ONLY lanes

I don't know whether this problem is peculiar to the Los Angeles area or whether it afflicts other
congested metropolitan areas.

Whenever I drive in rush hour traffic on surface streets, there are two groups of drivers that
impede all other traffic:

* Those that are in a Left Turn Only lane or a Right Turn Only lane and have suddenly decided
that they want to go straight.

* Those that are an a Straight/Through lane and have suddenly decided that they want to get into
the Turn lane.

I've seen (and/or been in) situations where the Leading Green Left Arrow goes on, the first 2 cars
turn left from the Left Turn Only lane, and then no one else gets a chance to turn left because the
3rd car in the lane puts on its right turn signal in a desperate attempt to get back into the
leftmost Straight/Through lane.

I've seen situations where traffic in a Straight/Through lane is blocked by one car that has driven
past a street full of cars that are waiting in the Left Turn Only lane and then decides that they
have to turn left as well. (Obviously, the same situations apply for right turns.)

Is this nonsense happening in other areas or is it uniquely an L.A. phenomenon?

I know it's not because the lanes are not well marked; this happens even when the lane configuration
is marked with overhead signs that can be seen well in advance.

"Larry Scholnick" > wrote:


>* Those that are an a Straight/Through lane and have suddenly decided that they want to get into
>the Turn lane.
>
>
>I know it's not because the lanes are not well marked; this happens even when the lane configuration
>is marked with overhead signs that can be seen well in advance.
>

Creative stupidity. How about when drivers make up more left turn
lanes?

San Jose, s/b Senter at Capitol Expwy. One long left turn lane stacked
up, drivers in 1st through lane treating it as a "2 lanes turn left".
Scares the crap out of me when I think I can go from left turn lane to
#3 lane on e/b Capitol.

A little way down, at McLaughlin & Capitol there is a "2 lanes turn
left" in the same direction and the same thing happens - 3 lanes turn
left.
--
"If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot 'em?"

"Larry Scholnick" > wrote:


>* Those that are an a Straight/Through lane and have suddenly decided that they want to get into
>the Turn lane.
>
>
>I know it's not because the lanes are not well marked; this happens even when the lane configuration
>is marked with overhead signs that can be seen well in advance.
>

Creative stupidity. How about when drivers make up more left turn
lanes?

San Jose, s/b Senter at Capitol Expwy. One long left turn lane stacked
up, drivers in 1st through lane treating it as a "2 lanes turn left".
Scares the crap out of me when I think I can go from left turn lane to
#3 lane on e/b Capitol.

A little way down, at McLaughlin & Capitol there is a "2 lanes turn
left" in the same direction and the same thing happens - 3 lanes turn
left.
--
"If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot 'em?"

Scott en Aztl=E1n wrote:
> On Sun, 19 Dec 2004 05:29:53 GMT, "Larry Scholnick"
> > wrote:
>
> >I don't know whether this problem is peculiar to the Los Angeles
area or whether it afflicts other
> >congested metropolitan areas.
> >
> >Whenever I drive in rush hour traffic on surface streets, there are
two groups of drivers that
> >impede all other traffic:
> >
> >* Those that are in a Left Turn Only lane or a Right Turn Only
lane and have suddenly decided
> >that they want to go straight.
>
> I see people go straight from the left turn lane all the time. I
> attribute it to the stupid way the traffic signals are programmed
here
> - quite often people who want to turn left get sick of waiting for
the
> damned arrow to come on and just drive straight through the
> intersection.


Around here, folks bypass a line of cars going straight or turning by
getting into an "only" lane, then cut in when there's a gap large
enough to do so. MFFY.

The other day, I blocked a right-only lane runner, because I saw him in
the mirror, and I knew he was going too fast to turn, so I closed the
gap on the car ahead, rode three feet off and offset 2 feet left, and
the guy had the nerve to honk when he ran out of road, and had to stop
and wait until the end of the line passed by. This happens at that
light all the time, even though the light stays green for quite some
time.

HAND,

E=2EP.

