"the requirement is only to occupy the left-most lane available"
You're absolutely right.
They will never be issued a ticket.
I just checked with a state trooper. You are right, I'm not being sarcastic - you really are right..... It is to the interpretation of the motorist as to their particular position in the lane as to their capabilities and judgment in making the left turn. Different vehicles and different levels of driver expertise, road conditions, weather (icy roads) and oncoming vehicles.
Congratulations.
HOWEVER... (oh, c' mon, you KNEW there was a catch) if the left-turner makes obscene gestures, blares the horn (definitive forms of road rage) and generally demonstrates PREMEDITATED planning of obstructing the thoroughfare?????
Yes, it's that bad on the Trail. Maybe someday in the great beyond they'll run into Hitler and have a good laugh.
HOWEVER... if the left-turner makes obscene gestures, blares the horn and generally demonstrates PREMEDITATED planning of obstructing the thoroughfare?
Wow. Yeah, that's pretty bad. I come across people like that on a more regular basis than I would prefer, and really the only thing you can do is shrug it off and recognize that it is their problem - one they are trying to push off onto you.
As far as law enforcement goes, though, unless the actions could be cited based on law, I think the only thing an officer could really do is stop the driver to, uh, have a little conversation.
It is tough not to be offended by such blatant actions. At least, I think it is. :mad:
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
There's a guy in my building who drives like a maniac. He has a weird burnt orangeish first gen xB, and it is always filthy and neglected - missing hubcap, cracked windshield etc. He drives like a bat out of hell....a couple times he has passed me on a 40mph road near my place, going at least 60. He also drives fast in the parking garage, which is a no-no in my opinion. Yesterday I hear a siren pulling up in front of the building and I peek out the window....and guess who is being pulled over, right in front of the garage. I can't say I didn't have a little smirk.
It was maybe some justice. I have to believe the cop was either pretty pissed off to use the siren, or the guy was driving so erratically the siren was needed to get his attention.
I am sure it wasn't his first pull over or anything, either.
Anyway my take on those cars is that they appeal to the farb tuners who think that changing the air filter, putting on a fart can and lowering the suspension would put their 150 HP econoboxes in the same league as Corvettes.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Ok so I am going to work today driving down my street. Some lady in a small Ford wagon turns onto the street in front of me. I don't mind much as she had plenty of time. She comes to the next intersection which has a stop sign (cross traffic has no stop) and there is no cross traffic so she can continue. However I see this lady looking to the side and down doing something. Really if she had something to do why did she wait until she started driving?
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Pretty sad when people don't signal but it's one of those bad habits that has developed as the roads have become more congested. It his however quite the despicable act when you do not signal for premeditated reasons aka; Me First! Me First!!.
Failure to signal because you know it will allow the other traffic allowance to get by or in front of you and then, throwing a hissy-fit because another driver is on to your little game, well, I didn't know they gave eight-year-olds drivers licenses......
Yes, the Susquehannah Trail, Shrewsbury area, once again........
Hey Fin I got your back!! If people don't know they are doing wrong they'll just keep on doing it. No need for spankings (road rage) but putting them in time-out (horn blowing,dirty or goofy looks) helps to get the point across. Speak up people or just continue to get burned. It is time to put a stop to this madness. I'm not talking about the occassional driving mistake. There are people who are just not educated or are doing these things on purpose maliciously. We've all seen it. Now do something about it. Stop being ostriches.
Speak up people or just continue to get burned. It is time to put a stop to this madness.
I believe it was Gallagher who came up with the "Idiot Gun" which is a gun that shoots darts that have a little flag that said "Idiot". If you see someone do something stupid you shoot a dart in their bumper. If a cop sees someone with a half dozen or so of these flags sticking out s/he pulls them over and gives them a ticket.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Perfect!!!........or maybe we should crush some "fruit salad" in their direction. The cops could look for the watermelon pieces hanging off the offenders... :P
Vancouver bikers seem to be every bit as bad/arrogant/irresponsible as Seattle bikers. Do stop signs (and lights) not apply to pedal power?
