The world’s longest right-turn lane

Road improvements near my home in Vienna, Virginia, added a ridiculously long right-turn lane. That got me asking the question: What’s the world’s longest right-turn lane? Or at least the longest in the United States.
After a Google search gave poor results, I decided this was a great question for AI chatbots to answer. After all, these artificial intelligence tools are supposed to be able to scour massive databases to come up with simple answers to queries.
The right-turn lane from eastbound Leesburg Pike between Baron Cameron Avenue and Delta Glen Court in Reston and Vienna, Va., is 0.6 miles long, according to Google Maps.
To find the world’s longest right-turn lane, I first tried Microsoft Bing Copilot, which uses OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
Unfortunately my queries produced conflicting answers from Bing Copilot.
“The title of the world’s longest right turn lane goes to Interstate 285 (I-285) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Specifically, it’s the right turn lane from westbound I-285 onto northbound Interstate 75 (I-75),” Bing Copilot said. “This seemingly endless right turn lane stretches for an impressive 2.4 miles (3.9 kilometers)!”
That doesn’t sound like a turn lane. It’s more like a highway lane that just ends and tells drivers to merge left or take the exit. That could make the turn-lane distinction hard to quantify.
However, in a follow-up query, Bing Copilot had a different answer for the same location.
“The right turn lane from westbound Interstate 285 (I-285) onto northbound Interstate 75 (I-75) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, is approximately 0.8 miles (1.3 kilometers) in length. This lengthy turn lane was part of the I-285/Peachtree Boulevard Interchange Improvements project. The project aimed to enhance traffic flow, reduce bottlenecks, and improve operational efficiency for drivers making this critical right turn,” Bing Copilot said.
So it’s either 0.8 miles or 2.4 miles long. Come on, Microsoft, choose a lane!
Next, I went to Microsoft’s source, ChatGPT. But it gave a wordy nonanswer:

Determining the absolute longest right turn lane in the world would be challenging, as it would require detailed research and measurement of various roadways worldwide. However, some cities, particularly those with extensive road networks and high traffic volume, may have exceptionally long right turn lanes.
For example, cities like Los Angeles, California, or Houston, Texas, known for their sprawling urban landscapes and extensive highway systems, might have notably long right turn lanes in certain locations. However, without specific data or studies on the exact length of each right turn lane globally, it's difficult to definitively identify the single longest one.
In such cases, road authorities or transportation departments in respective regions might have records or data on the longest right turn lanes within their jurisdictions.

Then, I asked Google Bard to tell me the world’s longest right-turn lane. It said lack of records on the subject would make it difficult to get a correct answer.
“That being said, there are discussions online about a long right turn lane near Ikea in Taastrup, Denmark, clocking in at around 900 meters (3,000 feet),” Bard said. That turn lane is about 0.57 miles long.
Bard said its source was a Reddit discussion thread titled “My town has an extremely long turn lane” on r/mildlyinteresting.
I then asked Bard for the longest right-turn lane in the U.S., but it didn’t have an answer.
Finally, I asked AI Chat from DeepAI to tell me the longest right-turn lane in the U.S.
“The longest right turn lane in the United States is located in Houston, Texas. It is approximately 2.6 miles long and stretches along the West Loop Southbound (Interstate 610) exit to Woodway Drive,” AI Chat said.
AI Chat said it got the information from a Houston Chronicle article titled “Houston’s longest right turn lane gets a facelift.”
So, there you have it, no definitive answer on the longest right-hand turn lane. Thanks for nothing, AI.

Photo: Google map of Leesburg Pike in Vienna, Va.

Rock Hall voters stick it to the music snobs

The 2024 inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced on April 21 and there were the usual complaints about the selections.
This year’s honorees include performers Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & The Gang, Ozzy Osbourne, and A Tribe Called Quest. The hall also added eight additional honorees in musical excellence and other categories, including Jimmy Buffett and Dionne Warwick.
Music pundits groused that some inductees weren’t good enough for the honor or weren’t “rock and roll.”
Much of the vitriol was directed at Foreigner, a group popular with the masses but not music critics.
AudioPhix writer Lee Vowell said the 2024 Rock Hall inductees were “marred by one undeserving band.” He called Foreigner a commercial sellout.
Author and pop music critic Robert Hilburn said, “I’m comfortable (in) saying this year’s (list of inductees) must be the weakest ever.”
Past inductees have received similar criticisms to those for Foreigner. To name a few: Bon Jovi, Journey, Rush and Kiss.
The Rock Hall voters likely vote with their heart as much as their brain. That makes them more populist than the elitist music critics. For some critics, commercial success is a negative for music acts.
The eight Rock Hall performer inductees were selected by hall voters from 15 nominees. When you include the special categories, the hall is inducting 16 persons or groups this year.
Radio and TV personality Eddie Trunk carped that the special categories allow the hall to “circumvent voting” and induct anyone they want. But I have no major problem with that. It lets the hall honor influential and important acts that don’t get the respect they deserve from voters.
Trunk added, “It’s reduced the voting to almost being irrelevant since they can basically back door in any one they want in that doesn’t earn the votes.”
The honorees will be officially enshrined on Oct. 19 during a ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio, which is home to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

Related articles:

Rock Hall’s 2024 Hits, and Misses (Populism; April 24, 2024)

Crowning the Idols: Thoughts on the RRHOF Class of 2024 (Iconic Rock Talk Show; April 24, 2024)

Crash into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2024 (So It Goes; April 22, 2024)

Rock Fans Share Vocal Reactions to 2024 Rock Hall Snubs (Loudwire; April 22, 2024)

Post-apocalyptic TV shows get refresh with ‘Fallout’

While it’s been slim pickings for post-apocalyptic movies, TV series in the genre have been plentiful.
Current series getting new seasons include “Invasion” (Apple TV+), “Silo” (Apple TV+), “Twisted Metal” (Peacock) and “The Last of Us” (Max). There also are at least two “Walking Dead” franchise series developing new episodes (“Dead City” and “Daryl Dixon”). Plus, “Snowpiercer” has jumped to AMC from TNT for its fourth and final season.
Today saw the premiere of “Fallout” on Amazon Prime Video. The adaptation of the popular video game series released all eight episodes at once. The series is set 219 years after the outbreak of nuclear war sent Americans underground into fallout shelters called Vaults.
Last week, Netflix premiered the South Korean series “Parasyte: The Grey.” The alien-invasion horror series is more pre-apocalyptic, but the outlook looks pretty grim.
But with the era of peak TV at an end, the plentiful genre offerings could be slowing down.
The number of scripted TV seasons being ordered in the U.S. has nearly halved since 2019, according to Ampere Analysis. However, international TV production could pick up the slack, Deadline reported.