Intersection of Trumbull Grand River MLK

**hogz** · August-28-11, 07:00 PM

Getting sick of the flashing red lights at this intersection last few days. I bet there is going to be a serious accident of one has not happened already

**Autoracks** · August-28-11, 07:03 PM

complaining about flashing red lights ?
I wish there were more flashing red lights.
Stop look and proceed. Beats stop and wait.

**Roq** · August-28-11, 07:17 PM

Originally Posted by Autoracks

complaining about flashing red lights ?
I wish there were more flashing red lights.
Stop look and proceed. Beats stop and wait.

In Detroit, I have found flashing red just means "motor on through" without stopping more often than not. In short, this intersection is fucked.

**stinkytofu** · August-28-11, 07:08 PM

Last weekend on Saturday and Sunday the light at either 6 Mile or 7 Mile and Telegraph was flashing red. It was really dangerous.

**Zacha341** · August-28-11, 10:24 PM

That is a bad intersection for a flashing red. It needs a full on red, yellow and green. Same thing at one of the Telegraph intersections in Dearborn... Warren I think. Very dangerous.

Originally Posted by stinkytofu

Last weekend on Saturday and Sunday the light at either 6 Mile or 7 Mile and Telegraph was flashing red. It was really dangerous.

**hogz** · August-28-11, 07:08 PM

Autoracks, the intersection consists of three streets all three or four lanes with people turning in every direction. At normal intersections flashing reds are fine by me

**Autoracks** · August-28-11, 07:10 PM

i see your point

**Django** · August-28-11, 07:38 PM

Thats gott be the longest light in Detroit usually. I most often skip it using the Michigan left turn arounds and side streets to avoid it.

Havent been through there the past few days. Flashing red at that light must make for some interesting traffic..

DetroitPole · August-28-11, 08:44 PM

The flashing reds happened for a while at other very inappropriate locations, such as Alter and Warren and Warren and I-375.

Police don't respond to burglar alarms, the fire department is going to let vacant buildings burn down, the traffic signals don't work, PLD buildings have rolling blackouts[[Belle Isle was out on Saturday, and remember earlier this summer?), the traffic lights don't work [[to say nothing of the streetlights), God knows DTE could give a shit less for their part either...

Detroit has essentially descended into anarchy. Honestly, this has never really happened on this scale before. Services haven't been adequate in quite some time, but now even the basic functions of a civilized society are totally absent or too spotty to be dependable. There is no way Detroit could ever recover coming from a place like this. It's over, man. We might as well just scrap the whole place, or the fire department could just watch it all burn down.

**Zacha341** · August-28-11, 10:27 PM

Oye, all is doom... sometimes it feels that way, but I was at the Kem free concert today at Cass park and it was great. No fights, gun fire or what all. Nice weather, cool event. Perhaps there is hope................

Originally Posted by DetroitPole

The flashing reds happened for a while at other very inappropriate locations, such as Alter and Warren and Warren and I-375.

Police don't respond to burglar alarms, the fire department is going to let vacant buildings burn down, the traffic signals don't work, PLD buildings have rolling blackouts[[Belle Isle was out on Saturday, and remember earlier this summer?), the traffic lights don't work [[to say nothing of the streetlights), God knows DTE could give a shit less for their part either...

Detroit has essentially descended into anarchy. Honestly, this has never really happened on this scale before. Services haven't been adequate in quite some time, but now even the basic functions of a civilized society are totally absent or too spotty to be dependable. There is no way Detroit could ever recover coming from a place like this. It's over, man. We might as well just scrap the whole place, or the fire department could just watch it all burn down.

**Zacha341** · August-28-11, 10:28 PM

I recall the stupid length of that light taking children to Pelham Jr. High years ago. Joy....

Originally Posted by Django

Thats gott be the longest light in Detroit usually. I most often skip it using the Michigan left turn arounds and side streets to avoid it.

Havent been through there the past few days. Flashing red at that light must make for some interesting traffic..

**313WX** · August-28-11, 10:31 PM

Originally Posted by Django

Thats gott be the longest light in Detroit usually. I most often skip it using the Michigan left turn arounds and side streets to avoid it.

It has plenty of competition.

Two others that come to mind are Mack/Outer Drive and Moross/Harper. 6 Mile/Gratiot can be pretty long too depending on the time of day.

