Cars & Transportation Vent about all things traffic

[peternorth]

winddows open. no one home. think the driver was spotted downing a woodstock bourbon can earlier nearby. Didnt bother parking within the allotted space on either the long or short side of the spot.

 

[the_interloper]

campaigners who give a pre-emptive thank you wave and proceed to blatantly cut you off

 

[cats_09]

Just watched 2 campaigners turn right against a solid red light - the truck in front of them pushed it when it's front tyres crossed the line on amber but it was red before it was fully in the intersection

No doubt the first campaigner would argue their vision of the traffic lights was blocked, even though you've got a set of lights before the intersection

But I'd be interested to hear the excuses from the second campaigner

I genuinely can't remember the last time I was out driving & didn't see at least 1 idiots go through a solid red light, and am just thankful that I haven't witnessed an accident due to their stupidity - every new set of traffic lights should come with red light cameras as standard, and them retrofitted at known trouble intersections

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Just watched 2 campaigners turn right against a solid red light - the truck in front of them pushed it when it's front tyres crossed the line on amber but it was red before it was fully in the intersection

No doubt the first campaigner would argue their vision of the traffic lights was blocked, even though you've got a set of lights before the intersection

But I'd be interested to hear the excuses from the second campaigner

I genuinely can't remember the last time I was out driving & didn't see at least 1 idiots go through a solid red light, and am just thankful that I haven't witnessed an accident due to their stupidity - every new set of traffic lights should come with red light cameras as standard, and them retrofitted at known trouble intersections

Trucks do it like that all the time, and all the through traffic has to sit and wait.

 

[PT Bar None]

campaigners who give a pre-emptive thank you wave and proceed to blatantly cut you off

Quite right! I prefer to issue the thank you wave after I've blatantly carved someone up.

Just watched 2 campaigners turn right against a solid red light - the truck in front of them pushed it when it's front tyres crossed the line on amber but it was red before it was fully in the intersection

No doubt the first campaigner would argue their vision of the traffic lights was blocked, even though you've got a set of lights before the intersection

But I'd be interested to hear the excuses from the second campaigner

I genuinely can't remember the last time I was out driving & didn't see at least 1 idiots go through a solid red light, and am just thankful that I haven't witnessed an accident due to their stupidity - every new set of traffic lights should come with red light cameras as standard, and them retrofitted at known trouble intersections

Busy intersection near me is littered with yellow paint markings and dirty patches where they've dumped kitty litter. It has a combo red light and speed camera. Doesn't seem to worry 'em

 

[Halloween Jack]

Just watched 2 campaigners turn right against a solid red light - the truck in front of them pushed it when it's front tyres crossed the line on amber but it was red before it was fully in the intersection

No doubt the first campaigner would argue their vision of the traffic lights was blocked, even though you've got a set of lights before the intersection

But I'd be interested to hear the excuses from the second campaigner

I genuinely can't remember the last time I was out driving & didn't see at least 1 idiots go through a solid red light, and am just thankful that I haven't witnessed an accident due to their stupidity - every new set of traffic lights should come with red light cameras as standard, and them retrofitted at known trouble intersections

on a similar note, this happens several times when trying to turn right at a busy intersection (not a hook turn). I'm in the intersection, wait for the lights to turn orange only to see pricks coming the opposite way speed up to get straight through. Or even worse, when the lights turn orange and someone facing the other way turns right, only for the person behind them to think now is a good time to go straight ahead. When you see an orange light that does not mean floor it to try get through.

Another one from a few days ago, waiting behind a boom gate for some trains to go through. I leave some space in front of me for the keep clear part of the road, as you do if you are not a campaigner. Some guy comes up on the other side of the road from 5 or 6 cars back and proceeds to duck in front of me blocking the keep clear section. This in turn blocks someone wanting to turn right out of the side road.

 

[adammania9]

on a similar note, this happens several times when trying to turn right at a busy intersection (not a hook turn). I'm in the intersection, wait for the lights to turn orange only to see pricks coming the opposite way speed up to get straight through. Or even worse, when the lights turn orange and someone facing the other way turns right, only for the person behind them to think now is a good time to go straight ahead. When you see an orange light that does not mean floor it to try get through.

Another one from a few days ago, waiting behind a boom gate for some trains to go through. I leave some space in front of me for the keep clear part of the road, as you do if you are not a campaigner. Some guy comes up on the other side of the road from 5 or 6 cars back and proceeds to duck in front of me blocking the keep clear section. This in turn blocks someone wanting to turn right out of the side road.