I am pretty sure Corollas attract the most timid oblivious drivers too. I've seen some scary stuff in the past few days.
Also have seen a couple WA plated vehicles not observing the asinine Vancouver policy of not having left turn lanes into major arterials, and creating lines and horn honks in the process.
Do stop signs (and lights) not apply to pedal power?
They don't in Idaho - cyclists have their own road laws here. Idaho's bike laws are the envy of cyclists throughout the country. And our law may be adopted in many other places.
Although the idea of treating a red light like a stop sign at a clear intersection is something that needs to be implemented to motor vehicles. Something, anything, to compensate for the perpetual inability of wasteful irresponsible public sector transportation planners to synchronize traffic flow. Once you're a tenured public servant, I guess you can stop trying. It's not like you can be punished.
As long as cyclists are held to some level of accountability when they cause problems - which they are known to do. It seems like a one way street pretty much so far.
Roundabouts are cool, but the braying masses must be educated about them...I lived in an area that received a roundabout, one that instantly solved 3 block long backups at peak traffic times. Some locals were livid at the idea.
They don't in Idaho - cyclists have their own road laws here. Idaho's bike laws are the envy of cyclists throughout the country. And our law may be adopted in many other places.
Gee cyclists want to be able to share the right to use roads but not the responsibility.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I agree ruking1. That woman took a calculated risk, knowning she should have been paying attention to her driving, instead was on the cell phone paying bills or something. And six years in prison now affords her the opportunity to get free room and board, (if she survives) and she can pay her bills in there.
Driving today requires effort and concentration, and common sense.
Actually the Idaho law is safer for both the cyclist and the motorist at intersections. The bikes get through the intersections and the motorist can do a right on red and pay more attention to traffic coming from the left, knowing that the bike has proceeded through the intersection. And that saves the motorist a little gas and time too.
I'm thinking it's probably cheaper to change the law and leave the stop signs up. People are already trained to slowly roll through stop signs and blast through yield signs.
Or just take the signs down period. It would cost a lot to replace all those signs with yield signs.
With all the talk about Yield signs, I can't recall anywhere around the metro I've seen a Yield sign. There used to be lots of them at little traveled intersections maybe 10 years ago. And now the only ones are at the ends of ramps to the interstates or limited access highways.
We need new laws for bicyclists that will completely ban them from most public roads, except perhaps for lightly travelled city/suburban streets having posted speed limits of 20-25 MPH. Suburbs/cities that want to allow bicyclists on these streets could post signs and maps showing where the bicyclists can ride, of course with disclaimer that municipality is not responsible for bicyclist actions.
More often than not, whenever I see them on some rural roads on Spring/Summer weekends, they are riding 2, 3 ,4, etc abreast, blowing through stop signs, and generally giving the impression that they own the road and we motorists are intruding. At any given time in the year other than extreme cold, snow, ice, a motorist might encounter a bicyclist riding on a busy road at night with no or inadequate reflectors/lighting.
Bicyclists 16 and over should have to get a bicyclist license from the State DOT to ride on a public street/road. License would require passing a State DOT exam. Also, bicycles used on public streets/roads should have a State DOT issued license plate with a yearly fee.
"giving the impression that they own the road and we motorists are intruding."
When the bridge over the Montlake Cut raises, traffic backs up, but the bikers weave their way to the front of the lanes and proudly crowd in next to the gate.
When the lead car blows a horn in protest, the biker gives the one finger wave. No wonder Seattle drivers show no sympathy to them. :P
Wait till gas hits $4 a gallon again. If you think there's a lot of bikes now (and there are), just wait.
In '05 bikes outsold cars and trucks combined, and that was thanks to Lance - now it's the gas bubble. RUG hit $1.95 here today. Bicycles Selling Like Hotcakes in US Stores (solutions-site.org)
I remember a long time ago, being in Oakland Traffic Court on a traffic citation, when another officer got on the stand. I told the new officer to watch what this judge will do.
