quote:

In any case, the guys who were in the lane behind me who move into the left lane and merge back in again to make the turn - assholes.

That they are.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Except in this case, the people merging are crossing over a solid white line. When I learned the rules, you were not supposed to cross over solid lines.

A single solid white line is intended to discourage, but not prohibit, you from changing lanes.(that paraphrasing how the actual code reads) You're not supposed to cross a double yellow line

The exception would be if the cars, in line to turn, are in a Turn Only lane.

quote:

In any case, the guys who were in the lane behind me who move into the left lane and merge back in again to make the turn - assholes.

The rule of thumb is if there is more than a car length between cars, you can go around them.

The exception, there's always an exception, is if the line of cars has stopped for a red light and the car in front of you has stopped to allow a car to exit a parking lot driveway

quote:

Originally posted by 9mmepiphany:

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Except in this case, the people merging are crossing over a solid white line. When I learned the rules, you were not supposed to cross over solid lines.

A single solid white line is intended to discourage, but not prohibit, you from changing lanes.(that paraphrasing how the actual code reads) You're not supposed to cross a double yellow line

The exception would be if the cars, in line to turn, are in a Turn Only lane.

I guess we agree that in Konata's case, the cars cutting into the right turn lane are doing something wrong.

I play the game depending on the situation but I don't break the rules. I blame the cars cutting in on the people who are ahead and are lax in following the queue.

I don't mind anyone cutting in front of me so long as I don't have to adjust my driving and I'm still driving as if they weren't there. But if I'm in a queue, I drive in such as way (positioning and speed) to let people in the other lane know they're not cutting in front of me. I do this as a service to the people behind me.

quote:

Originally posted by 9mmepiphany:

A single solid white line is intended to discourage, but not prohibit, you from changing lanes.

I don't believe that is true in every state. In some states, thou shalt not cross a solid line, other than (for example) to turn left into a driveway.

Also, re line colors, I am surprised (ok, maybe not) by the number of people who do not understand the difference between white lines, whether they are solid or dashed, and yellow lines. That's a question for the class. Anyone? Bueller?

The white zone is for immediate passing or not passing only. There is no passing in the yellow zone.

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
The white zone is for immediate passing or not passing only. There is no passing in the yellow zone.

Not sure if serious. Or if doing monkey thing.

White lines, whether solid or broken, separate lanes of traffic traveling same direction.

Yellow lines, solid or broken, separate lanes of opposite direction traffic.

Solid line, either color, do not cross (certain exceptions as noted, for example left turn into a driveway).

Broken line, either color, lane change / passing is permitted if safe to do so.

Extra credit for the monkey: On an airport, there is a length of pavement. Some of these have white center lines, some have yellow. What is the significance of the color.

Professional pilots are not eligible to submit an answer -- sns3guppy, Otto, et al.

I could be wrong, but I was taught (in NY) that solid lines were not to be crossed unless you're making a turn. No lane changes - only turns.

Yellow was a demarcation for opposing traffic, white was a demarcation for traffic in the same direction. Double yellow or double white - do not cross ever - treat as a solid barrier.

Anyway, what I thought I learned several decades ago.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:

Double yellow or double white - do not cross ever - treat as a solid barrier.

Two lines, one solid one dashed: vehicles on the dashed side may pass when safe. Vehicles on the solid side may not pass.

Two solid lines: stay in your own lane, do not pass.

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
I could be wrong, but I was taught (in NY) that solid lines were not to be crossed unless you're making a turn. No lane changes - only turns.

Again it appears to be an East Coast thing...like the Alternate Merge. Noting that this is not universal in all the states.

quote:

Originally posted by Rey HRH:
I play the game depending on the situation but I don't break the rules. I blame the cars cutting in on the people who are ahead and are lax in following the queue.

I don't mind anyone cutting in front of me so long as I don't have to adjust my driving and I'm still driving as if they weren't there. But if I'm in a queue, I drive in such as way (positioning and speed) to let people in the other lane know they're not cutting in front of me. I do this as a service to the people behind me.

