Commuting - What would you do, part 1

Dilemma #1.
I'm on road "A" trying to get to road "B". The distance is only about 30 yards. I have the choice of either heading out into the big street (which has a blind hill when looking to the right), or cutting down the turn lane which leads to road "A". Main road has 45MPH limit (people go 60) with limited sight distance on the right and around a curve to the left.... no shoulder or sidewalks on the road.
I've tried both approaches and found that the seeming unsafe method of travelling down the turn lane seems much safer than the legally required method. What would you do?

EDIT: What's listed below as a left-hand turn is really a right-hand turn lane. Ooops.

Is there another cross-street that crosses both A and B? Perhaps a sequence of streets. I have a map program of the US. Put the name of the streets etc down plus towns etc... a zipcode close to the intersection would be good. I'll try and plot you a course on the map.

Originally posted by Bikes-N-Drums
What would you do?
Toolman (Black and Decker: )

Right back at you: what would you do?

Momma always told me, "It's the spirit of the law, not the letter."

The spirit of the law is, "DON'T GET KILLED!"

:beer:

Hey by the way, Bikes-N-Drums, what road you talkin' 'bout? Just curious, I've cruised lots of Atlanta streets in my days. It would be really neat to cruise past and see the real deal!

That is definitely a tricky intersection. I would still go with the legal method because I'm such a freak that way, but I'd try to avoid that intersection, period. Heck, there are intersections in my city that I avoid in my car, and if this one existed here, it would make the top of the list! What the heck are they thinking, not providing a center turn lane for a turn intersection in a blind-approach 45 zone?! You might want to write the appropriate authorities and describe the situation.

I guess I don't understand what the left turn lane is for. Is it the left turn lane coming from Road A that turns you left onto the main road? Wouldn't you use this anyway when turning left onto the main road?

Anyway, I would bend the rules if it's much safer. On my commute, I cross a street, jump the curb on the other side, ride down a muddy hill and across a foot path bridge to get to my work parking lot. If I were to do the proper thing, I would have to take the extremely long way around and battle avg. 45 mph traffic with two blind curves. The street I cross has low traffic and almost nobody uses the bridge for walking due to the muddy hill. If a cop wants to ticket me, so be it.

LBM: This is Ashford-Dunwoody Rd. Road "A" is Humility Ln. and Road "B" is Stratfield Dr.

JDP: The left turn lane is actually a right-turn lane and appears on Ashford-Dunwoody following road "B" to provide right-turn access to road "A". I just got back from a trip and am very fatigued. Obviously I don't know my left from my right when I'm that tired. Buhhh....

That makes more sense. I would do whatever is safest on any given day. I'm assuming you have a pretty wide margin to stay away from traffic when travelling the wrong way down the turn lane.

Originally posted by Bikes-N-Drums
LBM: This is Ashford-Dunwoody Rd. Road "A" is Humility Ln. and Road "B" is Stratfield Dr.


How much of a detour are you willing to make. It looks to me like you should be able to go around the back onto Johnson Ferry by using Lanier, Windsor Parkway, EverGreen, and Mill Creek.

I'm not sure if any of these roads are any better though.

Thank you. Yes, I could come back around Johnson Ferry, however, not only is this a high-speed, no-shoulder road but the reason I emerge at this point is because I'm circling a lake. Going up to Stratfield will lead me around the northern side of the lake. Both Johnson Fy and Ashford Dnwdy are arterial roads to Atlanta's perimeter and can be rather treacherous in spots due to geography, tiny shoulders and the speed of vehicles.

It seems to me what might make the most sense would be to give yourself a longer stretch on Ashfrod Dunwoody by going on Lanier down to Oglethorpe Drive. You would only be on AD for about 1/4 mile. Perhaps this way would avoid the trecherous intersection and give you more possibilities?

B-N-D,
Just curious. Where are you headed?
Do you want to go farther north on Ashford-Dunwoody toward Marist or Perimeter Mall area or northwest on Johnson Ferry?
Just trying to help you find a "better" route to your destination. ;)

I drove several different commute routes before I found one that seemed "safe".
Now, over a year later, I'm still on the lookout for a better or shorter route.

All this Atlanta talk is ringing bells. (I lived in Atlanta for about 4 years.)

Anyway, I do my best to avoid these situations, even opting for a longer route. But if it's the safer to do, DO IT !!!

Originally posted by RonH
B-N-D,
Just curious. Where are you headed?
Do you want to go farther north on Ashford-Dunwoody toward Marist or Perimeter Mall area or northwest on Johnson Ferry?
Just trying to help you find a "better" route to your destination. ;)


Thanks RonH. The deal is this: the object is to circle a lake. Unfortunately, after winding my way through the south end of the lake the roads deposit me at this ugly spot. To get back around to the north side I must get to Stratfield Dr. (road "B"). Certainly I could detour some way, begin at the north side or even pedal up Ashford-Dy to the next road leading in to that neighborhood. But we're only talking a distance of maybe 30 yards between the streets - plus I enjoy the scenery back there - so I'd rather just deal with the situation somehow. Oddly enough, from my experiences the presumably unsafe methods of dealing with it seem to be safer than following the legal and accepted methods.

Thanks Andy Dreisch: you got the right attitude!

Thanks Spire: I appreciate you taking the time to do a thorough investigation!