The officer had given a bicycle rider a ticket for driving his bike thru FIVE red lights in downtown Oakland. The scofflaw testified that he did indeed pedal through all of the red lights and then he said, "but your honor, if I get convicted, that citation will go againt my auto driver's license and be put on my record".
Needless to say, knowing the judge pretty well, I predicted to the officer I was breaking in, that the judge woudl throw the book at him, and sure enough he did.
The judge told the defendant that he should have gotten five tickets instead of just one. Since the defendant had s bad driving record, (maybe the reason he was on a bike) the judge suspended his license and fined him the max. $$
Crazy times and crazy world but I see the bicyclists are still doing their thing.
Interesting, as one does not need a drivers license to drive a bike in CA state. ( that I am familar with) So in theory by virtue of the fact you don't need the drivers license, driving a bike is not considered a privilege as driving IS with a driver license. In addition, insurance is NOT mandatory for the bike. I suspect these issues will come to the fore.
So a small thing, I can not even count the number of times I have had a bike (illegally) coming at me in the wrong direction either with or without a bike lane, while I am driving a car. Through the CA state perverse interpretation of the laws, I am sure the law makes you pay for their injuries should they get wacked doing these types of illegal things, even if it is their fault.
Just for consideration I once came very close to getting hit by a MB on my bike. The scary thing about that is that I was on the bike path (as was the MB). Not sure how that Benz got there but he was going up a steep hill that was a series of switchbacks as I was going down. now that I think of it I don't understand how he could have made those turns as I am sure no car had that tight of a turning radius.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I justice served the other day. I was on my way home from Seattle and had been on the road about 9 hrs. All through the day I had dealt with traffic, most of it okay and a few bozos but not many and the ones I did encounter I just went around or didn't worry about them. Going through one last little section of town before I was home free I looked up to see a sheriff SUV at the upcoming intersection getting ready to turn left and go the direction I was headed. It was a 4 lane rd with a turn lane, however at this juncture it is a little weird and the turn can ONLY be used as a turn lane to turn left onto the road the sheriff was coming from. So you cannot pull into the center lane and wait for traffic to clear. You have to pull into travel lane at once.
I am in the far right and the sheriff pulls out into the left lane just as I am about even with him and speeds up the limitish. I was also going the limitish which was 45. I was probably doing 50ish. Not really a big deal as it was the speed traffic was going. Immediately after he pulled onto the road, I notice a Jeep ahead of me in my lane. And then all of a sudden I was eating the Jeep's bumper. I practically had to slam my brakes to keep from hitting him. He was going 30ish and closer to the 30. As I slowed down to keep from hitting him, the sheriff beside and a little in front of my also slowed down and we traded places. He pulled behind the Jeep and flipped on his lights. The sheriff had obviously watched the whole thing happen and decided that the Jeep must be going slow enough as to imped traffic. Not that the Jeep was doing anything particularly wrong, but he was going VERY slow and if he was going to go that slow, he should at least had his flashers on or something to indicate he was going way below the posted limit and the flow of traffic.
Strange. I suspect there was more going on in that situation than just a Jeep being driven slowly.... But, at least it worked out for you in that you were no longer being held up behind the Jeep!
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
you're right - there could have been. I don't know. Now that I think about it it's quite possible. I did happen upon the jeep immediately after the sheriff pulled onto the highway and the sheriff did pull almost directly beside me - him in the left lane and me in the right. Most people around here don't do that and I especially don't for the mere fact that I have no clue if the drivers are planning on switching lanes the moment I pull into the lane that would have stayed clear if they had stayed put in there lane.....
So it could have been that the sheriff was already after the jeep and I just happened to be there in the way. :surprise:
I went to an employee appreciation luncheon that our company threw for us. I had a left turn coming up, so I was in the left lane. A Lincoln Navigator behind he decided to pass on the right...no big deal to me, as I wasn't going very fast. It went on past, and my turn came up...two left turn lanes, and three lanes that go straight through.
