Posted by Chuck Rhode on October 4, 2011, 6:30 pm
On Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:17:51 -0800
> Here's an extract from an article about troubles with the US justice
> system:
> : But drivers who take those signs seriously are in for a surprise:
> : drive more slowly than the posted speed limit in light traffic
> : and other drivers will race past, often with a few choice words
> : or an upraised middle finger for a greeting. In the United States,
> : posted limits don’t define the maximum speed of traffic; they define
> : the minimum speed.
Nothing says "revenue enhancement" like unrealistically low speed
limits. More discerning individuals behind the wheel can tell how
fast is fast enough. Less discerning individuals cannot. I'm in the
latter group. I have no sense when it comes to how much to exceed the
speed limit, and I've been pinched by authorities for it. To me such
fines are not just a cost of commuting on the public roads, and I can
no longer afford them, so I hew to the limit scrupulously. The reason
that de facto limits exceed de jure limits is this: When they catch
you exceeding the de facto limit, they can assess you more for
exceeding the de jure limit and thereby make having ticketed you worth
their while.
--
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.. Chuck Rhode, Sheboygan, WI, USA
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Posted by Rob Kleinschmidt on October 4, 2011, 7:33 pm
> * I've seen traffic in only one Middle-Eastern country, Turkey.
> Traffic in Istanbul looked totally chaotic by North American
> standards. Drivers constantly honked at each other, with very short
> blips on the horn. Some roads were One Way -- as defined by
> the drivers themselves. The direction changed with the time of day.
> The concept of traffic lanes didn't seem to exist, as cars appeared
> to weave all over the road like those bumper cars at the circus.
> Except I never saw a collision. Actually it was more like a dance,
> where everyone seemed to know their part. Which I wouldn't know,
> so put me behind the wheel over there and there'd soon be some
> real damage.
I am awed by the skill and courage of third world drivers. Typical
American drivers would be dead in a matter of minutes. Most
impressive was a taxi ride in India where we were driving at speed
in traffic with the tailgate of the truck in front of us actually
hanging
over the hood of the car, about a foot away from the windshield.
There's a good PBS special on prohibition running this week. Basic
lesson seems to be that laws are meaningful only when people think
they should be taken seriously.
Posted by Ben Kaufman on October 4, 2011, 10:08 pm
>This is so true around here as well. I've had cagers shake their fist,
>honk, even yell at me merely for doing the posted speed limit. One
>gentleman (who might have been Pakistani) bitched at me for going
>slow in the "speeding lane". WTF is that, some unwritten (and extra-
>legal) agreement amongst cage drivers? *
Perhaps I was dreaming but I seem to recall something about it being illegal in
many states to hold up traffic in the left lane, even if you are going the speed
limit, and if there is only one lane in each direction you must pull over when
safe to allow faster traffic to pass?
Ben
Posted by Calgary (Don) on October 4, 2011, 10:52 pm
On 04/10/2011 8:08 PM, Ben Kaufman wrote:
>> This is so true around here as well. I've had cagers shake their fist,
>> honk, even yell at me merely for doing the posted speed limit. One
>> gentleman (who might have been Pakistani) bitched at me for going
>> slow in the "speeding lane". WTF is that, some unwritten (and extra-
>> legal) agreement amongst cage drivers? *
> Perhaps I was dreaming but I seem to recall something about it being illegal in
> many states to hold up traffic in the left lane, even if you are going the
speed
> limit, and if there is only one lane in each direction you must pull over when
> safe to allow faster traffic to pass?
> Ben
I have a similar recollection. We have been down this road before.
In rural Alberta our roads are long flat and straight. [1] Most of our
highways are two lane secondaries. It is common for vehicles, regardless
of the speed they are travelling to pull over to the shoulder (sometimes
paved) to allow vehicles approaching from the rear to pass. I am not
totally sold on this practise, especially when I am riding the bike.
There is so much gravel and crap on those shoulders I get showered with
the shit when a slower moving vehicle drives on the shoulder to let me
pass. Personally I would rather they stay in their designated lane and
wait for me to pass when it is safe, than see them pull over and shower
me with road crap. It's pretty easy to pass on our rural highways.
Visibility is almost unlimited and traffic is usually light. It might
take three or four minutes tops, before there is an opportunity to pass.
I can wait four minutes.
Now mountain roads are an entirely different story.
[1] http://actualriders.ca/prairie.htm
--
Disclaimer
Do not believe a thing I have said, unless you already know it to be
true, or can independently verify it from another source.
Reeky Ride To The Rockies
http://actualriders.ca/reekyrockies.htm
Posted by WaIIy on October 5, 2011, 12:21 am
>I dunno how this works out in practice. However, it seems to me that
>if I'm doing the posted speed limit and there's a line-up of pissed-off
>drivers behind me, the "conditions then existing" are that everyone's
>doing the speed limit whether they like it or not!
>SQ
Typical new age thinking. "I'll do what the fuck I want and you can
deal with the consequences".
You can justify yourself all you want, but it doesn't make It (or you)
right.
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> system:
> : But drivers who take those signs seriously are in for a surprise:
> : drive more slowly than the posted speed limit in light traffic
> : and other drivers will race past, often with a few choice words
> : or an upraised middle finger for a greeting. In the United States,
> : posted limits don’t define the maximum speed of traffic; they define
> : the minimum speed.