This is a general rant directed at people that I can't confront directly. Please feel free to add your own rants, I am merely using this forum to get this out before my head a'splodes.
[rant]
Hey, lady in the white toyota, guess what? The world doesn't revolve around you! What makes you think that you should pull in front of the line, park on the grass in front of the school, and go pick up your kids and then pull out before the rest of us gets a chance to pull into the PROPER car line? Do you think we all LIKE sitting in the car line? Do you think your children are more important than ours? Is your time so much more valuable than mine, that actually WAITING YOUR *&^*( TURN IS TOO MUCH TO ASK?
And while I'm on the subject, hey you - lady in the Honda minivan - common courtesy and decency dictates that one should be courteous to others. I know it's crazy that we have two directions from which to approach the school, and yes, it's frustrating to wait while we alternate which cars pull into the line but we alternate back and forth because that is the fairest way to do it. The way it works is when a car in the south line turns in, the person behind them waits and lets someone from the north line go. We take turns. North, south, north, south. That would be what the whole "treat the entrance to the car line like a four way stop" part of the memo sent home at the beginning of the school year was all about. That means that when the car in front of you pulls into the line IT'S MY FREAKING TURN NEXT, NOT YOURS!
You must be related to the toyota lady, and your kids must be better and more deserving of being picked up from school than my kids. Funny, though - I never got that memo about you and your kids. Neither did the dozens of cars behind me. Try being a decent human being for once, it's actually not as hard as you might think.
[/rant]
There. I feel better.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Glad you're feeling better.
Oh, and sorry about cutting you off earlier, in the carpool lane.
(it wasn't me, I just thought you would like an apology, so I made one up special for you)
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
<Piggyback rant>
If for some reason, when traffic is heavy, you find yourself in a turn lane when you want to go straight, or a straight lane when you want to turn, DO NOT SIT THROUGH AN ENTIRE LIGHT CYCLE WAITING FOR A GAP IN TRAFFIC. The fact that you made a mistake does not justify holding up 30 other cars. Especially when such a backup can reverberate all the way through rush hour.
Proceed through the light and figure out a way to get back on track in such a way that you not force others to pay the time penalty for your mistake.
Yes, this applies to you even if the signs happen to be poor and it's not "your fault." When faced with either wasting 10 minutes of your own time or 5 minutes of 30 other people's time, you just have to take one for the team.
Very few turns lead to places you cannot leave. </Piggyback rant>
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
:applauds Dag:
Thanks for the apology Tante. It was very nice of you to take the flack for something you didn't even do.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote:traffic violations in Manhattan are not cheap
Nor, in my experience, are parking tickets. Ouch!
Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
Picking children up at school is in any case an utterly decadent thing to do. Let them walk, it's good for them and saves gas.
Posted by Xavier (Member # 405) on :
quote:Picking children up at school is in any case an utterly decadent thing to do. Let them walk, it's good for them and saves gas.
I don't know how it is where you live, pal, but I lived 8+ miles away from my school.
I didn't get picked up, I instead took the bus, and was the very last stop. It took something like an hour and a half to get home. Not a huge deal, and unavoidable because my Dad was a single parent and had to work, but getting picked up sure would have been nice.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
KoM, do you have kids in kindergarten at Springville Elementary in Springville Alabama?
If the answer to that question is no, then may I respectfully point out that you don't know of what you speak in this matter?
I'm more than five miles from the school and any child that walked to my home would have to cross a major US highway. That's not something I'm going to let my five year old children do.
Normally, they would ride the bus, except that all kindergarten students were released at 11:30 all this week and busses weren't running so we were required to pick them up.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
That's telling him, Belle! Power to the carpool Moms!
Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
Pfft. In Norway children routinely walk twenty kilometers to school, back and forth, each day, in less than an hour. With a quick swim across the fjord on the way. In winter the bigger children break the way through the six-foot snowdrifts, fending off polar bears and wolves with sticks. Except for the one bear they need to kill each day, of course, to provide grease for the swim. Sometimes they're lucky and there's an iceberg in the fjord; that's fun, because you can make oars and row across without getting wet.
No, seriously. I didn't say it was un-necessary, I said it was decadent. What we do have in Norway is local schools so that it's actually possible to walk, two kilometers at most. I realise this is not the case here; I was criticising the system of having schools with 2000 children serving most of a county.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote: fending off polar bears and wolves with sticks
In Norway, the wolves have sticks?
I'm impressed.
Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
They're very bright wolves. Have to be, to survive daily combat with our school children. Vicious little beasts, they are.
Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
And the wolves aren't very nice either. Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
That was the intended meaning, yes. Posted by Taalcon (Member # 839) on :
quote:If for some reason, when traffic is heavy, you find yourself in a turn lane when you want to go straight, or a straight lane when you want to turn, DO NOT SIT THROUGH AN ENTIRE LIGHT CYCLE WAITING FOR A GAP IN TRAFFIC. The fact that you made a mistake does not justify holding up 30 other cars. Especially when such a backup can reverberate all the way through rush hour.
But if the person has their blinker on, making it obvious that they made a mistake and please, can they get over, doesn't it make those in the other lane who SEE THIS, but don't slow down for a moment to LET HIM IN, actually worsen the problem?
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
quote: They're very bright wolves. Have to be, to survive daily combat with our school children. Vicious little beasts, they are.
Since all the school age kids I know are quite good with a stick, the wolves must have to practice daily.
Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
Well, yes, isn't that what I've been saying? Evolution in action, that's what it is. Why, my father tells of wolves who used sticks off any old tree, and old-fashioned mass assaults. These days it's oak sticks only, with howl-and-movement tactics.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
"You must be related to the toyota lady, and your kids must be better and more deserving of being picked up from school than my kids."
man, they must also be related to "Talk-to-the-Teacher-About-Their-Kid-at-Open-House" Lady! You know, the one who monpolizes the teacher's time when the school has sent a memo saying this is not the time to talk about your child's individual progress? But I guess it is OK for you that everyone is waiting just to shake hands with the teacher, because, like Toyaota and Honda lady's kids, yours are so much more important than the rest of ours.
Posted by Starr R (Member # 8361) on :
I feel for ya, Belle. I've been through it too. (Still do, on occasion.)
Very few turns lead to places you cannot leave. *applause* for Dagonee.
In Norway, the wolves have sticks? LMAO --gotta love those side issues.
Posted by ? (Member # 2319) on :
Bangeter Highway: a highway where the speed limit is 50 or 60 mph and there are stop lights every mile or two.
:Rant: To the person who is coming onto the highway. 60 miles an hour is a lot faster than 30 or 40. When you make a turn onto a street look before you turn onto it. You pull out in front of me expecting your car to be able to speed up from 0 to 60 in less then 3 seconds. I'm sorry that your Toyota isn't a Porsche, but it's really not.
Then after I slam on my brakes, causing me to go from 60 down to 20 so I won't hit you, you proceed to flip me off because it was somehow my fault that you pulled in front of me.
And if that weren't bad enough, a couple days later a cop does it to me, but even worse. I should have hit him. That would have made him feel stupid, a traffic cop causing an accident.
:end rant:
?
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
quote:But if the person has their blinker on, making it obvious that they made a mistake and please, can they get over, doesn't it make those in the other lane who SEE THIS, but don't slow down for a moment to LET HIM IN, actually worsen the problem?
No. For three reasons:
1.) Usually he wants to get into a lane that isn't moving, so there's no room. If he's in the left turn lane, and a green arrow appears, it usually means oncoming traffic has a left turn arrow, too. No one going straight is moving, so he simply waits out the light.
2.) When the situation is the other way, traffic is often moving at such a speed that no one can slow down to let him in without seriously backing up traffic. Think about it - you may see the blinker 5 cars back. If you're going through at 35, you'll have to bring traffic to a complete stop to let him in. If the guy sees your intentions immediately, you still stop traffic. Lights are timed in many places, and this kind of thing affects many drivers.
3.) The reason people do this is because PEOPLE LET THEM IN.
I'm very good about letting people over or into my lane. But my obligation is not only to the person trying to get in my lane. It's also to the people behind me. Especially when lights control an intersection.
<new rant> Picture an intersection where you in the right lane are at a green light, but the traffic ahead is stopped. You wait until you can go without blocking the intersection. As soon as traffic inches to past the intersection, the idiot in the right lane in cross traffic pulls out.
Right on red counts as a stop sign. If someone is facing a red light, the other direction has the right of way. It's not a difficult concept, but people violating this don't seem to get it. The people in the right turn lane will get a green light very soon. I often let people out at non-light situations in these circumstances, say when the person turning right has a stop sign. But when a light controlls the intersection, let the light control it.