Scott en Aztl=E1n wrote:
> On Sun, 19 Dec 2004 05:29:53 GMT, "Larry Scholnick"
> > wrote:
>
> >I don't know whether this problem is peculiar to the Los Angeles
area or whether it afflicts other
> >congested metropolitan areas.
> >
> >Whenever I drive in rush hour traffic on surface streets, there are
two groups of drivers that
> >impede all other traffic:
> >
> >* Those that are in a Left Turn Only lane or a Right Turn Only
lane and have suddenly decided
> >that they want to go straight.
>
> I see people go straight from the left turn lane all the time. I
> attribute it to the stupid way the traffic signals are programmed
here
> - quite often people who want to turn left get sick of waiting for
the
> damned arrow to come on and just drive straight through the
> intersection.


Around here, folks bypass a line of cars going straight or turning by
getting into an "only" lane, then cut in when there's a gap large
enough to do so. MFFY.

The other day, I blocked a right-only lane runner, because I saw him in
the mirror, and I knew he was going too fast to turn, so I closed the
gap on the car ahead, rode three feet off and offset 2 feet left, and
the guy had the nerve to honk when he ran out of road, and had to stop
and wait until the end of the line passed by. This happens at that
light all the time, even though the light stays green for quite some
time.

HAND,

E=2EP.

Larry Scholnick wrote:
> I know it's not because the lanes are not well marked; this happens even
> when the lane configuration is marked with overhead signs that can be
> seen well in advance.

The only time I would ever do such a thing is when the advance signs LIE,
and I did follow them and now have to recover from the mistake of trusting
them.

San Francisco is well known for doing this on purpose, on the theory that
they can reduce congestion by sending people on needless detours.

Larry Scholnick wrote:
> I know it's not because the lanes are not well marked; this happens even
> when the lane configuration is marked with overhead signs that can be
> seen well in advance.

The only time I would ever do such a thing is when the advance signs LIE,
and I did follow them and now have to recover from the mistake of trusting
them.

San Francisco is well known for doing this on purpose, on the theory that
they can reduce congestion by sending people on needless detours.

"Larry Scholnick" > wrote in
:

> I don't know whether this problem is peculiar to the Los Angeles area
> or whether it afflicts other congested metropolitan areas.
>
> Whenever I drive in rush hour traffic on surface streets, there are
> two groups of drivers that impede all other traffic:
>
> * Those that are in a Left Turn Only lane or a Right Turn Only lane
> and have suddenly decided that they want to go straight.
>
> * Those that are an a Straight/Through lane and have suddenly
> decided that they want to get into the Turn lane.

In Orlando,these morons literally STOP and wait until an enabler lets them
into the turn lane.Of course,they block the lane they are in at the time.


--
Jim Yanik
jyanik-at-kua.net

"Larry Scholnick" > wrote in
:

> I don't know whether this problem is peculiar to the Los Angeles area
> or whether it afflicts other congested metropolitan areas.
>
> Whenever I drive in rush hour traffic on surface streets, there are
> two groups of drivers that impede all other traffic:
>
> * Those that are in a Left Turn Only lane or a Right Turn Only lane
> and have suddenly decided that they want to go straight.
>
> * Those that are an a Straight/Through lane and have suddenly
> decided that they want to get into the Turn lane.

In Orlando,these morons literally STOP and wait until an enabler lets them
into the turn lane.Of course,they block the lane they are in at the time.


--
Jim Yanik
jyanik-at-kua.net

In article >, newsgroup says:

>I see people go straight from the left turn lane all the time. I
>attribute it to the stupid way the traffic signals are programmed here
>- quite often people who want to turn left get sick of waiting for the
>damned arrow to come on

If there *is* an arrow! Some of the busiest intersections in L.A. are
"Left turn yield on green"-only, and considering how many fools won't
pull into the intersection[1] and how slow the surface drivers tend
to move, you'll grow old waiting.

>and just drive straight through the intersection.

Yup, I'll check my mirror, and if there's no one coming and I don't
have to make that turn, give up and go straight.

-Kenny

[1] - (and this *is* a Cali thing- I've had folks on the other side-
and it's always the lame ones who pull thru lights at 3MPH- slow or
even stop when I pull up, even though I'm not in their oncoming path,
which implies to me that "pull in while waiting" just isn't done here.
--
Kenneth R. Crudup Sr. SW Engineer, Scott County Consulting, Los Angeles
H: 3630 S. Sepulveda Blvd. #138, L.A., CA 90034-6809 (310) 391-1898