StlToday - 'It's like a highway here': Deaths, crashes spike on north St. Louis County road
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/met ... a4811.html
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/met ... a4811.html
Stltoday - Toddler dies, nearly one week after crash in St. Louis County police chase
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/cri ... 47d4f.html
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/cri ... 47d4f.html
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its not just in STL or the USA https://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/country-basically-run-for-benefit-of-angry-drivers-20220428220316
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^You do realize that's satire, right? Somewhere between the Onion and Mad Magazine. I won't say drivers in the UK are universally spectacular, but their roads really are better designed than ours and the accident statistics prove it. (Mind you, I'm sure they still want better roads and they might not have absolutely the best in the world. But in terms of deaths per passenger mile, or deaths per mile of road they're remarkably close. They do better than Japan, Germany, and vastly, spectacularly better than us. My brother did the kindness of doing the research for me as I drove down the A1(M) and bitched about traffic circles.)
Anyway . . . it's not just the US. But we might well have the deadliest roadway system of any developed nation.
Anyway . . . it's not just the US. But we might well have the deadliest roadway system of any developed nation.
StlToday - Hit-and-run driver critically injures pedestrian west of downtown St. Louis
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/cri ... 08946.html
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/cri ... 08946.html
StlToday -Four dead, several critically injured in crash on Delmar Boulevard
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/met ... 5d5ed.html
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/met ... 5d5ed.html
Stltoday - Head-on crash in St. Louis County leaves 89-year-old woman dead
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/cri ... pular-news
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/cri ... pular-news
^^ 3 teenagers in a stolen car running away from the cops. Three kids in critical condition.
F*cking insanity.
F*cking insanity.
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^And odds are every one of them is now an orphan. Given that four other people in the car are dead. Insanity indeed. Positively awful. We really need to stop this.
It just amazes me how many people I see running red lights. I’m not talking about lights going from yellow to red and catching it for 1/2 second. No, I’m talking solid red lights and blowing right through them: sometimes going around cars. I had to have seen it 4 or 5 times just this week.
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I see this all the time. My only thought is lack of traffic enforcement. This is terrible on Gravois.dweebe wrote: ↑May 07, 2022It just amazes me how many people I see running red lights. I’m not talking about lights going from yellow to red and catching it for 1/2 second. No, I’m talking solid red lights and blowing right through them: sometimes going around cars. I had to have seen it 4 or 5 times just this week.
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Absolutely horrific. Saw the story on Saturday; it has bothered me since.... felt horrible for the family involved.^And odds are every one of them is now an orphan. Given that four other people in the car are dead. Insanity indeed. Positively awful. We really need to stop this
I see it happening all the time downtown as well, red lights treated as stop signsSTLCityMike wrote: ↑May 09, 2022I see this all the time. My only thought is lack of traffic enforcement. This is terrible on Gravois.dweebe wrote: ↑May 07, 2022It just amazes me how many people I see running red lights. I’m not talking about lights going from yellow to red and catching it for 1/2 second. No, I’m talking solid red lights and blowing right through them: sometimes going around cars. I had to have seen it 4 or 5 times just this week.
I mentioned this a few months back - probably have witnessed it 15 to 20 times now over the past 2 years - which probably equals the previous 20 before thatSTLCityMike wrote: ↑May 09, 2022I see this all the time. My only thought is lack of traffic enforcement. This is terrible on Gravois.dweebe wrote: ↑May 07, 2022It just amazes me how many people I see running red lights. I’m not talking about lights going from yellow to red and catching it for 1/2 second. No, I’m talking solid red lights and blowing right through them: sometimes going around cars. I had to have seen it 4 or 5 times just this week.
Not to excuse entitled driving, but a lot of them could be stop signs, if not all day then definitely after a certain hour at night. I feel like the length of some of the lights combined with next to no cross traffic just frustrates people and exacerbates the problem, maybe pushes a few drivers who wouldn't ordinarily run them over the line.kipfilet wrote: ↑May 09, 2022I see it happening all the time downtown as well, red lights treated as stop signsSTLCityMike wrote: ↑May 09, 2022I see this all the time. My only thought is lack of traffic enforcement. This is terrible on Gravois.dweebe wrote: ↑May 07, 2022It just amazes me how many people I see running red lights. I’m not talking about lights going from yellow to red and catching it for 1/2 second. No, I’m talking solid red lights and blowing right through them: sometimes going around cars. I had to have seen it 4 or 5 times just this week.
How can a solid red light be a stop sign? I am not talking about intermittent red lights, but red solid.
Yes, some lights are frustrating. But the stoplight running I see is just flat out disregarding from people who don't give a f and know there are almost no chance of law enforcement repercussions. These are not stoplights being run late at night when there is little to no traffic. This is Olive and Jefferson at 9:30am on a Tuesday. or Vanderventer and FPP at noontime on a Thursday or Grand and Bates on a Saturday afternoon._nomad_ wrote: ↑May 10, 2022Not to excuse entitled driving, but a lot of them could be stop signs, if not all day then definitely after a certain hour at night. I feel like the length of some of the lights combined with next to no cross traffic just frustrates people and exacerbates the problem, maybe pushes a few drivers who wouldn't ordinarily run them over the line.
I mean that the stop light could/should be replaced with a stop sign, there isn't enough traffic to justify a full stop light and what traffic there is would flow better without the waits while the light cycles.kipfilet wrote: ↑May 10, 2022How can a solid red light be a stop sign? I am not talking about intermittent red lights, but red solid.
