Future Darwin Award nominees?

[Canadian In Maine]

I came upon a cyclist a few weeks ago who had a pulsating strobe light attached to the front of his bicycle.

Might be nice inside a disco but when you're driving in the pitch black and he's coming toward you it's blinding and sheer stupidity on his part.

[Jay 2K Winger]

I came upon a cyclist a few weeks ago who had a pulsating strobe light attached to the front of his bicycle.

Might be nice inside a disco but when you're driving in the pitch black and he's coming toward you it's blinding and sheer stupidity on his part.

Plus side: cyclist seemed to know that bicycles are less visible at night and was endeavoring to be more visible.

Bad side: he went about it the wrong way.

[Shalom]

I came upon a cyclist a few weeks ago who had a pulsating strobe light attached to the front of his bicycle..

Apparently that's the new thing these days.

My bike didn't come with a headlamp. I used to have an aftermarket one with a quick disconnect, but that broke, and I hardly ride at night (or at all, these days) so I didn't bother replacing it.

So a couple months ago I was at the Bullseye and saw a pair of head- and tail-lights for a bike, reasonably priced, so I bought 'em. (these) Thing is, though, both of 'em strobe. One click turns it on, second click turns on strobe, third click shuts it off. No way to shut it off without activating the strobe, however briefly, and it drives me nuts. Almost makes me nauseous; thank God I'm not subject to seizures. They're still in the house, and I've used them for emergency flashlights when stuff rolls under the bed, but I have to shut my eyes when turning it off...

[Ceir]

And here I've never thought roundabouts were that frickin' hard, period. What is it about them that breaks American drivers' brains so badly?

[sms001]

roundabouts... breaks American drivers' brains....

Although I've seen the occasional (usually older) person seem confused by one, in general their installation and use has gone very smoothly in every area I've lived in. Any "new" driving technique will be met with some initial confusion (heck, double turn lanes seemed complicated to me at first ) but I don't think it's endemic or confined to Americans.

[eltf177]

And here I've never thought roundabouts were that frickin' hard, period. What is it about them that breaks American drivers' brains so badly?

It's mostly because they're not nearly as common here as they are in the UK. Plus the signs really don't tell you exactly what you need to do. Granted it's not rocket science but lets face it, a lot of people driving around my neck of the woods really shouldn't be issued a license to _wak_ much less drive...

[vikingchyk]

It's mostly because they're not nearly as common here as they are in the UK. Plus the signs really don't tell you exactly what you need to do.

People don't read the signs. The two circles I go through every day DO have pictograph signs to explain the traffic flow, yet every day I have to deal with the same stupidity

By work (the one from the op) : the idiots who think they can go straight onto the southbound road from the inner lane. Yeah, except the outer lane is allowed to go around the circle to the eastbound road, so that's a good way to hit someone. I want to be in the right lane for my eventual turn, but after nearly getting hit two days in a row, I'm done with the right lane. I have time to get over before my turn, assuming no other asshattery. And there is always asshattery.

By home : idiots going into a two lane circle (from a highway exit) in the right lane, which is an exit-only lane onto the northbound road, insisting on going around the circle. They have signs. They have a painted island. I want to go onto the north road - get out of my lane!!!

Multilane traffic circles seem to be beyond the ken for far too many people.

{Aside : DH and I encountered a doozy of a circle up on Cape Cod - we drove in a circle a couple of times until we could figure out which road off it we needed - damn tourists! - anyone been to Mashpee? }

[wolfie]

Heading to a delivery in New England. I need to turn right at an intersection of 2 narrow streets that meet on the diagonal (i.e. I need to turn sharper than 90 degrees). I'm hugging the left curb, with my signal on. Guy behind me figures I'm too slow, so he passes me on the right and turns left.

Hey moron - do you see what I'm driving? I *NEED* the full width of both streets to make the turn, and my visibility to the right is seriously restricted. If we crunch, the front right corner of my rig is going to hit the driver's door of your car. Guess who would walk away from that one? Hint - it's not you.

[CrappyToHelp]

{Aside : DH and I encountered a doozy of a circle up on Cape Cod - we drove in a circle a couple of times until we could figure out which road off it we needed - damn tourists! - anyone been to Mashpee? }

I bet you'd love the magic roundabout

This sentence is a link to a map of traffic flow - it's really a bitch to drive.

[EricKei]

You should check the UK's equivalent. Swindon's "magic roundabout

Wait, WHAT?!

I bet you'd love the magic roundabout

Oh Dear Gord.

And here I thought this one was annoying to deal with (near where I used to live) -- Elevated traffic circle with an elevated expressway above it running N-S, a highway underneath it with an inexplicably deep dip running E-W that gets flooded easily (the circle has accesses to both of these roads), and elevated train tracks thrown in there for good measure...plus, of course, a no-tell motel squeezed in underneath there somewhere

[greek_jester]

I bet you'd love the magic roundabout

This sentence is a link to a map of traffic flow - it's really a bitch to drive.

Ah, the Magic Roundabout. Mum used to drive miles out of her way to avoid going through that, because of the many, many people who kept their eyes on the big roundabout and forgot they still had to treat the smaller ones as proper roundabouts too!!!!eleventy!!!!! Ahem.

[vikingchyk]

I bet you'd love the magic roundabout

This sentence is a link to a map of traffic flow - it's really a bitch to drive.

Looks like a crop circle gone wrong

[EricKei]

Ah, the Magic Roundabout

Makes me wonder about the name. How's that expression go...? "Any sufficiently advanced engineering failure is indistinguishable from magic" ...?

[dalesys]

..."Any sufficiently advanced engineering failure is indistinguishable from ..."

What the UDiOTs normally do when de-signing roads...

[greek_jester]

Looks like a crop circle gone wrong

You know, that might actually explain it...