Home › Forums › Open Discussion › Cutting in line??
- This topic has 14 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 3 months ago by Ponderosa.
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December 2, 2020 at 4:32 pm #993772
CarDriverParticipantHeading to Southcenter today i saw quite a few cars making a sharp right at the traffic island at the last curve to get on the 1st s bridge northbound. Is that actually illegal? I don’t see any signage and don’t know the traffic rules for that scenario. They have been called out here for cutting in line-which they should be as they are but i’m curious as to if they’re really doing something citable.
December 3, 2020 at 4:46 am #993823
GracianoParticipantCutting thru a solid white line? Then yes it is ticket worthy
December 3, 2020 at 6:55 am #993824
CarDriverParticipantThe right lane they’re turning from is a through lane. Drivers aren’t crossing any lines.
December 3, 2020 at 5:00 pm #993862
heartlessParticipantI’d be curious about the answer to this also, for no reason other than that I’m now curious. For the record, CarDriver, you’re talking about heading south on West Marginal Way S, and the turn onto Holden/the onramp for 509? If that’s correct, I don’t see any signs prohibiting a sharp right onto S Holden, so maybe it’s legal? It sure feels like that turn’d be illegal… Hopefully someone knows!
December 3, 2020 at 6:36 pm #993867
CarDriverParticipantNo. I’m talking where The freeway(99?)starts. The far right lane exits to northbound 1st s bridge. The lane to the left of it goes straight but people are making a sharp right at the light going around a small island to get on the onramp to n bound across the 1st s bridge.
December 3, 2020 at 7:43 pm #993873
KBearParticipantIt’s certainly not intended to be a right turn lane, but there’s no sign prohibiting it. On the other hand, if Seattle drivers would just learn to merge properly, the whole line would speed up and no one would be tempted to turn there. Here’s a tip: blocking other people from merging in front of you slows everyone down. Including YOU.
December 4, 2020 at 6:17 am #993890
GracianoParticipantExactly why I had a question mark “?” which route are you talking about.
December 4, 2020 at 7:08 am #993891
heartlessParticipantCarDriver, I think we are talking about the same place? Is it here: https://tinyurl.com/y2x9hst3
If it is we’re talking about the same place. I think KBear is right, but I’m not sure given the dedicated turn lane why that sharp right from what was the center lane (but becomes the right) is not prohibited.
Edit:
I also wanted add that I agree with KBear regarding merging, and point out late zipper merges (or at least what Seattle seems to consider late) really are a benefit to traffic flow. No where else have I seen so many people get over so early to specific lanes, it’s just a really poor use of the roadway). End rant–sorry!- This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by heartless. Reason: Forgot to add!
December 4, 2020 at 2:47 pm #993935
CarDriverParticipantHeartless. That is the spot. Right at the N end of the transfer station. Went that way this am. Actually don’t think it’s “illegal” but it does qualify as cutting in line and dangerous if the light is green because people are speeding up for the freeway there so getting rear ended would be a real possibility and i bet a ticket. And you’re not ranting. You and KBear are simply pointing out a fact that most drivers are clueless as to how they should properly merge-along with a whole host of other driving foopa’s
December 4, 2020 at 7:48 pm #993958
ndrewParticipantCarDriver and friends. You are confusing merging and lane changing. Merging is when two lanes reduce down to one. That is the appropriate time to zipper. If two lanes continue and you are in the wrong one and try to change lanes at that the last minute you are NOT merging. You are indeed cutting in line. So is the person described in the original post. Please stop
December 5, 2020 at 10:48 pm #994057
SueParticipantI don’t see why turning at that sharp right is considered “cutting in line.” At that very point on that road everyone is turning on to get on the highway, it is actually two lanes. The right lane is the one that everyone turns right on to get to, and the sharp right around the island puts you into the left lane. A short time after that the right lane does merge into the left, but not where these turns are happening.
December 6, 2020 at 12:23 pm #994078
heartlessParticipantSue, from what I can tell when driving south on WMW S both the gentle right (before the island) and the hard right directly after the island put cars into the same lane of the on-ramp to northbound 509. You can see my link to an image of the intersection in a previous post.
The presumable advantage of the dedicated lane (the one that turns before the island) is three-fold: you don’t need to stop for the signal, the turn is softer so you can keep a higher speed, and there is no crosswalk (fewer pedestrians to watch for) there.
I think the only times people would take the hard right is if they somehow didn’t get over into the correct lane at first, or if 509 was so backed up the dedicated right turn lane is stopped–in that case it might be faster to take the hard right to possibly get towards the front of the line. And it’s that last case scenario that people are considering cutting in line.
December 6, 2020 at 6:25 pm #994120
PonderosaParticipantNdrew is right, that’s a lane change to get into the slip lane, not a merge. There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding between the two. This was always a misunderstanding on there being a merge on the WS Bridge to the NB I5 ramp as well. Also a lane change!
The slip lane also has a crosswalk, complete with curb cuts. Please yield for pedestrians, they have the right of way.December 6, 2020 at 6:38 pm #994122
heartlessParticipantGood catch, Ponderosa–I was going off of the Google satellite view, but another angle shows the crosswalk clearly there (going… to where, exactly, I don’t know!).
As for the merge/lane change debate, I didn’t mean to connect that issue to this discussion–I probably shouldn’t have brought it up at all since it clearly muddied the waters. I was writing about extremely early merging as a common Seattle behavior in general, not anything specific to do with this bit of traffic.
December 8, 2020 at 11:18 am #994282
PonderosaParticipantYeah, I had to pull up street view there as well–the satellite looks like it was mid-repaving project or something? I was confusing me because I was thinking “I swear there is a ramp there” but haven’t been that way in a couple weeks so couldn’t pull from recent memory.
I know what you mean about the merging issue – it is such a hot button issue for PNW drivers. I will continue to zipper merge when I drive, as recommended by nearly all experts–I am amused by people who think we’re enormous jerks for doing so. I’ve done worse things in my life than merging correctly! -
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