Do you 'let people out' and wave 'thanks' when someone lets you out/in?
As contributors to this column I would bet that yes you do, as responsible road users, who take an interest in their cars, traffic systems, safety etc.
I think driving habits have become a pretty accurate barometer of the lowering of social politeness generally in the UK. See the proliferation of road rage.
Here's a fine example, which happened to me this morning:
Appointment at the doctor for my daughter, car park full, one parking space being vacated, driver taking ages, me waiting patiently (no pun intended), obviously going to take his place. Shiny new Beamer (middle aged suit inside) appears and drives straight in past me as I'm reversing in. Thinking he hadn't noticed (unlikely) that I was going to go into the space, I very politely told him twice that I had just let the guy out and was then going to use the space. He said he couldn't care less (words to that effect) just walked by with a smug look, my jaw hit the tarmac, as he waltzed into the surgery. We parked up the road. Waiting in reception I saw to my surprise that he wasn't a patient but one of the senior consultants! (and I wasn't using the staff car park). Too bizarre.
Struck me as the epitome of the type we see on tv moaning about young people in society, rudeness etc. You know I'd have minded less if it HAD beed a spotty yoof in a banger.
Oil the wheels, count to ten, and be good out there!
Stu.
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Total agreement! There are some amazingly ignorant people out there on our ever-filling roads. Not so much as a nod from people these days - is it merely a fear that any eye contact will bring forth a bout of road-rage? I often wonder if I am the only person who acknowledges and obeys speed limits - as the car behind edges ever closer, thinking maybe they might just want to sit beside you and have a pleasant little chat...then there is lane discipline....another topic perhaps? Wheels oiled, numbers counted, trying to be good...hmmmm. Looking forward to tomorrow morning's 70 drive into the unknown...take care everyone!!
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Have you seen the film "Fried Green Tomatoes at The Whistle Stop Cafe"?
There is a similar scene , where some young persons pinch a middle-aged lady's spot, saying "You have to be FAST to do this!"
Said M-AL then backs up & shunts their Beetle, saying "You have to be RICH to do THIS!"
Road rage? - yes, but I loved it!
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I remember one of the enormous number of police stop type programs showed some CCTv footage of a man stealing a womans parking space under similar circumstances.
It then showed footage from half an hour later when she returned and let down his tyres.
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I'm afraid it's all a function of too many people in too small a space with inadequate infrastructure.
Take getting on a train in the rush hour. People will try to force their way on as soon as the train stops, without letting passengers off first. Result: nobody gets on or off very fast. Reason: if you are not in the first bunch on you may have to stand for the whole journey and there is no point in waiting for the next train as it will be as bad. People get elbowed or their toes trodden on. We call it bad manners, or survival of the fittest.
Same thing happens on the roads. We call it bad driving or road rage.
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I actually pride myself on taking the time to wave thanks. I used to get really stressed, but now I don't see the point. I would appreciate your views on this though...
From my town to the motorway to Manchester is a fairly fast road, which opens up to a dual carriageway for about 1/2 mile while it goes under the airport runway. I have noticed that the traffic flows smoothly even when busy provided that everyone stays in one lane. However, when people overtake and push in at the end, it all snarls up and the whole 1/2 mile and everyone is delayed.
When the road is flowing well I remain in the slow lane with the rest of the traffic, however when it is busy, I hog the fast lane staying level with the person in front, and the person behind usually understands and keeps up too. This has two effects:
1. Mr 328 beeps his horn behind me; and
2. The traffic flows smoothly once the rest of the overtakers have filtered in.
Am I morally correct to do this, I do not enjoy it but I do feel that it is unfair for those few pushers to slow the rest of the traffic? Am I violating any traffic laws (consideration for other road users)?
Does anyone else do anything to make driving less stressful for the majority?
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Try driving in Indonesia. No-one gives an inch unless they have to. But it works. Everyone simply gets on with it and there is no such thing as road rage.
HJ
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I'll bet not many people get to drive at 100mph though (like they do in this country).
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Revenge is petty, it only enrages the other party who takes it out on someone else. If I can let someone out of a side turning then perhaps he will be in a better mood and less likely to cut someone else up later.
However I do point out to drivers if they park in a handicapped drivers space either by words or by looking in their direction from nearby. So far my nose is still intact - and they move on quickly!
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Seeing the question about Channel Isle cars reminded me about the traffic rule they have there at certain junctions and roundabouts where each queue takes its turn for one vehicle. What do others think about that as a method for keeping everybody happy at busy intersections?
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I was there last year and that system works very well. I think the wording on the signs is "Filter in Turn" or something like that.
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Yup, it's a Filter In Turn
Right, um, how do they work... i think it's like a roundabout (basically) except that you all take it in turns going around the junction. Works amazingly well, but then I think Channel Islanders are generally much more polite than most people in this country.
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I lived there for 3 yrs; they are generally very polite which is just as well as most of them are shocking drivers and panic if they come accross a roundabout; you have a stand off with all 3 or 4 drivers saying 'after you' I think the record i saw was about 30 secs before someone moved.
The politeness can also be quite dangerous. getting let out of a side road in england onto a busy main road can take forever. In Jersey the first driver will inevitably screech to a halt to let the other guy, no matter how quiet the road behind is. use of the rear view mirror is optional it wound seem
'filter in turn' works best when 2 lanes filter into 1. instead of most drivers politely queuing in the inside lane and getting pissed off as all the BMW drivers go in the outside lane and push in, both lanes fill right up and people at the head of the q just take alternate turns to filter in. This does seem to make it fairer as both lanes go at the same speed
the fact that alcohol, fags and eating out is 1/3 the price of here, the lack of tax, and lovely sun/beaches also makes people happier for some reason. actually, i'm beginning to wonder why i left.......
