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FLEX Turn Lanes (FTL) and Related Projects - Development and Support

Started by Tarkus, August 01, 2009, 09:36:25 PM

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Wiimeiser

So this will be draggable apart from the transitions? Makes me wish the same was done with the Rural Roads and RHW-2 alternate lines...
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compdude787

That looks nice! Looking forward to seeing it totally done and released!
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Swordmaster

Top work Alex. I can see these getting even more popular with this easy-to-use approach!

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metarvo

This is top notch stuff, Alex!  That AVE-6 slip lane is breathtaking!  :thumbsup:  These transitions will be super tight, and the ability to drag TuLEPs FTL will save time and cut down on mistakes, e.g. placing the wrong TuLEP at an intersection.  It makes me wonder if I should conjure up some turn lane sign T21s...  ;)
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Tarkus

Thanks, everyone!  I'm really thrilled to see this project being so well-received.  And I do have to defer a good bit of credit on the initial implementation on the FLEX starter/transition pieces to memo.  There's a couple really cool surprises he worked out with those that I haven't shown yet.

In any case, the slip lane coding reached a significant milestone just now:



They're now forming properly off the Avenue/TLA-5 Type 220 setups.  Most of what's left with the slip lanes is adjacency stability for the ones involving NWM networks, and pathing them.

I also still need to work out how the TLA-7/AVE-6 Type x30 setups will be handled (they're the one existing type that hasn't gotten an FTL implementation yet), and implement a few other possible intersection configurations.  I may also work on a second phase of the OWR signalization and turn arrows shortly thereafter, depending on how things are shaping up with the rest of the projects under consideration for NAM 35.

-Alex

Jimmyson

Amazing work Tarkus! I really can't wait to put this into my towns and cities without fumbling around with puzzle pieces!

I'm curious as to what happens to the pathing for the intersection when a slip lane is added.
In the past, adding a slip lane would simply add a second path to turning a corner. From looking at how slip lanes work, they take the turning traffic away from the heart of the intersection, and traffic in the outermost lane would just drive straight through.

Meaning the only turning traffic in the intersection (if slip lanes where built in all corners) would be the inner-most lanes turning out.

The tire marks in the picture below kinda describe what I am trying to point out.



My guess, if this was to be implemented, another form of intersection pieces would need to be created, and re-pathed.

mgb204

I'm with you on that, the UK roads are very similar, it's rare that such a slip lane exists that traffic can also use the intersection to turn left (or right for you Righties). So in that sense, I'd prefer forcing sims to use it.

Tarkus

That is something I have been considering--it's similar here in the US as well.  Presently, while the slip lanes themselves aren't pathed, the intersections adjacent to them are, and they're using the same IIDs and paths as they would without the slip lanes, so it's on track to be identical to the current TuLEP setup in that regard.  Theoretically, the simulator should see the slip lane as a quicker route and cause sims to use it instead of the right turn path in the intersection, but that's not guaranteed.  One eventual thing I'd like to do is also add setups where turn restrictions are part of the package, which would dovetail nicely with this particular situation. 

That said, the coding that's going to be required to add those restrictions is going to be very involved, and may require a lot of tricky adjacencies to keep the rest of the intersection stable.  In other words, it might be something that has to wait until after NAM 35.

-Alex

j-dub

What do you mean by turn restrictions? Something like the split slip lane intersection where the road will terminate into the triangle but you can only turn one way? Otherwise the pre-existing public TuLEP's, I assume folk know how to use it to terminate turning across traffic, you just don't build the pieces with the center turn lane, I mean I've been able to use the split piece with the disabled middle lane before the intersections.

Tarkus

Quote from: j-dub on January 16, 2016, 10:49:22 PM
What do you mean by turn restrictions? Something like the split slip lane intersection where the road will terminate into the triangle but you can only turn one way? Otherwise the pre-existing public TuLEP's, I assume folk know how to use it to terminate turning across traffic, you just don't build the pieces with the center turn lane, I mean I've been able to use the split piece with the disabled middle lane before the intersections.

