fascinating story, also a parable

[Azazello1313]

 

and

 

Edited August 11, 2010 by Azazello1313

[dmarc117]

i am always amazed by people that walk on crosswalks, not looking, assuming the oncoming car is going to stop or see them. i always tell my son, make sure they stop and that you have made eye contact when crossing a street.

 

plus a few years ago we were tboned by a beech that drove thru a standing red light. i always make sure people are stopped. procede cautiously.

Edited August 11, 2010 by dmarc117

[Rebellab]

When I was in college in Cincinnati, I was cruising along on a pretty major street and a guy just walked out in front of me. My boss says, "You gotta watch that, people just assume you see them." I grew up in a small town and people waited for the traffic to clear, not a lot of traffic. That caught me off guard I now stop for all people waiting in the crosswalk, and I always wait until traffic has stopped.

[Big John]

In certain parts of Americs, signalized intersections are being replaced with roundabouts when a roadway is reconstructed. But a majority of the people would prefer the traffic lights as the roundabouts cause their own sense of confusion.

[Bier Meister]

In certain parts of Americs, signalized intersections are being replaced with roundabouts when a roadway is reconstructed. But a majority of the people would prefer the traffic lights as the roundabouts cause their own sense of confusion.

 

 

nod... a lot of people do not know how to use them.

[whomper]

Manhattan is a friggin free for all. We all Jay walk and cross when its red etc. Bikers run lights. Ive seen bike messengers level people. It is truly the wild west

[wiegie]

f'ing students with their ipods in their ears are the f'n worst

 

the seem to get off on walking through the crosswalks as slowly as possible

 

I sometimes have to fight the urge to not just gun the throttle hard** and run them down.

 

 

**assuming that you can gun the throttle hard on a Camry

Edited August 12, 2010 by wiegie

[SLAYER]

Ive seen bike messengers level people. It is truly the wild west

been there done that

[dmarc117]

Manhattan is a friggin free for all. We all Jay walk and cross when its red etc. Bikers run lights. Ive seen bike messengers level people. It is truly the wild west

 

 

bikers are aholes

[Yukon Cornelius]

nod... a lot of people do not know how to use them.

yup

[cre8tiff]

**assuming that you can gun the throttle hard on a Camry

 

You can, but it will stick that way and take you on a Nagasaki Sleigh Ride.

[i_am_the_swammi]

great post, Az, and I too found it exceptionally fascinating.

 

I can imagine how much more time, money (from saved gas and wear and tear on the engine idleing), and cleaner air we'd all have if we could reduce the time our vehicles spent running by 10-15%.

[dmarc117]

another parable of traffic shows what our society is all about.

 

merging lanes

[darin3]

In certain parts of Americs, signalized intersections are being replaced with roundabouts when a roadway is reconstructed. But a majority of the people would prefer the traffic lights as the roundabouts cause their own sense of confusion.

Yup, unfortunately the Euros have us dominated in terms of progression transportation planning. This is in my wheelhouse, for sure. Great pair of videos. Quite amazing actually.

 

But hey, what would we do without traffic signals? Where are we supposed to be able to text?

[Jimmy Neutron]

nod... a lot of people do not know how to use them.

 

they are downright hypnotising to some - they sit and stare wondering when it is their time to go. It's actually refreshing when all parties flow through smoothly as designed.

[darin3]

they are downright hypnotising to some - they sit and stare wondering when it is their time to go. It's actually refreshing when all parties flow through smoothly as designed.

"Pedestrians on wheels"... it would work in some spots.

[Azazello1313]

what I find most interesting is how the imposition of top-down planned rules usually makes us selfish and competitive within the little bit of freedom we are granted. when the lights are there to tell us when to go, when to stop, when to yield, it takes away our own agency and responsibility. remove the micromanaging, and a sort of spontaneous order arises due to people being more engaged, more aware and more courteous.

[Kid Cid]

In my parts, they just replaced two intersections (a 4 way with a light and a three way with no light about a mile and a half away) with a series of four roundabouts. I thought it was really going to suck when they first put them in but they have reduced 4 to 5 mile traffic backups during rush hour to a wait of usually less then ten cars. I'm a firm believer in them now.

 

I've also been thinking a lot about traffic lights themselves and how much time that actually add to getting anywhere around here. The place where I go grocery shopping is only about 10 miles away from here but since I have to go through a minimum of 8 lights to get there it adds 5 to 10 minutes because of waiting at lights. They are just killers.

[Bier Meister]

i am a big fan of roundabouts....just the learning curve is tough. being in a resort area, we have a constant of people who do not know the rules of the road.

[Azazello1313]

i am a big fan of roundabouts....just the learning curve is tough. being in a resort area, we have a constant of people who do not know the rules of the road.

 

a tourist area seems like the dumbest of all places to begin implementing them.

[Bier Meister]

a tourist area seems like the dumbest of all places to begin implementing them.

 

 

they've been up here for a while, but they are starting to put in new ones. we have a decent % of international clientele (which helps), but a majority of tourists don't know how to use them

[SeductiveNun]

they've been up here for a while, but they are starting to put in new ones. we have a decent % of international clientele (which helps), but a majority of tourists don't know how to use them

I was wondering why all the other drivers there were telling me to turn around.

[Gopher]

f'ing students with their ipods in their ears are the f'n worst

 

the seem to get off on walking through the crosswalks as slowly as possible

 

I sometimes have to fight the urge to not just gun the throttle hard** and run them down.

 

 

**assuming that you can gun the throttle hard on a Camry

+1

 

Today's youth are a generation of walking zombies.

[wiegie]

what I find most interesting is how the imposition of top-down planned rules usually makes us selfish and competitive within the little bit of freedom we are granted. when the lights are there to tell us when to go, when to stop, when to yield, it takes away our own agency and responsibility. remove the micromanaging, and a sort of spontaneous order arises due to people being more engaged, more aware and more courteous.

Are you really this stupid?

 

You can't honestly be suggesting that traffic flows were wonderful before stoplights were put into place... can you?

 

(Although, I do suppose that this belief would be consistent with your general belief that regulations are harmful--and, in fact, it perfectly illustrates that you have a general (or perhaps even willful) ignorance of the past and the conditions that caused certain regulations to be imposed in the first place.)

[Azazello1313]

Are you really this stupid?

 

You can't honestly be suggesting that traffic flows were wonderful before stoplights were put into place... can you?

 

(Although, I do suppose that this belief would be consistent with your general belief that regulations are harmful--and, in fact, it perfectly illustrates that you have a general (or perhaps even willful) ignorance of the past and the conditions that caused certain regulations to be imposed in the first place.)

 

you are so much fun to converse with! rather than asking if I am really so stupid as to make a completely accurate observation of something that actually happened, why don't you get off your chubby little dwarf ass and pick (cork it).