Diverging diamond road interchange in Calgary is Canada’s first

we must not have any around here, i couldn't figure out what it is.

 

There are not yet around here either.

I've experienced this sort of interchange somewhere near Salt Lake City. It seemed efficient, but two passes is not enough for me to make meaningful commentary.

 

"...and then we give them things that confuse them, and it just makes it worse." I watched the animation, but was lost. Hopefully lots of big signs, and well ahead of the points-of-no-return.

 

i have a hard enough time on a straight road with one lane.

 

i still don't get it.

 

junction? do you mean intersection? must be a failure to communicate.

 

You may think you know what you're saying, but did I really understand what I thought you said?

... or not!

 

exactly.

 

Sounds like a plan! There are a few, it's true, some work well, but others can be a nightmare in the rush hours and need to be controlled with lights as well. The trouble over here is there is not enough space for the size of roads we need to accommodate all the existing road traffic. Then again, if we build bigger roads schemes , more vehicles rush on to jam them all up. It's a vicious circle, which could be a less-than-quaint way to describe the existing rotatory road system.

 

same problem here. plenty of land, but no one wants to live there. it's all major cities, and when you're coastal, you lose 50% of the area.

 

i'm still waiting for someone to reply, 'oh, it's about time, we've had one for years'.

 

My small town now has two roundabouts....and I could sit for hours and watch the fun when the first one was installed. Our mayor earned (or bought) a phd in underwater basket-weaving, and keeps allowing foreign exchange students from places like SoCal and New England to perform traffic efficiency 'studies' on a town with (checking.....) HOLY CRAP!!!! 10,000 people (2010 Census)

Since I cannot think of an intersection here that has more than one multi-lane road, I think that diverging diamond interchanges are very far off in some dystopian future.

Note to self:
The next town up the road only has 2800 people and a community college.
Maybe it's time to move again.....

 

There's one of these in Louisville, CO, that I used to drive every day. The intersection used to jam up badly during rush hour, but after completion, it's a lot better. The strangest (unnerving) part is that you end up driving on the wrong side of the road as you pass through the middle. However the advantage is that you never have to make a left hand turn in front of anyone else, you just get in the left lane and exit.

Once you see it in action, it becomes clear that the design of these is very good. These work very well whenever there's a high traffic road that needs to cross an interstate or freeway, but not enough room for a 4 leaf clover.

The challenge with roundabouts is that they are excellent for low to medium traffic, but with high traffic they can jam badly. This design should be superior to a raised roundabout in high traffic situations.

 

We've had a diverging diamond for a few years...really helps the left turn backup scenerios...

 

We have one in Colorado Springs, opened a year or two ago. The previous intersection was overwhelmed. Now it flows smoothly, a big improvement. This was an intersection where many drivers would make a left turn onto an interstate highway, would get backed up at a traffic light. Now it is easy to make that left turn.