List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

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jackal
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List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by jackal »

I thought I'd start a list of freeflow left turns (also called filter lanes or segregated left turn lane) that have been removed by 'improvement' schemes, building on an old thread here and my own observations:

M40 J9
A500/A50
A500/A527
A19/A184
M6 Toll T8
M27 J3
A45/A46
A41/A4196
A1/A46
A92/B925
M20 J7 (2)
A249/Bearsted Road (2)
M4 J28 (3 - current record holder)
Parkway South Roundabout (2) (https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/tran ... 7junction9)
A2/B255 (https://assets.highwaysengland.co.uk/ro ... ings+4.pdf)
M1 J45 (mostly complete in 1999 but signalised on opening)
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jervi
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by jervi »

M23 J10 Pease Pottage (A23 NB->A264) removed in 2020. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.08609 ... 312!8i6656 Was formally a "always green" signal.
A325 / A331 removed left turn slip road count? https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.31206 ... a=!3m1!1e3
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by Beardy5632 »

Moor Farm Roundabout had one going from A189S to A19S which was removed in 2007/2008 when the traffic lights were put up on there.
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by Bryn666 »

When M65 J6 was widened and signalised the paint only free-flow lane between the A678 and A6119 was removed. This was in 2007.
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by WHBM »

M4 J4 Heathrow westbound, the main London to the airport direction. Removed about 12-15 years ago. Used to be two lanes off the roundabout and the freeflow joining on the nearside to make three. Changed to three off the roundabout for no purpose, and what looks like a freeflow from the M4 until coming round the bend you are confronted with a minimalist merge https://www.google.com/maps/@51.4945274 ... 312!8i6656

One day shortly after introduction we crawled round from the M4 to find a car on it's roof at the merge point, with all the holiday suitcases fallen out of the boot onto the road and run over.
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jackal
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by jackal »

WHBM wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 17:21 M4 J4 Heathrow westbound, the main London to the airport direction. Removed about 12-15 years ago. Used to be two lanes off the roundabout and the freeflow joining on the nearside to make three. Changed to three off the roundabout for no purpose, and what looks like a freeflow from the M4 until coming round the bend you are confronted with a minimalist merge https://www.google.com/maps/@51.4945274 ... 312!8i6656

One day shortly after introduction we crawled round from the M4 to find a car on it's roof at the merge point, with all the holiday suitcases fallen out of the boot onto the road and run over.
Crikey!

I guess technically the freeflow is still there, just worse than before. But airport to M4 westbound freeflow was removed in the same round of 'improvements' in 2007/8.
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by SteelCamel »

A9 northbound to A82, and A82 to A9 northbound, at Longman Roundabout. Removed when the lights were added, though it was only painted lanes not physically separate. And a new separate freeflow lane from Stadium Road to the A9 southbound was added as part of the same scheme.
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by Bryn666 »

jackal wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 18:25
WHBM wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 17:21 M4 J4 Heathrow westbound, the main London to the airport direction. Removed about 12-15 years ago. Used to be two lanes off the roundabout and the freeflow joining on the nearside to make three. Changed to three off the roundabout for no purpose, and what looks like a freeflow from the M4 until coming round the bend you are confronted with a minimalist merge https://www.google.com/maps/@51.4945274 ... 312!8i6656

One day shortly after introduction we crawled round from the M4 to find a car on it's roof at the merge point, with all the holiday suitcases fallen out of the boot onto the road and run over.
Crikey!

I guess technically the freeflow is still there, just worse than before. But airport to M4 westbound freeflow was removed in the same round of 'improvements' in 2007/8.
It's gold isn't it, the UK's busiest airport, somewhere you'd think visitors to the UK would need to be impressed by, and this is what awaits someone in a hire car, probably driving on the left for the first time. Flipping gold.
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by Herned »

Bryn666 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 17:28 It's gold isn't it, the UK's busiest airport, somewhere you'd think visitors to the UK would need to be impressed by, and this is what awaits someone in a hire car, probably driving on the left for the first time. Flipping gold.
It's on the way to Heathrow, so one of their last interactions with our wonderful road network. Probably to encourage them not to come back
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by Bryn666 »

Herned wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 19:57
Bryn666 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 17:28 It's gold isn't it, the UK's busiest airport, somewhere you'd think visitors to the UK would need to be impressed by, and this is what awaits someone in a hire car, probably driving on the left for the first time. Flipping gold.
It's on the way to Heathrow, so one of their last interactions with our wonderful road network. Probably to encourage them not to come back
Oh even better, they can have a crunch there and their final act in the UK is to pay £5000 damage fees to their rental company.

Saving the economy, one crash at a time.
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by Barkstar »

Finding jct 7 on the M56 closed I took a bit of a detour through deepest darkest Cheshire and passed this sign at the Lymm interchange:
Here
The sign is still as shown but the filter lane is clearly long gone. The signage between the services RA and the M6 (M56) RA doesn't have the filter lane on it but it is pretty poor the old sign hasn't been sorted.
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by ajuk »

