Driving around Glasgow
Sep. 14th, 2023 09:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mtbcThe city seems to be repainting markings on roads which is great but somewhat overdue, plenty more to be done yet. It can be hard to see where the boundaries are and what the arrows are, making it difficult to know exactly where to drive and when to stop. It is also awkward to discover which lanes are now for turns or not only at the last minute, one thing some US states get right is plenty of advance warning about which lane to get into.
One kind of lane usage I am undecided on is those where there are two lanes in each direction, the inside lane being for buses and taxis except near a junction. The normal cars all occupy the outside lane, get stuck behind people turning right at junctions, so cut into the end of the bus lane, cross the junction in the inside lane, then move back over as the bus lane resumes.
I don't much get why taxis are typically afforded driving privileges, they basically do what cars do except for having a driver who doesn't want to go to the destination then parks more obstructively once they arrive, but I am all for making bus travel a priority. Still, I don't know how much buses benefit from their separate lane, as balanced against the safety issue of causing all these lane changes at many intersections.
I had to dodge a driver this morning, one of these who wants to move into a lane they can't currently see the traffic in, so crosses their fingers and noses out into it anyway. The last accident I was in, years ago back in Ohio, I was proceeding forward in my lane and the other driver tried to cross it without being able to see it was clear, at least their insurance company folded easily and it didn't affect my premiums at all.
Student pickup around our youngest's high school is absurd. The roadside already has plenty of parked cars so parents just stop their car out in the main carriageway and wait for their child. I can understand a momentary pause in the road to pick them up but blocking the traffic to wait for some minutes seems very selfish to me.
One kind of lane usage I am undecided on is those where there are two lanes in each direction, the inside lane being for buses and taxis except near a junction. The normal cars all occupy the outside lane, get stuck behind people turning right at junctions, so cut into the end of the bus lane, cross the junction in the inside lane, then move back over as the bus lane resumes.
I don't much get why taxis are typically afforded driving privileges, they basically do what cars do except for having a driver who doesn't want to go to the destination then parks more obstructively once they arrive, but I am all for making bus travel a priority. Still, I don't know how much buses benefit from their separate lane, as balanced against the safety issue of causing all these lane changes at many intersections.
I had to dodge a driver this morning, one of these who wants to move into a lane they can't currently see the traffic in, so crosses their fingers and noses out into it anyway. The last accident I was in, years ago back in Ohio, I was proceeding forward in my lane and the other driver tried to cross it without being able to see it was clear, at least their insurance company folded easily and it didn't affect my premiums at all.
Student pickup around our youngest's high school is absurd. The roadside already has plenty of parked cars so parents just stop their car out in the main carriageway and wait for their child. I can understand a momentary pause in the road to pick them up but blocking the traffic to wait for some minutes seems very selfish to me.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-14 03:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-09-21 05:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-09-21 07:40 pm (UTC)The funny thing is that I think it was early spring a huge rock fell off the mountain and broke the road bed. It took 2-3 days for them to clear that rock out, they brought in a back hoe with one of those hydraulic rapid chisels to break it up. Put in a temporary hot patch. A couple of months ago they did a few weeks where a crew hanging from ropes were knocking down rocks from the cliff face that could potentially imperil motorists. It actually damaged the road more, but no fix. Then they restriped the road. LAST WEEK in one day they tore out that hot fix and a bit more and repaved the road! AND DIDN'T RESTRIPE IT! They put in those little plastic thingies to show you where the lane is, they might be planning on sending up a striping truck later. I was so amused that literally a week later they fixed the road after having just striped it.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-29 09:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-10-01 12:50 am (UTC)I remember one day while they were knocking rocks off the cliff, I was driving to work and there were a half-dozen guys standing around in military uniforms! Not guys in fatigues, decidedly proper military! Having worked on an Air Force base, the difference is clear to me. My guess was they were going to do some live climb rope training.