Dear Right Lane on Poplar & CY, Nobody Likes You…
It has been a few years since the intersection of Poplar St. and CY Ave. was reconfigured. The new design is very helpful in many ways, but one lane seems to be the odd man out.
If you frequently drive south on Poplar St., you have no doubt encountered some issues and confusion with the right lane. It seems like the right choice when there is a long line of cars in the left lane, but once you get past the intersection the lane ends. If you are going to Walgreens, this lane makes sense. Otherwise, the lane just seems to cause more congestion than anything. If you think you are being sneaky by blowing past the 20 cars in front of you in the left lane, you will most likely get stuck at the merge point and get stank eyed by the motorists beside you who refuse to let you in.
Out-of-towners frequently learn this the hard way as well. They have no idea their lane is ending just past the intersection. Maybe some earlier signage would help?
Just to be clear, I am very thankful for the all of the other additions to the intersection, like the dedicated right turn lane and the double turn lanes on CY.