Once I got into the turn lane, I really wasn't paying much attention to what was going out on the main road. The light was red, and everybody was stopping for it. Well, suddenly this light pink '06 or newer Impala jerked into my turn lane in front of m. I heard a horn blaring, up ahead, but couldn't identify what car it was. Then, the Impala jerked back out of my turn lane, across the left-most thru lane, and nearly smacked a car in the middle lane! Then it cut back to the left lane, and got right up on that Navigator that had passed me. Then this woman got out, who looked somewhat like the character Joy from "My Name is Earl" went up to the Navigator and started shouting and going off with a bunch of hand gestures.
Then she gets back in her car, puts it back into drive, and moves forward, bumping into the Navigator! I finally got my green arrow so I went ahead, but I did look over, to see Joy still shouting and gesturing from inside her Impala, its nose rubbing the Navigator's rear bumper. Inside the Navigator was an older couple, who looked like they were just trying to ignore it all. I felt bad for them.
And I still have no idea what happened to set this woman off. Only thing I can think of is maybe at some point the Navigator cut her off and she went off?
And if the senior citizen in the Navigator had removed his Glock from under his seat and just placed it on the dash - would that have bluffed Joy back into her car?
Considering the number of Korean & VN vets out there, the rash of gunnings all over the country, most seniors are capable of defending themselves with their firepower experiences.
And if the senior citizen in the Navigator had removed his Glock from under his seat and just placed it on the dash - would that have bluffed Joy back into her car?
Oh that would've been a hoot, seeing a senior citizen pull a gun on this chick! I think I would have paid money to see that!
And I wanna know where the hell you get a pink Impala from? :confuse: I've seen a few Mary Kay cars around, but nowadays the pink on them is so light, it just looks like off-white with a slight hint of rose...actually pretty tasteful. This thing was just gaudy.
I can't believe someone would physically get out of their vehicle to yell at a dopey driver. I can see honking, yelling out the window, etc....but leaving your vehicle seems like an invitation to be run down or shot at...self defense would be an easy claim. I've never seen anyone do that around here.
That woman sounds similar to the woman driving in LA yesterday, with at least three CHP cares behind, around and in front of her. She stopped her car as they are coming up on her, flipped them off, as her car was slowly moving, got back in and finally corralled with CHP on four sides. It was on tv and I thought it was funny but not the folks on that road.
Reading about the guy that seemingly went crazy with andre1969 reminded me of the situation in LA. Glad no one got hurt or killed like the unfortunate accident that killed the baseball player.
Good luck to all and stay safe.
jensad
PS "always stock with Glock or Colt." but not in a car - the darn thng might go off.
Today I got cut off on 405 by a Daihatsu Rocky. Of all the weird things.
I also got behind a couple of older women in a Legacy wagon who were the most timid things I have ever seen,...merging onto a highway at 38mph and they braked at the end of the ramp. They were holding up about 10 cars by this point.
Comments
You're absolutely right.
They will never be issued a ticket.
I just checked with a state trooper. You are right, I'm not being sarcastic - you really are right..... It is to the interpretation of the motorist as to their particular position in the lane as to their capabilities and judgment in making the left turn. Different vehicles and different levels of driver expertise, road conditions, weather (icy roads) and oncoming vehicles.
Congratulations.
HOWEVER... (oh, c' mon, you KNEW there was a catch) if the left-turner makes obscene gestures, blares the horn (definitive forms of road rage) and generally demonstrates PREMEDITATED planning of obstructing the thoroughfare?????
Yes, it's that bad on the Trail. Maybe someday in the great beyond they'll run into Hitler and have a good laugh.
Wow. Yeah, that's pretty bad. I come across people like that on a more regular basis than I would prefer, and really the only thing you can do is shrug it off and recognize that it is their problem - one they are trying to push off onto you.
As far as law enforcement goes, though, unless the actions could be cited based on law, I think the only thing an officer could really do is stop the driver to, uh, have a little conversation.
