|
xzzy posted:Unfortunately even that doesn't work. This is sort of an illustration of why: It's the same thing with zipper merges, though, which was my point. Anybody touching their brakes is eventually going to cause someone behind them to get on theirs a bit longer, and it ripples backwards from there. Conceptually zipper merging helps because you're slowing down two lanes instead of one, so the slowdown is spread out a bit, but eventually you end up at the same point: a huge line of cars putzing along in the open lane, occasionally stopping to allow in part of a shorter line of cars stopped dead at the end of the now-closed lane. Throw in the occasional rear end in a top hat flying up the closed lane to try to cut ahead (usually ending up at the tail end of aforementioned short line of stopped cars)... Any form of merging can work if everybody does it. In real-life situations some cars get over immediately, some zipper, some get over at the last possible second, and some barrel through cones/barrels/construction workers and get their cars stuck in wet cement because they were texting.
|
#
?
Mar 12, 2014 19:36
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 11, 2024 16:11 |
|
|
Geirskogul posted:My buddy's a traffic engineer, and every time something like that comes up in conversation, he's quick to point out that people zippering in at the merge point is much more efficient than everyone merging early. It caught me by surprise, because I've been driving for awhile getting pissed off at people who merge at the very end when I merged early - I guess it's an incompetent rage because I feel that they "should have thought ahead like I did HA HA!" and they should be punished for their "stupidity" by having to wait. Turns out that I'm completely wrong: while people merging at the end of the merge lane may make my trip take a little longer (I have to wait for 2 cars instead of just one, etc), by reducing the overall length of backed up traffic (potentially across more stop lights and intersections) zippering at the end saves more time from everyone's day. This is a good book, and worth a read (or listen, I got it on Audible): Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) As someone mentioned, it is annoying when someone will get in the highway entrance lane for 100ft just to pass like 5 cars. It's dangerous on multiple levels and you are saving a few seconds at most. Oh and when people that have no concept of "merging" and just stop and sit there with their turn signal on waiting for someone to let them in. Thanks for causing traffic for both lanes shithead. Those are the drivers that cause traffic more than either of the other camps (merge late or early). Edit - Also I've been cut off by someone trying to be a hero or whatever the gently caress they think they are doing. Stick their car out half way when you are in the other lane. Yes, let's cause death and destruction because your way of driving is the "proper" way and anyone that does it another way deserves to die. subx fucked around with this message at 20:06 on Mar 12, 2014 |
|
#
?
Mar 12, 2014 20:04
|
|
|
subx posted:Yes, let's cause death and destruction because your way of driving is the "proper" way and anyone that does it another way deserves to die.
|
|
#
?
Mar 12, 2014 20:55
|
|
|
The problem I have with late merging is that you end up with the through lanes traveling at about 20mph or less and traffic in the merging lane speeding by at 70mph before slamming on their brakes right before the barrier, and somehow that is considered more safe. I understand that in the perfeft world this would work just fine and be safe but people are too stupid, lazy, not paying attention or just too insecure for this to work. Hell in a perfect world 22 cars could drive in a circle on a track at low speed. 
|
|
#
?
Mar 12, 2014 21:03
|
|
|
What really gets me is when there's a really long, gradual zipper (well, that's what the DOT wanted anyways) like 200 feet long, so during rush hour people play chicken and instead of zippering at full speed given the long gradual space to do it in, they stay in two columns till the last possible minute, then another entrance ramp that combines with that lane (don't even get me loving started, gently caress you DOT) also joins the fun and you end up with 2-3 sorta-rows of people trying to jam through 1.5 lanes of space. It works out about like you would expect. And then I come along in my beater and zipper right where I'm supposed to, gently caress you all, follow the goddamn rules and zipper or you end up wearing some of my paint. The dotted line stopping means this is one lane now, you shitlords. So stop trying to use it as two.
|
|
#
?
