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News & ArtsTuesday, January 3, 2012
City I Submit: A Complicated Intersection in Seattle
Posted by Grant Brissey on Tue, Jan 3, 2012 at 9:25 AM
Go ahead, zoom in on that sucker. I jaywalk through it all the time. It's like the last level on Frogger. I'm sure there are more out there. Seattle is full of them. Where are they, Sloggers?
3
Queen Anne Dr and 4th Ave North. It's like a 7 point intersection controlled by stop signs, and the reason why that exit to Queen Anne from Aurora is always so backed up during rush hour. Pedestrians take a real risk there.
5
35th, 45th, mountlake, laurelhurst intersection (giant 5 way)
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35th+and+m…
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35th+and+m…
7
@ 4, that one's not that complicated. Busy, sure. Pedestrian and cyclist hell? Hey, what Seattle intersection isn't? But complicated? Only if you're not expecting that median and also aren't paying attention to which lane you need.
8
Yessler & Alaska Way, where brave pedestrians are obliged to wait for up to six minutes for two lights or risk life and limb darting diagonally through the intersection to catch the water taxi.
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7th Ave E and NE 40th St in Wallingford. During rush hour, it's every man for himself.
Also Queen Anne Dr and 4th Ave N and 6th…. Too many streets converging in one place.
Also Queen Anne Dr and 4th Ave N and 6th…. Too many streets converging in one place.
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@7, I disagree! The center crosswalk where you have cars driving on either side of you is probably the worst crosswalk in Seattle. Even ignoring the incredibly uncomfortable experience, it takes three signal cycles to walk kitty-corner without "jaywalking." Therefore: Everybody jaywalks.
I nominated it for a "competition" hosted by the Walking in Seattle blog a while ago: http://walkinginseattle.org/?p=2077
I nominated it for a "competition" hosted by the Walking in Seattle blog a while ago: http://walkinginseattle.org/?p=2077
13
@9: People coming down Lynn never wait their turn - they just cut right in front of the Boyer folks.
14
I agree with @2 as I lived in greenlake for many years. Now that I am in west Seattle, I nominate the low bridge intersection of Spokane, w marginal and delridge, near the Chelan Cafe.
http://maps.google.com/maps?rls=com.micr…
Zoom in for fun!
http://maps.google.com/maps?rls=com.micr…
Zoom in for fun!
15
@13 - Ever time I enter that intersection (sometimes twice daily) I think: THIS NEEDS TO BE A FUCKING TRAFFIC CIRCLE.
17
Also, correct me if I am wrong, but is the University Circle Seattle's only 6-way intersection?
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35th+and+m…
Is that also the only honest-to-god traffic circle in Seattle? Does anyone know of any? Olympia has like 12 of them. Why is it Seattle has only one, which is a novelty anyways?
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=35th+and+m…
Is that also the only honest-to-god traffic circle in Seattle? Does anyone know of any? Olympia has like 12 of them. Why is it Seattle has only one, which is a novelty anyways?
19
The 65th and Ravenna intersection is not complicated (or frustrating) if you learn the pattern of the traffic signals there. I guess I technically jaywalk there too, but it doesn't feel like frogger.
20
@13 - With no troll bait it's hard to fulfill Godwin's Law. So here goes: People driving on Lynn are worse than Hitler.
21
@ 11, I addressed your point @ 7.
Maybe the post is confusing. I read it to mean confusing and complicated intersections, which are far from being the only dangerous ones for pedestrians or ones that prompt jaywalking. But if the Slog society deems 7th and 45th worthy of this list, I will go along with it.
Maybe the post is confusing. I read it to mean confusing and complicated intersections, which are far from being the only dangerous ones for pedestrians or ones that prompt jaywalking. But if the Slog society deems 7th and 45th worthy of this list, I will go along with it.
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@ 26, I like you. I also like gus, which I thought he knew. Why he's reacting to my comment like I was talking down to him, I don't know, because I wasn't.
29
@6 That would be my vote, but I lived on the SW corner of that intersection for 4 years. Great 5 way, with 3 of them coming down steep grades and a 4th that is blind until about 50 feet from the stop line. Throw in an elementary school and fire station within 1 block, and you've got a nightmare.
33
Well, I'll know better than to call you sensitive ever again. You're pretty touchy about that.
