McKenzie Towne Traffic Circle - New Markings?

[Wannago]

Was away over the weekend, and when coming home and entering the circle from the west (coming from Deerfoot) and intending to go almost all the way around to exit north onto Prestwick Blvd, there were yellow restriction markings trying to force me to the outside lane before the Prestwick exit (towards New Brighton).

WTF??

My guess is that this is an attempt to improve flow through the cirlce and avoid confusion / accidents, but I've been driving in circles (no pun intended) since I was 16, and the long-standing rules of the road have always worked well (minus those who had no clue how to drive in a traffic circle, but that's another story). These new markinga are going to cause more accidents than they prevent. I foresee many accidents as drivers see the yellow markings and just veer to the outside lane right into another vehicle, AND, it will probably the vehicle on the outside's fault because "techincally", the vehicle on the inside always has the right of way.

There should be no markings forcing anyone from the inside lane to the outside lane! Period!! If a person wanted to, they should be able to drive around and around in the inside lane as much as they wanted to (ala Chevy Chase in European Vacation).

What a stupid waste of time and money!

/rant

[ka-t240sx]

Somewhat agreed. There's been a few times where i could of put my bumper right through someones door cause of those retards that just cruise around in the outside lane.

Then they think their in the right and flip you the bird cause your layin on your horn haha. gotta love it. I could rant about those people a bit more but it's not really necessary.

I think that people should have to take that traffic circle to pass their road test haha, wonder how many people would fail.
If they really wanted to improve flow, they should add a stop/go light.
If your comming out of inverness into the traffic circle, it's brutal trying to get in because nobody yields or even slows down when entering coming from deerfoot.

all in all, it was a nice attempt, and only time will tell how successful/non successful it is.

[colinxx235]

Yah my understanding of the new markings is that if you are coming from deerfoot you can't travel past the macs turn...? correct?

I drove it at like 11pm last night so it was a bit dark. I didn't understand the need to put those stupid markings.

But yes, beauties drive that circle everyday.

[Masked Bandit]

Let me get this straight, if you're coming in from the West (Deerfoot), the new marking show it to be impossible to stay on the inside lane until you get to the third exit (being Northbound) to go towards Prestwick? That doesn't make sense at all. How are all the residents of that are supposed to get home? Head towards New Brighton and then cut back through the neighbourhood???

[ka-t240sx]

If your coming in from deerfoot i think you can only turn into inverness or the one after inverness.
Which is probably why there's that nice yellow marking on the left side.

To force people to either get a bumper in their door or to turn off and not drive all the way around in the outside lane.

People drive that circle every friggin day, you think they'd learn how to properly drive it wouldn't you?
Same thing with it snowing. Everyone does 50k down deerfoot, ooh Calgary drivers hahaha.

Edit: this is what it used to be.
http://www.calgaryarea.com/se/mckenz...le/traffic.htm

I didn't find it all that hard to use properly. People just need to be educated on how to properly drive a traffic circle.

To my understanding they pretty much cut out the inside lane and forcing you to only be able to use the outside lane to only take one exit to the right.
the inside lane is used to merge into it.

[Ntense_SpecV]

I drive this everyday, 2 times a day. I think one of biggest problems is that most everyone seems to think that you cannot use the outside lane to go past 1 exit.

People seem to think that as you approach the circle in the outside lane you intend to exit at the very next exit. I personally always use the outside lane to go around as the inside lane is always backed up with more traffic. It's not really that hard if you are in the outside lane to just yeild to people wanting to turn in front of you from the inside lane.

Now whether people use their fucking turn signals is another story.

[Mibz]

Who do I address this angry letter to?

[own3dzz]

Originally posted by Ntense_SpecV
I drive this everyday, 2 times a day. I think one of biggest problems is that most everyone seems to think that you cannot use the outside lane to go past 1 exit.

People seem to think that as you approach the circle in the outside lane you intend to exit at the very next exit. I personally always use the outside lane to go around as the inside lane is always backed up with more traffic. It's not really that hard if you are in the outside lane to just yeild to people wanting to turn in front of you from the inside lane.

Now whether people use their fucking turn signals is another story.

Wrong?

[Mibz]

No, he's right.

[Z_Fan]

Basically some fucking moronic tool who doesn't know how to use the fucking circle got some stupid fucking moronic lines painted on the circle to help the stupid fucking moronic douchebags who don't know how to use the circle to feel safer.

STUPIDEST FUCKING THING EVER.

Mibz, you can use that as the opener on your letter. Maybe add some more swear words.

And of course you can use the outside lane to go all the way around if you wish. Just yield and it's all good. (I don't do that but will if the circle is fucked because of timid drivers not being able to get in using the left lane)

I've never seen anything more stupid than those lines painted on that circle. Dumbest thing ever.

I think they are going to cause more accidents with this stupidity. People going around in the LEFT lane, like they should, suddenly getting forced in to the RIGHT lane? Is the right lane going to YIELD to all those folks? Therefore making the RIGHT lane totally useless and all the people who want to get in at that particular location unable to enter the circle - ever. This must be a total fucking gong show at rush hour now.

So, if I am leaving from Inverness, I get in the left lane, enter the circle, drive part way around and am FORCED in to the right lane? Do I have the right of way? I fucking well should if they are going to do this stupidness.

Total face palm for the ass hats who dreamt this shit up. Total life failure for ALL the people involved in recommending this, planning this, and carrying this out. Utter nonsense. I hope they have some other plan for work on the circle or something, and that this was just a first step so they can put a crew there or some shit.

[Z_Fan]

Fuck it. Next time I am there I'm driving right over the yellow lines. It's just paint, and will be safer than some ass hat driving in to the side of me.

Someone should go there and paint gray over that shit.

ASAP.

[Mibz]

Can't wait for the first time snow covers those lines.

[Z_Fan]

I phoned 311 and am eagering awaiting someone from roads to contact me about W T F their divine plan is.

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by Mibz
Can't wait for the first time snow covers those lines.

Isn't it just a single lane when snow covers the lines? Like how Deerfoot turns from 3 lanes to 2.

[Ntense_SpecV]

Originally posted by own3dzz


Wrong?

See what I mean folks... hell there's diagrams, pamphlets and all sorts of other shit related to this damn circle and people still can't figure it out.

[Z_Fan]

Originally posted by Ntense_SpecV


See what I mean folks... hell there's diagrams, pamphlets and all sorts of other shit related to this damn circle and people still can't figure it out.

See I thought this his response was just a troll account based on the account screen name.

[Ntense_SpecV]

Originally posted by Z_Fan


See I thought this his response was just a troll account based on the account screen name.

I swear everyone taking this traffic circle are all a bunch of trolls...I've been honked at, fingered, cut off all because people have no idea how to take this thing and the signage doesn't really show you that you can take the outside lane all the way around. It only says you must yeild to the inside lane. So now we have literally hundreds of people all going about like sheep and the moment someone (me) takes this circle and does what is actually right they get the wrath of others who don't even know how to take it properly.

[Z_Fan]

Yeah I do the same damn thing. Fuck 'em if they don't know how the circle works.

If I'm in the circle, in the left lane, you better watch the fuck out if you are driving around past 4 exits in the right lane. ;-)

[Thaco]

Just when i thought i had this shit figured out, they go an change the rules again.!! no wonder why people cant comprehend traffic circles.

[Ntense_SpecV]

Originally posted by Z_Fan
Yeah I do the same damn thing. Fuck 'em if they don't know how the circle works.

If I'm in the circle, in the left lane, you better watch the fuck out if you are driving around past 4 exits in the right lane. ;-)

As long as you signal I will totally stop for you...LOL.