Mar 12, 2014 21:14
|
|
|
Crankit posted:Maybe when they have vehicles merging from two lanes into one they should put speed boosters in the road surface so that more cars can go through the one lane section? unfortunately, despite it being 2014, not all cars support turbo strips 
|
|
#
?
Mar 12, 2014 21:46
|
|
|
Had some guy in a Corolla (I think) rear ended a truck so hard that it filped it into the oncoming trafic (which, thankfully had no traffic at the time). The truck also lost both it's back wheels.
|
|
#
?
Mar 12, 2014 22:29
|
|
|
I've had this dashcam for almost three months now while driving around central New Jersey and taking it on a road trip to Virginia Beach and this was the noteworthy and dumbest thing I have caught with it yet. And in front of a cop no less though he never made a move as far as I knew. I can only assume he wanted to make a left despite there being a traffic light several yards behind me which the parking lot also lets out to. I kind of wish I had thought quickly enough to pull into the ramp and stop in front of him to show that that is not an exit. Would have made for a more interesting photo.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 02:53
|
|
|
I am surrounded by retards and they have licenses. Tonight around 10pm I headed home. First thing I saw was a carbon grey car on i93 north doing 20 under the limit with absolutely no lights on because OH GOD IT IS RAINING I AM SCARED. Next, on i95 south, I was driving along at maybe 5 over the limit (because it was raining) and had multiple people pull out behind me after I passed them and repeatedly high beam flash me. I thought they were trying to say my rear lighting was dead, since it had issues a few months ago that I thought I fixed, so I pulled over in a rest stop to check. Nope, everything worked, they were just enraged that I dared to drive SO FAST (they were doing 10 or 15 under the limit in the middle lane, I passed safely on the left.) Pulling out of the rest stop I made the mistake of letting someone else go first. They proceeded to forget there was any such thing as a gas pedal and putter up the entrance ramp at a blistering 20mph. I go to pull out from behind them into the middle lane while hammering it, since I don't much fancy the look of the truck bearing down on us, and it turns out that what I thought was a motorcycle in the left lane was a black car with only the left headlight working - in the middle lane. Not only the left headlight and the markers - JUST THE LEFT HEADLIGHT. Every other light on this jalopy was either dead or off. So I abort and end up in the right lane behind speedy gonzales again. Just as I go to pull out and accelerate into the middle lane behind Mr. Stealth Cyclops, the moron with the missing gas pedal decides to whip it into the middle lane with no signal and absolutely no warning or mirror check and nearly sideswipes me. The last idiot was a silver car with new york state plates (for shame, you fuckers are supposed to know how to drive) who was happily pacing a tour bus in the left lane (in its blind spot, to boot) and took five minutes of occasional high beam flashing to realize I wanted to pass, then was so angry at me that they pulled back out behind me and repeatedly flashed me while tailgating to show me just how wrong I was for daring to want to pass using the passing lane. I want a goddamn tank and I want it to have a working main gun, dammit. All that idiocy in 70 miles... it normally isn't that bad around here, but jesus. The rain brought them all out in force. kastein fucked around with this message at 04:25 on Mar 13, 2014 |
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 04:19
|
|
|
This is why you need to get the 5-ton repaired and also find a legislative loophole that allows you to drive it. Then apply the aforementioned PA system we spoke about. Ain't nobody gonna refuse to move over when that thing wants to pass. If that thing can pass. I AM IN A COROLLA AND FEELIN' GOOD ABOUT LIFE. GOIN' THIRTY IN A SEVENTY BECAUSE FAST IS SCARY. (A howling turbo whine sounds as if from far away. The trees stir.) WAIT WHAT'S THAT (Giant headlights appear in the rear view mirror.) OH gently caress (KMFDM's Xtort album begins to play through a scratchy Cold War-era loudspeaker. The whine builds as the massive turbo spools, causing the rear view mirror to vibrate against the windshield, before breaking loose and falling to the floor.) gently caress poo poo gently caress gently caress gently caress gently caress gently caress JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL (pirouettes into a bridge abutment) Seat Safety Switch fucked around with this message at 04:29 on Mar 13, 2014 |
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 04:26
|
|
|
That thing does 52 downhill and it can't pass a goddamn thing, least of all a fuel station. And it would cost $500 a week to commute in it.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 04:29
|
|
|