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^I'm increasingly of the opinion that half of our stoplights and most of our stop signs should be replaced with better designed uncontrolled intersections; roundabouts, traffic circles, intersections with yield signs and speed humps . . . anything free-flow that makes a driver feel the need to slow down and actually look, but not necessarily stop unless there's conflicting traffic of one sort or another. That would make our traffic flow better and it would make our streets safer at the same time. This is, at least in part, an engineering problem. Our streets are badly engineered. Sure, drivers are terrible, but the system is also just badly designed.
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I'm with dweebe on this. Coming out of the pandemic we are looking at much increased disregard for traffic law and the safety of all others by truly dangerous driving. I see it all the time as well. This is not a engineering or configuration issue. This is a public safety issue that can only be corrected by proper enforcement.
And a traffic circle at Vandy and FPP is not feasible.
And a traffic circle at Vandy and FPP is not feasible.
A stop sign, but still.TheWayoftheArch_V2.0 wrote: ↑May 10, 2022I'm with dweebe on this. Coming out of the pandemic we are looking at much increased disregard for traffic law and the safety of all others by truly dangerous driving. I see it all the time as well. This is not a engineering or configuration issue. This is a public safety issue that can only be corrected by proper enforcement.
And a traffic circle at Vandy and FPP is not feasible.
I actually do think the fact that St. Louis has too many stop signs adds to stop light fatigue. Not to mention the poor timing and that traffic sensors are useless.
When it comes to speeding, study after study shows that drivers will generally drive at the speed for which the road was designed rather than the posted speed limit. Four wide lanes plus a turn lane and shoulders? Folks will largely drive 50+ even if the speed limit says 30 mph.
IMO, it's a similar thing with stop lights. If all of your stop lights seem unnecessarily long and poorly timed, if it seems like it's safe to proceed but you're stuck waiting every couple of blocks, some folks are going to get tired of waiting and chance it. Sharply lower traffic volumes and reduced police enforcement at the start of the pandemic made it easier, and once folks started 'getting away with it' it became easier to do again, and eventually for a minority it becomes habit.
The city's traffic and lighting division's poor execution of light timing combined with fewer traffic stops is essentially training folks to run lights by making them a frustration.
For intersections that no longer *need* a stop light, you don't have to rip them out and replace them with stop signs - just set the lights to flashing red. Would seem to be an easy fix - or even just a test for a limited time - if you can talk someone into making it.
-RBB
IMO, it's a similar thing with stop lights. If all of your stop lights seem unnecessarily long and poorly timed, if it seems like it's safe to proceed but you're stuck waiting every couple of blocks, some folks are going to get tired of waiting and chance it. Sharply lower traffic volumes and reduced police enforcement at the start of the pandemic made it easier, and once folks started 'getting away with it' it became easier to do again, and eventually for a minority it becomes habit.
The city's traffic and lighting division's poor execution of light timing combined with fewer traffic stops is essentially training folks to run lights by making them a frustration.
For intersections that no longer *need* a stop light, you don't have to rip them out and replace them with stop signs - just set the lights to flashing red. Would seem to be an easy fix - or even just a test for a limited time - if you can talk someone into making it.
-RBB
The city's inability to time Tucker correctly is amazing. One should not get stopped at every single light between Cass and Choteau.rbb wrote: ↑May 11, 2022When it comes to speeding, study after study shows that drivers will generally drive at the speed for which the road was designed rather than the posted speed limit. Four wide lanes plus a turn lane and shoulders? Folks will largely drive 50+ even if the speed limit says 30 mph.
IMO, it's a similar thing with stop lights. If all of your stop lights seem unnecessarily long and poorly timed, if it seems like it's safe to proceed but you're stuck waiting every couple of blocks, some folks are going to get tired of waiting and chance it. Sharply lower traffic volumes and reduced police enforcement at the start of the pandemic made it easier, and once folks started 'getting away with it' it became easier to do again, and eventually for a minority it becomes habit.
The city's traffic and lighting division's poor execution of light timing combined with fewer traffic stops is essentially training folks to run lights by making them a frustration.
For intersections that no longer *need* a stop light, you don't have to rip them out and replace them with stop signs - just set the lights to flashing red. Would seem to be an easy fix - or even just a test for a limited time - if you can talk someone into making it.
-RBB
And don't get me started on the anger at how long the red light is for non existent traffic at 18th and Gratiot in front of Ameren.
Re: The Ameren lights on 18th, what does this even mean that they're controlled by Ameren (from an STLtoday ask the road crew chat)?
Can a private company control stoplights on a public road? That seems crazy.
The stoplights are awful all over. Crosswalk timers are meaningless (Does zero mean the light is changing, or that there's another 10 seconds where nothing happens?).
If we could just time Washington Avenue so people crossing it N/S get more than a few seconds to cross every few minutes, that'd be fantastic. Instead we complain about speeders and traffic on Wash. Ave. while making sure that they get really long green lights to the detriment of pedestrians.
Can a private company control stoplights on a public road? That seems crazy.
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/met ... a733f.htmlThank you for bringing this concern to me. I believe this signal is controlled by Ameren Missouri, but not a hundred percent sure. I will forward this location to Traffic Division for consideration...Larry Tyler / Street & Traffic Liaison
The stoplights are awful all over. Crosswalk timers are meaningless (Does zero mean the light is changing, or that there's another 10 seconds where nothing happens?).
If we could just time Washington Avenue so people crossing it N/S get more than a few seconds to cross every few minutes, that'd be fantastic. Instead we complain about speeders and traffic on Wash. Ave. while making sure that they get really long green lights to the detriment of pedestrians.