The Greenwich Times reports that a traffic engineer's plan to cut accidents caused congestion, chaos and near crashes. When the town added four-way stops (a.k.a. Mexican standoffs) in the city center, bad things happened: "A Bentley turning right from Maple onto North also failed to stop after coming around the bend in the road, causing a near collision with a car turning from North Maple. Other cars approaching the intersection from North Maple backed up while waiting for North Street traffic to make the turn, thinking that the other direction still had the right of way at the intersection." The Times dutifully chased down some of the selectmen who'd approved the scheme. Selectman Peter Crumbine, who got caught in the traffic on his way to Town Hall, was unequivocal. "It was the worst backup that I've seen in the 25 years that I've been driving up and down North Street. The initial indication is that the trial is less than a rousing success." The Times also noted that Town Traffic Engineer Garo Garabedian was out of the office yesterday and not available for comment.
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Yielding to the car on your right would make more sense than the hugely aggravating 4-way stop.
The only thing worse than four-way stops is the idiotic law in New York–and many other states–that cars must stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. This ensures that kids who’ve been taught they have the right-of-way will stride onto the zebra and be punted into the next parish by somebody on a cellphone, somebody who forgot the law, somebody from a state where they don’t have any such law, you name it.
Our little Upstate New York town, and I do mean little, has a dozen of these crosswalks where “the law sez” pedestrians have the right of way, and every day, I watch people confidently exerting that ROW. I have no problem with that, and I’m happy to stop for them, but god help ’em when somebody driving an F350 dualie who’s never heard of any such law comes barreling around the corner.
You lose.
I’d like to see 4-way stops disappear except in very special cases. Just give the busier street the right of way.
In Virginia, the state controls virtually all of the roads. This is unlike the situation in most other states. I don’t know if this has any bearing on it, but Virginia hardly uses 4-way stops anywhere.
Re: pedestrians having the right of way in crosswalks. Isn’t this true everywhere? How else would people be able to cross the road in the absence of traffic lights? But just as in driving, pedestrians shouldn’t take the right of way, but first make sure drivers will YIELD it.
I can only assume that what they mean is pedestrians always have the right of way in crosswalks, even when the autos have no other reason to stop.
In Calgary, they have pedestrian crossings with flashing yellow lights that are not at intersections. The pedestrians have been told they have the right of way, and sure enough they get physics lessons all the time. THEY DON’T EVEN LOOK.
Commonly, pedestrians will hit the button for the yellow flashing light and start to walk without looking to see if the cars are really going to stop. Even on the trans canada highway! I figured all this out after sliding the crusher to a stop when one of these idiots just hit the button and obliviously walked in front of me like the two tons of truck I was driving would stop instantly.
Furthermore, stopping the trans canada highway in Calgary rush hour is not exactly eco friendly. I have counted forty idling vehicles stopped for a single pedestrian who hit the button which is not timed with the rest of the lights.
How many gallons wasted was that?
The problem with 4 way stops is that when the north south traffic comes to a complete stop someone approaching from the east west says “Hey they stopped for me, I can cruise through w/o stopping.”
Usually, the biggest, most expensive penis, I mean car, tends to have the right of way.
If its in the city center then they need a traffic light, not a four way stop. What a bunch of lame idiots.
The problem in my neighborhood is courtesy. Not the lack, but excess. You pull up to a 4-way after someone on the perpendicular, and they insist on waving you through, even though they have the right of way. And they’re being waved through by the driver opposite you, and so on. Everyone stops, no one goes. Drives me crazy.
If you have the right of way, take it. Going first is not selfish.
When I saw the Bentley in the article I immediately flashed on the “right of way goes to the most expensive car” joke. Portland Oregon has tons of 4 way stops, which sometimes suffer the excessive courtesy problem, plus we have the bizarre, no stopping if you are turning right signs and 3 way intersections with 2 way stops.
Don’t even start with the wacko traffic circles in Bend which is a traffic disaster area.
Luther:
Ontario, Michigan, and I checked… Yes! Even Connecticut have the ROW law as specified:
Connecticut Law Chapter 248
Sec. 14-245. Intersection. Right-of-way. […] Each driver of a vehicle approaching an intersection shall grant the right-of-way at such intersection to any vehicle approaching from his right when such vehicles are arriving at such intersection at approximately the same time, unless otherwise directed by a traffic officer. Failure to grant the right-of-way as provided in this section shall be an infraction.
Here in Virginia, VDOT controls all interstates and county roads, but cities maintain their own roads. However, cities are expected to do things the “VDOT way” in terms of traffic control devices if they want to get their funding.
Anyway, VDOT is on this thing about replacing signals and 4-way stops with yield-sign controlled roundabouts. Everyone hates them, but no one is complaining that even though you are guaranteed to have to slow down, you will never have to stop more than three seconds. I think the real beef is that in navigating one of these, people are finding their top heavy SUVs really suck!
Good point!