I gotta find out if I can get an employee discount on refurbed truck diesels when I start my new job. Would probably need a transmission as well but if that thing could do 80 
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 04:35
|
|
|
kastein posted:The last idiot was a silver car with new york state plates (for shame, you fuckers are supposed to know how to drive) HAHAHAHA, I like you man, but you crazy To contribute, today I was stuck behind some stupid gently caress in a newish GTI with limo tint (on all the windows I could see) on a narrow, twisty road (30 MPH posted limit) I take home from work. It's one lane in each direction, bordered by dense trees on each side. This dumbass was hovering between 15 - 20 mph the whole time, all over the road, and coming to almost a complete stop before going over any semblance of a rough patch in the pavement, completely ignorant of the 15 car train of fuming, pissed off drivers he was pulling behind him. Any car coming the other way, he'd come to almost a complete stop before passing them at 2 mph. GODDAMMIT IF YOU'RE TOO loving TIMID TO DRIVE PROPERLY ON THE SCARY LITTLE ROAD STICK TO THE GIANT THOROUGHFARE THAT RUNS PARALLEL TO IT YOU DUMB gently caress  I actually have a dashcam video, but it's not noteworthy enough for me to go to the trouble of editing out my raging to post it.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 05:23
|
|
|
Stop lines? Pfft who gives a poo poo.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 05:28
|
|
|
xzzy posted:Stop lines? Pfft who gives a poo poo. It's hilarious to see these people scatter out of the way when I come sailing through a left turn laying on the air horn.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 06:01
|
|
|
kastein posted:That thing does 52 downhill and it can't pass a goddamn thing, least of all a fuel station. Treat yourself, drive it every other Friday.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 06:03
|
|
|
kastein posted:I am surrounded by retards and they have licenses. This is me every afternoon when I have to drive my wife into the CBD for work during the crossover period between 'parents picking their kids up' peak hour and 'people going home from work' peak hour. Why the gently caress can't people just drive? Seat Safety Switch posted:I AM IN A COROLLA AND FEELIN' GOOD ABOUT LIFE. GOIN' THIRTY IN A SEVENTY BECAUSE FAST IS SCARY. This whole post is the greatest mental image but this bit in particular made me laugh like a hyena on nitrous
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 08:56
|
|
|
And with horror movie levels of mist out there, it's time for the "driving grey cars without lights on" championships...
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 09:35
|
|
|
Got stuck behind a first gen Focus on the way home today. Dude peeled out at the lights to merge in front of me then proceeded to drive 10 under the speed limit for the next few blocks, weaving all over the road while he's at it. We come up to a roundabout and he cuts through the turning lane to make it through the roundabout at a blistering 40km/h (this roundabout has massive amounts of camber that let you hook round it at 60km/h - while staying in a single lane - with ease). We finally get out of the residential area and he speeds up to 20 over the speed limit (which hasn't changed) while still demonstrating a complete lack of ability to stay on the road or in his lane. Come up to a very gentle corner that has been fairly recently resurfaced so it has great tarmac, and he drops back down to 10 under to negotiate this treacherous corner before speeding up to 40 over (100km/h) until he catches up to a car that dared turn onto the road three blocks up. He then tailgates this car until he gets to the turn off leading to his house where it took him two lanes to make a left hand turn at walking speed. Tail lights were out as well.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 11:04
|
|
|
Had a ham-beast in a nasty looking Caravan pull right out in front of me yesterday. The only reason I avoided slamming into them was I was only going 25mph, and I still stopped maybe a foot away from them. There is no way they couldn't have seen me coming (white car, lights on, broad daylight, straight road) so I guess they just never looked. The expression on their face was loving adorable, like a walrus being awoken from it's slumber. Then there was the 3 car procession going 10 under in the left lane, packed together like you would do in rush-hour, with no other traffic around. That was weird.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 11:50
|
|
|
Not so much dangerously inept as just baffling, I just watched this happen: Blue car made a left turn at low speed with plenty of time (no oncoming traffic) on good roads with good visibility and drove directly into the red car at probably 5 kph. Time from beginning the turn to impact was maybe 10 seconds, enough time to go "Look at that, he's not going to, no way, he did".
