79 replies to this topic

[AndyN]

Here is a design guide for queue jump lanes, which I take to be what Austin refers to. 

 

https://nacto.org/pu...eue-jump-lanes/

[Doohickie]

So going into the intersection, maybe instead of one of the turn lanes, there's a bus only lane that will allow the bus to get at the head of the traffic line?  Kind of like a bike box?

[renamerusk]

Evidently Dash and presumably route 2 will have signal jumps enabled, so they would get a chance to go ahead of the cars......

 

 

So going into the intersection, maybe instead of one of the turn lanes, there's a bus only lane that will allow the bus to get at the head of the traffic line?.....

 

So, the purpose of DASH is to be a quick connector between Downtown and Cultural District. 

 

And to do this, TM will accessorize the DASH fleet with additional technology and will seek for the City to refit signalization along the entire route; a route which is planned to be reconfigured with bus/bike lanes, wider sidewalks, a median, etc.,

 

And instead of using the less traveled but equally direct Lancaster Avenue which could do so while doing so at lower costs.

 

Explain once again, why connecting DT-CD is better done using 7th Street as oppose to using Lancaster Avenue? 

 

Right now, I don't get it and remain steadfast with my position that the express route between DT and CD lies along Lancaster Avenue.

[Doohickie]

Okay.

[renamerusk]

I agree that a traffic circle should have been designed when the intersection was redone.  It's a shame that all the money was spent on an intersection that doesn't function very well, when a traffic circle would have solved the problem.

 

 

 Just like this one:  Guess the city.  https://www.google.c...m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

 Cultural District Crossroads, what a grandiose junction with fountain this might have been!

[Doohickie]

I know that circle, I've ridden through it.  I can guarantee that it handles a small fraction of the traffic that goes through W7th/University/Camp Bowie/Bailey.  The only street with appreciable traffic is Rosedale, and it's not very busy in that part of town.  (People who want to travel quickly east and west take Lancaster.)  The traffic counts at that traffic circle are probably much closer to the Elizabeth Avenue roudabouts than they are to the W7th/Uni/Camp Bowie/Bailey intersection.

[renamerusk]

With the City going all out with it efforts to tame/calm major corridors (Rosedale, Hemphill, Sylvania, West 7th, etc.), the most needy taming and calming hands down is the Cultural District Corridor Entanglement (CDCE).  The congestion is caused by the stoppage of traffic caused by signaling; and there would be far less congestion with a traffic circle to replace the signals.

 

If the CDCE was continually drained of vehicles by allowing all traffic to be in slow motion entering and exiting, then the CDCE would be more efficient in moving traffic; would reduce omission levels, and would improve curb appeal.

[renamerusk]

.....To answer your question about why would I go through Downtown, the answer is simple: I-35W is backed up.  I do not like to sit in a back up on the freeway. 

 

  What is the lesser of two evils: Freeway Back ups or Downtown Gridlock?

 

  I think that I would prefer less cars flowing through Downtown and more people on wider sidewalks walking, sitting, dining on Downtown streets.  Cars crossing through Downtown create greater opportunities for accidents at intersections involving car to car, car to pedestrian, car to transit, and cars crashing into light standards, trees, etc.  More cars idling at Downtown intersections also produce tons of exhaust fumes that show up on older builds and cars generate a din of noise.

 

It would seem to me that the answer to Freeway Back Up is to make the charges more affordable on toll lanes and to enforce the laws forbidding streets being block when caught by a traffic signal.

[Doohickie]

[renamerusk]

You forgot to mentioned that Circles (roundabouts) are responsible for tornadoes -

 

https://www.facebook...91682377992011/

[CFerguson]

Washington D.C. has numerous traffic circles, and despite underpasses to relieve traffic on one or the other of their major arteries, gridlock sets in when there are just too many cars.  Want to build an underpass for either University or Camp 7th, and close off Bailey?  Fine, but accept the fact that at certain hours of the day it will be bumper to bumper there, circle or no circle.

[renamerusk]

Just like all major cities, traffic swells and empties because of the suburban commuter patterns.  My time in Washington, when it had a greater population than today (643k), it was typical then as it is today despite an above average regional mass transit system for people tochose to live outside of DC Proper and overwhelm the streets with commuter traffic.

 

The problem with congestion is not the Traffic Circles, for which there are several nicely done circles and avenues in the Nation's Capital; the problem is the auto dominate culture that currently reign in every metro area, with the possible exception of NYC.  In NYC, the parking rates really make you second guess your decision to commuter into and out of the City.

 

Traffic Circles are a way to calm the speed and flow of traffic which ultimately can reduce idling, air pollution and enhancing the walk ability of a neighborhood.

[rriojas71]

Traffic circles also greatly reduce fatal accidents at intersections because accidents happen at angles instead of direct impacts... for instance when a car t-bones another... studies have proven traffic circles reduce bodily injury crashes by 75%

[johnfwd]

My only experience with traffic circles is the big one on the west side of town.  Traffic tends to flow smoothly most hours of the day, but rush hour can be a harrowing venture for motorists waiting at the yield signs for enough clearance to get in there.

[Doohickie]

My only experience with traffic circles is the big one on the west side of town.

 

That is such an awful circle.  It just blows my mind that the Yield signs are in consistently applied; in some cases the traffic on the circle has the right way, sometimes the entering traffic does.  That's just awful, and contributes to the "harrowing venture" because you can't depend on traffic to follow the signs since they don't follow the normal convention.

