Center turn lanes

[ChrisHayes]

If there's one thing I'd like to see done to a LOT of OKC streets, it's the addition of stretches of center turn lanes. That alone would help the flow of traffic so much in areas where there's a lot of traffic. They added a center turn lane on South Meridian south of the river back in 2015 or so, and it helped markedly with traffic flow. Maybe it was because the city wasn't as populated when the roads were built, but the lack of turn lanes is mind boggling. Although I've seen people making left turns from the left lane when there's a turn lane available, so. . . .

[scottk]

+1

Amazingly enough, when you build 4 lane roads, businesses and neighborhood entrances tend to appear on each side, center turn lanes would do wonders who traffic flow on city streets throughout the city and suburbs.

[MagzOK]

Metro cities continue to expand most roads without center turn lanes and it's really preposterous. Center turn lanes would indeed help tremendously. For example, imagine May Avenue through North OKC with a center turn lane all the way up and down. It just blows my mind we don't do it.

[ChrisHayes]

Metro cities continue to expand most roads without center turn lanes and it's really preposterous. Center turn lanes would indeed help tremendously. For example, imagine May Avenue through North OKC with a center turn lane all he way up and down. It just blows my mind we don't do it.

May is absolutely terrible! Especially once you get north of 23rd all the way up to the Kilpatrick Turnpike. You can sit waiting to make a left turn out of a business for several minutes because of the constant traffic. If you had a turn lane, it could easily cut it by a couple minutes. Even pulling out onto May from my neighborhood on the south side can take a ridiculous amount of time. One lane added to a number of major roads all over the city would help a LOT.

[MagzOK]

Yes exactly. From no center turn lanes to a comical amount of traffic signals and beyond, infrastructure here is incredibly conducive to road rage.

[ChrisHayes]

Yes exactly. From no center turn lanes to a comical amount of traffic signals and beyond, infrastructure here is incredibly conducive to road rage.

Yeah, there are a lot of street lights that serve no purpose. A good example is the first one you come to going east on SW 89th east of May. The lights wouldn't be bad if they were timed to allow for traffic flow.

[TheTravellers]

May is absolutely terrible! Especially once you get north of 23rd all the way up to the Kilpatrick Turnpike. You can sit waiting to make a left turn out of a business for several minutes because of the constant traffic. If you had a turn lane, it could easily cut it by a couple minutes. Even pulling out onto May from my neighborhood on the south side can take a ridiculous amount of time. One lane added to a number of major roads all over the city would help a LOT.

Totally agree with the terribleness, but if you look at the sides of May Ave. in that long stretch, I'd bet you'd see utility poles right up next to the street on both sides, so to create a center turn lane, they'd have to move those poles (or bury them (hahahahahahaha, lol, lol, lol) and that just is not going to happen, very sadly.

[soonergolfer]

Is it possible that there are just too many curb cuts on both sides of the street? It seems like it could be somewhat dangerous. Take May Ave between NW 50th and Wilshire. There is an entrance into a business or a residential street almost every 100-150’. Or at least it seems that way.

[TheTravellers]

Is it possible that there are just too many curb cuts on both sides of the street? It seems like it could be somewhat dangerous. Take May Ave between NW 50th and Wilshire. There is an entrance into a business or a residential street almost every 100-150’. Or at least it seems that way.

Yes, this is absolutely part of the problem, but that part will also never be fixed - city has no incentive, and the businesses whose parking lots those curb cuts belong to will never agree to undo them.

[ChrisHayes]

Yes, this is absolutely part of the problem, but that part will also never be fixed - city has no incentive, and the businesses whose parking lots those curb cuts belong to will never agree to undo them.

It would be easier to undo them if you had parking lots that are joined. I've seen so many parking lots for businesses right next to each other that are completely separated. It makes no sense.

[TheTravellers]

It would be easier to undo them if you had parking lots that are joined. I've seen so many parking lots for businesses right next to each other that are completely separated. It makes no sense.

And that seems to be an OKC-specific thing, from our living and travels in Chicago/suburbs, Milwaukee, NW Indiana, Seattle-area - those all had way more joined parking lots than I've ever seen here.