These Are The Weird Local Traffic Quirks Where You Live

You may have laughed when my fellow Michigan Jalop, Ms. Erin Marquis, talked about our state's "very special" left turn. But I'm here to second her on our quirky Michigan Left laws, thanks to the antics I've encountered in the many other states I've driven through. Who doesn't love the ability to make a left turn without waiting for a light?

Another way to eliminate the left turn, in a way, is with a traffic circle. Just north of Ann Arbor, Michigan, was one of the pioneer areas to include traffic circles. For the longest time, the only traffic circle in the Mitten resided within the fencing of GM's Milford Proving Grounds.

Google Maps

The "pioneer" public traffic circles at Lee Road consists of two traffic circles connecting to a bridge crossing U.S. 23, which connects to yet another traffic circle. It doesn't help that the signs to navigate these new circles are difficult to decipher, and unless you travel through the roundabouts daily, you would likely find yourself going the wrong way. Having worked in the mall area to the right of the photo, I encountered every possible wrong outcome, including a woman who had to back up across the bridge, because she was coming at me from the wrong direction.

It could be worse. There is the Plough Road Roundabout, also known as the "Magic Roundabout" in the UK, pictured at the top of this article, which is anything but magic. Or maybe you need magic to navigate it?

Anyways, as far as your local driving quirks are concerned, I fear the day I may happen upon your parts of the country or world. Here's what you deal with in your neck of the woods — and may the odds be ever in your favor.

We have what is known around here as the 'Intersection of Death'.

Is is a 4 way intersection 1/2 down a 12% grade.

The hill runs down, North to South.

If you are going down the hill through the intersection there is no traffic control, i.e. Stop or Yield sign.

If you are going up the hill there is a Stop sign.

If you are going from East to West there is a Stop sign.

If you are going West to East, there is a Yield sign.

There is a foundry at the bottom of the hill.

At least once a year a massively laden rig coming down the 12% grade will obliterate a car that fails to yield when entering the intersection from the West.

Last year a wreck was so bad it pushed the car in to the house on the SW corner and shoved it down the hill. Said house is now condemned.

Submitted by: IstillmissmyXJ

In Minnesota, the zipper merge.

So, when there's a lane closure, traffic is supposed to use both lanes right up until the lane closes where vehicles in both lanes take turns going into the open lane.

It works great and substantially mitigates backups if everyone follows the rules.

Of course, in spite of all the encouraging statements from the State Patrol, MNDOT, and every driver's training class throughout the state, some people just can't handle it.

"Oh hell no, that effing jackwad ain't gettin' ahead of me. I'm gonna pull out and block the lane that's moving faster so EVERYONE has a longer wait."

Yep, that guy and a whole lot of other folks with first cousin parents just can't see the logic cause they think everything is a competition in their sad frustrated lives.

How many construction sites have you approached on the road and imagined a better world (while waiting for the jackasses who passed you to get to the front to force their way into the spot ahead of you) — a world where people worked together to make traffic merge in an orderly fashion? It does exist. In Minnesota. And the state even has a little video explaining how it works.

Submitted by: factoryhack

In Minnesota, we have "reduced conflict intersections" which are similar to Michigan Lefts, except there is no option to go straight through. If you are on the side road and want to continue across, you would take a right, then a U-turn, then another right to continue on the road you were on. These are mostly used on rural roads where traffic is light and moving at high speeds (typically 65+).

https://www.dot.state.mn.us/roadwork/rci/

Minnesota — how you surprise me.

Submitted by: zerosignal

I lived in the Pittsburgh Area for a year. Got used to the Pittsburgh Left.

Setup. Two way traffic. One lane in each direction. Car at lead of oncoming traffic is signalling left turn.

Action. When your light turns green, you pause for a split second before you go so the oncoming driver can take a left and the cars trapped behind him can go straight.

Only applies for that first car in line. If there are two, the second car doesn't get a free left (typically).

Also, it's just a pause before you go. If the guy trying to take a left is asleep at the light and doesn't take off as soon as the light turns green, tough toenails. They will be stuck waiting for your line of traffic to clear.

It's been something like 30 years since I lived in that area and the rules might have changed, but that was the unwritten rule of how to drive when I lived there.

Submitted by: hoser68

I've always thought the Jersey Left was the practice of accelerating and turning left as quickly as possible when the light changes to green without a protected turn and just hoping to beat the oncoming traffic, thus greatly increasing the risk of a broadside crash.

Submitted by: Levi1922

In CT, Hartford, on the 84/91 interchange, traffic laws do not exist.

You want to merge last second across a divider? send it

You want to cut across 4 lanes during dead stop traffic? sure, make sure you have a big vehicle

Speeding? encouraged

Going down the break down lane? sure why not

You have a temp plate expired by over a year? hell yes. As long as you're near this interchange, you're invincible.

All of these, i have seen, happen in front of cops. Anyone who lives or commutes in the area can 100% attest to this.

Submitted by: ThatGuyWhoBuysUnreliableCrap

Chicago's "Turn lanes" (or lack thereof).

In the city of Chicago most streets don't have turn lanes, but parallel parking is prohibited about two car lengths from the intersection. What this allows is a right and/or left turn lanes as needed.

There are no markings on the road, but every Chicago driver knows that the driving lane can go straight or become a left turn lane. When it becomes a left turn, everyone passes on the right, where parallel parking would be.

Dedicated left, right and center lanes are very rare in the city and only reserved for major stroads or 6 way intersections (another Chicago quirk).

Submitted by: caddyak

Southern Ontario checking in. Left is right and right is left as far as the "fast" lane goes.

I know, I know, this is a trend in lots of places but I'm not exaggerating in the slightest here, PARTICULARLY if you get on our toll highway (Highway 407). It is actually comical because it's so predictable. People will merge onto a more or less empty highway and immediately cross 6 lanes or more for the extreme left lane.

At the very real risk of extending my own travel times, do yourself a favor around these parts and just stay in the right lane on our highways. Moves steadier and faster in almost every case.

Submitted by: elgordo47

A SHORTED LIVED LOCAL RULE.

When I was a teenager, Alexandria, VA had timed traffic lights. After rush hour was over, it was well known that if you did exactly 25 mph down Route 1 through the more developed part of Alexandria (where there was a stop light at every intersection), you would never get a red light. I remember doing that at something like 9 PM. You would go 25 mph and just at the point where you would say "I should start slowing down for that red light", it would turn green. It was amazing to watch and do.

WHY IT WAS SHORT LIVED.

Harmonics. Perfectly timed for 25 mph is also perfectly timed for 50, 75, 100, etc.

Soon after all the local high school kids started proving harmonics are real by experimental methods, the stop light timing was broken up where you had at least one red light going through that section of town.

Submitted by: hoser68

In Phoenix, wrong-way drivers on the highways have become such a huge problem that there are sensors and warning systems for it now.

We have those silly "One Vehicle Per Green" stop lights on most entrance ramps which definitely don't actually help, but if you ever see those lamps flashing red, it means a wrong-way driver was detected and they're trying to stop you from getting on the highway.

Submitted by: Tycho13

This isn't local to me, but I'm down in KC quite a bit for work and the intersections around interstate on/ramps in the KC metro area are just EFFED! Even when you know what to do, they are confounding. I'll try to post a satellite pic of one in particular. Pasted below is I35 & W 95th st.

and

The diverging diamond.

Only to be outdone by the Double Crossover Merging Interchange.

and

Welcome to Colorado Springs, where our diverging diamonds do NOT have lights timed correctly. It's keeping with the theme of not having ANY lights timed correctly.

Submitted by: NEBcruiser, Tracer Bullet, dug deep

I used to travel to Guadalajara Mexico for work and I know of at least 1 intersection that we would go through where the right-most lane of 3 would turn left across the other two lanes. These other two lanes were stopped and not allowed to turn left, only the far right lane. As far as I could see, there was zero signage to indicate this – it's just like you have to know. I found the intersection on Google Maps here for illustration.

Submitted by: Ultimatumini

One Californian quirk (amongst many) is probably the California Roll where we don't actually stop for stop signs. We essentially flash our brake lights, slow down a little but just keep going. We also try to race other cars to stop signs so we can keep moving. Many years ago I was let off a stop sign ticket at a notorious 6-way stop sign intersection by a BHPD cop because "I was late for my gym class" to which he apologized.

Submitted by: William

Since we've already covered the Jersey Left (jughandle, thank you very much), a word about Jersey traffic circles. However you feel about rotaries/roundabouts/whatever, in most places they have consistent rules. In New Jersey, right of way is often determined by which is the most major roadway feeding into the circle.

So on the Flemington circle, for example, US 202 southbound has priority all the way through. All others are subordinate. Traffic already ON THE CIRCLE yields where 202 enters. But 202 northbound yields to traffic on the circle.

If you see an out-of-state plate on the circle, you give it a wide berth.

Jughandles are underappreciated. They don't just eliminate the unprotected left. They end the torture of waiting for the green to cycle around all four sides of an intersection where two major roads meet.

Submitted by: flyingstitch

England says "Hi"! This is the approach sign for the so-called Magic Roundabout in Hemel Hempstead, and the line diagram that is supposed to explain it's use...

I just got on it and followed the guy in front until I found the exit I wanted. Nightmare.

Submitted by: billybob0611

Michigan has another oddity in NW MI, M-119. It's also known as The Tunnel of Trees and the road is too narrow to meet modern standards. How do they get around this? Just don't put a stripe down the middle, then there's no lanes and hence no width violations.

It's a fun drive, but unless you're on a motorcycle every car you meet is a bit of a negotiation.

Submitted by: UpNorthOz

Now I'm in NY where we have many parkways where nothing over 8 feet tall is allowed. Usually it's rental vans and out-of-town RVs crashing into low overpasses but occasionally you get tractor trailers causing major issues because even if they don't crash it's a huge headache to tow them out backwards.

Submitted by: Nakam

HOOKY, HOOKY, HOOKY!

LATTE, LATTE, LATTE!

Good ol' Hookturnistan forever.

We know how to play the game.

Turning right from the left hand lane.

And you'll think we're all insane.

See the foreigners a-shouting,

As all foreigners should.

'Cause they'll never be as brilliant,

And they'll never be as good.

and

Basically a Hook Turn exists, so that you can't get blindsided by a tram running down the centre of the road.

It also stops bicycles, motorbikes, carriages, and cars with really skinny tyres from skewing off (and falling over) because they have to cross tram tracks at right angles.

Submitted by: Rollo75