I hate to come back with a complain-y post but I’m feeling a bit blog-blocked right now. New job has me timid about what I say online. Also new job for me + new job for husband = no time for anything else right now. So, forgive me as I rant a bit about drivers in the CLE suburbs and issue some reminders.
1. A 4-way stop at a boulevard is still a 4-way stop. The divider of grass in the middle doesn’t mean you can ignore what’s coming from the left and right.
2. A 4-way stop at a wide intersection (*cough* South Park & Eaton *cough*) still means you have to stop. All the way. If you try to roll your way through I WILL creep and crawl my way through the intersection, forcing you to stop. And no, just because you stopped when the car in front of you stopped, does not mean you are next in line to go through. You still have to pull up to the stop sign and not just sit 2 car-lengths back.
3. If you are dropping your kid off at a preschool that has room for 5-6 cars parallel parked in front, DO NOT leave 9 feet of space between your car and the one in front of you! Likewise, if you are in the front spot, pull all the way up for the love of god. Those 4 feet of space you left in front means one less car can park there and I now have to drive around to the other parking lot. Common sense, courtesy, things you should have learned in driver’s ed – use them!
4. Being allowed to turn on red does not mean you can turn right in front of someone (I’m looking at you, ladies in SUVs leaving the JCC).
5. My dear westsiders, I know that the whole traffic circle thing is confusing. Circles are round; there are no comforting, pointy corners or stop signs for you. Infinity scares you. But please, please pick a side and stick with it – drive on the inside or outside – NOT in the middle of the 2 lanes. When all else fails, just drive around the circle again. Bonus points for saying “Look kids! Big Ben…House of Parliament!” as you do. We won’t laugh at you too much. (Note: perhaps it’s the traffic circles that make people bad at rolling stop signs as mentioned in #2. Hmmm.)
6. If you drive 45 MPH on my one-block, residential street you are an awful driver and, most likely, an awful person.
7. If you are crossing the street at a busy intersection, I would suggest you do so at a decent clip and not while checking your phone.
8. If you ride your bike to work I will think you are an awesome person who is fit! and environmentally friendly! And I will fist bump your hipster self. That is until I see you flagrantly ignore a stop sign or red light and I have to slam on my breaks because you think you don’t have to follow the rules. Then I will have fantasies of you and your raggedy beard meeting the grill of my car.
I think that’s all for today. What are your biggest road rants?
Ka-Ka-Ka-Katy 
“Look kids! Big Ben…House of Parliament!” – HAHAHA.
I have major road rage. I hate people who don’t speed up when entering the freeway, as well as people who don’t merge correctly (Utah drivers have a HARD time with merging), and people who don’t use their turn signals. I hate the “Utah Roadblock” with the heat of a thousand suns. (That’s when cars in all lanes are going the same speed, so that passing is impossible.) People who swing out left to turn right. Slow drivers in the fast lane.
I also have a crippling fear of driving through crosswalks.
Ohhh – the left swing for a right turn… I HATE that, too!
(I’ll look into the reader thing – not sure why that’s happening!)
Oh, I meant to ask – any idea why I can’t add your blog to my feeder? Google keeps saying it can’t find it.
Why can’t people merge or yield anymore? It seems as if people think Yield means “hey, you on the highway – you saw me so you can slam on your brakes to accommodate my car as I drive onto the highway at 50 mph and then speed up.” Yield means the driver must prepare to stop if necessary to let a driver on another approach proceed. Thanks for letting me vent.
Are you sure you aren’t talking about Chicago?
I live in Vancouver where lots of people cycle to work and while I also am happy to see people doing it, I instantly see red when they ignore traffic laws. You are considered a vehicle and therefore have to STOP at the damn STOP SIGNS. I am so sick of wondering if that bike approaching a 4 way stop will actually stop and I’m sick of having to slam on my brakes when they don’t. I also get annoyed when bikes want to cycle across pedestrian crosswalks. NO! You’re not a pedestrian when you’re on a bike. If you want to be one, then GET OFF YOUR BIKE and walk with it.
Can you tell this is a hot button topic with me? ARGH.
Anyway, my point? Is that I agree with you. These reminders should go out to all drivers at least once a year.
I know the SouthPark- Eaton intersection very well. I grew up over there and people still are disrespectful to other drivers. They never learn. Good blog even on road ranting because it is so true.
Other issues when you are stopped at a red light and you are in the turning lane, the fear of being hit by other drivers turning into your turning lane almost hitting your car. Yipes
Good luck at your new jobs:-)