You think you're big enough to actually say you're sorry? You know, in so many words? Because that's the nice thing to do when you overreact and lash out.
You think you're big enough to actually say you're sorry? You know, in so many words? Because that's the nice thing to do when you overreact and lash out.
34
I'm a little disappointed that gus didn't say, "And the horse you rode in on, right after that little dog! Then get the chickens in a line, muthafucka!"
Sigh. I'll just have to settle for Boyer drivers being Hitler, or something.
Sigh. I'll just have to settle for Boyer drivers being Hitler, or something.
36
@33- Worse than Hitler.
The traffic circle argument is valid. Where ever five streets come together, a traffic circle (or round-a-bout if you're feeling British) works wonders. And once you're used to them, they're quite easy to negotiate even on a bike.
The traffic circle argument is valid. Where ever five streets come together, a traffic circle (or round-a-bout if you're feeling British) works wonders. And once you're used to them, they're quite easy to negotiate even on a bike.
37
I can't believe no one's mentioned Ravenna Blvd & Green Lake Way. Probably because you can get around it by walking a block or two out of your way, but controlled intersections are for wusses.
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@ 35, that happens to everyone here. Slog encourages prickliness, and Kim in Portland is possibly the only longtime slogger who hasn't succumbed (although she's been less than happy in some of her posts).
TVDinner, I'll ask you to arbitrate here. Reread the thread carefully, and tell me if gus didn't overreact.
TVDinner, I'll ask you to arbitrate here. Reread the thread carefully, and tell me if gus didn't overreact.
39
I think you're all a bunch of goat-fucking uncle monkey fuckers. And you smell like rotten onions. With pustules.
41
@34 - Actually the Boyer drivers are Churchill. It is the Lynn Drivers who are Hitler. And 16th Ave East drivers are Mussolini.
@36 - I imagine the traffic circle option would be pretty difficult at the Boyer clusterfuck since they would likely have to buy up nearby properties to expand the right-of-way (the intersection is a long rectangle), but at the Sandpoint/45th/35th clusterfuck a circle would be amazing and I'm sure it would reduce the unimaginable congestion that happens there daily around 4 PM-7PM.
@37 - Might as well just say all of Tangletown is a cluster fuck.
@38 - Slog post comments are by far the most cordial of the un-administered forums I've used. Even the anon trolls can be nice sometimes. Even sarcastic nazi references are taken at face value! That shows a lack of cynicism, comparatively.
@39 - you are better than hitler
@36 - I imagine the traffic circle option would be pretty difficult at the Boyer clusterfuck since they would likely have to buy up nearby properties to expand the right-of-way (the intersection is a long rectangle), but at the Sandpoint/45th/35th clusterfuck a circle would be amazing and I'm sure it would reduce the unimaginable congestion that happens there daily around 4 PM-7PM.
@37 - Might as well just say all of Tangletown is a cluster fuck.
@38 - Slog post comments are by far the most cordial of the un-administered forums I've used. Even the anon trolls can be nice sometimes. Even sarcastic nazi references are taken at face value! That shows a lack of cynicism, comparatively.
@39 - you are better than hitler
42
@17 That's ViewRidge, the neighborhood I grew up in and now you have succeeded in making me totally homesick and wondering why I have traded views of the Cascades, Lake Washington and Mount Rainier for a view of the local ConEd plant, Hell's Gate bridge and the East River...
Check out these three traffic circles in the Ravenna neighborhood, including Candy Cane Lane.
http://www.google.com/mapmaker?gw=39&fid…
http://www.google.com/mapmaker?gw=39&fid…
http://www.google.com/mapmaker?gw=39&fid…
Lots of them in NE corner of Seattle, haven't checked South Seattle yet.
Check out these three traffic circles in the Ravenna neighborhood, including Candy Cane Lane.
http://www.google.com/mapmaker?gw=39&fid…
http://www.google.com/mapmaker?gw=39&fid…
http://www.google.com/mapmaker?gw=39&fid…
Lots of them in NE corner of Seattle, haven't checked South Seattle yet.
43
@37: I'll submit the 8th Ave/Ravenna Blvd/I-5 exit fuckfest a few blocks southeast as my most hated intersection.