That is what I do and seldom have people cutting in front of me when I'm in a queue to turn

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail: ...Not sure if serious. Or if doing monkey thing. ...

Speaking of Airport(s)...

...

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail: ...
Extra credit for the monkey: On an airport, there is a length of pavement. Some of these have white center lines, some have yellow. What is the significance of the color.
...

If I understand, yellow unbroken centerline are taxiways. White broken centerline is runway.

I have received exactly 2 tickets in my life. 1 was in NJ before I moved, 1993 I think. It was for crossing a solid white line. It was my first traffic violation and I remember it to this day. I was coming off an exit ramp from I 80. The jackwad in front of me stopped at the bottom of the exit ramp (it was a continuous lane). I went around him, crossing the solid white line. I got pulled over and ticketed.

I'm not surprised though, just about everything is illegal in NJ.

I've become a more patient driver over the years, but the situations in the OP still get me going, especially when it saves the offender no time (I pass them after the merge/onto connecting road) or they gain 1-2 places in traffic. Pointless.

Was easier to straddle the 1.5 lane width once the dashed lines dropped away when I had a truck.

quote:

So of course impatient, entitled idiots will cut around from the back, drive up using the left lane and then cut back in near the turn.

Like the assholes that run up the shoulder of the road to turn right into another road, and then homestead the left lane in that road. Generally doing substantially less than the posted speed limit. All to often with a smart phone glued to their eyes.

Not being sexist here, but more than half the ones I see doing this traffic shit are females.

Including the one that forced her way from a side road with stop sign, into a line of traffic doing 50MPH. This caused a driver in the right lane to swerve to the left to avoid the idiot female, which caused me to swerve left onto the grassy strip, at which time the guy behind me tail gated me.

What ever happened to that traffic fundamental concept of calculating the distance between cars?

As in, 1 car length + an additional car length for every 10 MPH of speed? You know, traveling at 50 MPH, 6 car lengths between you and the car in front!

It is common practice around here to be rolling up Rt. 234 (bypass, speed limit = 55) with less than one car length between cars. And most of them seem to think that the speed limit sign means absolute minimum!

I try to remain calm and courteous when driving, but it is getting harder and harder as more and more assholes hit the roads with no idea of the laws of physics! As in those 4 little patches of rubber between your car and the road surface will not violate those laws!!!

Have no idea what driver's tests contain these days, but when I took my test at age 16, the test contained questions about safe intervals, etc.

Apparently LEO in Tennessee don't like it either.

I had a 50 mile a day for ~10 years and then a 100 a day, half interstate, for ~13 years. You see a lot! Needed a dash cam!

It got so bad at one busy turn lane in Murfreesboro TN they announced an enforcement sting ahead of time. People slowing, even stopping at times, to cut in impeded the flow of traffic going straight through. They said cars would be possibly subject to a "Late Merge" ticket. A cop would park his car in the intersection and he directed cars through by hand but motioned everyone he saw cut in line to pull over. Two officers worked the stopped cars, ticket book in hand, sometimes with 4 or 5 cars waiting. After a few times of doing this once a week or so most people got the message and it improved.

A couple times I saw this for a construction zone merge lane on the interstate. They did warn about the enforcement ahead of time on the radio, in the local papers and local TV news. The usual merge left signs started at at two miles out. Anyone merging in the last 1/4 mile or so got waved over.

Twice over the years I have seen someone stopped for darting left out of an on ramp lane early, when entering the interstate.

Elk - I learned using the 2 second rule - keep 2-3 seconds between you and the car in front.

You reminded me of a daily pet peeve on the highway - when commuting, like others, I have a lot of patience and just get from A to B. I generally keep up with traffic (2 sec rule) but as traffic is generally pretty quick, there is usually a gap between me and the car behind.

So, very frequently, a high speed car will approach quickly and then try to insert himself in front of me (or somewhat close ahead) causing every one to brake. Why don't they just come into line right behind me (large gap between me and the next car behind)? It's not like anybody is really driving slow - we're all keeping up with traffic. The cars not keeping up with traffic are way behind me.