Especially when it happens to people who are trying to keep the intersection clear - the number one thing needed for keeping city traffic moving. There's a whole 'nother rant about people who don't do that. </new rant>
Posted by MidnightBlue (Member # 6146) on :
And don't honk at me for not turning right on red quickly enough for you, the person behind me. I'm not blind, I see that the huge tractor trailer has a turn signal on and is in the turning lane, but I don't have X-ray vision the way that you apparently do! Personally, I prefer to make sure that there isn't a car on the other side of it that I'm going to hit. I know that I'm inconveniencing you by waiting the extra three seconds to be sure the way is clear before I go, but I think my life and the lives of other people on the road are worth those three seconds.
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
I believe in automotive karma. I had a friend awhile back who had a car that topped out at 30 mph and he refused to get it "fixed." It worked just fine for his purposes.
His driving strategy involved basically letting EVERYONE get in front of him. Eventually, the entire driving public of our city would've gotten ahead of him at some point in their lives. And he was just as happy as can be. Never cross. Never angry in traffic. His life was bliss.
And he picked his little girl up at school every day. Never had an angry time.
My life, at the time, was utter turmoil. Being in traffic only added to my frustration, whereas he always seemed to be refreshed and relaxed after even the shortest drive.
I've not reached his level of transcendence yet, but I'm working on it. Someday, I hope to be able to drive at zero miles per hour and still be satisfied that I'll get where I'm going.
<this really should be a lavalamp post>
Posted by Pelegius (Member # 7868) on :
Contrary to popular opinion, it does. Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
What does which?
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
quote:His driving strategy involved basically letting EVERYONE get in front of him. Eventually, the entire driving public of our city would've gotten ahead of him at some point in their lives. And he was just as happy as can be. Never cross. Never angry in traffic. His life was bliss.
Unless he stayed on streets with speed limits 30 MPH or less, he should have his license revoked.
I don't think I'm joking.
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Yeah...well, speed limits are the maximum...
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Although they generally aren't posted, there are minimum speeds as well. My mother has been pulled over for going 35 in a 65 before (to a chorus of "we told you so"s from the rest of the family, who thinks it's odd that she has developed this habit).
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
quote:man, they must also be related to "Talk-to-the-Teacher-About-Their-Kid-at-Open-House" Lady! You know, the one who monpolizes the teacher's time when the school has sent a memo saying this is not the time to talk about your child's individual progress?
YES!! I know those people too.
My standard talk on open house is "Hi! Is (Natalie, Emily, Daniel, Abigail) giving you any trouble? Do you need anything from me? Please know you can always call me. Talk to you later."
I take maybe 3 minutes of their time, because I know they have 30 other sets of parents to talk to.
Unfortunately, most others don't feel that way, you're right.
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
My kids' school does not allow them to walk. THe bus gets them home to late for Choi Kwang-Do, so those days I pick them up.
Excluding the first week of school, when carpool is full of People Who Have Never Done This Before. Our carpool time usually has a Deputy Sheriff directing traffic and two lanes (one for the people coming from one direction, and one for people coming from the other, unless one gets more backed up than the other - which is decided by the deputy).
The first time I had to turn into my new office, I turned on my signal and slowed down, because the turn is steep and the parking lot is much lower that the road. The road is two lanes in either direction with a central lane for left turns. My turn was to the right, and the road was clear.
My signal was on for a reasonable distance before my turn, but I suppose the truck behind me didn't see it because he was following too close to see my lights. So, he nearly hit me, and honked at me, when all he had to do was change lanes, if he was in a hurry. That's what the left lane is for.
Idiot.
Posted by Ginol_Enam (Member # 7070) on :
I hate those people who instantly change lanes, without looking, the instant there is even a hint of the car in front of them is slowing down or stopping.
My friend Chris and I were returning to school from lunch, and we passed this line of cars that were stopped for whatever reason. Some guy who was in the other lane just nearly slammed into us as he tried to switch into our line without checking or looking to see if there was a car where he was trying to or not.
I also hate people who speed and then have to ride directly on your tail (assuming your going the speed limit) for a little bit before switching lanes. If I see someone doing that, I try to slow down just a little bit. Its great on two lanes roads where the other lane is busy...
I also hate people who go to the theatre late or just on time (like, the movie is starting right when they enter) and then get angry at the concessionists for moving at humanly possible speeds. I mean, if you become late at a movie while at the concession stand, and there wasn't a line you had to wait through, then I can assure you it was not because I was going slow. You need to show up earlier.
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