Road Rage Random Thoughts Thread

[Nunavut Pants]

...if you're not going to go the posted speed limit, get back in the right lane!

Preach, brother!

(signed) -- Always in the right-hand lane

[Deserted]

Oh, fer f*ck's sake, us "normal" drivers having to keep our eyes open for you idiots on motorcycles works both ways. Because you decided that it was okay to zip across 5 lanes of traffic in rush hour without looking, I had to slam on the brakes to avoid turning you into mulch. You want me to watch for you? You're the one that's going to get turned into hamburger; you should be watching for me!

[eltf177]

Oh, fer f*ck's sake, us "normal" drivers having to keep our eyes open for you idiots on motorcycles works both ways.

Agreed, the motorcyclists need to be doing more watching than car drivers - it's just as much YOUR responsibility...

[Deserted]

More so. I mean, if I hit a biker, I have to live with that, but the biker may not live at all.

[wolfie]

Yes, it is technically legal to do 15 below the speed limit, since there is no longer a posted minimum speed, but going that slow, when the sun is down? In Desert Hell of all places, where the average freeway speed is 10 above the speed limit? You're going to cause a serious wreck, and yes, it will indeed be your fault. Speed the fuck up or get the fuck off the freeway!

Are you saying that trucks from Ontario (mandatory to have speed limiters installed), belonging to companies that set limiters in order to cut fuel consumption, or are going uphill (can't go faster) should get off the freeway?

Oh, fer f*ck's sake, us "normal" drivers having to keep our eyes open for you idiots on motorcycles works both ways. Because you decided that it was okay to zip across 5 lanes of traffic in rush hour without looking, I had to slam on the brakes to avoid turning you into mulch.

Why do all the signs say "Check your mirrors for motorcycles"? My mirrors are well above a motorcyclist's head (unless he's already airborne after losing control). Shouldn't the signs tell people to check their grille for motorcycles? After all, that's where the motorcycle is likely to be after a collision.

[Daskinor]

For the love of megaton I know its quite annoying that this highly popular trail, that has gotten even more popular with the advent of pokemon go. And I know that this trail crosses a important residential feeder road.

However no matter how annoying it is, how long you have to wait sometimes (30 seconds). YOU YIELD FOR PEDESTRIANS AT CROSSWALKS. And please do not lay on the horn because you are not paying attention and have no idea why I am stopping to let people cross.

ps. the Pokemon Go thing is going to greatly increase the population of the trail, aka a state park that is only 20 feet wide. There are 12 Pokemon stops in a 1km walk from the road.

[Deserted]

Are you saying that trucks from Ontario (mandatory to have speed limiters installed), belonging to companies that set limiters in order to cut fuel consumption, or are going uphill (can't go faster) should get off the freeway?

Well... that's situational. Here in Desert Hell, we don't have any really serious hills (well... one, sorta -- kinda hard to tell on that map, though), not until you leave the county and head north toward College Town That Used To Be State Capitol, or east toward Why Does Anyone Even Live There.

And the limiters would depend on what they're set for. Locally, limiters tend to be set to around 70 +/- 5 mph (which matches the Ontario limits, ~65 mph), but the freeways in town have speed limits of either 55 or 65, depending on which freeway and where in town. Doing the speed limit is fine, I don't care, but the guy I was bitching about was doing 40 on a 55 mph freeway that is essentially flat (and it wasn't a big truck, it was a smallish SUV).

Why do all the signs say "Check your mirrors for motorcycles"? My mirrors are well above a motorcyclist's head (unless he's already airborne after losing control). Shouldn't the signs tell people to check their grille for motorcycles? After all, that's where the motorcycle is likely to be after a collision.

Our signs just say "WATCH FOR MOTORCYCLES".

For the love of megaton

Is it bad that I read that as "For the love of Megatron"?

[Slave to the Phone]

Is it bad that I read that as "For the love of Megatron"?

I hope not, because I did as well!

To the truck driver who pulled into our community and blocked both paved roads while trying to turn around. HOW THE HECK COULDN'T YOU HAVE SEEN THAT YOU DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH ROOM TO TURN ON SUCH A SHARP RADIUS? You blocked the only way in or out for over 2 hours. If you have paid attention to the sign at the entrance that says No Semi's" this would have never happened. Had you pulled over to take a few minutes to look at mapquest or something, this would have never happened.

