd618]

I feel like these crazy huge roundabouts are going to need grade separation for pedestrians and cyclists.

[jeffster]

That said, Yields are going out of favour it seems, except at roundabouts.  I grew up in a 60's era subdivision that has almost exclusively Yield signs. Modern ones have exclusively stop signs instead, and in a few extra non-intuitive spots to boot.

Of course the common usage of a Stop sign is to treat it almost the same as a Yield sign, with only a "rolling stop" ...

Oh..and that gets me thinking. People stopping (or yielding) at a right of way. Fischer-Hallman (from Waterloo) turning right onto Ottawa (Sunrise Shopping Centre) NO YIELD...NO STOP. People stop here. This used to happen at Fairway off of the expressway, it wasn't a stop or yield, but people did one or the other. So they put lights up "no right turn on red"...well, people go right on red, with a running stop to boot.

Driving isn't this challenging, and if it is. Stop. Just stop driving.