Intersection (road)

Major intersections are often delineated by gores and may be classified by road segments, traffic controls and lane design.

For example, in the intersection shown in the diagram,[clarification needed] left turn lanes are present in the right-left street.

In rural areas, crash frequency can be reduced by up to 48% if left turn lanes are provided on both main-road approaches at stop-controlled intersections.

If a turn lane has a separate signal phase, it often increases the delay experienced by oncoming through traffic.

Without a separate phase, left crossing traffic does not get the full safety benefit of the turn lane.

[8] Vulnerable road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and individuals using motorized scooters and similar devices.

Compared to people who are in motor vehicles (like cars and trucks), they are much more likely to suffer catastrophic or fatal injuries at an intersection.

Traffic signals can be time consuming to navigate, especially if programmed to prioritise vehicle flow over pedestrians, while over and underpasses which rely on stairs are inaccessible to those who can not climb them.

[10] In 2020, NHTSA reported that more than 50% of pedestrian deaths in the United States (3,262 total) were attributed to failure to yield the right of way-- which typically occurs at intersections.

Some junctions use advanced stop lines which allow cyclists to filter to the front of a traffic queue which makes them more visible to drivers.

A European study found that in Germany and Denmark, the most important crash scenario involving vulnerable road users was: These findings are supported by data elsewhere.

Intersection at Tverskaya Zastava Square in Moscow , Russia
The intersection between Ayala Avenue and Makati Avenue in Makati , Philippines
An intersection in rural Grande Champagne , France
Fork in the road Y-junction
Intersection along the Veterans Memorial Parkway , an at-grade limited-access road in London, Ontario
"Right turn on red" traffic light in Belgrade , Serbia . Right turn only after pedestrians and traffic pass from left.
Diagram of an example intersection of two-way streets as seen from above (traffic flows on the right side of the road). The east-west street has left turn lanes from both directions, but the north-south street does not have left turn lanes at this intersection. The east-west street traffic lights also have green left turn arrows to show when unhindered left turns can be made. Some possible markings for crosswalks are shown as examples.
Times Square is the hub of the Broadway theater district and a major cultural venue in Midtown Manhattan , New York City . The pedestrian intersection also has one of the highest annual attendance rates of any tourist attraction in the world, estimated at 60 million. [ 9 ]
Famous intersection of Highways 61 and 49 in Clarksdale, Mississippi sung about by Robert Johnson