{"id":265428,"date":"2021-06-02T18:00:15","date_gmt":"2021-06-02T15:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/sick-of-dangerous-city-traffic-remove-left-turns\/"},"modified":"2022-05-24T15:08:04","modified_gmt":"2022-05-24T12:08:04","slug":"sick-of-dangerous-city-traffic-remove-left-turns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/sick-of-dangerous-city-traffic-remove-left-turns\/","title":{"rendered":"#Sick of dangerous city traffic? Remove left turns"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af7c94a1c7ef\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af7c94a1c7ef\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/sick-of-dangerous-city-traffic-remove-left-turns\/#Sick_of_dangerous_city_traffic_Remove_left_turns\" >Sick of dangerous city traffic? Remove left turns<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/sick-of-dangerous-city-traffic-remove-left-turns\/#Why_are_left-hand_turns_so_bad\" >Why are left-hand turns so bad?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/sick-of-dangerous-city-traffic-remove-left-turns\/#How_would_eliminating_left_turns_improve_traffic\" >How would eliminating left turns improve traffic?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/sick-of-dangerous-city-traffic-remove-left-turns\/#Which_left_turns_need_to_go\" >Which left turns need to go?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sick_of_dangerous_city_traffic_Remove_left_turns\"><\/span>Sick of dangerous city traffic? Remove left turns<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<figure style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2021\/traffic.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Credit: Pixabay\/CC0 Public Domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>To reduce <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a> times, fuel consumption and carbon emissions, in 2004, UPS changed delivery routes to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/priceonomics.com\/why-ups-trucks-dont-turn-left\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">minimize the left-hand turns<\/a>\u00a0drivers made. Although this seems like a rather modest change, the results are anything but: UPS claims that per year, eliminating left turns\u2014specifically the time drivers sit waiting to cut across traffic\u2014saves 10 million gallons of fuel, 20,000 tons of carbon emissions and allows them to deliver 350,000 additional packages.<\/p>\n<p>If it works so well for UPS, should cities seek to eliminate left-hand turns at intersections too? My research suggests the answer is a resounding yes.<\/p>\n<p>As a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/sites.psu.edu\/gayah\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">transportation engineering professor<\/a>\u00a0at Penn State,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=gIKMKzgAAAAJ&amp;hl=en&amp;oi=ao\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I have studied<\/a>\u00a0traffic flow on urban streets and transportation safety for nearly a decade. Part of my work focuses on how\u00a0city\u00a0streets should be organized and managed. It turns out, restricting left turns at intersections with traffic signals\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3141\/2301-09\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lets traffic move more efficiently<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nacto.org\/docs\/usdg\/development_left_turn_operations_guidelines_yu.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">is safer for the public<\/a>. In a recent paper, my research team and I developed a way to determine\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/03611981211011647\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">which intersections should restrict left turns to improve traffic<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_are_left-hand_turns_so_bad\"><\/span><b>Why are left-hand turns so bad?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Intersections are dangerous because they are where cars, often moving very fast and in different directions, must cross paths.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov\/Api\/Public\/ViewPublication\/811366#:~:text=Based%20on%20the%20Fatality%20Analysis,20081%20were%20intersection-related%20crashes.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Approximately 40% of all crashes occur at intersections<\/a>, including 50% of crashes involving serious injuries and 20% of those involving fatalities. Traffic signals make things safer by giving vehicles instructions on when they can move. If left turns did not exist, the instructions could be very simple: For example, a north-south direction could move while the east-west direction was stopped and vice versa. When drivers make left turns, they must cross oncoming traffic, which makes intersections much more complicated.<\/p>\n<p>One way to accommodate left turns is to have vehicles wait until a gap <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ears in oncoming traffic. However, this can be dangerous as it relies entirely on the driver to make the left turn safely. And everyone knows how frustrating it is to be stuck behind a car waiting to make a left turn on a busy road.<\/p>\n<p>Another way to allow left-hand turns is to stop oncoming traffic and give cars turning left their own green arrow. This is much safer, but it shuts down the entire\u00a0intersection\u00a0to let left-turning vehicles go, which slows traffic considerably.<\/p>\n<p>In either case, left turns are dangerous. Approximately 61% of all crashes that occur at intersections\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov\/Api\/Public\/ViewPublication\/811366#:~:text=Based%20on%20the%20Fatality%20Analysis,20081%20were%20intersection-related%20crashes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">involve a left-hand turn<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_would_eliminating_left_turns_improve_traffic\"><\/span><b>How would eliminating left turns improve traffic?