44
@17 That's ViewRidge, the neighborhood I grew up in and now you have succeeded in making me totally homesick and wondering why I have traded views of the Cascades, Lake Washington and Mount Rainier for a view of the local ConEd plant, Hell's Gate bridge and the East River...
Check out these three traffic circles in the Ravenna neighborhood, including Candy Cane Lane:
http://www.google.com/mapmaker?gw=39&fid…
http://www.google.com/mapmaker?gw=39&fid…
http://www.google.com/mapmaker?gw=39&fid…
Lots of them in NE corner of Seattle, haven't checked South Seattle yet.
Check out these three traffic circles in the Ravenna neighborhood, including Candy Cane Lane:
http://www.google.com/mapmaker?gw=39&fid…
http://www.google.com/mapmaker?gw=39&fid…
http://www.google.com/mapmaker?gw=39&fid…
Lots of them in NE corner of Seattle, haven't checked South Seattle yet.
47
Bicyclists!
If you're turning left there, don't stop in Mike McSchwinn's absurd green kill box. Get over and take the middle of the lane as if you were a left turning car. Take the lane. Take the fucking lane, my friend.
If you don't take the lane, cars will rightly assume they should overtake you, and you don't want them doing that in the middle of your left turn. Once you're done turning, wait until you decide there is enough room for them to pass comfortably, then move over to the right. Or left, in the case of that bike lane that is cleverly placed on the opposite side of where you usually find your bike lanes. It's a test to see if you're on yr toes.
Use your rear view mirror to see if they're in a wide ass truck or a narrow little Fiesta to gauge whether there is enough room for them to pass. Don't leave it up to the driver. The driver is busy talking on the phone and doesn't want you interrupting their important phone call with your pissant war on cars bullshit. No rearview mirror on your bike? WTF, dude?
I'm pretty sure Mike put some stoner ex-Stranger intern in charge of placing those green bike kill zones.
If you're turning left there, don't stop in Mike McSchwinn's absurd green kill box. Get over and take the middle of the lane as if you were a left turning car. Take the lane. Take the fucking lane, my friend.
If you don't take the lane, cars will rightly assume they should overtake you, and you don't want them doing that in the middle of your left turn. Once you're done turning, wait until you decide there is enough room for them to pass comfortably, then move over to the right. Or left, in the case of that bike lane that is cleverly placed on the opposite side of where you usually find your bike lanes. It's a test to see if you're on yr toes.
Use your rear view mirror to see if they're in a wide ass truck or a narrow little Fiesta to gauge whether there is enough room for them to pass. Don't leave it up to the driver. The driver is busy talking on the phone and doesn't want you interrupting their important phone call with your pissant war on cars bullshit. No rearview mirror on your bike? WTF, dude?
I'm pretty sure Mike put some stoner ex-Stranger intern in charge of placing those green bike kill zones.
48
@44 - Totally forgot about those Ravenna Ave circles! The only reason they exist btw is that the Olmstead Brothers, who designed Ravenna, along with Boyer, Interlaken, Lake Wash Blvd, and a few others, didn't take too kindly to right-angle intersections. In fact they were commissioned to design the layout for downtown Tacoma and came up with a plan that involved no straight intersections, with each street coming in to a three-way at acute angles. (http://www.tacomapubliclibrary.org/morga…) Obviously that plan wasn't accepted.
But yeah, anyways, the University Circle is totally my favorite place to drink in the street. Great view of the city up there. And quiet.
@45 - You're worse than Neville Chamberlain.
But yeah, anyways, the University Circle is totally my favorite place to drink in the street. Great view of the city up there. And quiet.
@45 - You're worse than Neville Chamberlain.
50
@47: I can't think of a single place where a green box is for a left turn. They're all for going straight.
The stupid bike lane on Ravenna is both on the wrong side and the pavement is starting to get so bad that it's dangerous.
The stupid bike lane on Ravenna is both on the wrong side and the pavement is starting to get so bad that it's dangerous.
51
Raye, 4th and Queen Anne Drive in Queen Anne near the entry ways for Aurora. It's not a 6 way intersection... it's a chamber with six chutes of four wheeled death.
52
I came in here to support @2's choice, 50th/Stone/Green Lake, which is not confusing, just maddening. The pedestrian light walking north across 50th doesn't turn every cycle. I've waited SEVEN AND A HALF MINUTES there, changing on the third trip around. I counted. Fuck me.
