Discussions

It has been awhile since I took my driver's test, and I have seen different ways in which people use medians to turn. One thing I did know for certain is that there is plenty of room for 2 vehicles to share and use the median to turn.  
 
Yesterday I noticed a lady in a vehicle cut another vehicle off as she turned left off of Richmond to turn into the Co-op parking lot. She was rather irate looking, as I could tell that she had her hands thrown up in the air. The thing is - SHE was at fault. In the attached links below, it clearly indicates: WHEN TURNING LEFT, STAY TO THE LEFT. She went way over to her right and cut off the other driver in a truck. The truck driver was attempting to get to the left (of the median) to make a left turn from the Co-op onto Richmond.  
 
Out of concern for peoples' safety and seeing some confusion from other drivers (including myself at times), here are some useful links:  
 
https://www.mpi.mb.ca/en/Rd-Safety/Tips/60-Sec-Driver/Pages/median-turns.aspx  
 
 
 
 
 
Drive safe and have a great weekend everyone!

I'm a little confused as to exactly what's going on in your post.. but if I understand correctly, the driver wasn't positioned correctly in the median to turn left. There was also a truck driver in the parking lot (not in the intersection yet) who wanted to pass through the median to turn left onto Richmond. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but i thought that vehicles already in the intersection have right of way. And vehicles that are in a parking lot, emerging from lanes, etc are supposed to stop and wait until the intersection is clear before proceeding. Perhaps she could have positioned herself better on the median so traffic turning left coming west on Richmond could also use the median, but I don't think the truck had the right to go around her, as their paths would have to cross at some point.

No, that's not what I was saying.  
 
The truck and car were arriving in the median close to the same time. The car was NOT in the median already. The car came ACROSS the median, as if to expect to use the entire median, or thought she would go on the right side of the median.  
 
There is lots of room in a median for each vehicle plus some space to each side.  
 
But it doesn't really matter what happened - it is done. The point is that I wanted to share the info from MPIC to help others in the future.  
 
This thread is not meant to tear apart anyone or ask you for criticism. It is simply to share some useful information.

Countrygurl said "It has been awhile since I took my driver's test, and I have seen different ways in which people use medians to turn. One thing I did know for certain is that there is plenty of room for 2 vehicles to share and use the median to turn.     Yesterday I noticed a lady in a vehicle cut another vehicle off as she turned left off of Richmond to turn into the Co-op parking lot. She was rather irate looking, as I could tell that she had her hands thrown up in the air. The thing is - SHE was at fault. In the attached links below, it clearly indicates: WHEN TURNING LEFT, STAY TO THE LEFT. She went way over to her right and cut off the other driver in a truck. The truck driver was attempting to get to the left (of the median) to make a left turn from the Co-op onto Richmond.     Out of concern for peoples' safety and seeing some confusion from other drivers (including myself at times), here are some useful links:     https://www.mpi.mb.ca/en/Rd-Safety/Tips/60-Sec-Driver/Pages/median-turns.aspx             Drive safe and have a great weekend everyone! "

Thanks for posting this. I feel that there are more than a few drivers that need a refresher on this.

Not criticizing but discussing the event you thought was important enough to post about. This is a discussion forum.  
The the truck must have entered the intersection when there was through traffic approaching, instead of waiting for it to clear.  
Thank you for posting the link. These 60 second driver clips are very helpful refreshers. Here's the rest of the page that discusses how one should wait for an intersection to clear before proceeding to the median.  
https://www.mpi.mb.ca/en/Rd-Safety/Tips/60-Sec-Driver/Pages/median-turns.aspx

This is a good reminder. Driving this way makes room, better flow, and just makes sense.  
 
When considering why people continue to do this incorrectly, I wonder if some of the confusion is connected to intersections such as what is on the Trans-Canada highway. There, you stay in the same lane as you were travelling in. However, there is usually a line indicating lanes and more space between roadways. It is not a tiny space between roadways.

Who decides if there is enough room? I stay to my right as much as possible in those things. My car stays to the right of a two lane road. If there is room for five cars or four I would go to my left if there is through traffic coming. Otherwise I stay rightish. Be it a snow covered shrunken median or a narrower one in summer I stay rightish. If the space is enough for three wide I certainly stay right when I enter. Again that is if there is no traffic. Why would I use the far left or middlin' when late cross traffic comes it would have to wait until I clear until it can enter the mediun or cut me off instead if they are turning left? Wrong maybe but I like cars to stay to my left as much as possible when heading my way.