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LOL!
I went there a month or so ago and there was a new roundabout with a sign explaining how to use it!
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A large part of the Highway code is based on common sense and good manners. The driving test should include a 'personality type' assessment. Egoists and the immature (of any age) should weeded out from the start, and not be allowed to hold a licence.
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Steve,
Take the licences from Egotists and then they wouldn't sell any BMWs! No more nicked spaces. Plenty of room left for the "Baby on board" guys!
David
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ACG, I need medication!!!
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Andrew Hamilton wrote:
[However I do point out to drivers if they park in a handicapped drivers space either by words or by looking in their direction from nearby. So far my nose is still intact - and they move on quickly!]
You're right, only the very lowest and selfish use disabled spaces when they're able bodied. It also bugs me when, at the local supermarket, people drive straight into the spaces reserved for those with young kids, near the entrance (wider space and no need for kids to dodge the traffic), when there are plenty of other spaces in the carpark. Me me me.
Stu.
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A colleague of mine whose husband is disabled carries a supply of notes to put on the windscreens of cars taking up a disabled space without showing a badge.
It reads "You have taken my disabled space, would you like my disabilty too".
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On my drive in to work every morning there's one particular roundabout which always gets badly congested. I always let one car out at each of the junctions as I work my way around it. Occasionally people do actually acknowledge me with a wave, most of the time they just stare straight ahead and drive.
There are always those few who force their way in and NEVER raise their hand to say thanks for letting them in, I ignore them now.
But do you know what really gets my back up? Those who block up a roundabout or junction so that no matter where you want to go you can't move. Show's absolutely NO consideration for anybody else
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The parent and child spaces have a bigger gap between cars - which means you're less likely to find your car with a new dent in the door if you park in them....
Using Disabled spaces is a bit tight - but in my home town you'd think no-one but disabled people ever shopped there. All on-street parking near the shops was turned to disabled spaces and taxi ranks. As disabled people are usually on a lower income it can't be good for shop keepers...
The channel island system is great and would make sense in built up areas where speeds at low at peak times especially - you end up waiting for-ever for the person in front to turn right - then are so ratty you'd never wave anyone across. If everyone let one person through when waiting we'd all be much happier.
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Piers; are you voting for a right wing extremist party at the forthcoming election by any chance? If you have been blessed with blond hair, blue eyes, the ability to walk and aren't lumbered with 'kids' then try not to use these poor inferior creatures spaces eh?
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Mark wrote:
"But do you know what really gets my back up? Those who block up a roundabout or junction so that no matter where you want to go you can't move. Show's absolutely NO consideration for anybody else."
A typical example is the box junction at Finsbury Park station in north London where, if the traffic is heavy in the evening, you can guarantee that there is a BUS taking up the whole box. And this is on the main through-route from N E London to the city centre and West End.
This is mainly due to poor road design as there is a bus station in front of the rail station, the entrance to which is immediately past the lights and is followed by a pedestrian crossing with lights. As soon as a pedestrian presses the button the traffic stops and the junction jams, often with a bus in the strategic place.
It could easily be solved by linking the pedestrian lights to the traffic lights on the junction so that the pedestrian lights would only go red when the traffic lights on the cross-junction were also red, but the borough traffic engineers don't appear to be interested.
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I heard one of the reasons you could fail your driving test for a heavy goods or PCV licence is blocking up a critical junction or access eg fire station.
May I suggest we have quite a few more ideas here for the "sod you" profiling in another thread?
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When I took my driving test at one point there was a car parked half on the kerb at a spot where there were chevrons down the middle of the road. It was impossible for me to pass the parked car without going on the chevrons. Had the test been a close run thing might I have failed because of the mark the instructor had to give me?
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You wouldn't fail on that point. As the highway code states you can can cross solid white lines and by definition chevrons if they are bordered by solid white lines to drive around a stationery obstruction or to turn right. Chevrons bordered by broken white lines can be crossed if safe to do so.
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If you verbally stated what you were doing and why, and it was for a legit
reason I don't see how you could be failed.
If didn't however the examiner might be left thinking "Did he/she notice the
road markings?"
/john
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It was the latter in my case, but he admitted there was nothing else I could have done. He was as annoyed as I was, since it was the only mark on the sheet. On my first (failed) test I drove into a turning right filter lane that was very narrow, with waiting cars on the left. So much so that the examiner took fright and hit the brake. When I pointed out to him that I was well within the lane on both sides and that stationary cars don't usually leap sideways, he backed down and removed the mark. Still failed though - I drove appallingly badly that time, which is why he was nervous I guess.
Chris
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The 'zipping' Stuart mentioned was going to be recommended in the 'new' Highway Code which came out about 3 years ago. It was certainly in the consultation document. But some stroppy civil servant ignored the consensus of agreement to this very sensible procedure and killed it off before the new Code was printed.
HJ
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One place where I've seen "zipping" working well was on motorways
in around Genoa, where there are several locations where the
two autostrade go down from two to one lane each before merging.
This is completely the opposite to driving in the city where the
driving was best described as sport, and not to be undertaken
when at all tired!
/John
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