Another Traffic Question

S

Seamus McBundy

Guest
When exiting a highway onto a 3 lane frontage and the frontage road has no yield sign, must traffic on frontage automatically yield to traffic coming off highway onto frontage?
 
I would guess if there is no yield sign, then they don't have to yield.

Common courtesy would have the folks on the access road move over or slow down (if safe) to allow exiting traffic a place to go... Of course, no one has any common courtesy anymore.
 
I'd imagine you would have to yield to allow traffic coming off the highway that might want to enter any buisnesses at or near that intersection to do so safely. Also, keep exiting vehicles from highway from havig to come to a near stop.
 
Yes they do. But I never have this problem. For some reason people move the hell over and most post hastily.
 
I'm confused by your question?

Was it 2 lanes before the exit, and then 3 lanes once the exit hits the frontage road? i.e., do exiting cars have their own lane?

In that situation, no, cars on the frontage road do NOT have to yield to the exiting cars.

Over on 35 South in Austin, just before the split, there's this exact situation. Except to further complicate the matter, if cars exiting 35 want to get on Airport Blvd, they have to cut across the 2 lanes of the frontage road that were already there to get off onto the Airport "exit" from the frontage road.

Here's a link to a google satellite view of the situation: The Link

In that case, the cars on the frontage road don't have to yield to the exiting cars because they have their own lane, but if I can tell they are going over to Airport I usually try to because 1) its courteous, 2) most people are idiots anyway and think they have the right of way and are likely to cause accidents, and 3) I know how poorly designed that whole interchange is.
 
Yes, the frontage road is two lanes and turns into three at the exit from highway. Like I mentioned in the post above, it doesn't make sense for the frontage traffic not to yield. Someone following the vehicle exiting the highway will almost always have to slow way down or stop in order avoiding hitting a car trying to make a turn into the business at that intersection. And if that happens it will usually cause a traffic jam on the highway. Especially during traffic hour.
 
No, you can't cut across all three lanes and expect everyone to yield if there is no yield sign. You only have the right to the extra lane you are exiting on, then you must safely merge into the other lanes. They should allow you to move over one lane at a time if you match your speed to theirs and use a turn signal.
If you go 60 down the extra lane when they are creeping along at 3 mph, and expect them to let you in after passing a bunch of them, which might be what you are asking, they aren't going to let you in, and I don't blame them.
 
I was exiting off the highway onto the frontage. I started to turn into the middle lane, just after the double lines, and almost hit a truck who I thought would and needed to yield to me. The truck was going well past the posted 45mph on the frontage.
 
Happens at the Aquarena exit in San Marcos all the time.
******** come flying off the freeway and take an immediate right turn into the Texaco gas station. Dumbass move. There's no yield sign for the frontage road.
Plus, they're going to pay $3.25 a gallon when gas is 15 cents a gallon cheaper at the HEB...??? Definitely dumbass.
 
I don't know what the letter of the law is, but from a common sense point of view the driver on the frontage road is obligated to let you off the freeway and that is it. They are not obligated to let you off the freeway and cross 2 or 3 lanes of traffic just so you can go to a business. Why is your time so much more important than theirs where they should slow down for you? In the case where the frontage road is 2 lanes and then the exit becomes the third, the frontage road shouldn't have to yield and it is the responsibility of the exiting car to move over safely. There is a lane they can safely drive in and at that point it becomes just like a normal situation on a 3 lane road where you have to make sure you can safely get over before you do. In the case where the frontage road is 2 lanes and stays 2 lanes (a forced merge), the frontage road traffic should yield in the left lane of the 2 but not in the right. Once again, the freeway exiting car should be able to exit safely by getting into the left lane and at that point it becomes a situation where the exiting car is responsible for making sure it is safe to get into the other lane. If you need to go to a business right at the exit, you should probably take the exit before for every bodies safety.

The southbound MLK exit in Austin from the upper deck is another location where this occurs. I can't tell you how many times I've almost been hit by an idiot that thinks they can exit the freeway and cross multiple lanes of traffic without looking so they can take a right on MLK. Sorry for the rant, but this just pisses me off as I've almost been run off the road several times in this location. If you need to take the MLK exit and take a right on MLK (traveling south bound) take the lower deck and exit MLK so you don't cause an accident. It may take a little more time (and yes I do it every day), but like I said, why is your time more important than mine where I need to slow down for you?

And while I'm ranting, turning your signal on doesn't mean you can get over and it doesn't mean I have to slow down for you. It is your responsibility to get over safely (when I'm not beside you) and it is not my responsibility to slow down for you just because you turned your turn signal on.
 
