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Nathan Morris's avatar

Slip lanes at intersections, where the curved slip lane cuts a pedestrian crossing, seem designed for maximizing vehicular speed rather than pedestrian safety. When walking the dog, I watch the behavior of drivers in my neighborhood's major arterial road intersection. The popular way of approaching the slip lane (and its associated pedestrian crossing) is for drivers to proceed at a high rate of speed, seemingly in order to facilitate merging left after the turn, and then focus their attention on looking backwards at the cars on ghe cross street.

As the drivers go through the pedestrian crosswalk, instead of being concerned with pedestrians and cyclists who might enter the crosswalk, the drivers are looking backwards. The goal: merging with cross street traffic, ideally without slowing down. A few weeks ago, as a driver did this maneuver, two 12-year-old boys were waiting at the crosswalk. Even with the boys a few feet away (and having right of way to walk into the pedestrian crosswalk), the driver followed this "drive fast, look backwards for cars, merge" approach.

The driver had to stop due to oncoming cars, so the boys started to cross, but the now-stopped driver's attention stayed firmly on the oncoming cars on the cross street. When the road was clear of cars, he accelerated forward, with nary a glance around him at the now-walking boys.

TL:DR -- slip lanes are a menace to pedestrians

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Kyle B.'s avatar

Big intersections can be calmed with monuments and brick road segments, however this creates transition points which are dangerous and though they may awe they do not conduct the drivers attention into a more complete presence with respect to people around them.

Sic. Stuart Circle

https://maps.app.goo.gl/xbzuG87u7ihEymwv7

In Stuart circle, the surrounding buildings monumentalize the space and we are able to participate in the space in such a way that our attention participates in radiating outward rather then being captured inward.

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