Commuting…The strange. The Odd… And the FUN

[xcgates]

I'm reminded of every time I bitch about some dumbass moving right to turn right, then swinging left before turning right, like they are hauling some huge trailer, and are not in a normal car.

[LittleRedToyota]

Originally Posted by xcgates

I'm reminded of every time I bitch about some dumbass moving right to turn right, then swinging left before turning right, like they are hauling some huge trailer, and are not in a normal car.

we get that a lot around here, too. and the thing is, those people tend to come to almost a complete stop to execute the turn anyway, so there isn't really any need to straighten it out.

i guess a lot of cars these days come from the factory with steering wheels that will only rotate about 45 degrees in each direction (and no turn signals, of course).

[IheartmyNx]

Not on the bike but in a car, yesterday about to turn off into the rich-rich section of town, I pull into the center turn lane before some guy in a brand new Merc "BlueTooth" or some chit...

Not even close, or close to overtaking, he finally gets the picture and guess it was the right time for his majesty, so he gets in. He's evidently not happy I went in sooner than him, b/c he's looking in his mirror at me and mouthing something...

Unaware of the gap he can use and turn, b/c he's too busy giving me a what-fer... I blow the horn (I know) to tell him to look ahead and that he could go.

Well too late at that point, and the horn stirred his desire to be right and argue even more... As his head's out of the window and he's yelling something at me. With my window up and the AC on, I couldn't quite hear...

He finally goes and holding his phone up gestures he's gonna call the cops...

Like most moron's here, he gets to his 1st turn off and signal-less abruptly slams on the brakes & turns into it to get me to go around...


I bet that was a fun call to explain when or if he even made it.

[LuciferMutt]

On the way home yesterday I see a white BMW sedan dart out of the far left lane in heavy traffic on the interstate to get in the lane next to me (I'm in the middle lane at the moment). Then I hear a loud siren. "Oh, he's getting out of the way of an LEO or something," I think.

Immediately after the BMW moves over, a blue Taurus flies by, nearly on the left shoulder with a loud siren and wig wag lights going....and has no government plate or light bar or lights in the rear window or anything official looking! WTF? Had my wife call the cops (we were in the cage) and report that I thought there was somebody impersonating an LEO to get people to move out of the way...what a dick.

[SnowMule]

Dodged a mattress and dresser sliding down the highway at 65m/h last night.

Some dumbass in a pickup didn't secure the load of crap he was hauling.

[Dilligaf0220]

Originally Posted by SnowMule

Dodged a mattress and dresser sliding down the highway at 65m/h last night.

Some dumbass in a pickup didn't secure the load of crap he was hauling.

Shovel this morning, sitting in the right lane on top of a 120' foot tall bridge. Think I picked up a puncture swerving into the shoulder, the woman behind me that just slammed on her brakes 0.3 milliseconds before ploughing into it wasn't so lucky. It's a long arse way down.


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The real WTF is that this is the third time I've almost hit some tool sitting on that stretch of highway (second shovel and a fucking ladder). State maintenance truck was sitting at the bottom of the bridge just looking back at all the carnage. They got a double fisted salute.

[King_Panther13]

Originally Posted by DAKEZ

Turning Left... Stage yourself to the Left. A rider should telegraph their intentions as much as possible to help other motorists. It is simple non verbal communication.

Moving to the right before making a left makes no sense.

It was all in one movement. I tend to move the opposite direction shortly before initiating my turn while on a motorcycle. If they had any sense, they'd see my left blinker. I feel like I have a bit more control over the turn and that I can go a little bit faster if I take it wide like that. I was assuming that the moron behind me would understand, seeing as how every wannabe rider out here tends to go wide into the oncoming lane just to make a turn...not to mention that his callous passing only ended him up behind one of the minivans that had us all moving slow to begin with.

[MurphCO]

I commute 100 miles a day (50 each way) and have seen some unusual things

1 - a woman eating a bowl of cereal, no hands on the wheel, 80mph on the interstate eating cereal out of a bowl...

2 - a guy driving slow in the passing lane, i go around him on the right and when I come to the window to give him "the look" i see that he is picking his nose and feeding it to his german shepard. I sat there a minute and watched him do it with 3 different boogers....

3 - men wearing dresses or apparently naked, happens every few weeks....

4 - people reading. Book on the steering wheel, reading at 75mph

there's more but those always stick out....


Those of you that commute regularly - do you find that about 80 -90% of the time when you go to pass someone while you are in the passing lane and they are in the right lane that they temporarily speed up as you approach? I am perplexed by this and I don't think people realize they are doing it, but it happens all the time.....then I pass and they slow back down to where they were....its weird, like some primitive response to being approached from the rear or something....

[LittleRedToyota]

Originally Posted by MurphCO

1 - a woman eating a bowl of cereal, no hands on the wheel, 80mph on the interstate eating cereal out of a bowl...

didn't see this while commuting, but while walking down a sidewalk a couple months ago.

some guy was riding a scooter down a city street while texting--using both hands. no shit.

he was leaned forward with his forearms resting on the bars and a smartphone in his hands...staring at the screen while furiously typing with both thumbs. all while cruising down carson street at about 25mph. (wearing shorts and flip-flops, of course.)

i really didn't even know what to say.

[SnowMule]

Originally Posted by MurphCO

....i see that he is picking his nose and feeding it to his german shepard...

fuck, mountain dew out the nose... gotta explain this one to coworkers now too

[melville]

Originally Posted by MurphCO

Those of you that commute regularly - do you find that about 80 -90% of the time when you go to pass someone while you are in the passing lane and they are in the right lane that they temporarily speed up as you approach? I am perplexed by this and I don't think people realize they are doing it, but it happens all the time.....then I pass and they slow back down to where they were....its weird, like some primitive response to being approached from the rear or something....

This can make the pass fail when I'm in my main cage (1971 VW Kombi), which has a top speed of 71-72mph on a good day.

[Salzig]

Originally Posted by MurphCO

Those of you that commute regularly - do you find that about 80 -90% of the time when you go to pass someone while you are in the passing lane and they are in the right lane that they temporarily speed up as you approach? I am perplexed by this and I don't think people realize they are doing it, but it happens all the time.....then I pass and they slow back down to where they were....its weird, like some primitive response to being approached from the rear or something....

Here in italy for a bike approaching a red light, it is normal to filter through stopped cars and reach the "pole position". It is legal, until you don't use the opposit lane (read it: "until you don't use too much of the opposit lane" ).
Well, when I stop near the first car, very often it steps haead.
I guess I should be happy they see me.

[DAKEZ]

Originally Posted by King_Panther13

I was assuming that the moron behind me would understand, ...

Famous last words.

[davidji]

Originally Posted by King_Panther13

If they had any sense, they'd see my left blinker.

If they see your left blinker, perhaps they assume you're going to the left, and not swerving right first.

[slartidbartfast]

IMO there ARE circumstances where swerving out to the right before making a left turn is acceptable, or even preferable. When there is other traffic around you, to whom you should be accurately communicating your intentions, would not be one of those circumstances.