Driving habits of rural folk

[Frankenkubota]

As you can tell, I tend to go hyperbolic to make a point. It痴 come to that, you almost have to hit someone with 2x 4 to get them to focus. I致e made a couple good friends in Pinehurst and, btw, they have a couple pretty good golf courses!

Pinehurst is fine, average age is not 100 but believe me, it ain稚 40. Fort Bragg draws a lot of officers who don稚 want to live in Fayettnam. They tend to be younger. They buy a huge dog, get deployed and mama puts the poor dog in the back yard, endlessly.

My problem with Pinehurst or Scottsdale and many places in Florida etc. is they are full of transplanted people. Mostly Yankees but that痴 does not matter. In Scottsdale it痴 the Cali people. It痴 the fact that no one has any roots to the community. IMHO, that leads to a different kinda world and I don稚 like it, so I left, and left, and left.

I moved to Carolina in the very early 80s. Went to work for Westinghouse in Raleigh. The word was out, a new guy was coming on board, a yankee. Then they found I was from Wisconsin and, even though they were not sure where Wisconsin was, I was ok because, I was not really a yankee. Hee hee

Bumper sticker in Raleigh, circa 1982.

WE DONT CARE HOW YOU DO IT IN NEW YORK

As far as left lane squatters. When I had business people in from the UK I would innocently tell them, we too pass on the right side just like you do. Of course, they didn稚 understand until I showed them the only way around a left lane squatter is to pass on the right. They would ask, why won稚 that person in front of us just move over? Hee hee, I壇 say, you ain稚 from here are you? On a 4 hour ride I bet I did it 10 times. Uber dangerous, Uber rude and uber American.

Just try and squat in Europe, my brother did and almost got his keaster kicked!

 

[Jstpssng]

Here is the Maine law on passing on the right. Most states probably have similar statutes.

Passing on the right. An operator may pass a vehicle on the right only under the following conditions:
A. When the vehicle to be passed is making or about to make a left turn; [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
B. On a way with unobstructed pavement not occupied by parked vehicles and of sufficient width for 2 or more lines of traffic in each direction; or [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
C. On a way on which traffic is restricted to one direction, when the roadway is free from obstructions and of sufficient width for 2 or more lines of traffic. [PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 (NEW); PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. B, §5 (AFF).]
An operator may pass on the right only under conditions permitting that movement in safety. An operator may not overtake by driving off the pavement or main traveled portion of the way.
A person operating a bicycle or roller skis may pass a vehicle on the right at the bicyclist's or roller skier's own risk.

The bit about bicyclists took me by surprise. If you talk to a cyclist, they are supposed to be treated just like any other vehicle.

 

[strantor]

The bit about bicyclists took me by surprise. If you talk to a cyclist, they are supposed to be treated just like any other vehicle.

Don't get me started on that. Bicyclists who insist on blocking traffic beside a perfectly good empty sidewalk send me to a dark corner of my mind.

I saw a woman almost get pasted by a guy pulling a trailer last week. It was during morning rush hour, sun cresting the horizon in everyone's eyes, on a curved bridge. The speed limit was 45 but this is an area where flow of traffic is typically 55-60mph. She was in the outside lane, the outside of the curve. She was in the 1'-2' space between the traffic lane and the concrete barrier, so not actually in the lane, but the lanes are so narrow that the trailer had maybe just a couple of inches either side to stay within it. That trailer was over the line by several inches, given that it was on the outside of the curve. It looked as if it must have clipped her, although I didn't see any reaction other than startlement and a shaken fist.

On the other side of that concrete barrier was an unoccupied side walk.

I've heard all the arguments bicyclists make, and many of them have valid points, but they're all starry eyed ideological points. Yes, they should have as much right to the road. Yes, they're saving the planet. Yes, they should be given bike lanes. No, they should not have to share the sidewalk with pedestrians because yes, that does cause its own set of unsafe situations.

BUT COME ON. You're being an idiot. You're going to get yourself killed and someone else along with you. How can your "right to ride" be so important that you would risk your life to exercise it? It makes no sense. It's like putting a plate of roast beef on the coffee table and then leaving the house, only to get upset upon finding it eaten by the dog on your return. Yes, it's your house and your roast beef. You should not have to feel threatened about your food being stolen. But... ya do. So act appropriately.

