Thursday, April 18, 2013

Left from League City Parkway, after a spell

This is becoming annoying.  With the increased real estate development in our area and the corresponding intensification of transit needs, the left-turn lane from League City Parkway (SH 96) eastbound onto northbound West Walker is no longer long enough to accommodate normal traffic patterns.  Even when it's not rush hour, it's often a two-light wait for this left turn because cars are blocked from entering the short left-turn lane.
Under the current light sequence, all eastbound SH 96 faces simultaneous red lights regardless of whether there's an intention to proceed left or go straight. As I took this pic, I was blocked from entering the left-turn lane by the string of cars waiting to proceed east. 

So what happens with increasing frequency is that I watch that first green arrow sail away like a ship into the sunset, while I'm stuck behind the line of cars.  Other people behind me who need to turn left are similarly blocked. 
What'll happen eventually here is that so many left-turners will get bottlenecked like this that they'll start spilling over and stacking up in the center lane, which will completely foul mobility on this heavily-used arterial.  Hopefully League City and/or TxDOT will be able to intervene responsively and adjust this lane and the signal patterns before that happens. 

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