Quote:
Originally Posted by Mazrim
100% Clarity comes at the expense of information overload to the driver, which is equally bad. The more signs, the more chevrons, the more brightly colored paint you put in a small area, the more the driver needs to read and react to it all. You need to balance it all.
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True, but I'm thinking something along the lines of a double yellow just outside of the rise, or similar. Nothing too flashy. And perhaps (not sure if this already exists) a clear distinction on the roundabout signage as to single or double lane (or more). An easy solution would be a small text sub-sign below the roundabout sign like that at a 4 way / 3 way stop with "one lane" or "two lane" as appropriate. Then, to reinforce this, get a few television news spots and maybe a pamphlet mailout. It's not that every subtlety needs to be signed at the location, rather, just clarifying some of the more confusing points into common knowledge "This is How Calgary Does Roundabouts". This education does not need to reach everyone, as long as the majority are using it correctly, most everyone else will follow. But right now there is too much confusion to ensure safe and efficient operation.
I'll give the example of merging from 5th on to memorial out of downtown. While a bit awkward with the last minute merge of the right lane, it has always operated fairly well. Currently, the gravel/scraping has completely hidden the lines in that area. The conflict between those who know the lane configuration and those trying to figure out what to do has resulted in more than a few near misses that I have seen. The end result is everyone has slowed down and that is backing up way more than it did when the lines were visible. A little bit of confusion and/or uncertainty breeds both safety hazards and inefficiency.
We don't need arrays of big flashing signs, we just need a common understanding and maybe a few more subtle visual hints. There are many simple and relatively low cost methods (already proven in other areas of traffic management) that I think would be well worth considering.