Was driving through Alabama recently and we got off on an exit that confused my fiance, and I was like "Oh my god! It's a diverging diamond interchange! Like from the KZfaq video!" She told me to calm down and that I was being a nerd.

"These are turn signals. They let other drivers know what you're doing. You should use them."

As a cities skylines player I can tell you with 100% confidence that it doesn't matter how well your road system, citizens will find some way to back it up for atleast two kilometers.

Also worth knowing: 1: turn signals also work in car parks. Yes, in supermarket car parks - all car parks. So use them. 2: turn signals can be understood by pedestrians. Remember, that pedestrian in front of you may have just got out of a car and still has the part of his brain which understands turn signals!

"these are turn signals". Now i know that nearly 3 million people have been informed. My anger is now justified.

3:56 well there's the problem, the bridge melted onto the highway below.

As a trucker, I looooove these intersections. One of our entrances to our interstates from our hub has this. It’s never a place we sit at ever, and there are a lot of people going through there.

I can attest to the intersection not being confusing. I was visiting some family in Springfield about a month ago and came upon one of these intersections unknowingly. I was very confused as to why I ended up on the wrong side of the road, but the other cars were doing it and the white lines were guiding me, and eventually the lines guided me back to the other side of the intersection and I was on my way with no problems. It's really odd to go through and while you're doing it you have no idea why it works but in the end you get through with very little slowdowns.

"Also while I have you here, these are "turn signals"... Use them." Best part of the video.

Had to hit em with the “AND these are turn signals, use them” some people I swear forget they exist

As someone that lives in the UK I was confused as to how this could be better than an ordinary junction, but then I saw what the junction looked like before the change. Now it makes sense.

One of the best ways to explain the advantages of this design is that nowhere in this interchange does any vehicle have to turn left across oncoming traffic. Whether you turn left or right, you are always merging directly into the flow of traffic, and never across oncoming traffic. Just think of how much easier right turns normally are than left turns (in the US, or in any country where you drive on the right). Well, this design makes every turn as easy as a right turn, even if it's actually a left turn.

bruh maybe I’m drunk but my city has a diverging diamond and the first time I drove it I thought I was British but I knew exactly where to go and when to stop, this shit is underrated asf

Everyone: this is boring who would watch this Cities skylines players: This is the best video I’ve ever seen

Just went on a diverging diamond outside of Tucson AZ. My parents were confused, but I found it easy to navigate as long as you know what lane to be in before you enter the Diamond. It was simple and efficient.

Encountered this in Ankeny, IA on one of their busiest streets that goes under I-35. I can't imagine how backed up it used to be before they changed this, but now even rush hour traffic doesn't back up much at all. It's a beautiful thing. Now we just gotta hope roundabouts become more popular in America one of these days.

Your city is so adorable, Chestnut Expressway and Battlefield Road sound like Mario Kart courses

I drove through one of these that was recently installed. The funny thing is the first time you approach one of these is, “why the hell did they do this?” then you think, “well that went smoothly”, then you think to yourself, “ how did that just work, And was that really necessary?” But it works.

I first encountered one of these intersections by complete surprise near an airport. My first reaction was, "What lunacy is this?" Even though I was completely ignorant regarding the design, I navigated it without issue, aside from a bit of anxiety. I refueled the vehicle within sight of the interchange and watched traffic while doing so. After observing the flow for those few minutes, I realized it was some brilliant lunacy.

LOL...I love the comment about turn signals! I'm a big time cyclist and what i (we) fine truly annoying is that cars are much more likely to NOT use signals when only a bike is around. Please folks...let the cyclist know your intentions please. I really enjoyed this you tube.

There's a really cool thing in traffic study that they call "ghost accident". If, for example, a cat crosses the road, and the driver stops to allow it passage, the driver behind him needs to stop as to not get in an accident, then the driver behind that driver, and so on. Eventually the cat will be long gone, hunting birds in the park, but the ghost of her crossing the lane will still travel through the road, like a wave of sorts. Really interesting stuff.

“These are turn signals and you should use them” The entire state of Texas: how bout I don’t

to be honest, I think the most important improvement we can have is not designing car-centered cities and infrastructures but this interchange is probably the best among the all interchanges even though ideally we wouldn't need them or at least have them in our city centers.

"There's no magic bullet to stopping traffic jams" Public transport: is that a challenge?

3:53 "Before the new system..." Ah yes, I can see the problem right away! The bridge had melted onto the freeway. Definitely would understand why that's not good for the flow of traffic.

Laughed at the reminder to use indicators. As an Australian who moved to the USA, I was truly alarmed at how few US drivers use them. You get a fine in Australia if you don’t.

I live in Austin and when they introduced this traffic pattern, people were upset. Now the traffic moves smoothly and people are happy. They have introduced this in few other spots in the city. This is a good innovation.