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 13:02
|
|
|
I'm reading this thread and getting great entertainment from it, even though I'm not a good driver myself. I think it's interesting from a cultural perspective as well. To me, the idea of people going under the speed limit is absolutely bizarre. I'm from Poland, and there if you go the speed limit, you will inspire a burning hatred in other drivers. Anywhere outside of a city centre or a highway, the formula often seems to be speed limit x2 - 20 kph. When I was learning to drive, my first few times in a car were terrifying.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 13:03
|
|
|
Niven posted:Not so much dangerously inept as just baffling, I just watched this happen: My mom's last car was totaled like that (she was the red car, coincidentally in a red SUV), except that she was 4-5 car lengths away from the lights at the time. The person who hit her somehow traveled 50 feet in the wrong lane after the turn. Zeppelin Insanity posted:I'm reading this thread and getting great entertainment from it, even though I'm not a good driver myself. I think it's interesting from a cultural perspective as well. To me, the idea of people going under the speed limit is absolutely bizarre. I'm from Poland, and there if you go the speed limit, you will inspire a burning hatred in other drivers. Anywhere outside of a city centre or a highway, the formula often seems to be speed limit x2 - 20 kph. I haven't been as terrified in a car as I was the last time I was in Poland 6-7 years ago. What's up with getting right up on the rear end of the car in front of you before going for a pass, then darting in and out of the next lane to see if there is oncoming traffic?
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 14:13
|
|
|
Someone tried to kill themselves and me in the process today by not checking for traffic before opening their parked car's door as wide as they could and getting out into the middle of my lane. I swerved to avoid hitting them, almost caught the car next to me. Jesus. Also early merging is sperging, late merge is where it's at. When you zipper as late as possible, you don't get that phenomenon of one lane going walking speed and the other doing 60, both lanes are the same speed, which is why people don't have to stop and brake to let the occasional smart-enough-to-use-the-fast-lane car in, but you everyone just goes the same speed. Which is also why it's more fair to everyone since the passing time is about the same for everyone. Every early merger means 3 cars from that lane instead of 1 by the way, since at the late merge someone is going to go in before and behind them.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 15:39
|
|
|
I went to Iceland last week with some friends. I can't remember being mad at any other drivers, everyone just seemed to drive well. The only unnerving thing were tour bus drivers passing cars on snow covered roads. I also like the idea of requiring winter tires from November to April, never knew they made snows for buses. After driving to the middle of nowhere we were really happy our rental Cruzes had them. Are stop lights that go in reverse, like a drag racing Christmas tree, common in other countries? I though it was a neat idea. Then we flew back into Newark, NJ which felt so much worse coming from Iceland. Then on the drive home from my friends house where I left my car I almost had two people merge into me on I95. First was a Sprinter van that could not hold his lane to save his life, second was a women in a Chevy Traverse who was just not paying attention as I passed her.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 15:57
|
|
|
Zeppelin Insanity posted:I'm reading this thread and getting great entertainment from it, even though I'm not a good driver myself. I think it's interesting from a cultural perspective as well. To me, the idea of people going under the speed limit is absolutely bizarre. I'm from Poland, and there if you go the speed limit, you will inspire a burning hatred in other drivers. Anywhere outside of a city centre or a highway, the formula often seems to be speed limit x2 - 20 kph. That is why. The people who would be afraid to drive fast are too terrified of the traffic to drive at all. Others adapt somehow. Except old people. I exaggerate, of course, but it is a self reinforcing cycle, with nearly every Eastern European being like an Adam Miauczynski behind the wheel, driven by some combination of anger and fear both. The burning hatred for other traffic participants that you observe and hear about is just a safety valve for releasing some of the most immediate stress that comes from driving in an environment where unsafe driving is common. It's that and the large number of 2 lane roads not initially designed for a large number of personal cars.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 15:58
