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09-02-2005, 08:50 AM | #1 |
Your Bartender
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Philly Burbs, PA
Posts: 7,651
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A small commuting rant
I'd just like to point out a few small details to all of the complete fucking idiots who drive in Philadelphia.
Sorry. Just had to get that off my chest. You can move along now. |
09-02-2005, 09:13 AM | #2 |
still says videotape
Join Date: Feb 2001
Posts: 26,813
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Still picking glass out of your hair?
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09-02-2005, 09:19 AM | #3 |
Strong Silent Type
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Fort Collins, CO
Posts: 1,949
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Seconded for Colorado Springs.
Actually, my commute was very nice for once. I hit every single light green, which turned a 30 minute commute into a sub-20 minute drive. I knew I spent a lot of time waiting on lights, but I had no idea it was fully one third of my commute every day. |
09-02-2005, 10:40 AM | #4 |
lobber of scimitars
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Phila Burbs
Posts: 20,774
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As I was having my traumatic experience on the New Jersey Turnpike the other day, I had a thought. Or two. But this is the for this thread.
Other than stupid lane changing, merging onto the highway at an entrance ramp is the most dangerous part of highway driving. I do commend the New Jersey Turnpike for having accelleration lanes, which don't actually exist in Pennsylvania. I also dug the trucks/busses vs. cars split lane thing. Very pleasant. Anyway ... Why doesn't anyone design a limited access highway in which the entrance ramp actually creates a new lane ... taking, say, a two lane road into a three lane, and not forcing the cars newly entering to jump into the full speed traffic lanes right away ... they have several miles to do that. At exits, this outer lane would be exit only, and would not continue past the ramp, so you'd have a two-lane ... but the corresponding entering lane would take it back to three (Kind of like the Broomall Entrance to the Blue Route, if you're here near Philadelphia). This would require a different kind of politeness in driving (if you like going slow and hugging the right lane you'd have to change lanes a lot more often), but it works in the picture in my head.
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wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis |
09-02-2005, 10:49 AM | #5 |
Professor for the school of ass-clownery
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Surprise!
Posts: 404
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Since the area I live in is fairly new, every intersection has a four-way stop sign. People operate a car, program a VCR, but they can't get the concept of a four-way stop. Drives me nuts.
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09-02-2005, 11:09 AM | #6 |
Pump my ride!
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Deep countryside of Surrey , England
Posts: 1,890
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To SD: May I suggest that you do your utmost to avoid having to use any gas station that you have to access by turning off an interstate after a couple of miles, then going across a through junction and then across a set of lights where there is a turning lane. It just won't be your day - guaranteed!
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09-02-2005, 10:52 AM | #7 |
dar512 is now Pete Zicato
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Chicago suburb
Posts: 4,968
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If I understand your description, Wolf, lots of places do that. It's unusual around here to find an entrance ramp that doesn't have a merge lane for 1/2 mile or so.
Of course you'll still see on occasional timid driver who drives to the end of the merge lane and sits there waiting for an opening.
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"Against stupidity the gods themselves contend in vain." -- Friedrich Schiller |
09-02-2005, 12:56 PM | #8 | |||
Your Bartender
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Philly Burbs, PA
Posts: 7,651
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Quote:
Quote:
If you're taking Rt. 1 southbound, it used to be that the rightmost lane disappeared with a "merge left" sign for about 50 feet and then the lane to exit onto the Blue Route reopened. Needless to say, almost anybody with half a brain would just drive on the shoulder rather than do that merge. They've now changed it so the lane just stays open all the way to the exit. Quote:
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02-01-2006, 05:25 PM | #9 | |
Makes some feel uncomfortable
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 10,346
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Quote:
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09-02-2005, 11:26 AM | #10 |
go ahead, abbrev. it
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Lawrence, KS
Posts: 2,623
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Bah... merge lanes are for wusses. The Pasadena Freeway -- the prototypical freeway, BTW -- has stop signs at the end of many 'onramps'. You must be prepared for takeoff to get on that number 2 lane... hmmm... I wonder why they call it number 2?
Fortunately, that particular prototype has been largely scrapped. |
09-02-2005, 11:31 AM | #11 | |
Goon Squad Leader
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Seattle
Posts: 27,063
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Quote:
I damn near disappeared up the tailpipe of the moron ahead of me as I *ahem* accelerated in preparation to merge while I had my head turned over my left shoulder looking for my upcoming spot. This is in conflict with the local merge style, which is heavily influenced by the drag strip clutch dropping wheel spinning speed shifting school. Thankfully, no paint was exchanged, but it did cost me a pair of underwear.
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09-02-2005, 11:27 AM | #12 |
Goon Squad Leader
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Seattle
Posts: 27,063
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'Round here, wolf, those constructs are called "collector - distributor lanes" and they're a regular fixture in the morning traffic reports. Yet another good idea vulnerable to the power of human stupidity as demonstrated by SD's examples above.
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09-02-2005, 01:14 PM | #13 |
lobber of scimitars
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Phila Burbs
Posts: 20,774
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I learned to merge into a highway on Route 309 between Philadelphia and Ambler. Route 309 does not have accelleration lanes. Route 309 often does not have a line of sight from the entrance ramp that lets you check for a car-sized gap in traffic, once you psychically identify this gap, you are required to go from 0-65 in less than 2 seconds.
To this day I have significant issues about merging, to the point that this should have gone in the heebeez thread. I am surprised every time I do not die doing this. I have gone out of my way to avoid highway merging. Seriously.
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wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis |
09-02-2005, 01:50 PM | #14 |
to live and die in LA
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 2,090
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Here in LA, the old California 110 freeway goes from downtown to Pasadena. It was the first freeways built in LA, and one of the first anywhere. As a result, it has onramps and offramps that are, like 30 feet long. This is not an exageration. At one point, there is a road that ends at a T with the freeway, and you make a right hand turn directly onto the 65 mph freeway.
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09-02-2005, 02:02 PM | #15 | |
Professor for the school of ass-clownery
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Quote:
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