They put in a diverging diamond at at freeway crossover near my hometown in Lacey, Washington, and after being away from the area for several years I returned to find this very odd road situation as I was driving from one side of the freeway to the other. And today, just by virtue of KZfaq's algorithm I have found out what this is called! Very interesting! Thanks Austin!

I love the passive-aggressive way he tells people to use their turn signals.

7:49 BMW drivers: "I"m gonna pretend I didn't see that"

This type of road might be driver friendly but it is not pedestrian and bicycle friendly. There is one of these intersections on the NY state routes 17/32, next to the Woodbury Commons shopping outlet and the exit 16 NYS thruway. It was very scary to try to cross. I think I had to walk across this same road 3 to 5 times, no exaggeration.

It looks a nightmare for pedestrians. How long does it take to cross over the multiple crossings to get across it all? It seems the side lanes function as slip lanes allowing right on reds and drivers rarely fully stop at these or look.

7:50 Very important: Use them *before* you started slowing down, turning, etc. You are *not* the only driver without Telepathic ability. 100% of all drivers have that issue.

Wait wait wait, so you're saying the little yellow blinky lights have a purpose??

The problem is people are so used to driving only on the right side of the road that I've seen people CROSS THE LANES to stay on the right side and into oncoming traffic. It's rare but it definitely happens, especially to older drivers. Regardless, as you said it's likely a rare enough occurrence that it pales in comparison with the issues with the more traditional intersection. If the biggest issues are it's "ugly" and people aren't used to it you're doing pretty good. Time will take care of those sentiments.

Hey, that was the best demonstration of WHY we should follow the new traffic designs. 60% reduction in accidents is HUGE! Thank you!

Can confirm after weird events of life had me sent to Kansas City for work. I drove across the original. It's magical. Had no idea what the fuck I was doing other than, "OH SHIT I SAW THIS IN THAT ONE KZfaq VIDEO." It's really way more simple than it seems.

I’m a truck driver that has mostly stayed out west for the last 20 years. The first time I saw one of these was in Salt Lake City in 2011. Like the traffic engineer in the video, I thought this was an abomination at first. Getting to my location was also very confusing the first time and I missed a turn. I found that since each one is designed slightly different based on nearby side streets, they’re only confusing the first time. Some were not designed properly for big trucks and a curb or two were ran over every time I or anyone else went through there. After getting used to seeing and using these interchanges, I learned to love them. Way more efficient than the standard intersections and like the video pointed out, easier for drivers like me to see and make safe merging decisions. I hope they spread everywhere. While this design is not perfect, it’s a huge improvement over the standard interchange.

There's a diverging diamond getting built here in Georgia connecting I-75 and H-20 making me return back to this vid. Constructions been going on for a while now, but it's starting to take shape. Traffic has been horrible over that bridge, and it can backup H-20 East for nearly a mile during rush hour. Faster to take 25 mins of backroads to cross the bridge heading East than it is to go through that quarter of a mile of average traffic. Proud of McDonough and Henry County because they've been really going hard at solving the traffic issues. Lots of roundabouts have been being built as well, and the few that have been built have relieved so much traffic or at least made traffic so much faster. The 4-way stop at the intersection between Mount Carmel Rd and Mill Rd use to back up all the way to the school, and it would take 25-40 mins to get through on the weekends or rush hour. Replaced it with a roundabout, and now even when it does get backed up half a mile, you're through in 5-10 mins.

The answer, as usual, is _trains._

I'll have to try this in _Cities: Skylines._

"No opportunity to mess up"? Challenge accepted.

There is one of these near Johnson City in Tennessee, USA. They put it in over the past few years. When they first started the modifications, I thought the odd lane changes had to be temporary. The layout was completely backwards. I assumed they were doing a massive repaving job. Well they did that too, but the weird lane shifts that I thought were temporary, were being laid out in the finished road. It's faster than the typical busy highway/freeway interchange but it's not perfect. If you are the first car at the red light you can't even see the red light. They built them at too steep an angle and you basically have to lean forward and look out/up right over your head to see if the light changed. Those needed to be put further back so people can see them. The speed limit is 25mph and nobody (nobody, no not one) follows it.

Illinois got the first one off of Rt59/I-88 and it was a little over a year long project. Once the construction was complete, the traffic flow was smoother than ever and cut down times for some commutes by 5 mins or more

I am a trucker. THANK YOU for the turn signal bit. Maybe people will notice that while they are rolling down the road watching youtube videos on their phone.....