Some people are just fkwits and no matter how much you blast em, they'll never get that they are in the wrong. It's a boring cliche to say things were better before than they are now, but common selfishness on the roads has gone up in spades over the last 2-3 years. I find myself shaking my head on numerous occasions every time I'm out and about

Things I've noticed occur more and more often in the last few years.
1. The big one is red light runners. Every amber light seems to be now seen as a race between the driver and the light, and the driver often loses but they'll go anyway. I'm typically no snitch but I'd love to see red light cameras be implemented at most intersections. You've got pedestrians crossing, cars turning etc. It's extremely dangerous and I would like to see people punished for running red lights.
2. Changing across multiple lanes at once to make a turn or take an exit. How in this age of navigation with so many devices yelling out to you exactly what you need to do, I can't believe how many people in the right lane of a two-lane road, find themselves needing to take the slip lane left.
3. Failure to give way at zip merges. There are two lanes and it says form one lane - the car in front has right of way. It's so ****ing simple yet frequently you get a clown who doesn't know the rule and speeds up the side of you and you need to hit the brakes and/or go into the oncoming lane to avoid this person side swiping you.
4. rolling out onto a main road and refusing to put your foot down on the pedal, causing traffic behind to slow down heavily because you couldn't wait for the traffic to pass. Usually committed by oldies
5. pedestrians walking across a red light when you have a green. If I'm turning left and I have to stop because you've walked a red, I'm mashing the horn.

 

[Pakenhamsaint]

Is there a reason why people insist on driving 20km slower on the freeway?

 

[SaintsSeptember]

Is there a reason why people insist on driving 20km slower on the freeway?

The Narcissist in me suggests that they do it especially to annoy me.
They keep an eye out for me coming and radio their slowpokes to drive in front of me.

I thought there were some who found it too hard to think about driving different speeds, so they went 80 in the 60 zone, 80 in the 80 zone and 80 in the 100 zone. But more and more often i see them going 20 below, and slowing down even more when approaching green lights, because if we slow down enough we might be able to catch the next red.

Occasionally i zoom past one on the freeway ,with me going 100, and their speed is so slow i think, "hell that's dangerous".

 

[phantom13]

The Narcissist in me suggests that they do it especially to annoy me.
They keep an eye out for me coming and radio their slowpokes to drive in front of me.

I thought there were some who found it too hard to think about driving different speeds, so they went 80 in the 60 zone, 80 in the 80 zone and 80 in the 100 zone. But more and more often i see them going 20 below, and slowing down even more when approaching green lights, because if we slow down enough we might be able to catch the next red.

Occasionally i zoom past one on the freeway ,with me going 100, and their speed is so slow i think, "hell that's dangerous".

In all seriousness speed control seems to be a real issue and i do wonder if its a part of driver distraction (which is a genuine issue).

You see it coming out of the Burnley (and Domain but especially Burnley) tunnels. It rises up and the speed of nearly all vehicles drops as they dont adjust for the incline.

 

[peternorth]

Slinky/Accordion effect in action on a highway - Awesome

543 points • 30 comments

9gag.com

 

[Saint]

The Dutch are having a campaign about texting while riding.

Warning, this is hard-hitting TAC-style stuff, dressed up as something else initially, particularly if you were to watch the second one without having seen the first one.

 

[peternorth]

The Dutch are having a campaign about texting while riding.

Warning, this is hard-hitting TAC-style stuff, dressed up as something else initially, particularly if you were to watch the second one without having seen the first one.

 

[Keys]

The Dutch are having a campaign about texting while riding.

Warning, this is hard-hitting TAC-style stuff, dressed up as something else initially, particularly if you were to watch the second one without having seen the first one.

There’s a hell of a lot of stuff in there that has nothing to do with texting and riding

Also, no helmets?

 

[MatthewB]

Also, no helmets?

that was the first thing i noticed

 

[phantom13]

Helmets arent mandatory in most (all?) Euro countries. Someone usually tries to push for us to be non mandatory in Oz every few years by arguing more people would ride if they didnt have to deal with helmet hair.

I ride about 100kms a week, i wouldnt dream of going sans helmet.

I actually had a question for those who might know more.

I witnessed a young lady on the back of a scooter (vespa not razor) one arm around the riders waist other hand with her phone texting away. Is that legal?

I kind of assume it is but also being a motorcycle/Scooter passenger SURELY requires more attention and awareness than being a car passenger.

 

[JackOutback]

Helmets arent mandatory in most (all?) Euro countries. Someone usually tries to push for us to be non mandatory in Oz every few years by arguing more people would ride if they didnt have to deal with helmet hair.

I ride about 100kms a week, i wouldnt dream of going sans helmet.

I actually had a question for those who might know more.

I witnessed a young lady on the back of a scooter (vespa not razor) one arm around the riders waist other hand with her phone texting away. Is that legal?

I kind of assume it is but also being a motorcycle/Scooter passenger SURELY requires more attention and awareness than being a car passenger.

