Two lanes or one?

One lane or two?


  • Total voters
    32
The perfect example of one lane marked but treated as two lanes is this stretch of Rt. 3A in Burlington between Mall Road and Rt. 62 (Wilmington St.). At each signalized intersection along the stretch, marked with solid white line as two lanes. However, outside them no dashed white lines to be found. Makes for quite the surprise if you’re unfamiliar with the practice along this road!View attachment 26712View attachment 26713View attachment 26714

Legally one, but treated as two in most places. But that's about to change.
 
Legally one, but treated as two in most places. But that's about to change.
The announcement says traffic will likely spill over into neighborhood side streets once Route 3A is restriped as one lane each way (from the current two lanes each way). Speed bumps and additional stop signs should be installed on the side streets to discourage traffic spillover.
 
this one is my 'favorite'
that must be during commuter times because most seem to get it, not the case in off hours. Ive seen it turn into 2 lanes down from 4.
the 'double' signals add a nice touch of incompetence.

Jeez guys, you're so impatient. They haven't relined the intersection since they started removing the flyover in 2003 - what's the hurry to fix it?
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The announcement says traffic will likely spill over into neighborhood side streets once Route 3A is restriped as one lane each way (from the current two lanes each way). Speed bumps and additional stop signs should be installed on the side streets to discourage traffic spillover.
It hasn't been striped as two lanes since the mid 1970s, it's been one wide lane since, but used as a default two lane-usually only for passing-the locals know better than to travel close to the yellow line. In my recent times up that way (my parents live in Burligton, and I try to get up regularly), I've noticed that drivers there tend to travel on one side of the lane or the other, but tend not to travel side by side, so I don't think the impact will be very big. Also I don't think spillover onto side streets is too likely, as there aren't many parallel thoroughfares along its route. Most of the side streets are residential roadways that go into other residential neighborhoods with convoluted or no outlets. If anything, it'll encourage through traffic to use Route 3 or the Middlesex Turnpike instead of 3A. The first (of the very few) accidents I've ever been in was in about 1993 when I was sideswiped on the left by driver passing me on Route 3 (Cambridge St south of 129/95 is US 3) by the Crossroads Shopping Center. The other driver was found at fault for passing on a one lane road, I sort of felt bad for him because the other driver was a very nice elderly gentleman who lived nearby and knew the road as well as I. At least it didn't incur any damage to my 1985 Nissan pickup, beyond a slight scrape mark on the corner of the front left bumper, so I didn't make a claim.
 
I swear this exit had dashed lines down the middle for two lanes in the 90s. I hate sitting on the pike waiting for a single line of traffic!


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