My Dad HATES Diverging Diamond Interchanges here in Charlotte. "They are confusing! What If I go into the opposite side! "Dad there is a concrete barrier" "Yeah but you never know! This is so unsafe and slow. I could do better!" " Some guys spent years of their life doing math to make sure it was safe. I'm pretty sure they can do it fine"

It’s crazy bc in other countries like Mexico. Turn signals are used to signify that the driver using the turn signal is allowing drivers behind them to pass them on that side

I live in Cape Girardeau and they just added one of these at Kingshighway and the 55 freeway. It is very effective and makes so much sense! Coming from CA I can say CA needs these everywhere. Thanks for covering this!

3:57 No wonder it didn’t work, the bridge is like a soggy noodle!

"there are 32 potential accident spots at a regular interchange" thanks man, now I'll be wide awake at night thinking about this

We got a diverging diamond north of olympia wa. It turned a backed up freeway interchange stroad into a quick efficient passage where all your options flow simply. Super intuitive, not confusing at all. Wasted time is a big pet peeve, these make me smile.

I've seen these more and more and absolutely love them!!!

People dont know what a turn signal is.

The moment when you realize this KZfaqr is from your hometown and that now you get to watch a video that's basically all about your morning commute.

Love LOVE the snide comment at the end directed toward the people that don't know what the stick is on the left side of the steering column. SPOT ON. 👍❤

I remember when this type of interchange came to the area I grew up in. Was kinda confusing at first but after having gone through it a few times it's a really simple design, just got to stay in your lane. As far as I can tell, it hasn't really alleviated the immediate area traffic, but that might have to do w/it being an interstate exit to a dense strip mall/shopping area complex with difficult light placement on either side of the interchange. Basically, whatever changes they were planning to make weren't going to be all too helpful, but some positive change is better than no change at all

So the biggest advantage I'm understanding is making left hand turns are easier because the flow of traffic already puts you on the other side of oncoming traffic. Right hand turns aren't affected because you make them before you cross paths.

Not just drivers, but bikers and pedestrians; They're people who'd prefer not to be hit just as much as you, so use your dang blinker.

We just started to get some in Northern Kentucky at some of our notoriously bad interchanges. I didn't understand them...at all. BUT, now I do, and I can appreciate them! Thanks!

"If left hand turns are such an issue, why not turn them into right hand turns?" "Pierre, you are a genius "

That turn signal jab at the end. Classic.

The only reason I’m watching this video is city skyline traffic chaos. 😅

The diverging diamond is my favorite interchange and this video is one of my favorite videos of all time.

Just got one of these at a previously horrible intersection in my town. When I saw it, I got excited and had to rewatch this video.

I was watching City Skylines videos and I thought that that it was a video about how to solve traffic in cities Skylines no joke

We also got one a while ago in Columbia, MO! I called it “temporary England” because you drive on the left for a bit and I thought it was weird and confusing at first, so I didn’t know why they did it, but that area, which used to be backed up and one of the rare places you actually got bad traffic in Columbia Missouri, now it’s a pretty clear road.

Thank you for making this, though I didn’t understand even a bit, I’m gonna watch it again.

Sorry I am a little late to the party. I drove through a diverging diamond in Cornelius, NC (North of Charlottle) at the intersection of I-77 and Catawba. I can't speak to traffic prior to the creation of this interchange, but when I was forced to use the interchange in the summer of 2022, it was among the worst intersections I have gone through. It took me 20 to 30 minutes to exit the northbound highway to westbound Catawba. No road construction of any kind. Logically, how could this be better than a cloverleaf? With a cloverleaf there aren't any traffic lights and you don't crisscross traffic twice. What I mean is, with this design, a driver crosses traffic at the beginning of the interchange and then cross the traffic a second time at the opposite interchange. In this example, the traditional interchange is better for the vehicle that is going straight through the interchange and not turning onto the perpendicular roadway. To me, the traditional interchange seems better, but a cloverleaf is definitely better. Thanks for adding the part about turn signal use!

Let me save you some time: 1. Endless comments about Cities: Skylines 2. Endless comments bringing up roundabouts 3. Endless comments (rightfully) giving praise to his turn signal bit at the end.

I remember when I first came across this exact intersection, I was confused. But you're right, you don't have an opportunity to mess up, follow the lane and it'll guide you right through it. I enjoy the intersection and find it a nice change and it's efficient too.

The Ministry of Transportation in Ontario just completed one at the interchange for St. Catharines/Niagara on the Lake - was through there last weekend - was a piece of cake. Curbs and lanes laid out well to prevent people from entering the wrong lane - much prefer it to the round abouts found closer buy where some drivers don't understand the concept of "yielding", but the lights at the diamond interchange they do see m to understand.

We got one in my area about 44 mile south of DC. it looks confusing but is actually very smooth and easy to follow. Kind of neat. I hope this and roundabouts become more common in the US.

Hey Austin, What are those Blinky flashy things at the back and front of my car? I can't really seem to find a use for them...