Brandon has an enormous amount of bad drivers!  
Drivers still cannot grasp the concept of zipper merging on 18th Street across the bridge for Pete’s sake.  
Some drivers also need to know that a median is for turning and that you should be in the median not halfway still in the lane. It is there so the flow of traffic doesn’t have to be stopped.  
 
This is great for those who cannot keep to their lane when turning!!

Doug said "Who decides if there is enough room? I stay to my right as much as possible in those things. My car stays to the right of a two lane road. If there is room for five cars or four I would go to my left if there is through traffic coming. Otherwise I stay rightish. Be it a snow covered shrunken median or a narrower one in summer I stay rightish. If the space is enough for three wide I certainly stay right when I enter. Again that is if there is no traffic. Why would I use the far left or middlin' when late cross traffic comes it would have to wait until I clear until it can enter the mediun or cut me off instead if they are turning left? Wrong maybe but I like cars to stay to my left as much as possible when heading my way. "

Watch the video! You are supposed to stay "left of center" so you are in the wrong if you stay to the right....I think this was the whole point of the OP scenario. People think they should be on the right side when in the meridian when in reality they should be on the left.

Momtotwo said "    Doug said "Who decides if there is enough room? I stay to my right as much as possible in those things. My car stays to the right of a two lane road. If there is room for five cars or four I would go to my left if there is through traffic coming. Otherwise I stay rightish. Be it a snow covered shrunken median or a narrower one in summer I stay rightish. If the space is enough for three wide I certainly stay right when I enter. Again that is if there is no traffic. Why would I use the far left or middlin' when late cross traffic comes it would have to wait until I clear until it can enter the mediun or cut me off instead if they are turning left? Wrong maybe but I like cars to stay to my left as much as possible when heading my way. " Watch the video! You are supposed to stay "left of center" so you are in the wrong if you stay to the right....I think this was the whole point of the OP scenario. People think they should be on the right side when in the meridian when in reality they should be on the left. "

I am not arguing that. I do ask who decides what is a wide enough mediun. Brandon certainly has ones that are not wide enough to bother wide staying left. I also note that video stated that cross traffic has to stop and wait until you have finished your turn left. True but if I had entered right I can finish my turn while they can proceed. They just pull into the median as I leave. Not having to wait until I completed leaving and passing them on my way down that same cross street they are trying to turn off of. Again that applies when the space is tight. Three car wide or so. The median by Boyds on First street is one I think.

Momtotwo said "    Doug said "Who decides if there is enough room? I stay to my right as much as possible in those things. My car stays to the right of a two lane road. If there is room for five cars or four I would go to my left if there is through traffic coming. Otherwise I stay rightish. Be it a snow covered shrunken median or a narrower one in summer I stay rightish. If the space is enough for three wide I certainly stay right when I enter. Again that is if there is no traffic. Why would I use the far left or middlin' when late cross traffic comes it would have to wait until I clear until it can enter the mediun or cut me off instead if they are turning left? Wrong maybe but I like cars to stay to my left as much as possible when heading my way. " Watch the video! You are supposed to stay "left of center" so you are in the wrong if you stay to the right....I think this was the whole point of the OP scenario. People think they should be on the right side when in the meridian when in reality they should be on the left. "

lol doug, the law states stay left of center when turning left so its the the law is who decides where your car should be haha  
 
what the op is describing i believe is what they call a tangle turn, where the drivers turning left are looking at the meridian as a mini road and staying to the right, looping around each other which creates a hazard, its easy to see how people make that mistake but HTA wants us to treat a meridian like almost like a small turn lane, where you stay close to the left meridian boulevard, nosing in as far as possible to get out of the way, then angling across to your lane on the street you are entering, so you dont have to go around another person turning left, just like we do when we have turn lanes and lights, imagine how it would be at a turn lane if we both drivers went to the right of center instead of the left lol, doesnt work does it

Tangle turn. Yep makes sense. Stay to the left. It just seems the narrow ones blocks the cross traffic for no good reason. Left I will stay.

I used to make the cinnamon buns at the Boardwalk in clear lake. I lived in Onanole at that time. we will be moving back to the area this year. I also made them at Danceland. Thanks for remembering them!

I used to make the cinnamon buns at the Boardwalk in clear lake. I lived in Onanole at that time. we will be moving back to the area this year. I also made them at Danceland. Thanks for remembering them!

Doug said "Tangle turn. Yep makes sense. Stay to the left. It just seems the narrow ones blocks the cross traffic for no good reason. Left I will stay. "

ya some are small and i have a bad habit of taking the whole thing from driving semi when you have to but as much as we all cheat some rules i understand the idea of what they want  
 
until i was typing tho, i never really thought about boulevards being the same as 2 turn lanes but if you think about that it makes more sense