It is tough not to be offended by such blatant actions. At least, I think it is. :mad:
A friend of mind calls them "Nutmobiles" because a lot of their drivers are "Nuts" (the way they drive).
I am sure it wasn't his first pull over or anything, either.
Apparently you have never seen one of our bats.
Anyway my take on those cars is that they appeal to the farb tuners who think that changing the air filter, putting on a fart can and lowering the suspension would put their 150 HP econoboxes in the same league as Corvettes.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Failure to signal because you know it will allow the other traffic allowance to get by or in front of you and then, throwing a hissy-fit because another driver is on to your little game, well, I didn't know they gave eight-year-olds drivers licenses......
Yes, the Susquehannah Trail, Shrewsbury area, once again........
I believe it was Gallagher
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Calif woman gets 6 years for fatal texting crash
link title
I am pretty sure Corollas attract the most timid oblivious drivers too. I've seen some scary stuff in the past few days.
Also have seen a couple WA plated vehicles not observing the asinine Vancouver policy of not having left turn lanes into major arterials, and creating lines and horn honks in the process.
They don't in Idaho - cyclists have their own road laws here. Idaho's bike laws are the envy of cyclists throughout the country. And our law may be adopted in many other places.
The Bike Issue: Don't stop (San Fran Bay Guardian)
Although the idea of treating a red light like a stop sign at a clear intersection is something that needs to be implemented to motor vehicles. Something, anything, to compensate for the perpetual inability of wasteful irresponsible public sector transportation planners to synchronize traffic flow. Once you're a tenured public servant, I guess you can stop trying. It's not like you can be punished.
I've advocated rolling stops for cars at stop signs too - save a lot of gas. And bring on the roundabouts.
Roundabouts are cool, but the braying masses must be educated about them...I lived in an area that received a roundabout, one that instantly solved 3 block long backups at peak traffic times. Some locals were livid at the idea.
Gee cyclists want to be able to share the right to use roads but not the responsibility.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
They have that, its called a yield sign.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Driving today requires effort and concentration, and common sense.
Good luck to all and stay safe.
jensad
I'm thinking it's probably cheaper to change the law and leave the stop signs up. People are already trained to slowly roll through stop signs and blast through yield signs.
Or just take the signs down period. It would cost a lot to replace all those signs with yield signs.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Sure you have; they're red with 8 sides.
More often than not, whenever I see them on some rural roads on Spring/Summer weekends, they are riding 2, 3 ,4, etc abreast, blowing through stop signs, and generally giving the impression that they own the road and we motorists are intruding. At any given time in the year other than extreme cold, snow, ice, a motorist might encounter a bicyclist riding on a busy road at night with no or inadequate reflectors/lighting.
Bicyclists 16 and over should have to get a bicyclist license from the State DOT to ride on a public street/road. License would require passing a State DOT exam. Also, bicycles used on public streets/roads should have a State DOT issued license plate with a yearly fee.
When the bridge over the Montlake Cut raises, traffic backs up, but the bikers weave their way to the front of the lanes and proudly crowd in next to the gate.
When the lead car blows a horn in protest, the biker gives the one finger wave.
No wonder Seattle drivers show no sympathy to them. :P
Here in Illinois it is illegal for bicyclists to ride more than two abreast on a road.
I personally don't have an issue with bikes on roads as long as they obey the rules of the road and are courteous.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
In '05 bikes outsold cars and trucks combined, and that was thanks to Lance - now it's the gas bubble. RUG hit $1.95 here today. Bicycles Selling Like Hotcakes in US Stores (solutions-site.org)
The officer had given a bicycle rider a ticket for driving his bike thru FIVE red lights in downtown Oakland. The scofflaw testified that he did indeed pedal through all of the red lights and then he said, "but your honor, if I get convicted, that citation will go againt my auto driver's license and be put on my record".
Needless to say, knowing the judge pretty well, I predicted to the officer I was breaking in, that the judge woudl throw the book at him, and sure enough he did.