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Traffic researchers have proposed a variety of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/safety.fhwa.dot.gov\/intersection\/rltci\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">innovative signal strategies<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fhwa.dot.gov\/publications\/research\/safety\/09060\/09060.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">complex intersection configurations<\/a>\u00a0to make left turns safer and more efficient. But a simpler solution might be the best: Restrict left-hand turns at intersections.<\/p>\n<p>Some cities have already started limiting left turns to improve safety and traffic flow.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/city-to-remove-left-turn-on-van-ness-leaving-only-two-lefts-on-corridor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Francisco<\/a>;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/archive.sltrib.com\/article.php?id=52896856&amp;itype=CMSID\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Salt Lake City<\/a>;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.al.com\/spotnews\/2013\/09\/michigan_left_u-turn_along_us.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Birmingham<\/a>, Alabama;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lifeinbrunswickcounty.com\/the-michigan-left-superstreet-heading-eastbound-a-midwestern-traffic-pattern-takes-a-detour-to-north-brunswick-county\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wilmington<\/a>, Delaware;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/tucson.com\/news\/local\/govt-and-politics\/little-love-for-michigan-left\/article_d0dc7114-c46d-5f52-9d65-90723c50de19.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tuscon<\/a>, Arizona;\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.michiganradio.org\/post\/revisiting-origin-michigan-left\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">numerous locations in Michigan<\/a>; and dozens of other cities in the U.S. and around the world all limit left turns in some way. It&#8217;s typically done at isolated locations to solve specific traffic and safety problems.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, there is a downside. Eliminating left turns would require some vehicles to travel longer distances. For example, if you wanted to turn left off a busy street to get to your house, you might instead have to take three consecutive right turns. However, research I\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3141\/2301-09\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">published in 2012 using mathematical models<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/21680566.2017.1337528\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">in 2017 using traffic simulations<\/a>\u00a0showed that eliminating left turns on grid-like street networks would, on average, require people to drive only one additional block. This would be more than offset by the smoother traffic flow.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Which_left_turns_need_to_go\"><\/span><b>Which left turns need to go?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Getting rid of left turns would be difficult to implement across an entire city\u2014and at some intersections, left turns don&#8217;t cause problems. But if a city did want to remove left turns from some intersections, how should it choose which ones? To answer this question, my research team and I recently developed algorithms that use traffic simulations of a city to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/03611981211011647\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">identify where restricting left turns will improve safety and traffic flow the most<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The exact answer for each city depends on how streets are laid out, where vehicles are coming from and going to and how much traffic is on the street during the busiest times. But, according to our models, there is a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> theme: Left-turn restrictions are more effective at busier intersections in the centers of towns or cities than at less busy intersections farther from the town center.<\/p>\n<p>This is because the busier the intersection, the more people will benefit from smoother\u00a0traffic flow. These central intersections also tend to have alternative routes available that minimize any additional distance traveled due to the restrictions. Lastly, fewer cars tend to turn left at these central intersections to begin with so the negative impact of removing left turns is relatively small.<\/p>\n<p>So the next time you are sitting stuck in\u00a0traffic\u00a0behind someone waiting to make a left turn, know that your frustration is justified. There is a better way. In this case, the answer is simple\u2014get rid of the left turn.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related article :\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/suviews.com\/blog\/stats-facts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General Car Facts &amp; World Security Statistics<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/science\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news\/2021-06-sick-dangerous-city-traffic-left.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sick of dangerous city traffic? Remove left turns To reduce travel times, fuel consumption and carbon emissions, in 2004, UPS changed delivery routes to\u00a0minimize the left-hand turns\u00a0drivers made. Although this seems like a rather modest change, the results are anything but: UPS claims that per year, eliminating left turns\u2014specifically the time drivers sit waiting to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":265429,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2021\/traffic.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"#Sick of dangerous city traffic? Remove left turns","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-265428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265428","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265428\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}