**Joseph C. Krause** · August-28-11, 09:13 PM

This intersection is so awkward because MLK was stitched together from a series of other crosstown streets and the product interfaces with the previously existing grid especially poorly there.

I've long felt this intersection should be remade as a rotary.

Steve bennet · August-28-11, 09:35 PM

How about they put some flashing red lights downtown at night? Nothing more annoying than just sitting there when there is nobody on the streets. With my luck, I'm not blowing through them.

**casscorridor** · August-28-11, 09:53 PM

noticed this today

if detroit is over, the whole word is

**j to the jeremy** · August-29-11, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by Joseph C. Krause

This intersection is so awkward because MLK was stitched together from a series of other crosstown streets and the product interfaces with the previously existing grid especially poorly there.

I've long felt this intersection should be remade as a rotary.

Great Idea , there are a lot of places in the city that would benefit from that...But I can say MLK/GR/Trumbull would be at the top of my list as well.

**donaldv** · August-30-11, 07:57 AM

Originally Posted by Joseph C. Krause

I've long felt this intersection should be remade as a rotary.

Amen! This is the worst intersection in the city and blinking red lights are hardly a solution.

**casscorridor** · August-30-11, 08:53 AM

There should be a roundabout at this intersection. With some sort of public statue/art/fountain in the center.

And while we're at it, why not replaces the sidewalks and streetlights, add trash cans and bike racks, and restore Scripps park to magnificence? Also, clear out any debris from adjacent empty lots and make sure all infrastructure/utilities are intact to encourage development around the new circle. Seems like a logical place to develop along three major thoroughfares, with Woodbridge to the north, Corktown to the south, Midtown to the east, and newer apartments to the west.

**Gannon** · August-30-11, 09:34 AM

It was worse before they paved that street behind the big store on the south side.

I drive a 'square' around it, always. Most often, the long lights leave gaps in the traffic one or two blocks away from that dreadful intersection...so scooting across Grand River at the first or second surface street is not so tough.

It gets ugly during rush hour and game days. The rest of the time, not so bad.

Only trouble I ever had was southbound on Lincoln during rush hour one day. Of the three lanes on MLK, they were all full. Everyone left the street open, except the furthest lane...blocked by an older Escort, but he had more than enough room to pull up.

So I pulled through the first two lanes and tooted my horn once. He didn't budge. Couldn't tell if he didn't hear me, or if he was ignoring me. Tapped the horn button three times, in a friendly cadence, not a scream. He looked. Did nothing.

So I blared it. Fucker. The guy flashed the badge he had hung around his neck. He was a cop. With a bad attitude, and he was giving me that look. Authority on the edge.

I was too pissed to care. I screamed out, "What are you going to do, fat ass, SHOOT ME?! You're the one obstructing traffic, move!"

I was surprised when he didn't shoot me...and just calmly rolled his car out of the way. I should've played the lottery that day.

Cheers!

**KJ5** · September-01-11, 09:10 AM

Everybody I know hates that clusterf**k, and uses nearby streets to avoid it.

**Hypestyles** · August-29-11, 10:48 AM

if light rail were constructed on grand river, how would this affect the space there...

**j to the jeremy** · August-29-11, 12:58 PM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

if light rail were constructed on grand river, how would this affect the space there...

It would alter almost nothing. Grand River is the widest street in that intersection and the stop at Trumbull would probably be west of the intersection.

**laphoque** · August-29-11, 01:04 PM

Found an example via Wikipedia in Salt Lake City of Light Rail + Rotary. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Guards...src=6&t=h&z=20

Here's a list. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundab...uts_with_trams

**laphoque** · August-29-11, 01:01 PM

Hell yeah on a rotary there. That would make so much sense. How do trains and rotaries mix though?

**detroitsgwenivere** · August-29-11, 06:02 PM

Those of us who live by that intersection have had to figure out all kinds of creative ways to avoid it. At night it's not really a problem, even if the lights are blinking red, as long as you LOOK FIRST before you pull out [[that reduces accidents, I know it's hard to believe). But from morn till eve when traffic is it's thickest there's this trepidation that you will get T-boned, so unless your making a right turn that doesn't force you to cross one of those busy roads, it's best to just avoid it if you can.