The judge told the defendant that he should have gotten five tickets instead of just one. Since the defendant had s bad driving record, (maybe the reason he was on a bike) the judge suspended his license and fined him the max. $$
Crazy times and crazy world but I see the bicyclists are still doing their thing.
Good luck to all and stay safe.
jensad
So a small thing, I can not even count the number of times I have had a bike (illegally) coming at me in the wrong direction either with or without a bike lane, while I am driving a car. Through the CA state perverse interpretation of the laws, I am sure the law makes you pay for their injuries should they get wacked doing these types of illegal things, even if it is their fault.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I am in the far right and the sheriff pulls out into the left lane just as I am about even with him and speeds up the limitish. I was also going the limitish which was 45. I was probably doing 50ish. Not really a big deal as it was the speed traffic was going. Immediately after he pulled onto the road, I notice a Jeep ahead of me in my lane. And then all of a sudden I was eating the Jeep's bumper. I practically had to slam my brakes to keep from hitting him. He was going 30ish and closer to the 30. As I slowed down to keep from hitting him, the sheriff beside and a little in front of my also slowed down and we traded places. He pulled behind the Jeep and flipped on his lights. The sheriff had obviously watched the whole thing happen and decided that the Jeep must be going slow enough as to imped traffic. Not that the Jeep was doing anything particularly wrong, but he was going VERY slow and if he was going to go that slow, he should at least had his flashers on or something to indicate he was going way below the posted limit and the flow of traffic.
So it could have been that the sheriff was already after the jeep and I just happened to be there in the way. :surprise:
Once I got into the turn lane, I really wasn't paying much attention to what was going out on the main road. The light was red, and everybody was stopping for it. Well, suddenly this light pink '06 or newer Impala jerked into my turn lane in front of m. I heard a horn blaring, up ahead, but couldn't identify what car it was. Then, the Impala jerked back out of my turn lane, across the left-most thru lane, and nearly smacked a car in the middle lane! Then it cut back to the left lane, and got right up on that Navigator that had passed me. Then this woman got out, who looked somewhat like the character Joy from "My Name is Earl" went up to the Navigator and started shouting and going off with a bunch of hand gestures.
Then she gets back in her car, puts it back into drive, and moves forward, bumping into the Navigator! I finally got my green arrow so I went ahead, but I did look over, to see Joy still shouting and gesturing from inside her Impala, its nose rubbing the Navigator's rear bumper. Inside the Navigator was an older couple, who looked like they were just trying to ignore it all. I felt bad for them.
And I still have no idea what happened to set this woman off. Only thing I can think of is maybe at some point the Navigator cut her off and she went off?
Considering the number of Korean & VN vets out there, the rash of gunnings all over the country, most seniors are capable of defending themselves with their firepower experiences.
Oh that would've been a hoot, seeing a senior citizen pull a gun on this chick! I think I would have paid money to see that!
And I wanna know where the hell you get a pink Impala from? :confuse: I've seen a few Mary Kay cars around, but nowadays the pink on them is so light, it just looks like off-white with a slight hint of rose...actually pretty tasteful. This thing was just gaudy.
Maybe that pink is a custom (Maaco or lower) job.
Can you say battery?
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
:P
That woman sounds similar to the woman driving in LA yesterday, with at least three CHP cares behind, around and in front of her. She stopped her car as they are coming up on her, flipped them off, as her car was slowly moving, got back in and finally corralled with CHP on four sides. It was on tv and I thought it was funny but not the folks on that road.
Reading about the guy that seemingly went crazy with andre1969 reminded me of the situation in LA. Glad no one got hurt or killed like the unfortunate accident that killed the baseball player.
Good luck to all and stay safe.
jensad
PS "always stock with Glock or Colt." but not in a car - the darn thng might go off.
I also got behind a couple of older women in a Legacy wagon who were the most timid things I have ever seen,...merging onto a highway at 38mph and they braked at the end of the ramp. They were holding up about 10 cars by this point.
If I carried a firearm in my car I would be in jail no doubt :shades: