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#1
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The increasing stress of driving
I'm very frustrated by the number of driving days that require the use
of rapid deceleration, evasive action, and rapid acceleration to avoid a secondary incident. I've had more than 100 incidents within the past month, and I've noticed that it has taken my driving to the border of reasonable and sometimes past prudent, just to keep ahead of the traffic problems. I should not have to leave half an hour earlier to get somewhere on-time at a relaxed pace under normal traffic conditions. A relaxed drive that should have taken fifteen minutes today turned into a drive with rapid changes in speed and multiple evasive moves, and I was still five minutes late. Less than a minute after leaving, I had to swerve around three LLBs that were blocking traffic and braking for no reason except to obstruct traffic flow. One driver turned left and started driving down the wrong side of the road, then onto the right shoulder and into the left lane. Another driver almost got crushed when he rolled out from behind an unmoving LLB at a green light and stopped in front of me; that's happened at least three other times at intersections in the past month. Another driver approached a green left-turn arrow, slowed down until it turned yellow, and then stopped. There was no traffic on the other side of the road and the light for traffic going straight was green. I went around the stoppage, but everyone else in line got stuck as the light turned red. Yesterday I moved to pass a driver normally and as I accelerated to pass, the driver drifted in front of me, forcing me to brake and swerve around on the right. At more than 10 local intersections, traffic is clogged for hours as 3 to 5 cars get through the traffic light per cycle. I walked for 10 minutes from one end of a strip mall to the other end at the next intersection and traffic had completely stopped when I got there. The reason for this was that the traffic at the light moved so slowly that only a few cars would get through. The large gaps between slowly-accelerating cars caused the ground sensor to change the light to red every few seconds. The slowness caused a backup about 150 cars long within 15 minutes, and it took an hour to clear the mess. On another day, I pulled out from a shopping mall behind a slowly-accelerating minivan. The traffic was stopped at the next intersection, but I didn't want to sit behind the minivan. As I moved to pass, the minivan driver sped up. I moved quickly back to the right lane as the traffic light turned green and I accelerated with the traffic. I got to the next intersection before the minivan left the first intersection. People were swerving around from behind it, and the traffic jam continued to increase. When I turned at the next street, the traffic jam was at least as long as the other jam of 150 cars. These traffic lights with ground sensors disrupt the smooth flow of traffic. I should not have to exceed a reasonable speed to get through the next intersection before the light turns red. Likewise, when I approach a main street from a side street, I do not want my light to turn green, as I slow to a stop, at the expense of stopping all the traffic on the main street. Once stopped, I expect to wait a reasonable amount of time while the main street traffic continues through the intersection. In some towns and cities, a driver can expect to have most lights turn green once the pack of traffic starts moving. The traffic lights are timed so that if you maintain the speed limit, you should get through most of the lights. Because of these new devices, drivers must sometimes play a speed and timing game with the lights or get stuck behind a slew of red lights and all of the cars that turn in front of them from the intersecting streets. Some intersections have two sensors at different distances from the light. When you drive over the first one and if there's not another car on the second one, the light turns yellow. You have to accelerate from a normal speed to +20 in order to make it through the light before the yellow expires. If you don't, it's a delay at that light, then another delay at the next light compounded by the drivers now in front of you that don't accelerate on green, plus more delays because you miss multiple light cycles at other intersections due to the previous delays. The light change doesn't occur at the same time if you don't drive over the sensor; it instead appears to change on a timer. If you try to stop for the yellow, you must use rapid braking. These lights are set so that you have to either hit the brakes or the accelerator hard. Missing one light cycle can cause a delay of more than 10 minutes during congested traffic conditions. I'm driving much faster than should be necessary, but slowing down can be worse. Not only does it make me very late, but I can often be stuck in a pack of cars with many angry drivers who might swerve into me, and that's happened. One destination that can be reached in an estimated 20 minutes without the problems, takes at least 45 minutes to reach. The number of incidents increases because of the additional time spent in traffic. The amount of braking and accelerating from stops also increases, and more periods of idling occur due to traffic jams at intersections. This wastes fuel and increases the stress on the engine, brakes, and transmission. Additionally, slower speeds in congested traffic cause inattentiveness and fatigue, leading to problems like pulling out into the path of another car or not seeing a pedestrian, partially due to frustration but mostly the fatigue from repeatedly braking, idling, and slowly accelerating. More problems occur or are observed while trying to avoid driving in traffic by walking or biking. Crosswalks at intersections are sometimes blocked, leaving no way through except to cross forward of the intersection line or squeeze between tightly-packed cars. I've almost been hit several times by drivers on the wrong side of the road while turning left, and they look at me like I'm in their lane. While walking, I saw the driver of an SUV staring ahead while waiting at the red light. His right wrist was resting on the top of the steering wheel, and he looked like a zombie. The light turned green, but he didn't accelerate. The driver behind him honked, but still nothing. He then leaned onto the wheel so that his arm was across it, and slowly accelerated forward, 15 seconds after the light had changed. The number and severity of problems is increasing. It seems like there is no day on the roads that does not have some incident. I am tired of pushing the redline, tired of turning normal passes into high-speed evasive actions as the driver I'm trying to pass speeds up to prevent me from returning to the right lane and trapping me behind the LLB in front. I'm tired of wasting fuel and time because the Sloths in front don't move when traffic lights are green. I'm tried of drivers that drive close next to me and match speeds unless I swerve into them. I'm tired of drivers on the wrong side of the road, drivers that brake for no reason, drivers with no lights on in the rain, drivers that make right turns from the passing lane after having blocked it for five minutes, drivers that signal after making a slow lane change, drivers that don't maintain speed, and drivers that don't merge properly. Why can't I just drive somewhere in a relaxed way and expect to get there on-time and without incident? Now that I've ranted here instead of turning all of this frustration into rage tomorrow, is this frustration normal? Other than leaving hours earlier to go anywhere and taking detours or pulling over to avoid potential problems, which I do sometimes, is there something I might do differently to reduce these problems? |
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#2
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On Sat, 09 Jul 2005 08:11:17 +0000, Alexander Rogge
> wrote: >I'm very frustrated by the number of driving days that require the use >of rapid deceleration, evasive action, and rapid acceleration to avoid a >secondary incident. I've had more than 100 incidents within the past >month, and I've noticed that it has taken my driving to the border of >reasonable and sometimes past prudent, just to keep ahead of the traffic >problems. It's enough to make ya wanna take the train... |
#3
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>>I'm very frustrated by the number of driving days that require the use >>of rapid deceleration, evasive action, and rapid acceleration to avoid a >>secondary incident. I've had more than 100 incidents within the past >>month, and I've noticed that it has taken my driving to the border of >>reasonable and sometimes past prudent, just to keep ahead of the traffic >>problems. > > It's enough to make ya wanna take the train... > Now if they'd only run a track from my front door to the office. Sigh . . .. -Dave |
#4
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Solution: buy an old, rusted, fullsize pickup truck
(I saw one here for $400) and use it to commute. Drive it like you dont give a **** about anybody. |
#5
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In article >, Alexander Rogge wrote:
> I'm very frustrated by the number of driving days that require the use > of rapid deceleration, evasive action, and rapid acceleration to avoid a > secondary incident. This is one of the reasons I am commuting more by bicycle these days. The idiots on the road are beyond critical mass. Everything backs up. Sloths fail to accelerate, the queues at lights don't clear, etc. With the bicycle a route to work and back that cars cannot use is open to me and I can avoid much of the problems. Also with the smaller vehicle I am more nimble and I can out accelerate the sloth. I use the left lane to pass the right turning sloth and if I am turning right I can find a suitable gap, make a textbook lane change and make my turn. Moves like that are just impossible in a car given the safety margins I desire. I don't have the visibility and the car is far too large. |
#6
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In article >, 223rem wrote:
> Solution: buy an old, rusted, fullsize pickup truck > (I saw one here for $400) and use it to commute. > Drive it like you dont give a **** about anybody. The problem with beaters is they breakdown. I need to find a reliable car that looks like crap. |
#7
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Scott en Aztl=E1n wrote: > On Sat, 09 Jul 2005 08:11:17 +0000, Alexander Rogge > > wrote: > > >I'm very frustrated by the number of driving days that require the use > >of rapid deceleration, evasive action, and rapid acceleration to avoid a > >secondary incident. I've had more than 100 incidents within the past > >month, and I've noticed that it has taken my driving to the border of > >reasonable and sometimes past prudent, just to keep ahead of the traffic > >problems. > > It's enough to make ya wanna take the train... Or increase the following distance so you don't have to do the brake/gas dance... Harry K |
#8
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> > The problem with beaters is they breakdown. I need to find a reliable car > that looks like crap. > > Hey, why do you think the Camry has been #1 for a while now? -Dave |
#9
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On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 02:53:41 GMT, "Dave" > wrote:
> >> >> The problem with beaters is they breakdown. I need to find a reliable car >> that looks like crap. >> >> > >Hey, why do you think the Camry has been #1 for a while now? -Dave It's being supplanted by the Scion xB, the Honda Excrement. |
#10
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Dave wrote:
>>The problem with beaters is they breakdown. I need to find a reliable car >>that looks like crap. > Hey, why do you think the Camry has been #1 for a while now? -Dave Actually the old Camry looked OK. The new one is fugly. The Toyota Avalon is similarly ugly--I hate that box on thin wheels look. |
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