Lost in Translation

Regional accents can be charming, but regional road patterns can be downright confusing. Head out on spring break this year with our guide to U.S. traffic quirks.

By Ronald Ahrens

New Orleans is known for its po-boy sandwiches, San Francisco for the Golden Gate Bridge, and Cape Cod for its whale-watching. But tourists in Pittsburgh may be flummoxed by an unusual local traffic practice known as the Pittsburgh Left. At conventional city intersections, left-turning traffic may get precedence; the driver going straight gives a little wave of authorization. (This dangerous practice is frowned upon by the cops, by the way, so this is one time when you should not follow the locals.)

It's a common dilemma with regional variations. And if you've just driven into a new city, you'd better figure out the local driving customs -- fast. Unfortunately, no strategy sheet comes with a rental car's map. Before setting off down the road, take an armchair journey through these local idiosyncrasies.

Traffic Circles & Roundabouts
Tina Fields is rarely flustered. Yet driving through a new roundabout in Ann Arbor, Michigan, renders her almost helpless. For her, it's the automotive equivalent of falling into the clothes dryer. The first circular intersection was New York City's Columbus Circle, built in 1905. Both traffic circles and their updated version, roundabouts, are designed to eliminate left-hand turns. You turn right into the traffic circle or roundabout and circulate with one-way traffic until your desired street appears on the right. Many cities are installing roundabouts because of their excellent safety record: When a traditional four-way intersection is replaced by a roundabout, the number of crashes goes down 37 to 40 percent. Tip for novices: In case of uncertainty, making more than one lap is entirely permissible.

Jughandle Turns
Jughandles are most common in New Jersey, but have been copied in states such as Rhode Island and Oregon. They became common in the 1960s and aim to improve safety by avoiding turns across traffic at city intersections. All turns -- right or left -- begin by shifting right onto an exit ramp that's similar to those found on interstates. Approaching the cross street on the ramp, you move into the correct lane to complete your turn. Seen from the air, the ramp's slight curve looks like a conventional jug handle. Traffic engineers extol advantages such as the reduction of left turns before fast-moving traffic and decreased crossing distances for pedestrians.

Michigan Left
Another strategy for eliminating left-hand turns at intersections is common on divided boulevards throughout Michigan. To turn left onto a road, you turn right at the intersection, then immediately move to the left lane and start looking for the one-way U-turn lanes in the median. These come up after about one-eighth mile; some have dedicated traffic signals, while others just have stop signs. You make the controlled U-turn and end up on the same road going in the opposite direction.

Newcomers are likely to miss the first couple of Michigan lefts and find themselves muttering indelicately. Nick Cappa moved from California to work for a Detroit auto manufacturer. "When people told me to make a Michigan left, it meant nothing," he says. "What would've meant something is if people had said take a right, then make a U-turn."

Frontage Roads
Common in Texas and Missouri, these require the kind of dodging around normally associated with water bugs. Frontage roads run parallel to expressways and provide local access to homes and businesses. Expressway entrances and exits are achieved by means of short "slip ramps," which can take sharp angles. There's a forthrightness to frontage roads that's missing from jughandles and Michigan turns, but they add a busy feeling that can unnerve a first-timer.

Texas also has a unique tradition involving slow-moving vehicles on two-lane highways. Maintaining a constant speed, the slower driver moves right as a courtesy, keeping a constant speed on the broad shoulder and waving you by. It's a benefit of wide roads in a big state.

For folks who struggle with regional variations in traffic patterns, the bright spot is that when moving from state to state, we always drive on the same side of the road. Just imagine the conundrum if Great Britain's left-hand drive became the norm in, say, Ohio and Nevada.

Note: Road signs and road rules vary from state to state and city to city. Ask locals for directions, if needed.

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