Discussions

Once again today a semi truck turning left onto Richmond Avenue East from Highway 110 decided to proceed regardless of oncoming traffic. And once again I was passing through the intersection eastbound on Richmond Ave East and had to slam on the brakes for an idiot in a semi. I pass through that intersection every day and at least once a week I have to brake suddenly for a semi driver too impatient to wait for oncoming traffic. It is as if they feel too entitled to wait. While the hog haulers are by far the worst (a hog truck today), trucks hauling all types of goods are guilty. If you know someone who passes through the intersection heading east, remind them to be diligent because the drivers of big trucks are terrible. If you know a driver of a semi that would be turning left on to Richmond Ave East at highways #110, please remind them to re-activate their brain before turning into oncoming traffic.

That intersection is truly awful. As you have said yourself, you have to brake for a semi at least once a week. It would be very time consuming for a semi to wait for a break in traffic big enough to be able to get all the way into traffic, and with their momentum I think they would be hard pressed to be able to brake as quickly as you can. If you're accustomed to having to brake for them that often, maybe watch for them and watch your speed when you're hitting that intersection. The speed limit is 90k, that is the MAXIMUM. You are invited to use YOUR judgement when approaching a heavy traffic uncontrolled intersection.  
I know the struggle is real, I drive eastbound on richmond avenue east on the daily and I know what you mean, but there's no use singling out the semi drivers, they're taking the truck route (the 110), and the city or manitoba highways should control that intersection.

It is not uncontrolled. The trucks turning left from Highway #110 do so at the stop sign. I do not have a stop sign and although I have the right of way and am driving at the speed limit or slower, I still have to hammer the brakes for a truck turning into my path.

That corner should have lights. Truck traffic has to move and if they didn't take their chance to go at some point the traffic there at busy times would come to a standstill. IF you have to HAMMER the brakes you should report the driver of the vehicle. And if it's that often be prepared. Having the right of way doesn't mean others won't take the right of way from you, such as being a pedestrian you have the right of way, does that mean you should stand in the middle of the road and get killed to prove it? Trucks WILL move, the way to control that intersection is to install lights.

I've seen few semis going through red lights by burger king not even slowing down on traffic lights turning yellow. Maybe they figure they are big and drivers will see them and make the stop for them ( I don't know what's in their head).  
On the windy days some semis do not slow down or move over a little bit when passing cyclists ...they don't care or maybe they think it will funny to through a cyclist on the ground.  
They drive a huge vehicle they are not the ones that will get hurt and spend 1 year or more of physio sessions.

A clover leaf passage would be great in that area considering the traffic from Maple Leaf. I hate turning with my pick up let alone having to in a semi. Instead of bitching about semis I try to work with them. Due to working on Park Ave. East I know all too well the joys semis have on trying to turn on to both Richmond and Park. Many people want to be jerks and pull up right to Richmond past the stop sign on Park preventing semis from making a wide turn. When I see semis trying to turn onto Richmond I will slow down on Richmond almost a block from the intersection and turn on my turn signal letting them know my intentions. This opens up a large enough gap in my direction to allow them safe passage. They only need to be concerned on watching the other way. If more people worked with the trucks there wouldn't be anything to complain about. It will only get busier once the Co-op fertilizer distribution center is completed just down the road from Maple Leaf. And if everyone wants to complain about semis......every morning on my way to work 4/5 days there is always a vehicle that runs the red light at 1st St and Richmond.

This happens not only at 110 and Richmond East but also at Park East and Richmond. Mr. PoTater raises a good point, every driver should anticipate every other driver breaking the law and mitigate there own risks by driving 10 km/hr. This is extremely reasonable OP, it's not hard to understand. Rules don't matter, they are bigger than you so they get to boss you around.  
 
All doofus talk aside, if you are extremely concerned/annoyed then report the drivers and make a call to the non emergency line and hopefully it will be policed and the offending drivers are stopped and ticketed.  
 
Should there be lights? Yes. Are there lights? No, there is a stop sign. They should stop until they can safely enter the intersection plain and simple. Once somebody dies, someone will get the message until then set your cruise to 10km/hr.

So, just watch, be on the look out and slow for the semi driver. He is driving a lot bigger vehicle than me, and I know if he starts to turn, I will slow down and let him.  
 
It is going to happen everywhere there are semi's, they need more time to turn and sometimes, safe or not, they will do so.  
 
You know it is going to happen, just slow down and watch. Safer for both you and the semi driver. Annoying yes, but a few seconds of your time slowing down and watching is better than being in a crash.

would be a good location for Motion Sensor Traffic Lights due to high traffic volume at certain times of the day.

Leaving Maple Leaf after work. Pulling out onto Richmond East. Sometimes right in front of a loaded semi going 90 km/h. It is a lot easier to brake a car or truck vs a semi. I have watched a line up of vehicles go through the stop sign leaving Maple Leaf just to get ahead of a semi going the speed limit. Now that makes sense.

just a question? did you have to slam slam on the breaks or just slow down, because the first one could be a mistake by the driver ect but due to the traffic at that intersection slowing down is pretty normal and unreasonable to think that in traffic one would never have to slow a bit to let someone in, semis are longer and take time to get up to speed and its pretty much impossible to wait until someone would never have to slow in the slightest so the drivers do count on others to be aware and able to slow  
 
the one i hate is the semis heading west turning right on park from the full left lane of Richmond, its completely unsafe and there is a proper way to do that corner without allowing opportunity for mistakes, ive done it myself ;s

Maybe the city should put a traffic cam on that corner and make some cash off the semi's?????????

