Home › Forums › West Seattle Rants & Raves › Rant:Hey you, the one making a left, please read:
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April 4, 2013 at 9:15 pm #607035
RainierMemberSo you want to make a left at an intersection, and you’re waiting for traffic in the opposite lane to clear. Get your vehicle into the intersection, no really, all the way into the intersection (do not stay behind the crosswalk)and as soon as it’s clear, go! If that means it’s not clear until it becomes yellow or even red, then that is when you go! See because when you’re out in the intersection, even when it turns red, it’s okay to go! But when you sit back behind the crosswalk you don’t give yourself the opportunity to go and then you wait for the next green light, meantime traffic has stacked up, and again you wait. And when you wait, you hose everyone behind you who must wait. I have been stuck behind you more times than I care to remember, sometimes through 2-3 light cycles!! The same goes for uncontrolled intersections with a turn lane. You need only wait for the lane nearest you to clear to make the left into the turn lane, then if necessary wait for the lane you are entering to clear before entering it. There is no need to wait for both directions to clear for you to make the wide left turn into the lane you want- use that handy turn lane for it’s intended purpose. Thank you.
April 4, 2013 at 10:31 pm #787604
DBPMemberI feel ya. (And well written, too.)
I do exactly what you’re saying, R. But I’ll tell ya two reasons why some people do NOT do what you’re saying, in case ya didn’t know. And I’m not saying they’re right, of course, but it’s a psychology thing.
1) So you’re sitting there, like say somewhere downtown, yeh? And you’re thinking about edging out. But wait! A whole bunch of pedestrians are crossing (or acting like they’re gonna) in front of you. And naturally some of these flakes are running the DON’T WALK, zoned out on their gizmos or yapping, not paying attention.
And if you’re blocking them so that they have to go around you, why then you might as well be Satan himself, no whum sayin?
And god forbid! you should get stranded in that crosswalk. Because then you’re like . . . I don’t know. What’s worse than Satan?
Or . . . .
2) You’re somewhere outside downtown, where people automatically take the speed limit and add 10.
Like oh . . . let’s say Morgan at 35th, with you waiting to cross 35th.
So what if some dumbass comes hurtling down the street that you’re sticking your nose out into? And you know he’s goin straight through that red. Then you’re thinking, Oh no! This fool doesn’t see me and even if he did, he can’t stop anyhow.
Kapow!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Now, it has already been scientifically proven on these pages that there are some ELIQ (extremely low IQ) drivers* out there plying our roadways.
And when you throw the ELIQs in with these nicey-nice Seattle types who are afraid to challenge traffic in any way, and shake it up, ya got trouble. Feel me, bro?
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*PEMCO, Ima let you have this for your ads, no charge. Skinda guy I am.
April 4, 2013 at 10:47 pm #787605
CaitParticipantYeah, people turning into a turn lane when making a left scares the daylights out of me and I prefer if people don’t do it. YOU know that you’re going for the turn lane and not pulling out in front of me, but for me, coming down the road, it looks for all the world like you might not see me and are preparing to turn in front of me. It’s only safe to assume that a driver does not see you.
April 4, 2013 at 11:09 pm #787606
karenParticipantActually, you aren’t supposed to do it.
11.50.070
Obstructing traffic at traffic-control signals.
No driver shall enter an intersection or a marked crosswalk unless there is sufficient space on the other side of the intersection or crosswalk to accommodate the vehicle he is operating without obstructing the passage of other vehicles or pedestrians, notwithstanding any traffic-control signal indication to proceed. (UVC 11-1112-1971)
( Ord. 108200, § 2(11.50.070), 1979.)
I once saw someone do as you suggest, blocking the intersection and then completing the turn when the light turned red. I then saw a patrol car pull him over and give him a ticket.
April 5, 2013 at 1:55 am #787607
RainierMemberApril 5, 2013 at 2:02 am #787608
RainierMemberThank you DBP for getting it. And I agree, there are exceptions to every rule. It’s a dance downtown to keep moving and also consider pedestrians. Cait, I have seen people break when I go for the turn lane or full on yield to me but that, in my opinion, is in itself dangerous and is because we have so many bad drivers who would cut them off but we shouldn’t dumb ourselves down by changing proper technique because some people aren’t getting it. It is for that very reason I think drivers ed should be mandatory! Karen, nobody is obstructing traffic. What you quote has to do with sitting in an intersection while intending to continue forward. I’m talking about making a left hand turn at an intersection when only two directions have the right of way. I would certainly question that officer and dispute the ticket if that was indeed the reason the driver was being pulled over. There may have another reason that you didn’t witness.
April 5, 2013 at 2:33 am #787609
CaitParticipantI took driver’s ed where I was taught that you can never assume that another driver sees you.
April 5, 2013 at 4:07 am #787610
suzanneParticipantKaren is correct. I was also under the impression that a driver should pull into the intersection until there was room to make a left turn and I did it that way for decades until my teens took driver’s ed last year. They were instructed to wait behind the crosswalk until there was room to make the left turn. And I recently learned about an acquaintance who got ticketed for going through a red light under those circumstances. Either the laws have changed or I’ve been driving incorrectly all these years. But I am now one of those people who won’t pull into the intersection unless I know for sure I can get through before the light turns red.
