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Originally Posted by Patrick
A cloverleaf at every intersection would require a lot more land and pavement, upping the expense a lot. It wouldn't be practical in an urban setting like Manhattan, where land values are sky high.
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We think of saving gas as a priority, but we may not be thinking of the unintended consequences. Cloverleafs and traffic circles (rotaries, roundabouts) do increase the amount of miles driven. (Every little bit of additional distance traveled adds up.) It may keep traffic moving, but it won't necessarily save fuel.
Also, if you are making mostly right turns, but virtually never making left turns, your steering and suspension will wear unevenly over time. This tends to be the case already with having the "right turn on red" option (which is better than not having it). I find myself favoring routes that encourage making more right turns.
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Why can't they time a left turn light?
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It usually requires a separate lane. Here in suburban NY left turn arrow signals
are timed, but some people dawdle and poke, and often only half the line of cars waiting to go through the intersection actually get to proceed due to inattentiveness. Even the best timed traffic signals won't arouse drivers who are habitually asleep at the light.