I ride a similar amount, 20km each way to work; I would never make that ride without a helmet. If I was riding 1-2km to my nearest shops through suburban streets, I probably would, given the choice.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

There used to be a rule where a car turning right had to turn into the right lane, then change lane if they needed to be in a different lane.
Similarly turning left had to be into a left lane.

That got repealed maybe a decade ago. I don't know why. Back then you could turn left into a multi lane road even if a turning light was letting the opposite cars turn right, everyone fit.

Now the ones turning right are too lazy to turn their wheel, they veer across into the left lane, even if the left lane is a temporary lane that merges right just ahead.

 

[FRUMPY]

There used to be a rule where a car turning right had to turn into the right lane, then change lane if they needed to be in a different lane.
Similarly turning left had to be into a left lane.

That got repealed maybe a decade ago. I don't know why. Back then you could turn left into a multi lane road even if a turning light was letting the opposite cars turn right, everyone fit.

Now the ones turning right are too lazy to turn their wheel, they veer across into the left lane, even if the left lane is a temporary lane that merges right just ahead.

i think i got there in the end - meh, works well as it is

 

[adammania9]

There used to be a rule where a car turning right had to turn into the right lane, then change lane if they needed to be in a different lane.
Similarly turning left had to be into a left lane.

That got repealed maybe a decade ago. I don't know why. Back then you could turn left into a multi lane road even if a turning light was letting the opposite cars turn right, everyone fit.

Now the ones turning right are too lazy to turn their wheel, they veer across into the left lane, even if the left lane is a temporary lane that merges right just ahead.

The repeal was a great decision. If I’m turning I should be able to choose whatever lane I want. If you need to give way then give way.

 

[phantom13]

I ride a similar amount, 20km each way to work; I would never make that ride without a helmet. If I was riding 1-2km to my nearest shops through suburban streets, I probably would, given the choice.

A decent chunk of my commute is either on bike paths or through the CBD (which whilst very very dangerous is also low speed). The whole thing is probably less dangerous than a shop ride TBH

I actually dont hate the idea of helmets not being mandatory for exactly the sort of ride youre discussing but i still wouldnt ever go sans helmet.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

The repeal was a great decision. If I’m turning I should be able to choose whatever lane I want. If you need to give way then give way.

Yeah sure , one car hogs 3 lanes.
Pretty easy to change lane once you're on the carriage way, though lots seem to think its really hard.

 

[SaintsSeptember]

A decent chunk of my commute is either on bike paths or through the CBD (which whilst very very dangerous is also low speed). The whole thing is probably less dangerous than a shop ride TBH

I actually dont hate the idea of helmets not being mandatory for exactly the sort of ride youre discussing but i still wouldnt ever go sans helmet.

I sometimes ride an E-Bike 19km or so to work.
Before they built the south gippsland highway overpass, complete with bike track , leading to the dandenong bypass trail, i used to have to go on the road a lot more. Managed to get collected at a roundabout at low speed. Hard knock to the knee coming down.
I also managed to come off flat chat at the bottom of a bike trail hill, it was dark and i misread the corner, and ended up turning too hard into the apex and dropping off the concrete on the inside of the bend then getting thrown over. I hit hard and felt pretty sorry for myself and was bruised all down one side, but i was probably only going 40km/h or so. Sometimes we see AFL players hit their head hard on the ground after a fairly innocuous fall, and i could see that happening easily in the types of crashes i had.

My friend was a pretty die hard roadbike rider, but he usually avoided busy roads. He was going flat out down a hill when an oncoming car right turned directly in front of him. Knee shattered. He can walk again now.

 

[Gralin]

Did peak hour on the Monash and then down to Geelong yesterday

Last time I did that drive was probably 2019, people appear to have become bigger psychopaths in that time

 

[phantom13]

I sometimes ride an E-Bike 19km or so to work.
Before they built the south gippsland highway overpass, complete with bike track , leading to the dandenong bypass trail, i used to have to go on the road a lot more. Managed to get collected at a roundabout at low speed. Hard knock to the knee coming down.
I also managed to come off flat chat at the bottom of a bike trail hill, it was dark and i misread the corner, and ended up turning too hard into the apex and dropping off the concrete on the inside of the bend then getting thrown over. I hit hard and felt pretty sorry for myself and was bruised all down one side, but i was probably only going 40km/h or so. Sometimes we see AFL players hit their head hard on the ground after a fairly innocuous fall, and i could see that happening easily in the types of crashes i had.

My friend was a pretty die hard roadbike rider, but he usually avoided busy roads. He was going flat out down a hill when an oncoming car right turned directly in front of him. Knee shattered. He can walk again now.

Ive had a couple of accidents. Worst was a car deciding to mount a kerb while i was going up the inside and cleaned me up.

If you ride long enough youre guaranteed to get hit by someone. Just gotta hope its not too extreme.