|
|
|
Solkanar512 posted:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcPby71TNC0 I'm not angry, it's a perfectly fine concept that can never work as long as real live people are involved. Maybe when cars are all networked and AI controlled, but not until then.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 16:09
|
|
|
This is really minor compared to most of the grievances here. I experience this every day going home from work. Car has to turn on one of the many intersecting neighborhood streets from the 35mph 4 lane road we're on. Car turns like this: Decelerate down to 5.4.3.2...turn. These side streets are often narrow and you don't want to front-end someone but even if there is full visibility and/or plenty of room a lot of people cannot take a corner any faster than a crawl.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 16:11
|
|
|
Sten Freak posted:This is really minor compared to most of the grievances here. I experience this every day going home from work. Car has to turn on one of the many intersecting neighborhood streets from the 35mph 4 lane road we're on. Car turns like this: Decelerate down to 5.4.3.2...turn. These side streets are often narrow and you don't want to front-end someone but even if there is full visibility and/or plenty of room a lot of people cannot take a corner any faster than a crawl. Obviously there are situations that require more attention, but *most* corners can be taken at, honestly, a full autocross clip safely. If you drive it every day (meaning you know the road surface), you have visibility to see there are no pedestrians or obstructions, and your car is in good repair, you can take corners at much faster than LEGAL speeds without issue. I'm not saying anyone should actually do this, but the whole "come to a complete stop, then make the turn" thing that I see regularly, or the 2mph thing you mention, is the complete opposite end of the spectrum, and no one should do that either.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 16:18
|
|
|
I always imagined it was because people feel unsettled when things like "inertia" cause them to move a picometer in the driver's seat, causing them to slow down to nearly a stop so as to remain as planted and settled as possible because IF I TAKE THIS TURN AT MORE THAN 2 MPH MY ENTIRE CAR IS JUST GOING TO FLIP THE gently caress OVER AHHHHHHHHHH
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 17:43
|
|
|
I think it's that, combined with the average human aversion to moderation - they can't do something in the middle, they have to go slow, so that they don't go flying out of control and drive over the median and into that house across the street. Which they also do.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 17:46
|
|
|
Uthor posted:I haven't been as terrified in a car as I was the last time I was in Poland 6-7 years ago. What's up with getting right up on the rear end of the car in front of you before going for a pass, then darting in and out of the next lane to see if there is oncoming traffic? I think the idea is you minimise the time spent in the other lane, because you're not closing with the car in front of you. Except when you're close you can't see if it's clear.  I think the American driving test is way too easy and people shouldn't get licenses this easily, but on the other hand the Polish one is very strict and seems to have the effect of having everyone who's passed it decide to never drive correctly again as revenge. There's an infuriating catch-22 during the exam. You're of course supposed to take a turn from the correct lane, but you might be told to take that turn without a lot of time to change lanes. If you change without either a lot of space - not gonna happen in heavy traffic - or the car in the other lane visibly slowing down, even if you're not cutting him off, that counts as your error. If you don't change lanes because no one let you in, which they won't because you have L plates so gently caress you I'm not slowing down, it counts as you not following commands and is an error. You get an instant fail if you make two errors (or one major one) during the whole exam, which is supposed to be an hour and a half. Basically, the system as a whole is such that unless you get a really unlikely day of people on the road being courteous to you and actually also following the law, whether you pass or not is entirely up to the mood of the person giving the exam.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 17:57
