This Waite Park Intersection Drives Me Nuts [OPNION]

Trying to get from Sartell to the west side of St. Cloud/Waite Park can be a bit of a challenge with no great options for getting there quickly. Getting BACK to Sartell is even more of a chore, especially with all of the summer road closures.

The one that gives me the biggest 'headache' is when I head north on 10th Avenue and try to cross 3rd Street North. There always seems to be a backup to nearly Division and the design of the semaphore makes it a real struggle to get through to the other side.

THE PROBLEM 

The left side of the northbound lanes is a left turn only, while the right side is for through traffic and those turning right. But the right side of the road is only about the size of a typical turn lane, which makes people have to pull into what is technically the shoulder, which becomes a bit of a mess... especially if there is someone rightfully parked in front of their home on 10th Avenue.

THE FIX

I cannot for the life of me understand why the left side of the road isn't for left turns and those going straight and the right side for those turning right. First of all, it doesn't seem like many people turn left at that intersection in the first place, certainly not enough for a dedicated lane. Second, moving the through traffic to the left side would unclog the right for those wanting to turn toward 3rd Street while also keeping traffic out of that weird shoulder/road gray area.

With that being said, I am not an engineer or city planner, so there must be a flaw with this idea that I am missing. It just makes too much sense!