One way or another, wrong-way driving just ain’t right
Posted on June 15th, 2009 – 10:59 AMBy Roadguy
Here’s my weekly column from the paper. Comment away below.
Roadguy enjoys Twins season, and not just because he likes a good baseball game. The driving habits of the fans also create edge-of-your-seat excitement.
Most of the dramatic tension takes place on the one-way streets near the Metrodome, where unfamiliarity breeds confusion — especially for drivers emerging from a parking area they’ve never used before.
I’ve seen cars leave a parking lot and zoom, lemming-like, into a bus-only lane. But more intriguing is watching departures from the Armory, a hangar-like building that’s used for parking.
As a driver peers out onto 5th Street — which has no on-street parking and a two-way light-rail line down the middle — there’s no clear evidence that it’s a one-way street. The sign across from the exit says merely “do not cross tracks.”
The closest thing to a clue is a few car lengths away and barely discernible: the remnants of a white arrow once painted on the street. The mythical Giant Eraser that attacks so many of our signs and markings has apparently paid a visit:
The overwhelming majority of drivers, perhaps recalling that 5th was a one-way when they arrived, do turn left, the correct way. But when someone does make that right turn, it’s a harrowing sight. The vehicle heads not only into oncoming traffic, but also toward a busy intersection where the errant driver can’t see any stoplights because they face the opposite way:
The city generally leaves it to parking-lot owners to let patrons know that they’ll be entering a one-way street in the middle of a block, said Matt Laible, a city of Minneapolis spokesman. Indeed, Roadguy has seen numerous ramps that have warning signs — and now the Armory is planning to join them.
Paul Schnettler owns Premier Parking, which has operated the Armory for several years. Until Roadguy called, Schnettler hadn’t heard of anyone turning the wrong way onto 5th, but he said it would be easy enough to install a one-way or left-turn-only sign.
That’s good news for Twins crowds, who return to the Dome on Tuesday after an 11-day absence. Now if we could just keep cars out of the bus lanes.
A BIT LESS PAIN ON I-35
Roadguy sometimes hears from Duluth-bound drivers who want to know why Interstate 35E gets two lanes but 35W gets only one when the freeways merge near Forest Lake. Lo and behold, a federal stimulus project could make things easier for northbound traffic.
When the area is repaved later this year, 35W drivers will keep their two lanes until about a half-mile after the convergence point, said Todd Kramascz, metro spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Transportation. There wasn’t enough money to extend the lane farther north, he said, but the agency is optimistic that the change will provide some relief.
14 Responses to "One way or another, wrong-way driving just ain’t right"
I-35E gets the 2nd lane partly because, believe it or not, it sees more traffic (45K vs 37K for I-35W).
Well, fair’s fair — the situation in Burnsville is the exact opposite. Southbound traffic on 35W keeps its two lanes, but 35E compresses down to one lane which flies over 35W and then merges on the right.
There should be traffic signs at the exit of all ramps. About 10 yrs ago, I was given a ticket for driving in the bus lane, after exiting an unfamiliar ramp. There was no sign, no pavement markings, who’s to know. Some a-hole Mpls cop had to get his quota that day. How he handled me for this most minor infraction, I feel sorry for the people of color.
I was hoping to read the perils of the Roadguy in Chicago this past weekend for the Cubs/Twins series. I will interject with that very topic; made the trip down and my GPS purchased at Target was very confused by Upper and Lower drives for streets of the same name … it all works out but I’m sure (aside from the MN license plate), I stuck out like a soar thumb.
On this topic; ramps should tell you before you exit.
I always wondered why the 35W/35E North merge was like that but if @Froggie is right than that’s acceptable.
As for the south-end… more traffic does go through the 35W side.
at least that is my experience.
Before I wrote the column, I did check the average daily traffic figures for the two freeways. Froggie’s numbers for 2006 are correct; interestingly, the numbers for 2004 and 2005 show 41,500 apiece for each freeway south of the split.
My favorite are confused motorists driving down Nicollet Mall. I want to know if they ever wonder why they are sharing the road only with buses and taxis.
The split in terms of the current configuration of the 35E/35W merge areas at the northern and southern points has nothing to do with 2004-2006 traffic counts. It probably has to do with the original predictions for each roadway when the last major project went through. Roadguy, I am sure someone at Mn/DOT who would know a bit of the history of the two roadways might know or help lead you to find the old traffic predictions from when the last reconstruction project was completed at both merge points. This is probably when the decision was made to configure these merge points the way they are currently today.
JDS: while you’ve got a point regarding traffic projections at time of construction….given the configuration of the north merge, it easily could have been reconfigured to give 35W the “through lanes” if traffic counts showed more traffic using 35W than 35E.
As for the southern split, it’s configured that way not just on traffic volume, but in addition, I-35W in Burnsville existed over 15 years before I-35E did (35W opened in 1966, 35E in 1982).
I love it when out of towners start hitting the metro. The next fun time will be for the State Fair. Traffic is wild card at those times. I walk past this area on my way home and see all sorts of bad driving, including driving on the tracks.
As for there being no warning - the fact that there are tire markings showing only turns to the left would be the first thing that tips me off.
Thanks to my new favorite Minneapolis Police Officer (the one who ticketed DGB). DGB–your ignorance is no excuse for your transgressions. You do the crime to pay the fine (or do the time).
Oh I think a lack of signage is a reasonable excuse. One can hardly be expected to know where every bus lane in the area is.
…people of color?? Do you mean the blue people or the green people, or are you referring to the orange people? What color is the sky in your should be medicated world? Are you still fuming about a ticket that justly receive 10 years ago?