[Dylan]

There are a ton of traffic circles in newer parts of northern Fort Worth. In particular, they exist at intersections along Riverside Drive, Golden Triangle Blvd, Basswood Blvd west of 35W, and the US 287 service road.

 

Note: Google Maps satellite imagery is a bit outdated, and doesn't show the Golden Triangle traffic circles yet.

[Austin55]

At yesterday's council meeting several planned traffic circles from a previous bond election were scrapped in favor of traditional stoplight intersections.

 

 Blue Mound Rd and US 287 Northbound Frontage Rd

Blue Mound Rd and US 287 Southbound Frontage Rd

Keller-Hicks Rd and Katy Rd 

Bonds Ranch Rd and FM 156 

Golden Triangle Ave and Harmon

 Avondale Haslet and Willow Springs North Rd

Avondale Haslet and Willow Springs South Rd

 Avondale Haslet and SenderaRanch Blvd

 Kroger Drive and Kroger

 Park Vista Blvd and Keller Haslet

 

 

 

Dylan, do you think the traffic circles on the Northside are well received by residents?

[JBB]

I've used some of the ones on Keller-Hicks and Golden Triangle once or twice and they seem nice.  I regularly use some in Southlake (Continental/White Chapel, Continental/Carroll, Dove/Carroll, Dove/White Chapel) and Colleyville (Glade/Pool, Cheek Sparger/Central) and they are all wonderful.  I've never heard any complaints and all of them, especially the ones on Continental unwound severe rush hour gridlock points.  The one at Continental/Carroll can be a mess in the evenings, but I attribute that to many people using that as a bypass around the construction on Grapevine Hwy/Colleyville Blvd.

[Dylan]

At yesterday's council meeting several planned traffic circles from a previous bond election were scrapped in favor of traditional stoplight intersection

 

Dylan, do you think the traffic circles on the Northside are well received by residents?

 

I'm not a fan of traffic circles on large, multi-lane boulevards. If there's a lot of traffic, they essentially become stop signs, and you have to hope whoever is in the adjacent lane doesn't run into you.

 

That said, I'm fine with traffic circles on lightly-traveled roads with one lane in each direction.

 

EDIT: I don't know how most residents who live near these traffic circles feel about them.

[Doohickie]

I'm not a fan of traffic circles on large, multi-lane boulevards. If there's a lot of traffic, they essentially become stop signs,

I am a fan because when there's *not* a lot of traffic you don't have to sit there for 3-4 minutes while the traffic signals cycle.

 

EDIT:  When I lived down near Sycamore School and McCart, I wished there could have been a traffic circle at that intersection.  It took look a long time to cycle through; would have been great to avoid that during off hours.

[JBB]

And even when traffic is heavier, there's still less sitting and waiting than with light cycles.

[rriojas71]

I'm not a fan of traffic circles on large, multi-lane boulevards. If there's a lot of traffic, they essentially become stop signs,

I am a fan because when there's *not* a lot of traffic you don't have to sit there for 3-4 minutes while the traffic signals cycle.

I am a huge fan of traffic circles... I was in France last year and several cities and towns have them and they are so much more enjoyable than waiting at a red light.

[renamerusk]

Evidently Don Jr stayed at the Sinclair when he was in town this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video from the city on the project. 

 

Purely speculation, if Mr. Trump flew into Fort Worth, he likely flew in on a private jet that landed on Meacham Airport.  He then likely got a view of the street scene between Meacham, FWSY and Downtown.

 

If as I think there is preliminary work underway to ready Meacham Airport to return to commercial passenger service, I think that it is time to spruce up Main Street between Terminal Road and North Side Drive.  I would brick the section between NE 28th to NE 23rd.  I think something like either Hemphill or Montgomery Streets should be in pipeline.

[renamerusk]

While we are currently in the Corvid-19 Pandemic, there will be a time marked as the Post CV19 Pandemic; and while traffic counts are obviously way down around 40%, can we expect traffic to return to levels prior to the CV-19?

 

Found this posted online and thought it would generate some interest about our transportation needs going forward: Do we actually need to expand 287 North or 35W North to Denton?

 

https://www.ite.org/...-volume-trends/

[elpingüino]

Cities are preparing for traffic to be worse than before, as commuters who previously rode transit or carpooled now feel unsafe sharing those small spaces with others.
https://www.npr.org/...fic-catastrophe

[Austin55]

Bicycles are a perfect solution.

[renamerusk]

Cities are preparing for traffic to be worse than before, as commuters who previously rode transit or carpooled now feel unsafe sharing those small spaces with others.
https://www.npr.org/...fic-catastrophe

There is great uncertainty that things will return to or even want to be the way they were before.  I think those companies that survive the pandemic will be leaner and will use their staff in more creative ways. 

 

Staff will spend time working from satellite (home) as a portion of their work week; and this will reduce the consumption of fossil fuel (gasoline demand) and highways will be able to handle the decrease in traffic flow.  If cities are preparing for traffic models before the pandemic, then these cities and DOT are not taking in account the massive shift in how people will interact going forward.

[Doohickie]

Cities are preparing for traffic to be worse than before, as commuters who previously rode transit or carpooled now feel unsafe sharing those small spaces with others.
https://www.npr.org/...fic-catastrophe

I feel like this will be offset by a large increase in work from home.  When we are called back into the office I plan to talk to my boss about continuing work from home except for maybe one or two days a week.

[panthercity]

I vaguely remember a plan regarding taking away the turn lane on 7th street among some other changes but couldnt find the thread. Theres some work going on currently and I wondered if it was related.

[JBB]

I think this is it:

http://www.fortworth...876#entry131172