Driver’s Ed

A crash course for drivers.

How can such brilliant tech people be such poor problem-solvers on the road?

Yesterday, I was running through the crosswalk of a four-way intersection. The four-way intersection crosses a single-lane road with a two-lane road. I was crossing the single-lane road, against traffic. There were only two cars in view; both in the right lane coming toward me. They had a green light. Right when I started to cross, the lead car slowed down and put its right blinker on to turn right. He was going to turn in front of me, but waited for me to clear the crosswalk before he went. He came to a stop as he waited for…

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Change lanes with purpose

It’s a staple of Seattle driving. As normal as breathing. You’re on a two or three lane highway. In front of you is one lane with about 10 or 12 cars all going exactly the speed limit or a little under. Next to it (on either side, because people in Seattle don’t know about the whole “slow traffic keep right” thing), is a lane that is wide open. The only car you can see is past the lead car of the line of cars. If you’re an experienced Pacific Northwest driver, you hit the gas and try to get…

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If they’re gonna remove car lanes for bike lanes, they should go all in

Yesterday, I wrote about local governments thwarting the will of their own people to add bike lanes everywhere at the expense of growing automobile traffic. I heard a great idea from a local mayor who was talking about Seattle’s penchant for removing vehicle lanes to replace bike lanes. His suggestion was that if bikers get in an accident in their bike lanes, their only emergency assistance option should be bike ambulances. Someone on a bike, pulling a stretcher attachment, should ride up, help you out, throw you on the back (if needed), and bike you off to the local…

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Government for the people? or vs the people…

Over in Bellevue, the city just east, and across Lake Washington, from Seattle, they get to watch all the mistakes the Seattle City Council makes. If you ever visit Seattle for a day, and then head over to Bellevue, you’ll see a tale of two very different cities. If Seattle represents the extremes of liberalism, Bellevue is its conservative half-brother. Over the past ten years, Seattle bowed down to the pressure of fools and determined that while Seattle’s population is growing at a nearly 3% annual clip (Seattle added 134,000 residents to it’s small 610,000 resident frame in the…

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If this doesn’t define the Pacific Northwest

Today, I was on the onramp getting on to the expressway. The onramp, in this case, is one lane with high barriers on both sides. You’re in a long lane, going up a hill, so you can’t really see what’s going on over the hill. I was sitting, stopped, for minutes on end; inching along slowly. Just as you get over the top of the hill, you enter an area in which the single lane splits into three lanes. The lane on the left is an HOV lane, so carpoolers can get by everyone in that lane. The center…

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Common sense vs mindless rule-following: a follow up

Yesterday, I wrote about a guy who rode his bike up to a stop light at 6am on a Sunday, and waited more than five minutes, with no cars present, before he hit the walk light and crossed when the light turned green. I grew up in the Midwest. We were taught to look both ways. We didn’t have flags. We didn’t have lighted pedestrian walkways. The idea of standing and waiting for the light to change when no cars are in sight wasn’t even an idea. My people would walk through an intersection or across the street when…

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When following rules beats common sense

Last Sunday, as I was out running, a biker cruised by me, rode down the hill, and stopped at the red light at the intersection. (The intersection is a busy, main thoroughfare crossed with a local neighborhood road going the other. Visibility is about 200 yards, each way, on the main road.) As soon as he got there, I accurately predicted the rest of this story. He sat there at the light, waiting for the light to turn green. He sat there, and he sat there. Minutes went by. It was just after 6am, so the light needs to…

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Losing control by trying to be in control – the driving edition

Have you ever tried to pass someone and had them speed up so you can’t? These people are sinister (and Socialist) because what they’re really seeking is control over you. (And others, presumably) Not content to simply drive the way they prefer, they’re also trying to make sure everyone else drives the way they want them to. And isn’t this really the source of most of our problems – not just on the road, but everywhere. If people would just do things the way they like, and get out of the way of others doing the same, all would…

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Pacific Northwest problem-solving

Live in the Pacific Northwest area long enough, and you’ll start seeing some patterns about how people navigate driving and walking. For example, one things area residents really struggle with is what to do when they encounter a car stopped in front of them. It’s not completely uncommon to drive down a neighborhood road and see a car stopped, with the driver speaking with a neighbor or someone they know who’s running or walking. The strange part is that you can almost take it to the bank that the car that drives up behind the stopped car will have…

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Close the gap

It’s a simple idea, but one I think could significantly improve heavy traffic. Close the gap. In all situations. If you’re driving, and there’s a massive space between you and the car in front of you, close the gap. Catch up. This enables everyone behind you to pick up the pace, as well. I know, there’s this notion of two car lengths. But that’s only necessary because it rightly assumes most people are not paying attention so can’t react fast enough. But if you’re focused on the task at hand: driving, you won’t get caught trying to put your…

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