That's part of it, and you'll still be able to do some restrictions by simply disabling the middle lane as well (and the possibilities there have actually increased).  The particular instance here would be a situation where (assuming right-side traffic) right turns wouldn't be permitted out of the main part of the intersection.  But there's other possibilities that are under consideration as well, particularly with the ideas of intersection designs like CFIs, Michigan Lefts, etc.  Also, it's not uncommon to see RD-6 networks in the real world where left turns aren't permitted. 

This is all still very much hypothetical at the moment, and will depend on how smooth the potential implementation of alternate lane control setups goes, which is something under consideration for a later phase of the project.

-Alex

compdude787

If we could do turn restrictions, that would be pretty impressive.
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mgb204

The no left turn on main through-roads is very common in these parts (Germany). Took me a week of being honked at by everyone before I realised that though ()what() - they really should put signs up!

MushyMushy

This is some very exciting stuff! Even though TuLEP's were some of the easier to use puzzle pieces, they were still tedious. The implementation for slip lanes to all intersection types is also exciting.
Since turning lanes are going to be draggable, are they going to be compatible with NWM intersections as a result (e.g. Ave with turning lane crosses a RD-4 network)? Or is this something that would be looked at later, or is something that isn't feasible due to a game limitation?

Themistokles

That's great! The FLEXibility of the new networks will make life so much easier :D But maybe there should be some kind of pedestrian crossing across the slip lanes, though?
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Tarkus

Thanks, everyone, for the continued support! :thumbsup:

Quote from: MushyMushy on January 17, 2016, 10:42:10 AM
Since turning lanes are going to be draggable, are they going to be compatible with NWM intersections as a result (e.g. Ave with turning lane crosses a RD-4 network)? Or is this something that would be looked at later, or is something that isn't feasible due to a game limitation?

That is something that I am looking at now, though I can't say at this point whether or not that will come to fruition by NAM 35.  We are still committed to having a shorter-term release cycle for it, though not quite as short as the gap between NAM 33 and NAM 34.

Quote from: Themistokles on January 17, 2016, 11:41:40 AM
That's great! The FLEXibility of the new networks will make life so much easier :D But maybe there should be some kind of pedestrian crossing across the slip lanes, though?

The slip lanes will be pathed for a pedestrian crossing in the middle, though there aren't any crosswalk marks on the textures at this point.  I think there was some debate about that internally back when the TuLEP slip lanes were created, and for whatever reason, we decided not to have them on there then.  Since it's only going to require a change to one texture, I'd say there's a good chance of a zebra marking there by the time we release.

-Alex

druidlove

Hi, long-time lurker, first time poster.
The slip lanes are, in theory, designed to be a way for traffic to slip out of the intersection and make that right (in RHD) and slip back into traffic without being counted as traffic stopped at an intersection. However, in cities where a cross street is less than 50 feet away, that slip lane does no good if traffic wants to make a left at the next street, when there are multiple lanes. I have two examples from the same city, and both are blocks apart in Pueblo, CO.

https://goo.gl/maps/V9XNufSa1kw

This one is a SPUI from I-25 south offramp. Note the green sign says "To Elizabeth St." The right is the slip ramp and the left is just a right-turn lane. Both go onto US 50 West. Elizabeth is on the right where that traffic light is. If you make that right and look at that intersection, you'll see this:

https://goo.gl/maps/9Toetxyi4q72

I think it's best not to disable the turn at the intersection if a slip lane is used.

matias93

Here in Chile most slip lanes are used in corners where busses are prone to turn right, thus avoiding traffic barricades to appear spontaneously. An example is this: https://goo.gl/maps/Jc3PfZaEokq

So in this case, the slip lane would also work as an only-bus way to take the intersection, and the rightward curve would be still on the central intersection.

This is just to abound in alternatives, in any case the advances are great and I'm sure most players will be happy to use it,

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Wiimeiser

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