 

[3930dave]

BUT COME ON. You're being an idiot. You're going to get yourself killed and someone else along with you. How can your "right to ride" be so important that you would risk your life to exercise it? It makes no sense. It's like putting a plate of roast beef on the coffee table and then leaving the house, only to get upset upon finding it eaten by the dog on your return. Yes, it's your house and your roast beef. You should not have to feel threatened about your food being stolen. But... ya do. So act appropriately.

UnCommon-Sense..... getting white-rhino rare at times.....

Saw a clip on our version of PBS recently - citidiots who ride bicycles giving a long-winded dissertation about how it's actually legal for them to ride 2 abreast on a rural road - typically rich citidiots up at their country compounds......

Haven't had the time to do the pysch research, but it would be interesting. Even when I was young, you could see the heavy general Marketing at play..... "YOU, are the centre of the universe......". The research I'd like to have time to glom thru today, is what (anti)Social Media has done to take that to the next-level........ in some respects, impressive, most others, scary......

Just because You CAN do something........ The analogy I've used once or twice in the real world (with people I suspect would get it).... I COULD walk into a biker bar and loudly proclaim a laundry-list of reasons Japanese bikes are superior. Free Speech - Check. Technically Correct - Check. Would I be stupid enough to do that ? Not even in my younger daze.......

What I do see up here is some people getting way too overconfident with AWD, or just using it as a crutch to avoid gettting snow-tires. Net/net of that..... just crashing at higher speeds......

Rgds, D.

 

[Citydude]

A few years ago we rented a beach house just north of Bodega Bay on the California coast. I developed a deep seated hatred of bicyclists “owning” the road while there.

 

[Thomas]

It's that time of year around here mother nature painting the leaves so "rural folks" long time natives have to be on the look out for what we call the leave peepers,some leaf peepers been known park half way off the road anywhere stand in the road taking pictures also walk/run in front you :muttering: than there ones move to country facing there first winter with there AWD/4WD thinking they are in stoppable like the TV ads shown they learn quick :shocked: & $$$'s damage.

 

[dodge man]

You are not suppose to ride bikes on the sidewalk. I ride mine on rural roads and never have problems but I am always aware and a little worried. I would not be comfortable riding in heavy urban traffic at all.

 

[goeduck]

A few years ago we rented a beach house just north of Bodega Bay on the California coast. I developed a deep seated hatred of bicyclists 登wning the road while there.

I am across the water from Seattle all kinds of bicyclists take the ferry over here and own our roads on weekends. I have learned to be very wary of them. Many do not like riding on the shoulder and ride near the white line. If it is a less traveled road they are often two abreast in the lane (even if there is a decent shoulder). Then there are the ones that ride on winding roads with no shoulder. We have a lot of trees so the shade/sun/shade/sun makes it hard to spot them. I drive under the speed limit and will not even pass them unless I have a very clear line of sight. Yesterday on my way to the dump, I saw one try to balance without putting his foot down while waiting at an intersection. He lost control and fell into the lane while a car was arriving at the intersection (fortunately they saw him).

 

[Jstpssng]

It's that time of year around here mother nature painting the leaves so "rural folks" long time natives have to be on the look out for what we call the leave peepers,some leaf peepers been known park half way off the road anywhere stand in the road taking pictures also walk/run in front you :muttering: than there ones move to country facing there first winter with there AWD/4WD thinking they are in stoppable like the TV ads shown they learn quick :shocked: & $$$'s damage.

Besides the leaf peepers we also have moose watchers. You learn to be careful when there's no traffic... it's not uncommon to come around a curve and find cars lining both sides of the road leaving barey one travel lane... and a loaded log truck coming from the other direction.

 

[Diggin It]

^^ Narrow two lane road, state highway, so centerlined, but little or no shoulder. I'm coming into a curve and see vehicles parked on both sides, hazard flashers on. I move slow thinking there's an accident or similar, but as I approach, I see everyone with cameras or binoculars pointed in the same direction. Come to find out they're all gawking at some Eagles perched on a dead tree branch.