Your boss is not going to be happy with bill for the tow trucks or the bill for the destroyed landscaping. Also not going to be happy with all of the messages from people who had nothing else to do but contract corp with your license number and description of the vehicle and trailers.

[eltf177]

We need more details, Slave to the Phone!

[wolfie]

Background: To get from highway 401 westbound to the off-ramp for Dixie Road, or from the onramp from Dixie to 401 eastbound, you have to cross a crapload of lanes in a fairly short distance (former is lanes coming from the 427, latter is lanes going to the 427). To add to the fun, there are a lot of trucking companies/truck services on Dixie. Yep, it's a poorly designed setup.

To the Papineau driver coming off Dixie road: If the 4-wheeler behind you on the on-ramp pulls into the next lane as soon as it's possible, but DOES NOT PASS YOU and instead flashes its high beams, don't take forever before you start drifting slowly into the lane WITHOUT SIGNALLING. If, once you've occupied the lane, the 4-wheeler immediately takes the next lane and repeats the process, don't sit in the lane you're in without signalling for long enough that the driver of the 4-wheeler figures you want 427 southbound and proceeds to change lanes multiple times until it's in one that's going to the 401.

I saw in my rear-view mirror that he hit his signal and tried moving over to the left to get to the 401 - didn't make it. Believe it or not, not all 4-wheelers are idiots. Some are locals who know the road is poorly designed and that most trucks are trying to do something that's VERY hard when traffic is heavy, and are trying to HELP you.

[Ophbalance]

I've accumulated a few:

Story the first:

Our family travels, semi annually, from North Carolina to Pennsylvania to visit family. The last two years I've been taking a trailer up north so as to be able to ride the motorcycle. The side benefit is that this allows us to bring back large amounts of "stuff" back from visiting family. Last year I brought back a Shopsmith(tm) (you 70/80's kids will get that) and my mother has taken to buying our back to school things the kids need. It also means that all the luggage and such isn't crammed in with us. Exiting right? Anyway, the van sits at 16 foot in length minus the trailer. The trailer with tongue adds an additional 10 feet of length bringing our total up to 26 feet. Not gargantuan but it does make negotiating lane changes a bit more challenging at points.

Of the 2000+ miles we spent on the highways and byways of various roads up and down the east coast we had zero issues. Until, that is, we get past the I295 merge back on to I95 outside of Richmond VA coming back to NC. The sun finally set as we crossed this point and people lost their fucking minds! Keep in mind, I95 from that point in VA allllllllllll the way down into South Carolina (and beyond maybe) is strictly two lanes.

There was LEFT LANE CAMPER GUY. This bloke would get up beside a vehicle and just pace it. For MILES and miles and miles. Those less encumbered would end up passing on the right, but it wasn't something I could do with a trailer in tow by any stretch of the imagination. We finally cleared this guy but then ran into...

NO SPATIAL AWARENESS BUTTHOLE(s). Almost the same as the above, but would park themselves right off the trailer axle on my left in the passing lane. I couldn't pass when a slower vehicle showed on the radar. They WOULDN'T pass, until someone finally crawled into their trunk enough to pressure them to move. I saw more of this than I could count with all the digits of all the hands and feet contained within my vehicle. I dunno if all the looneys cleared the asylum that night or what.

Story the Cavendish:

My co-worker and I tend to ride the motorcycles during lunch when we both ride in to work. He's actually in a competition at present to ride the most miles within the month that's being done by a group of podcasters. So this week we went out and about for time on two wheels (well, 3 for him, he's on a Spyder). The return path is along a divided road that's two lanes in each direction, but it's not interstate. The speed limits are in the 50 MPH range. We joined up on this road and quickly came upon SUPER TEXT WOMANS driving a Lexus SUV (not the large one, their cute ute version).

I've heard tales of this archetype spread round the internets but I've not encountered one with their head jammed so firmly up their ass in the wild myself. Spyder guy was in front of me and we were both in the left most lane. STW started out in the same lane, not passing anyone, but slightly behind the cars off in the right lane. And then STW was riding the white line. Then back to left lane. Back gobbling up white lines line Ms Pacman on crack. Finally into the right lane and kinda wobbling between the lines. We passed STW at this point. At least, until the next traffic light...