Love how I'm supposed to be studying right now but instead I'm watching videos of traffic and intersections

Just saw one in person for the first time in downtown Raleigh, NC. Extremely cool and easy to use. Thanks to this video, I recognized it immediately!

One was added sometime in the past few years here in suburban Illinois. Drove through it the other day for the first time and kinda got excited to see it

Regular intersections: 32 possible accident points Diamond intersection: only 14 accident points American drivers: Not if i have anything to say about that

Waiting 25mins because of an accident* Los Angeles: “First time?”

*pedestrians and cyclists left the chat*

Informative videos on traffic has been my thing lately

Most people think that turn signals are only needed WHILE YOU ARE ACTUALLY TURNING and even then, they are optional. The concept of using them as a warning device and a request for clearance is completely foreign to most drivers. Please signal at least 3 seconds (5 preferably​) BEFORE YOU TURN.

Meanwhile in Indiana, we just shove Roundabouts everywhere. No, like seriously EVERYWHERE. We put roundabouts, AFTER roundabouts, and it actually works pretty swell 👍 I think everyone hates, "Change" at first, but once they realize it's efficiency it's hard to live without! Makes cruising about so much more fun too, since it means more time driving and less time...well not driving. I don't get in a car to sit still after all!

I remember when these were first introduced and thought, "How the heck is that better ?" For some reason it works amazingly well. No waiting to make for left turn arrow. I still can't quite get my head completely around it. I live in the Springfield area too :)

Thank you for a great video & for the timely reminder about turn signal use. It cannot be said enough, folks they're not optional equipment! Very informative along with round-a-bouts things are getting safer out there on the roads...

That looked convoluted at first but that quickly makes sense when you see it work. Making turns is what takes time, this makes it easy to get on off which solves the bulk of the problem.

"Since we're on the internet there's nothing stopping me from pretending like I do 👍"

The "Starfox" SNES "Good Luck!" takes me back... and immediately shows how old I am. lol.

I encountered my first one of these on a long road trip to Paducah, KY this past year. I actually knew about them beforehand from watching this video when it originally released. I was a fan of the idea, but had never seen one near where I live... I can't imagine the chaos early on if they tried these near DC. I was so surprised and excited when I encountered one out of the blue. It had great signage, and very clear road markings, which made it actually very easy to interpret. In my experience, it also sped up the flow of traffic a good deal... but that could also just because I was in a relatively much lower population area than I'm used to. I'd love to see more of these things adopted as a standard. The safety and convenience are top notch. It might be weird to nerd out or fan boy about traffic designs, but to me, its just exciting to see new, effective ideas be realized.

I love how you make videos about literally anything (and you make them so hilariously entertaining at the same time). Mad respect!

I lived in Joplin, MO for a couple years and was absolutely perplexed at what engineer thought it would be a good idea to make lanes cross each other for what seemed no good reason at all. I had no idea it was actually something with a name and a real purpose… all makes sense now.

Had this near my work for years. Was an absolute nightmare during rush hour when three lanes of traffic would try to merge into one lane to get onto the freeway to go home. This would cause traffic to back up all the way to the end through the other intersection, causing the traffic going the other direction to also not be able to move. The traffic going the opposite direction getting backed up would then cause people to pile into the far side lane, meant to go to the freeway, waiting to switch to the lanes which were backed up due to the opposite direction lanes being backed up. This back up caused additional congestion into the rest of the business complex and multiple additional intersections. All of this caused by a single lane trying to feed to the freeway. If I left work 30 minutes early I could get home in 15 minutes. If I left at shift end it would take me almost an hour. 30 minutes spent trying to get through the mess. It was removed and a more traditional setup was implemented. No more congestion during rush hour. This setup would probably work for low-traffic areas, but not large congestion.

These are a fantastic design! Brilliant. Also, roundabouts.

Almost expected you to pull an Odd1sout reference at the end and say "don't forget to wear your seat belt"

Well of course the old intersection caused problems - look at how it's resting on the motorway at 3:56. How is anyone supposed to drive beneath that?

My rapidly-growing small town is looking for traffic solutions to our interstate exit. The DOT's suggestion at the moment is to build a roundabout at one side of the interstate while leaving the old-fashioned traffic light intersection on the other side (which I fear will most likely back up traffic across the bridge into the roundabout). I really don't like that idea. A diverging diamond has been suggested by some residents of our city. This is a great video to help explain the concept.

There is an interchange like that in Washington, PA at the exit for US Rte 19 and I-70. It has made the traffic move much smoother and quickly.

„Highways are high speed“ Autobahn: hold my beer

I had to pay extra for turn signals on my BMW so I decided not to get them. Sorry.

This is amazing and funny. Great job!

I didn't even know about these till I drove through one and they make perfect sense when your in a car