|
|
|
SFH1989 posted:Are stop lights that go in reverse, like a drag racing Christmas tree, common in other countries? I though it was a neat idea. Yeah, they're the standard type in Europe, they go green->yellow->red and red->red+yellow->green. Makes it very easy to see if you should brake for a light that's turning red, or just release the gas a bit for a light that's turning green.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 18:32
|
|
|
SFH1989 posted:I went to Iceland last week with some friends. I can't remember being mad at any other drivers, everyone just seemed to drive well. The only unnerving thing were tour bus drivers passing cars on snow covered roads. I also like the idea of requiring winter tires from November to April, never knew they made snows for buses. After driving to the middle of nowhere we were really happy our rental Cruzes had them. Are stop lights that go in reverse, like a drag racing Christmas tree, common in other countries? I though it was a neat idea. I'm not a big fan of the idea of red + amber simply because I think there are enough drivers out there who already treat stop lights like a drag race tree light. I honestly don't believe I could survive driving in the UK. I think roundabouts are kinda cool, and left handed driving is bat poo poo insane but you can get used to that eventually, the real problem is the length of yellow lights is the same for every intersection regardless of the speed of the road. gently caress no. The Midniter posted:I always imagined it was because people feel unsettled when things like "inertia" cause them to move a picometer in the driver's seat, causing them to slow down to nearly a stop so as to remain as planted and settled as possible because IF I TAKE THIS TURN AT MORE THAN 2 MPH MY ENTIRE CAR IS JUST GOING TO FLIP THE gently caress OVER AHHHHHHHHHH Apparently you have never experienced the extreme pleasure of driving a PT Cruiser.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 18:44
|
|
|
KozmoNaut posted:Yeah, they're the standard type in Europe, they go green->yellow->red and red->red+yellow->green. Crotch Fruit posted:I'm not a big fan of the idea of red + amber simply because I think there are enough drivers out there who already treat stop lights like a drag race tree light.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 18:50
|
|
|
Crotch Fruit posted:I'm not a big fan of the idea of red + amber simply because I think there are enough drivers out there who already treat stop lights like a drag race tree light. Yeah, a lot of people actually start going on the yellow, right before it changes to green. Luckily, the red overlap is usually pretty long, so it works out.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 19:08
|
|
|
Crotch Fruit posted:I'm not a big fan of the idea of red + amber simply because I think there are enough drivers out there who already treat stop lights like a drag race tree light. I honestly don't believe I could survive driving in the UK. I think roundabouts are kinda cool, and left handed driving is bat poo poo insane but you can get used to that eventually, the real problem is the length of yellow lights is the same for every intersection regardless of the speed of the road. gently caress no. Yeah, literally my first thought when seeing them was "These are perfect for street racing". Overall driving there wasn't too bad since they drive on the right and all the signs seemed straight forward. Plus Reykjavik isn't exactly a crowded city. The lack of stop signs was interesting with just yield signs everywhere. This makes sense since people generally turn stop signs into yield signs anyway.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 19:41
|
|
|
AlternateAccount posted:I'm not angry, it's a perfectly fine concept that can never work as long as real live people are involved. Maybe when cars are all networked and AI controlled, but not until then. Except it DOES work here in Germany, where it's actually coded in law to merge zipper style, as late as possible, and people do it just fine the overwhelming majority of the time.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 19:45
|
|
|
wayfinder posted:Except it DOES work here in Germany, where it's actually coded in law to merge zipper style, as late as possible, and people do it just fine the overwhelming majority of the time. Germans are not real people, they are robots 
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 20:33
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 11, 2024 16:11 |
|
|
We should try communism I guess.
|
|
#
?
Mar 13, 2014 20:43
|
|