OpenGeofiction
Hi, I’m just wondering how to create large, complex and realistic road junctions without it looking crowded and clumsy? For me it’s 2 motorways passing through, and another terminating. 1 being the main highway towards the city centre going north/south, the other being a bypass that brings traffic in and out of the city going east-west. The terminating one being from the suburbs and a small town (Melton) that has been swallowed up by the expanding city (Ellmouth). It was previously 3, individual junctions in a relatively small space.
Do you think I should leave it as it is (a poorly planned disaster junction) or if and how I should clean it up?
Click here to explore Ellmouth: http://opengeofiction.net/#map=14/51.8561/129.1973
This were the initial junctions: http://imgur.com/CDQy0rl
This is the current junction layout: http://imgur.com/KuZxIYw
This is the city of Ellmouth in general: http://imgur.com/TjJJBdv
Discussion
Comment from wangi on 30 October 2015 at 23:26
British Inspired? Perhaps best to just start at looking around M6 / M6 Toll / M40 / M42 etc in England: osm.org/go/euzlZIZB– Rule is very much reducing construction costs rather than completeness.
And smaller roundabouts.
Comment from Yuanls on 30 October 2015 at 23:42
@wangi That’s kind of ironic, because I live quite close to all of those! I guess I should know better! And by smaller roundabouts do you mean the interchanges on the bypass (I’ve known for some time that they were a bit on the larger side) or just in general? I’ve not thought about the country’s budget much, as in the cities of Birmingham and Coventry which are close to where I live and the motorways you mentioned, they’ve completely flattened and rebuilt parts of the city after WW2. (I’ve taken much of my inspiration from locations in Warickshire). Ellmouth was in some ways like that, following a civil war in the 50s.
Comment from wangi on 31 October 2015 at 01:34
:) You’re right of course with the post WW2 rebuilds… I guess it’s just a matter of phasing when the various roads were built. If the motorways were effectively clean-slate then the later roads will be shoehorned in with minimal infrastructure / environmental costs. And the reverse in the other case the motorways were later additions.
Probably in general for the roundabouts, but especially the bypass. I guess 40-80m radius normally for the major ones (much less normally), but you do get 200m radius like you’ve got. But I guess the 200m ones are standing out because they’re a true circle rather than mashed.
Comment from histor on 31 October 2015 at 01:50
Less is more. Not for all ways, a driver can wish, must be a motorway for his car. Indeed in the 1960-iers and 1970-ies there are spent many money for street-monsters. A lot of them are unfinished. So you can set sone blind ends - or some constructions [tags are “highway = construction” and “construction = motorway”].
And yes - 100 m for a roundabout is enought in most situations.
Comment from histor on 31 October 2015 at 01:55
The “Ringway” I would set to a primary-road and the great bridge is to delete - only few kilometers in the east you have a second motorway – for what? How many inhabitants has your town?
Comment from Yuanls on 31 October 2015 at 09:27
@histor Deleting the bridge is probably a good idea. I didn’t add it though, as it was already present when I arrived. It was just absorbed into the present infrastructure. I did notice that it was in a rather useless position though, but as I’m expanding out, there will be more settlements and the bridge will be of some use in the future. @wangi I’ve never been good at drawing roundabouts in general, but taking your advice, some will be made smaller.