Am 12. Jan, 2005 schwätzte Entelin so:
Driving in Phoenix
Advantages:
* straight, wide lanes: we can see forever
* multiple lanes almost everywhere
* clearly marked intersections and street signs
* two-way turning lane or physical divider almost everywhere
* lots of sun, no clouds for good visibility when sun isn't on the horizon
* distinct rush hours, so drive other times and it isn't so bad
* a decent amount of freeways for the city
* ready access to gas stations
* people from Phoenix are often really good drivers ( because they have to
be )
* lots of time to listen to NPR on KJZZ ( hi John! )
Disadvantages:
* Grand Avenue ( double plus plus bad )
* too many people driving like they're still somewhere else[1]
* drivers have to pay attention due to lots of traffic
* no mass transit or other alternatives
* slower drivers who want to travel in the left lane
* not enough 'carpool' lanes
- 'carpool' lanes sometimes aren't 'carpool' lanes :(
- only one passenger needed to be counted as a 'carpool'
. 80% of cars still don't qualify
* everything is many miles away
* motorcyclists who swerve in and out of traffic
* cars who think it's OK to join a motorcycle in a lane :(
* big ass SUVs everywhere blotting out other traffic, the sun and the
milky way...
* people don't understand the move left/right aspect of lanes and speed
* having brights flashed at you can mean:
* cops ahead
* your lights are on/off when they shouldn't or should be
* s/lights/brights/
* traffic problems ahead
* OMG, it's raining and I can't figure out how to turn on my wipers!!!
* I'm a lawyer and I need an accident participant to represent.
* I'm doing my nails or curling my hair and the draw off the
cigarette lighter is causing electrical flickering
* I'm from SoCal and I just reloaded, so please make my day
* rubber neckers
* people driving slow however many lanes abreast as there are
* NPR stops at 19:05 on weeknights, but PLUG mtgs start at 19:00, so it
works out :)
As a motorcyclist I can say that Phoenix is better than most of the places
I've driven.
I won't ride a cycle in LA or the Frisco area. In LA they're nuts at
speed. In Frisco they're just nuts. A no look swerve across 4 lanes to
make it from an entrance to an exit in 100 meters????
I won't drive anything in Boston. AIEEEEEE!!!! Run away! Run away!
Roads everywhere I've been in the east are all twisty little cowpaths
compared to roads in Phoenix.
All the tourists makes the freeways around Vegas suck.
England? I'm almost OK with the driver being on the right, but the left
seat should definitely still get brakes! They don't need cell phones to be
talking to someone else while driving...
Most of the Autobahn that I drove ( quite a bit of it ) has speed limits
at this point. Most of it was about 75 mph. 90 million people in a country
only a little bigger than the state of .az.us.
The Netherlands probably has the best drivers I've seen. They have to
be...
Truly what mostly sucks about driving in Phoenix is all the people who
think they should continue driving like they were at home, whereever $HOME
is.
People who've been in Phoenix for a long time are probably amongst the
best drivers around because they have to be ready to react to anything at
any moment. In what city is it not only legal, but expected that one stop
suddenly in the left lane of a multi-lane road to turn left and completely
ignore the turning lane?
No, those weren't .az.us plates on those cars.
There's also the case of a friend from the midwest who thought stopping
in the right lane to wait for 3 lanes of traffic to clear so she could
turn left was OK. She almost hyperventilated when I said, "You just killed
a motorcyclist.". I then explained that sudden stoppages like that were
when people stopped paying attention to motorcyclists and were the times
we were most likely to get hit. She no longer stops in the middle of the
road.
Roads are for driving. Parking lots are for stopping. Keep traffic flowing
and we all get along :).
If you think people around you are moving too fast and there are
appropriate lanes to the right you should move right. If you think people
around you are driving too slow and there are appropriate lanes to the
left you should move left.
Note also that 55 is more likely the exception on Phoenix freeways and
even then traffic probably won't move that slow unless it's rush hour. If
you you think people are driving too fast stay in the right lane.
Intentionally blocking traffic and pissing people off is just as bad as
swerving in and out of traffic.
It is legal to pass on the right in .az.us. If people are passing you on
the right it's an indication that you're too far left, so move right.
Do not swerve in and/or out of the diamond lane, especially if the lanes
are not travelling the same speed.
As to skid marks and other signs of damage, please remember that due to
not freezing over and not getting tons of rain roadway stuff in Phoenix
doesn't have to be repaired/replaced as often as most places.
> Honistly I think one thing that everyone would benifit from would be a
> class on evasive action. Lets be realistic the speed "limit" is not
> going to be lowered to 30 any time soon, but almost noone on the freeway
> has mastered how to evade an accident should the situation come up.
> Peoples first reaction is just to lay on the brake and sometimes try to
> turn. However at a decent speed if you lay on the brake your not going
> to turn even you try and when you do you probably have over compensated.
> It would be cool if they had an obstical course or something for people
> to learn on, where you could be surprised with popup obsticals while
> going at 50 - 80mph so people could get used to taking a proper
> corrective action. It takes a long time to learn to do that under
> pressure and many people never learn it.
Please don't swerve unless you know where all the vehicles around you are.
People suddenly swerving are the ones most likely to run over a
motorcyclist. Give motorcyclists lots of room because other drivers likely
won't.
Oh, and anyone who thinks a full dress cruiser or touring bike is too
small to see shouldn't be driving.
Motorräder töten nicht. Motorräder werden getötet.[2]
Hah, didn't notice that was the .sig that came up for this email :).
ciao,
der.hans
[1] I really do think this is the biggest problem in Phoenix. I'm told it's
also the biggest problem in D.C.
[2] Motorcyclists don't kill. Motorcyclists get killed.
--
# https://www.LuftHans.com/ http://www.AZOTO.org/
# Motorräder töten nicht. Motorräder werden getötet.
---------------------------------------------------
PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings:
http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
(text/plain)