A transition en masse to one-way streets?

[ScienceNostalgia101]

So long as two-way roads have a grid structure, every intersection will include an option for turning left a green light.

 

And every time a driver makes a judgment call on whether or not it's safe to do so, this risks getting them killed.

 

I'm just wondering, wouldn't one-way streets create fewer options, per intersection, on which way to turn? For instance, if a north-heading street met an east-heading street, the north-heading cars could only turn right onto the east-heading street, not left. The east-heading cars could only turn left onto the north-heading one, sure, but you could also reserve one lane for traffic that is "joining" the street, such that they only merge into the traffic when they've caught up.

 

Is there anything to go on as to whether or not replacing our existing grids of two-way streets with grids of one-way streets would constitute a net improvement in safet?

[swansont]

Is this not already the case in many cities? I know it is common in Washington DC, Manhattan (NYC), and downtown Vancouver BC Canada. I imagine a lot of it is driven by not wanting to have turn lanes taking up space, and if traffic is heavy enough, there are places where left turns are simply not permitted for two-way traffic.

[studiot]

A simple international agreement on standardising who has right of way at intersections would also help.

 

[MigL]

I didn't realise it was a problem.
There are rules in place for such situations.

I am concerned about bike lanes, however.
You should not have to check behind your right shoulder when making a right turn from the far right lane.
Bikes don't stop behind the last vehicle, but move right up to the intersection.
Whatever happened to no passing on the right ?

[studiot]

13 hours ago, MigL said:

I didn't realise it was a problem.
There are rules in place for such situations.

They are opposite in th UK and some European countries.
Germany has a particularly stupid and in my opinion dangerous  rule where an intersection is traffic light controlled.
The Netherlands (Holland) has good implementation for (almost) all road users from pedestrian to non motorised vehicles to motorised vehicles (but not equestrian)

Equestrians have priority in the UK.

[swansont]

17 hours ago, studiot said:

A simple international agreement on standardising who has right of way at intersections would also help.

 

That'll be the day. Where I live we don't have consistent rules on the right of way in a traffic circle (roundabout) on either side of one of the bridges.

[ScienceNostalgia101]

On 9/8/2020 at 2:29 PM, swansont said:

Is this not already the case in many cities? I know it is common in Washington DC, Manhattan (NYC), and downtown Vancouver BC Canada. I imagine a lot of it is driven by not wanting to have turn lanes taking up space, and if traffic is heavy enough, there are places where left turns are simply not permitted for two-way traffic.

But in many smaller cities, where space is not as limited, two-way streets are still the norm, not the exception. Might lives be saved in the long run if we switched to one-way and took away the "basic human judgment" factor on when/where it's safe to turn left?

[swansont]

53 minutes ago, ScienceNostalgia101 said:

But in many smaller cities, where space is not as limited, two-way streets are still the norm, not the exception. Might lives be saved in the long run if we switched to one-way and took away the "basic human judgment" factor on when/where it's safe to turn left?

But isn’t it less dangerous inherently in smaller cities, where there is less traffic? 

[Sensei]

Any changes should begin with an analyze of historical accidents, drawing conclusions from them, and correcting them. e.g. if there is a part of the road where is abnormal number of collisions, there are rational reasons for it (like curve uphill, decreasing visibility). If it is not clear why accidents happen, people should start from making 3D simulation of that area, with weather conditions simulation, on a computer, and pass through it simulated cars, and observe what happens.

Edited September 9, 2020 by Sensei