Friday March 03, 2006 Weblog
Friday March 03, 2006 Driving in the San Francisco Bay Area
This has been a long time coming, but where do all the drivers here get their licenses and who lets them drive?
Half of the drivers here don't seem to understand that indicators are to be used while driving, not just when stationary in the emergency lane. The really disconcerting part of this is when they fail to use them to change lanes on a freeway, you're never really sure if they know you're there or not, or if they're deliberately sliding over into your lane or just getting ready to slam into the wall by the side of the road!
As if this weren't bad enough, there are too many drivers that don't know how to enter a freeway. I've seen drivers "stop" at the bottom of an on-ramp and wait for a gap to merge into the traffic. Instructors of drivers and people doing driving tests should be making a point of people knowing that when possible, you should try to match the speed of the traffic on the freeway when it is time to merge. Yes, it isn't always possible, but it is a heck of a lot easier but does require you to look at the freeway traffic coming in your direction before you get to the actual join. Is that too hard?
Unfortunately I suspect that a large number of the "freeway merge" problems in SFBA are highway 101 specific. Why? It has too many exits and entrances and they're too close together. So much so that it's almost not either a highway or a freeway but just a major road without traffic lights. Cloverleafs, on ramps, off ramps, freeway joins and sometimes both happening all within a few hundred yards of each other. Add to this a whole lot of cars trying to go every which way and there you have it.
( Mar 03 2006, 03:39:34 PM PST ) Permalink Comments [3]
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Of course, that means the merging traffic is moving leftwards and accelerating, and the exiting traffic is moving rightwards and decelerating.
It can be quite hairy.
Posted by Robin Wilton on March 03, 2006 at 03:57 PM PST #
Posted by Robin Wilton on March 03, 2006 at 03:58 PM PST #
It's like that everywhere in other metropolitan areas. I've been drive testing in telecom and also as a CDL driver in trucking since 1998. Been everywhere and picked up a lot of driving experience which would prepare me for island drives like Puerto Rico where the driving is more chaotic and not as uniform. New York, Boston, Los Angeles. Probably all the same with onramps and off ramps too close to each other.
Drove the bay area last year around fleet week collecting wireless data. By that point in my years of driving, I knew how to handle myself coming in and out of alley ways across 4 lanes of traffic in downtown S.F.
The thing is you can't fear traffic or a downtown area and the reason why I haven't gotten into any major wrecks is because like you said, you keep looking and find any opening at freeway speed some exceptions being short merges with yield signs.
The only onramp I must comment on is the first one north of the golden gate bridge. Now that is a very short merge. My secret. Gun it and use the emergency lane to get on the 101. They really do need a yield sign or stop sign right there.
To add insult to injury, what really bothers me is that drivers are way too distracted listening to ipods in one ear, talking on their cell phone (don't care if it is a hands free), or look more at their gps than their actual driving. These are the people you need to watch out for.
I just keep my distance and do not tailgate.
But alas the highways are more aggressive with speeders and what not. Nothing new. If I'm not going to far, I just stay in the right two lanes. And I'm never afraid to utilize my New York/Boston driving skills to inch my way over into a lane in heavy traffic which works much better in a tractor-trailer combination.
Solution to getting through traffic. Just drive at night and get your errands done. They got 24- hour shopping marts which I will dare not say on your blog.
A good evening to you and sorry it took me so long to say something as I just stumbled on your blog :)
Posted by Erran Tabakman on September 10, 2007 at 08:49 PM PDT #