Through various lights and stoppages STW ends up back to the right of us. She was stopped 4, fucking FOUR, car lengths back from the only car in front of her vehicle. Why was she there? Why because the giant iPhone 6 was far more important than anything else happening outside her little bubble of air! And it's that point I lost my shit. Drive how you want, but this texting and driving shit is just unconscionable. I flipped my visor up and started giving the "dad voice" yell plus various hand gestures that she should put her phone down. She may have seen me, may have not? But she almost rear ended the car in front of her at the next light. Maybe that was the wake up call she needed and hauled ass to get away from the mean ol' biker in his highlighter yellow jacket.

Story the reign of terror:

Yesterday Spyder guy and I rode to the north of the state to spend time riding with the bosses son. We were on our return to Boss house when we came upon CLUELESS IN NC. We got to the left turn lane as the light turned green with CINC being first in line and the 3 of us behind. I was riding last and was surprised when CINC didn't seem to notice the light had changed. Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd... we're still sitting here. Oh hai green light, CINC finally noticed! So off we go on our way. CINC in the left most lane and us on the right on a divided road way again, similar to above, but slowly crawling on up to normal speeds. Our turn was on the right so we signaled right and merged into that lane. We're slowly passing CINC at this point. Point rider gets by, Spyder guy goes past, then I start meandering past the behemoth that was (theoretically) in CINC's control. I was past the rear of the vehicle when I notice that CINC was no longer riding between her own lines. No big deal, this happens to me daily, so I shifted over a bit in case anything should happen. And then it dawns on my that CINC is in fact NOT just drifting out of her lane, she is in fact about to occupy the same space that my bike presently occupies. Well that's not good. Go for the horn? Nope, not enough time. Rev the hell out of the bike in hope she hears? Nope, leaves me without forward motion. Gun the shit out of it and pray? Sounds good! I scooted by and she looked shocked that someone should dare be in the space that was about to be occupied by her royal booty. I can't even blame this on a cell as she seemed to be just talking to a passenger. Thus just going with Clueless for this one.

[wolfie]

ILast year I brought back a Shopsmith(tm) (you 70/80's kids will get that)

All-in-one woodworking power tool that's supposed to take the place of half a dozen stationary power tools (table saw, lathe, etc.), but which doesn't do any of them well.

Anyway, the van sits at 16 foot in length minus the trailer. The trailer with tongue adds an additional 10 feet of length bringing our total up to 26 feet. Not gargantuan but it does make negotiating lane changes a bit more challenging at points.

In other words, roughly as long as the Peterbilt of Natural Selection when I'm bobtailing (no trailer).

And then it dawns on my that CINC is in fact NOT just drifting out of her lane, she is in fact about to occupy the same space that my bike presently occupies. I scooted by and she looked shocked that someone should dare be in the space that was about to be occupied by her royal booty. I can't even blame this on a cell as she seemed to be just talking to a passenger. Thus just going with Clueless for this one.

Something similar happened to me last January. Idiot decided to change lanes, didn't bother to check whether the lane he wanted was open (it wasn't). Wheel lugs on my steer tore open every body panel on the left side of the brand new (salesman was taking a customer for a test drive) luxury SUV. Minor cosmetic damage to my fender.

Never mind not being able to see bikes - there are people who don't see 18 wheelers, or cop cars with the "disco lights" on.

[eltf177]

Idiot decided to change lanes, didn't bother to check whether the lane he wanted was open (it wasn't). Wheel lugs on my steer tore open every body panel on the left side of the brand new (salesman was taking a customer for a test drive) luxury SUV. Minor cosmetic damage to my fender.

I'd love to have heard his explanation to the cops and his insurance company as to how this happened!

[Seanette]

If the salesman was behind the wheel, I'd also love to have heard his explanation to his boss.

[Deserted]

This entire thread is why I won't drive anything smaller than a compact car. It's bad enough in my 6-feet-tall 2-ton van; I'm not risking any kind of cycle, especially not in Desert Hell.