April 5, 2013 at 4:48 am #787611
JanSParticipantdid anyone attempt to look this up? did you find it?
hard to find an official answer to this.
April 5, 2013 at 7:04 am #787612
trickycooljParticipantI’m pretty sure one of the traffic/law blogs on the PI did this question a few years back. Attempting to find it. I do recall that its up to the officer to apply the law cited above in this thread, but it can result in a ticket for running a red and/or blocking the box.
April 5, 2013 at 3:40 pm #787613
WednesdayMemberAgreed, it’s just what you have to do to keep traffic moving, otherwise you’ll never move, but don’t be stupid and get stuck in the intersection blocking everyone. And while we’re on the subject of left turns.. PLEASE don’t allow people to make illegal left turns across double yellow lines (like from NB Fauntleroy to 39th by the hole). Just who’s responsible in situations like this when someone gets hit, the person making the illegal turn or the kind considerate person that was just trying to be helpful? I say both. Two wrongs.
April 5, 2013 at 4:07 pm #787614
smokeycretin9Participantalso, I might add, that if you are sitting at the light waiting for it to turn green, and you are planning on turning left, please for the love of god, use your turn signal BEFORE THE LIGHT TURNS GREEN. So many times in W.S. I have qued up bhind someone st a red light, only to have it turn green and the person in front THEN uses their signal that they want to go left.
(rant over)
thanks
April 5, 2013 at 4:27 pm #787615
wakefloodParticipantHere’s a semi-related story for you about blending peds and traffic. Maybe some of you have witnessed this one yourself?
On a biz trip to Beijing. Host driving us on one of the (then) 3 ring highways around the city. Pulls from one of the middle 11 lanes into the far right lane as I’m suspecting he’s going to exit the freeway. Slows down from 60+ mph to around 10 or so mph within a few seconds. To my right, outside the window is a literal river of pedestrians intermingled with tons of those three wheeled bike taxis, mostly to the outside of the river. The river of people is flowing both ways and maybe six to ten people wide, not counting bikes. So we’re rolling along beside this river and my host starts to take a right into the compound?! I can’t even tell there’s a road there save for the opening in the fence on the other side of the swarm. But he’s turning into them and HE’S NOT SLOWING DOWN.
I literally shove both feet into the floorboard and turn my head as I brace for what surely will be multiple impacts.
Nothing.
I look out and see that the river has seamlessly parted and enveloped our car as we slide through the stream and into the compound square. Like some delicately choreographed dance move executed by 30 people who had never met or been told what the steps were. Perfectly organic.
Freaked me out.
The only thing I’ve witnessed that sort of recreated it was in the movie Apocalypse Now, when the Captain’s boat glides through all the natives dugouts as they approach the camp.
Imagine attempting that dance on a crowded downtown street in virtually any city in the USA? MAYBE, NYC…
April 6, 2013 at 10:50 pm #787616
JimmyGMemberFrom Wednesday: “And while we’re on the subject of left turns.. PLEASE don’t allow people to make illegal left turns across double yellow lines “
There is absolutely nothing illegal about turning across double yellow lines. Double yellow lines ONLY mean passing is illegal.
You can turn across them all day long.
April 6, 2013 at 11:57 pm #787617
DBPMemberVery poetical, wake. I’m not sure what business you’re in now, but it isn’t necessarily the right one.
You know-eth how that go-eth.
April 7, 2013 at 3:55 am #787618
WorldCitizenParticipantHere’s one..
Is it reasonable for any of you to not stop in the intersection when a pedestrian approaches the crosswalk to cross the street. The pedestrian is not IN the crosswalk mind you, but approaching it. I get this stuff all the time. Someone will be crossing the intersection in their car and just slam on the breaks in THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION!!!! The person is still on the damn sidewalk. Please, for the love of all that is good in the universe, just keep driving and act predictable.
In fact, that’s what seattle lacks…predictable drivers. You’re passive to the point of unpredictable insanity.
Ok, I’m done now.
April 7, 2013 at 4:41 pm #787619
datamuseParticipantWakeflood: oh, yes, the traffic in China was astounding that way. And god help you if you’re in the way of a car or bus; they ain’t gonna slow down.
I rode a bicycle along a rural highway outside Yangshuo with motorcycles, cars, and trucks roaring past me inches away. No helmet, of course.
April 11, 2013 at 8:05 pm #787620
G RParticipantPoor Rainier! All Rainier wanted to do is blow off a little steam. Look what you started! Do I dare bring up turn signals, merging, cell phones…:)
April 11, 2013 at 11:54 pm #787621
WednesdayMemberMy bad JimmyG, I looked it up and you are correct. Thanks, you learned me something! It is legal to cross a double yellow but ONLY “if it can be done safely and without stopping traffic”… So it was a legal move by the woman turning left across that double yellow crossing three lanes of oncoming traffic that day she slammed into the side of my son’s car nearly killing him. Legal or not, my biggest point here is that people should not enable other drivers to do things that put others at risk.
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