Submitted by drew on

Traffic Question 13:

The John Deere Express / Milan Beltway exchange. Which of these is the better road layout and design?

IDOT's Answer:

It is easily apparent that the top diagram is much simpler. Let’s remove some of the distracting parts of the diagram to illustrate this.

Moline/Milan have no stops. Moline/Rock Island and Milan/Rock Island both have opportunities to stop and enjoy the scenery.

Let’s build a ROAD! Quack, quack. (You may be familiar with Word World’s “Let’s build a word.”)

Conventional Answer

Are you nuts? Who wants to sit at extra stop lights and stop signs, and make extra turns and merges? The only way the top diagram makes sense is if Milan is trying to get people to come to Milan (by mistake).

The lower diagram has zero stop signs, zero stop lights for any direction. No bizarre pathing, except perhaps a minor loop for Milan to Rock Island.

Additional Information:

Apparently, the main reasons for a new connection was 1) need for expansion and 2) Blackhawk State Park is a historical area with embankments that prevent widening of the existing road. IDOT still have the report available (directory,  first section of report. road plan for future development).

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Traffic Question 15: Mailing a letter

Submitted by drew on

Traffic Question 15:

During a period of heavy traffic, you want to mail a letter and then head in the direction of the pink arrow. How do you do it?

  1. Stop at Mailbox A, then do a U turn
  2. Park in a spot near Mailbox A, then turn left out of the parking lot
  3. Use Mailbox A, then use the left turn lane at the intersection to do a legal U turn
  4. Turn right at the main street, turn left into the parking lot for Mailbox B, then go through the intersection in the desired direction

Traffic Question 14: A traffic light turns yellow and you’re not quite going to make it through before it turns red... what do you do?

Submitted by drew on

Traffic Question 14:

A traffic light turns yellow and you’re not quite going to make it through before it turns red... what do you do?

  1. Stomp on the gas pedal and zoom through
  2. Continue through the intersection without any change in speed
  3. Wait until the last second and then stomp on the brake
  4. Start coming to a gradual stop immediately
  5. None of the above

Traffic Question 9: If you get a phone call while you’re driving, what do you do?

Submitted by drew on

traffic-09q.pngTraffic Question 9: If you get a phone call while you’re driving, what do you do?

A. Answer it right away

B. Wait until you get to a stop light and call back.

C. Stop at a stop sign and call back.

D. See who it is. If you think it might be an emergency, park the car in a designated parking area and then call back.

(Yes, this is pretty similar to #2 If you get a text while you’re driving... The main difference is, texting on the phone is illegal whereas talking on the phone is legal. At least in Moline.)

Traffic Question 12: Which of the following are factors in whether or not a vehicle is going to be slower than normal?

Submitted by drew on

Traffic Question 12:

Which of the following are factors in whether or not a vehicle is going to be slower than normal?

* Car is Buick, Cadillac, or similar type

* One or more children are present

* Vehicle is a minivan

* Age of driver is over 60

* Handicapped license plates

* Driver is using cell phone

* Vehicle is a "sporty" color

* Driver is female

Traffic Quiz 6: Is it possible to back out of a driveway and use only one lane?

Submitted by drew on

traffic-06q.pngTraffic Question 6:

The blue dots indicate the path used to pull IN the driveway.

Is it possible to back out of a driveway and head in the direction indicated by the pink arrow, using only one lane of the road?

A. No, one lane is not enough room.

B. Yes, it can be done in one lane.