I also vote for the series of four-way-stops underneath the I-5 brodge on 40th, where no one has any clue what the rule is, and every tenth eastbound car mistakenly tries to head down the Burke Gilman Trail segment instead.
I also would like to nominate the fight between Gloomy Gus and Matt in Denver for comedy value. I'm stickin' with Mr. Gus, as always.
I also vote for the series of four-way-stops underneath the I-5 brodge on 40th, where no one has any clue what the rule is, and every tenth eastbound car mistakenly tries to head down the Burke Gilman Trail segment instead.
I also would like to nominate the fight between Gloomy Gus and Matt in Denver for comedy value. I'm stickin' with Mr. Gus, as always.
53
@50
Well, duh. Tell that to all the bicyclists who turn left from that dumbshit box. They're mindlessly obeying the paint on the ground instead of thinking. Somebody's gonna get kilt.
Well, duh. Tell that to all the bicyclists who turn left from that dumbshit box. They're mindlessly obeying the paint on the ground instead of thinking. Somebody's gonna get kilt.
54
I came in here to support @2's choice, 50th/Stone/Green Lake, which is not confusing, just maddening. The pedestrian light walking north across 50th doesn't turn every cycle. I've waited SEVEN AND A HALF MINUTES there, changing on the third trip around. I counted. Fuck me.
I also vote for the series of four-way-stops underneath the I-5 brodge on 40th, where no one has any clue what the rule is, and every tenth eastbound car mistakenly tries to head down the Burke Gilman Trail segment instead.
I also would like to nominate the fight between Gloomy Gus and Matt in Denver for comedy value. I'm stickin' with Mr. Gus, as always.
I also vote for the series of four-way-stops underneath the I-5 brodge on 40th, where no one has any clue what the rule is, and every tenth eastbound car mistakenly tries to head down the Burke Gilman Trail segment instead.
I also would like to nominate the fight between Gloomy Gus and Matt in Denver for comedy value. I'm stickin' with Mr. Gus, as always.
55
Well, it isn't really that complicated, but EVERY time I come to it, SOMEONE gets it wrong.
Banner Way NE and 5th Ave NE.
It's a four-way stop and I believe most ways have two lanes. So if things are busy, you can have 8 cars all stopped, waiting to go. It gets nutty.
Banner Way NE and 5th Ave NE.
It's a four-way stop and I believe most ways have two lanes. So if things are busy, you can have 8 cars all stopped, waiting to go. It gets nutty.
56
I hate the 5-way intersection at Pike St/Convention Pl/9th Ave. It's not nearly as bad as some of the aforementioned intersections, but it's bad enough that I walk out of my way to Pine St to get between Downtown and Capitol Hill.
57
Queen ane drive/ 4th ave north/ raye st/ raye st/ 6th ave gets my vote as most confusing:
But I'm also advocating for Olive & bellevue on the hill. It's not as bad as some of the others but it is one of the most annoying to live near.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s…
But I'm also advocating for Olive & bellevue on the hill. It's not as bad as some of the others but it is one of the most annoying to live near.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s…
58
@53- They're not obeying the paint, the paint doesn't tell them to go left. They're making a left turn out of the go straight lane, it's annoying and dangerous when anyone (car or bike) does it.
59
@2: 50th/Stone/Green Lake has been cited as the worst intersection in Seattle since the Indians were here. Get a red light here, and you should shut off your engine to save gas, especially if you're backed up 50th street eastbound and you have to wait 2 cycles to get through the light. On the bike or on foot I stick to the east side of Green Lake so I only have to cross one street.
60
I submit Spaghetti Junction in Birmingham, England (technically, I believe, the Gravelly Hill interchange on the M6, access to the A38 both ways, the A5127 and some other smaller local roads). It looks a bit like this: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co…. Yes, that's real. Yes, I've driven it. Yes, it is exactly as Satanic as it looks.
61
(With apologies for the double post, yes, I realise that Birmingham is a long way from Seattle and that's sort of missing the point. It's just that I got horribly lost in Birmingham on New Year's Eve and I haven't forgiven it yet.)
63
@49 - Definitely where Union and Madison meet, in front of Pony. I have been almost run over multiple times at that crosswalk. Cars don't feel that they are required to stop for pedestrians there.
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