It is your responsibility to let one car in if they have their signal on and want to change lanes. If I do this, I will move over and expect to be let in. And I let the car in which signals if they are ahead of me and want in, if they are going approximately the same speed (not one of those people going 6 mph and signaling when everyone else is going 55).
If no one lets you in, you will never be able to change lanes, that's just common sense, and common courtesy. You let one car in, and one car lets you move over when you need to.
 
I've never exited that exit and crossed 3 lanes. I exit the highway and cross over 1 lane cause that is the lane that I need to be in, in order to get where I am going.

A good point was made. People who need to turn into a buisness right at the exit from the highway, need to take the previous exit. Still, I'd like to know what the law says about the 3rd lane drivers in this situation and the lack of a yield sign.
 
Honestly I can't understand some of these responses. If I am exiting at, say westbound 290 at IH35, and need to go north on IH35, i have to IMMEDIATELY cross three lanes of unyielding traffic to exit. WHY? STUPID, stupid lack of a yield sign. This is a pet peeve of mine, as in my home town, there ARE yield signs in these situations. It is unsafe and needs to be changed. Yield to the exiting traffic; it is going faster than you are.

Of course, if they hadn't half-assed the interchange there and made an exit ramp from 290 to IH35, we would not have this issue.
 
Accurate, I never said I don't let anybody in. The people I'm talking about are the second or third people to expect to be let in. One is all I do. It drives me nuts for people to pass me and then want me to let them in. Why didn't they get over behind me? I'm also talking about on the highway when all the other person has to do is adjust their speed (either up or down) instead of putting on their turn signal and expecting me to adjust my speed. From what you are saying it is my responsibility to accommodate them because the WANT to change lanes. I disagree that it is my responsibility. Is it courteous? Yes. Is it a responsibility? NO.



In reply to:
Click to expand...
 
The waive worked back in the day. When you would waive to an oncoming truck in the opposite lane. And when some one would request to movie in ahead of you. You'd get the waive. Now a days its let me in or you get the finger!
 
Somebody tries to cross 3 lanes in front of me...I'm putting him into the wall.

warrenwallace6_75-onpitrow.jpg
 
Yeah, I didn't mean let two people in, or let them in if they speed by a bunch of cars in an adjacent lane. But if you are trying to merge courteously by going the same speed, if I am ahead of your car and I signal, that doesn't mean for you to speed up and start tailgating the car in front of yours. That's where I get mad.
I let the person into line in that situation, and I expect the next time to be let in when I have to change lanes.
You shouldn't expect to get three lanes over in a 50 yard space to access the Sack 'n Pac. If you can do it while safely merging, go ahead, but be prepared to miss out if it can't be done safely.
 
most often, that extra lane for exiting highway traffic becomes a left turn only or uturn lane at the intersection, so a fair amount of drivers need to get over at least one lane if they do not want to turn left.

but i'm pretty sure that's up to the exiting driver to negotiate. no yield sign means you don't have to yield.

my issue is the opposite, sort of. when entering a highway from an onramp, you need to either speed up to traffic or slow down to allow the car in the right lane to safely get past you before merging. too many folks just enter at whatever speed they feel like and make me, should i happen to be in the right lane, either slow down, speed up (past the posted speed) or change lanes to avoid a collision. really irritates me for some reason.
 
Most of the time somebody cuts lanes for a quick exit they are breaking the law by cutting over solid white lines. Big no-no.

A prime example of this is the exit southbound on 35 for Riverside. There is that Exxon (I think that is what it is) right off the merge lane. But you have to cross two solid lines for the majority of it and one for the rest. You are not supposed to nor should you EVER make the attempt to get into that station from the highway.

Many try to make it into the Holiday Inn which is super risky and involves slowing down a huge amount in the off lane. It may also involve crossing some solid line (something lost on drivers).

You put the combo of a car driving in the 50s or more coming off a highway intent on making a sudden cut over, cars on the frontage going just about that fast AND cars behind the exiting vehicle matching the speed. On come the break lights, maybe a turn signal and the screech of tires. Not a pretty picture and I see plenty of accidents there. Luckily nothing too bad, yet.

That interchange is a nightmare when you get a douche breaking the law and putting everybody's safety in danger because they failed to exit one exit earlier.
 
I might be wrong, but I don't think it is illegal to cross the solid white line. It is recommended you go to the striped white line for safe merging, but not required, like if it were a solid yellow line. I hesitate to publicize this, because of the impending carnage it will produce.
 
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