Traffic flow confusing at University Village-area intersection

Q: By phone and e-mail, North Seattle resident Doug Pew made a pitch recently for some system of traffic control to help drivers with the proper merge pattern for turning from one street to another at the five-corners intersection just southeast of University Village. That's where Northeast 45th Street and Northeast 45th Place meet up with two other streets.

"The issue is regarding traffic flow from westbound Northeast 45th Place to westbound Northeast 45th Street," he said.

Three lanes head west on Northeast 45th Place. One, he said, is a clearly marked and controlled left-turn-only lane. The other two are through lanes onto Northeast 45th Street, where there are three lanes.

The two left lanes are through lanes that become Montlake Boulevard Northeast as they near the University of Washington's Husky Stadium. The right lane allows traffic access to and from businesses along the north side of Northeast 45th Street, including U Village, and then continues up the hill toward the University District as Northeast 45th Street.

"When merging from westbound Northeast 45th Place to westbound Northeast 45th Street, there is no indication as to which lane you should use on Northeast 45th Street," said Pew. "The problem occurs when the drivers in both westbound through lanes of Northeast 45th Place attempt to merge into the center lane of Northeast 45th Street at the same time."

Pew says there are frequent near-collisions and horn honking.

"Should the two lanes of westbound traffic from Northeast 45th Place merge into the left and center lanes of Northeast 45th Street, or merge into the center and right lanes?"

If posted signs aren't feasible, he said, how about lane striping that would reduce the potential for collisions and near-misses in the center lane?

"A single stripe directing the left lane of westbound Northeast 45th Place to the left lane of Northeast 45th Street, or a single stripe directing the right lane to the right lane would be adequate to solve the problem of both lanes viewing the center lane as the correct lane," he said.

A: In general, when turning at that intersection or any other, drivers should turn from the lane closest to the direction they're headed into the lane closest to the one they are leaving, says Eric Widstrand, the Seattle Transportation Department's traffic-operations manager.

That means the appropriate pattern from Northeast 45th Place to westbound Northeast 45th Street is for curb-lane traffic to travel to the farthest-right lane, and center-lane traffic to the center lane or left lane.

Widstrand said the Seattle Transportation Department, after reviewing that intersection, will install some sort of intersection guidelines to help direct turning traffic.

Bumper speak-out

Why don't Seattleites know how to use their turn signals? asks Sean McCain of Ballard. "I've lived in a lot of places with bad drivers," he said, "but the inability of Seattleites to use their turn signals is in a league of its own.

"People, I can't read your minds. I don't know you want to turn or change lanes unless you indicate it some way, say, by using your turn signals."

Enough said?

Charles E. Brown: 206-464-2206 or seattletimes.com">cbrown@seattletimes.com