Secrets of the City

Ditto the whole Cedar-Franklin debacle. I think a lot of the problem could be solved if they just painted some clear lines in the streets. The turn to the south to stay on Cedar is a total f*ckup b/c it’s impossible to tell what lane is what.

What about the Hennepin / Lyndale split heading south towards uptown? I’ve seen more five-lane-change crazies there than anywhere else.

I also lived by that (I seem to choose to live near bad intersections. Hmm.) and it’s really only maddening when going north. Going south, it’s fairly straightforward, despite being almost constantly slow.

I’d probably add the Lake St./35W intersection… It’s a debacle pretty much every direction you’re trying to go.

How about the five-way Franklin, East River, 27th Ave mess right by the river? I don’t know how many times I’ve seen people following the wrong turn light into near-accidents.

Lake/35W is only a debacle if you’re turning. Going straight is not a problem. All the really bad intersections make continuing on in the same direction needlessly difficult.

I mentioned this over at Metblogs, but while in college, I hated the stretch of Washington Ave between the Alumni Center and the river on the UMN campus. SUCH a clusterfuck of travelers who throw any semblance of logical traffic rules out the window.

That stretch is going to be totally different when the light rail comes through. No cars allowed!

Not technically an intersection, but driving unto (onto?) 94E from 394E is always brutal. Cars backed up for a mile, every time.

Then you have to direct an old man angry fist shake at the handful of assholes who fly up in the left lane and scoot in at the last second.

RAGE!

And the prize for the worst parking lot goes to Knollwood. So many ways in, no way out.

Franklin/Lyndale gets my vote (especially if you’re heading south on Lyndale). The crush of cars trying to turn left onto Franklin or the Wedge…ugh.

I think there’s a difference between intersections that are congested and intersections that are a cl*sterf*ck. I (surprise!) also once lived near the Franklin/Lyndale intersection, and while it’s congested, slow and often backed up, it’s not a cl*sterf*ck like the three mentioned.

Then you have to direct an old man angry fist shake at the handful of assholes who fly up in the left lane and scoot in at the last second.

I’m totally that a**hole.  It’s stupid to let an entire lane of traffic go to waste.  But Minnesotans love to take immediate action when they see an exit only sign.  So you get a mile of cars backed up in one lane because they’re all too timid to use all the lanes and then *gasp* jump over.  See ya, suckers!

I recall reading right here on MNspeak that it improves the flow of traffic to use that more open lane and then (safely) merge further on.

I can’t remember who explained that, lo those many months ago, but I think it was an urban planner or someone not just talking out of his/her a**.

So I do that every time I take 394E to 94E. Works great! I am careful not to be an a**hole about merging.

Kevin’s right, that is what you’re supposed to do.

most dangerous intersectoin in Minneapolis…that’s easy:

where booze meets my lips.

Ooh, almost a jinx with Alie! Just in case it does count as a jinx, I’ll officially say JINX.

The worst, although not necessarily most dangerous, intersection in St. Paul has to be the intersection of University & Snelling — especially at rush hour. Eastbound traffic on Univ. can be backed up almost a 4 blocks because of people blocking the intersection heading south on Snelling toward the I-94 on-ramps.

Then you have to direct an old man angry fist shake at the handful of assholes who fly up in the left lane and scoot in at the last second.

I’m totally that a**hole. It’s stupid to let an entire lane of traffic go to waste. But Minnesotans love to take immediate action when they see an exit only sign. So you get a mile of cars backed up in one lane because they’re all too timid to use all the lanes and then *gasp* jump over. See ya, suckers!

If the person is talking about the place I’m thinking of, though, there is a double white line that stretches quite aways back from where the E/W bound 94 exits split, with signs clearly telling you to NOT cross the double white lines. So in that case you do need to make your move fairly early.

Same double white line on the 394E –> 94E route; I merge before the double white line.

I knew you’d be the official word on the jinx, thanks Kev.

If you think it’s bad here, when I was in the UK it was torture!

And the traffic was murder, I spent two hours in London and had only travelled 30 miles.

Torture, murder. I’m never going to the UK!

Your welcome, jane. Several people have emailed me asking to display the official tally of MNspeak jinx obligations. That tally is only posted when it needs to be updated. Since no update is needed, it will not be posted.

“Torture, murder. I’m never going to the UK!”

Not to mention all that tea they make you drink!

Do you wanna make tea at the BBC?
Do you wanna be, do you really wanna be a cop?

The roundabout known as the circle bed is know as the most dangerous intersextion.

I would like to give a shout out to west bound 94 to north bound Hamline, or north bound Lexington (probably Dale too.)

You get off the interstate, and you have to cross 4 lanes of traffic to get into the far right lane to make the turn in about a 1/2 city block.

And it’s you’re welcome….

And you darn kids get off of my lawn!!!

Yes, Doug, those are awful! It’s the same at Marion.

Alie, I love tea.

mb, you’re a dirty, dirty girl.

There are now two dangerous circle bed intersextions.

Is there one in Eagan now too?? Gotta be careful on the roundabouts. Don’t want to get hit from behind…

No, it’s in St Paul.

Intersextions. Good word choice.

“Torture, murder. I’m never going to the UK!” Not to mention all that tea they make you drink!

If you were several hundred years earlier, then it would be torture.

I prefer coffee myself.

Do you wanna make tea at the BBC?  Do you wanna be, do you really wanna be a cop?

Career opportunities, the ones that never knocked…

yea there is one in eagan by the promenade/Byerly’s area near Town Center.

Roundabouts! They have been springing up all over town recently. There is one in Eagan, by the Byerlys, and also on on 66th, by the Super Target. I find the roundabout helpful, as there is no waiting at a stop sign or a light. However, I have noticed a problem with ASSHOLES not obeying the Yield signs and just plowing into the roundabout willy nilly. This is turn causes people to stop, which disrupts the flow of the roundabout.

I don’t know the official rules of roundabouts, but I am pretty sure the Yield sign means “yield”.

Here’s the best intersection: any rotary

Also, read the book Traffic.

Did someone say Roundabout? Yes!

I was (poorly) trained on roundabouts in France, where you just dive in. There are no yield signs, just something about traffic from the right (having priority? or having to wait? I could never tell).

I was just in a roundabout near Southdale today and ALL entrances had yield signs. What the…? So I just forged ahead, like the impolite driver that I sometimes am. It worked out fine, as all the polite/confused drivers let me go.

Roundabouts aren’t so bad unless the traffic is CRAZY busy. You just wait for a spot to merge in and everyone sorta goes slowly so people have oppourtunities to merge in, and if everyone gets along, you get through the roundabout really quickly. If you get people who don’t understand what’s going on and stop the flow of traffic, it really screws things up.

I personally love roundabouts, just because I’m way too impatient to sit at a red light happily.