Left turns are both dangerous and inefficient in busy downtowns, according to Vikash Gayah, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. IMAGE: ISTOCK/@RIVERNORTHPHOTOGRAPHY
Engineer pens article advocating for ban of left turns at busy intersections
6/11/2021
By Tim Schley
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Vikash Gayah, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Penn State, recently authored an article for The Conversation advocating for the elimination of left turns at city intersections with heavy traffic.
In the piece, Gayah explained that restricting left turns at these intersections leads to a safer and more efficient flow of traffic. Vehicles no longer wait in left turn lanes, which often overflow and create logjams, and there is no longer a need to stop oncoming traffic. According to Gayah, the resulting gains in traffic efficiency offset the additional travel distances some vehicles face, especially if left turn restrictions are selectively placed to allow drivers to find alternate routes throughout the city. This is supported by his recently published work in Transportation Research Record.
Since publication, the article has garnered more than 20,000 views and was republished in a variety of outlets, including Popular Science, Fast Company and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
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