What I don't get is the M49, it would have more capacity and be more efficient if it was just an WS2 road with sections of D2 at each end and a left turn filter onto the M4, than if they'd built it D2M the whole way for 6 whole miles!
Makes no sense to me, the weakest point is the roundabout that pointlessly make all traffic come to a near stop at the roundabout, how did they not put a left turn filter there, why go to all the trouble of building a motor then? 🤦‍♂️
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by Micro The Maniac »

jervi wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 12:49 A325 / A331 removed left turn slip road count? https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.31206 ... a=!3m1!1e3
Ah yes... the slip that resulted in a numerous crashes because traffic entering Frimley High Street didn't give way...
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by Herned »

ajuk wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 00:22 What I don't get is the M49, it would have more capacity and be more efficient if it was just an WS2 road with sections of D2 at each end and a left turn filter onto the M4, than if they'd built it D2M the whole way for 6 whole miles!
Makes no sense to me, the weakest point is the roundabout that pointlessly make all traffic come to a near stop at the roundabout, how did they not put a left turn filter there, why go to all the trouble of building a motor then? 🤦‍♂️
It would make far more sense to put the give way lines on the circulatory carriageway, then in normal times hardly anyone would need to give way
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by jackal »

ajuk wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 00:22 What I don't get is the M49, it would have more capacity and be more efficient if it was just an WS2 road with sections of D2 at each end and a left turn filter onto the M4, than if they'd built it D2M the whole way for 6 whole miles!
Makes no sense to me, the weakest point is the roundabout that pointlessly make all traffic come to a near stop at the roundabout, how did they not put a left turn filter there, why go to all the trouble of building a motor then? 🤦‍♂️
It's about 25k AADT, so would be very congested and dangerous as a WS2. I get it wasn't a serious proposal, but still...

Of course I agree about the stupid layout at the junction. Short of rebuilding as a trumpet it should be teardropped like M4 J19. The pathetic excuse of depot access towards the bridge will be even less of an excuse if J1 is ever opened.
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by ajuk »

jackal wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 11:29
ajuk wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 00:22 What I don't get is the M49, it would have more capacity and be more efficient if it was just an WS2 road with sections of D2 at each end and a left turn filter onto the M4, than if they'd built it D2M the whole way for 6 whole miles!
Makes no sense to me, the weakest point is the roundabout that pointlessly make all traffic come to a near stop at the roundabout, how did they not put a left turn filter there, why go to all the trouble of building a motor then? 🤦‍♂️
It's about 25k AADT, so would be very congested and dangerous as a WS2. I get it wasn't a serious proposal, but still...

Of course I agree about the stupid layout at the junction. Short of rebuilding as a trumpet it should be teardropped like M4 J19. The pathetic excuse of depot access towards the bridge will be even less of an excuse if J1 is ever opened.
I don't see how it could possibly get congested as a WS2 or even a D2+1 when the weak link for traffic entering or leaving is a single lane that has to either stop or almost stop. I really can't get my head around building this road as a D2M without a LTF.
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jackal
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by jackal »

ajuk wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 01:40
jackal wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 11:29
ajuk wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 00:22 What I don't get is the M49, it would have more capacity and be more efficient if it was just an WS2 road with sections of D2 at each end and a left turn filter onto the M4, than if they'd built it D2M the whole way for 6 whole miles!
Makes no sense to me, the weakest point is the roundabout that pointlessly make all traffic come to a near stop at the roundabout, how did they not put a left turn filter there, why go to all the trouble of building a motor then? 🤦‍♂️
It's about 25k AADT, so would be very congested and dangerous as a WS2. I get it wasn't a serious proposal, but still...

Of course I agree about the stupid layout at the junction. Short of rebuilding as a trumpet it should be teardropped like M4 J19. The pathetic excuse of depot access towards the bridge will be even less of an excuse if J1 is ever opened.
I don't see how it could possibly get congested as a WS2 or even a D2+1 when the weak link for traffic entering or leaving is a single lane that has to either stop or almost stop. I really can't get my head around building this road as a D2M without a LTF.
Northbound entry to the M49 is an NSL freeflow lane drop off the M5, so entry capacity is far in excess of what a WS2 could handle.

Besides, there's not really much arguing that 25k AADT isn't possible when it is the actual observed volume!
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by Bryn666 »

jackal wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 06:48
ajuk wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 01:40
jackal wrote: Mon Jun 21, 2021 11:29
It's about 25k AADT, so would be very congested and dangerous as a WS2. I get it wasn't a serious proposal, but still...

Of course I agree about the stupid layout at the junction. Short of rebuilding as a trumpet it should be teardropped like M4 J19. The pathetic excuse of depot access towards the bridge will be even less of an excuse if J1 is ever opened.
I don't see how it could possibly get congested as a WS2 or even a D2+1 when the weak link for traffic entering or leaving is a single lane that has to either stop or almost stop. I really can't get my head around building this road as a D2M without a LTF.
Northbound entry to the M49 is an NSL freeflow lane drop off the M5, so entry capacity is far in excess of what a WS2 could handle.

Besides, there's not really much arguing that 25k AADT isn't possible when it is the actual observed volume!
Why do we have this attitude that if a road is 'quiet', it's overbuilt? A road that is solid with traffic is a failing road. The M49 is, in this regard, an excellent design. The junction with the M4 is naff but does it really cause a problem?
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by SteveA30 »

White paint would solve the problem at M4, change of priority. How much traffic come round that bit of the rbt? M4 U turns? You can't get to the M48 from that direction unless you go to the M5/A38 junction and, going back over the bridge are the only movements.
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Re: List of removed freeflow left turns/filter lanes

Post by ajuk »

jackal wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 06:48 Besides, there's not really much arguing that 25k AADT isn't possible when it is the actual observed volume!
There is because you're not addressing how that much traffic can cope coming to a halt at a single lane but not be able to cope with a single lane free flowing? The Ilminster bypass has a higher AADT and it's S2+1.
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