interestedobserver

Very interesting links and information. Thank you. I had never heard of nor thought about yellow-trap before.

Reviving an old thread... Houston still has its fetish with protected only left turn operations... much to my dismay, the City just installed new traffic signals at OST and Bertner (It says Selma on Google Maps, but I think it's Bertner now after this road was widened to serve as a new thoroughfare into/out of the TMC). Of course the intersection now only allows left turns on protected arrows, which makes the gridlock worse during rush hour, and, to the detriment of the planet, cars are idling longer and polluting more. This is an example of another Houston intersection which has no visibility issues and hence no need for protected only left turns, but, for some reason, the City finds it essential. Seems like a lose-lose-lose situation to me: more gridlock/longer commutesmore pollutionmore money spent on gas by drivers In case you can't tell, these protected only left turns really rub me the wrong way. Thanks for humoring me and reading my rant.

Your updates are very appreciated. Do you know anything about the Plaza Museum District apartments (specifically regarding water/power)? I left on Thursday when I realized I was woefully unprepared (little food, water). Wondering if it makes sense for me to return tomorrow. I know this is likely a long shot, but many thanks for the valuable information you have already provided. Stay safe.

Thank you. I knew it had to be somewhere. Mods, please delete this thread. Thanks.

Does anyone know anything else about this project or have any renderings? Thanks. http://www.graycopartners.com/currentproje...museumplace.php http://maps.google.com/maps?q=5300+Fannin+...039330156852974

Thanks for all the great replies. I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who noticed some of these annoyances. I never walk the streets, so I'm afraid you're out of luck with that request. That being said, if I ever find myself out of my car I will take some mediocre camera phone shots. Thanks for clearing up my misconception about how traffic signals 'know' when a car is present.I do know in Dallas that virtually all intersections are prot/perm, which definitely helps relieve some congestion. Basically the only intersections that aren't are the ones with two left turn lanes.

I'm relatively new to the Houston area, having moved here a little over a year ago. I searched and couldn't find a thread on this topic, so if I overlooked something, please let me know and a mod can delete this post. Why are so many streets in Houston in poor shape? It's not so much a problem of potholes (even though there are a lot of those), but rather, uneven, rough, and sometimes jarring surface streets that are not isolated spots. Kirby is one obvious example. Almeda around OST is another. Is this because of lack of funds, or is all the wet weather the primary culprit? Tangentially related, why are so many left turns at intersections limited to when the arrow's illuminated? Obviously at some it's a matter of safety due to poor lines of sight, but at others this does not seem to be the case. Finally, are there not weight sensors under the left turn lanes? Traffic could be more efficiently dispersed if cars weren't sitting at a red light due to a green arrow for the oncoming traffic despite no car having been waiting to turn left. Thanks for any insight.

I might have been imagining the 'pulsating' effect. But for some reason the lighting, to me, doesn't seem to be staid. It appears to have some sort of movement to it... (I'm probably hallucinating, however...) Here are some crappy camera phone shots from earlier tonight (click for larger version). Sorry for the quality.

I think last night was the first time they had the lighting on at the top. It's a rainbow affect which slowly pulsates, for lack of a better description. If I remember tonight, I'll take a photo and post. But it was a nice surprise, definitely unique, and should make a nice visual impact on the skyline. I have only seen it from very up close, but bet it looks good from far away as well.