Wouldn't the simplest, safest, best solution be semi trucks obeying the law and only turning left onto Richmond Avenue East when safe to do so?

Today, when the semi pulled out in front of me there was literally no traffic behind me. If the semi driver waited a few seconds for me to pass by he/she would have had many minutes without oncoming traffic. It was a very dangerous and reckless action.

If the semi's are coming from the west and then turning left on to Richmond, I wonder why they don't turn earlier on 17th st east

traveller said "just a question? did you have to slam slam on the breaks or just slow down, because the first one could be a mistake by the driver ect but due to the traffic at that intersection slowing down is pretty normal and unreasonable to think that in traffic one would never have to slow a bit to let someone in, semis are longer and take time to get up to speed and its pretty much impossible to wait until someone would never have to slow in the slightest so the drivers do count on others to be aware and able to slow     the one i hate is the semis heading west turning right on park from the full left lane of Richmond, its completely unsafe and there is a proper way to do that corner without allowing opportunity for mistakes, ive done it myself ;s "

The reason semis go into the left lane of Richmond when turning onto Park avenue is because they are longer and need the room to turn, defiantly when there vehicles sitting at the stop sign on Park. The trailer doesn't follow the same path of the truck and will drag. It's better to go wide, then to not and be screwed or run over something.

Netwalker said "Maybe the city should put a traffic cam on that corner and make some cash off the semi's????????? "

Manitoba Infrastructure is responsible for this intersection not the city of Brandon. Someone can correct me if I am wrong about this.

with what is east of the intersection, but I do know that coming east on Richmond the lanes split so drivers turning north on 110 are not in eastbound traffic. If the lane created was to continue east for truckers to turn into and accelerate there would be no problem. Perhaps there is an opposing turning lane there for those turning south? If so, this solution would be a bit tougher, but many new intersections include this lane.

The_Young_Man said "    traveller said "just a question? did you have to slam slam on the breaks or just slow down, because the first one could be a mistake by the driver ect but due to the traffic at that intersection slowing down is pretty normal and unreasonable to think that in traffic one would never have to slow a bit to let someone in, semis are longer and take time to get up to speed and its pretty much impossible to wait until someone would never have to slow in the slightest so the drivers do count on others to be aware and able to slow     the one i hate is the semis heading west turning right on park from the full left lane of Richmond, its completely unsafe and there is a proper way to do that corner without allowing opportunity for mistakes, ive done it myself ;s " The reason semis go into the left lane of Richmond when turning onto Park avenue is because they are longer and need the room to turn, defiantly when there vehicles sitting at the stop sign on Park. The trailer doesn't follow the same path of the truck and will drag. It's better to go wide, then to not and be screwed or run over something. "

oh i know why they do it, heard all the excuses too lol, i have had my class one since the 90's, BUT there is a proper way to do a right turn with a semi, even into a tight spot  
 
you are not supposed to have your trailer more then a few feet away from the curve, that is to stop vehicles from getting in between the trailer and the corner, so they dont get squished, to do that you need to do a fish hook turn, both allowing the larger vehicle to maneuver the corner yet following the rules of the road, it really isnt that hard when you know your truck but what i see well experienced drivers that should know better lol turning straight from fully in the left lane that IS an accident waiting to happen and would be fully the semis fault, of course many will say but cars pass the stop line so i cant, but cars should see my turn signal but but but ... you get the idea  
 
 
now crossing or turning on the bipass to richmond is a bit different because sometimes the traffic is so busy that the semi does have to assume a driver coming will be able to slow a bit to accommodate the slow moving vehicle, i would agree if there is lots of room after a person passes or cars have to break hard then the semi should wait, even if its forever lol, but there are sloppy semi drivers just as there are sloppy car drivers, i just worry about myself and move on

That intersection is backwards to begin with. 110 should be the thru route with stop signs on Richmond.

Trevor said "That intersection is backwards to begin with. 110 should be the thru route with stop signs on Richmond. "

Exactly!!

fdsafdsa I never said everyone should drive 10km per hour, your use of hyperbole and sarcasm really doesn't add anything useful. I go through that intersection every weekday, I don't think it functions well, but I can see that truck drivers are not in a great position either.  
 
I've also had drivers leaving Maple Leaf in the morning exit westwards right into my eastbound lane, more than once. In that case should I just keep on driving and have a head on collision because they should know better?? They should know better but everyone makes mistakes.  
 
Do you think I'm wrong that a light would be a better way to control that intersection?

kevlar said "    Trevor said "That intersection is backwards to begin with. 110 should be the thru route with stop signs on Richmond. " Exactly!! "

especially when they first built it, now at least there is more the the fertilizer plant east of 110, by now it should have lights but unfortunately it doesnt

IMO the best solution for that intersection would be a 4 way stop sign. That way everybody gets their turn. Besides 90kph is to fast for that inspection with the amount of traffic that goes through there.

Today at about 12:30 PM a hog hauler just had to turn Eastbound onto Richmond East right in front of me. There were no vehicles visible behind me so if the trucker waited an extra 15 seconds the left turn would have been perfectly safe. Traffic lights, four way stops or other controls wont work if the truckers cant understand the simple concept of "stop and then proceed only when safe to do so".

Come out of the McMunn parking lot turning left and completely cut me off and he sits in the middle of Richmond waiting to turn and I have to stop and wait for him. It's so stupid. They see they don't have time to turn and they go anyway.

very easy to spot, I will always keep an eye out for what they are doing. It is hard for them in the city sometimes to get around. I quite happy to watch out for them and let them go, beats having a smashed car, broken bones, etc. Only costs me, maybe a minute of my time.