Scot, who is a regular participant on Opinion Talk, posted a very useful comment to my entry on drivers not using turn signals. I'm going to reprint his six "Unwritten Rules" for driving in Fresno. Here they are:
Unwritten Rule One -- When two lanes are merging into one, fill both lanes as far forward as possible and then "zipper" together...meaning alternate one lane then the other. If the cars in the left lane are merging right, they should merge every other car. This moves the traffic forward and "zippering" is fair for everyone in both lanes. In L.A. this is standard procedure. I'm always amazed here how many people will not do this. Merging over a half mile back and stacking traffic into one lane too soon is a waste of space, inefficient, and moves too slowly. And blocking people out who have done the right thing causes road rage. I've seen people be absolutely rude by riding the bumper of the person in front of them to keep someone out and I wonder how they go home and sleep at night.Unwritten Rule Two -- Don't block someone from turning left in front of you at a light. By this I mean, you're coming up on a red light and you're maybe 10 or so cars back. On your right is a driveway into a business or a side road. On your left, in the oncoming traffic, is someone waiting to make a left into there. Don't pull up and close the gap so they can't get across. It's a red light anyway, so stopping 15-20 feet back so they can make their left turn across in front of you is a courtesy and keeps traffic moving.
Unwritten Rule Three -- Leave a gap and let someone in at the red light. Similar to rule two, when you're waiting at a red light and someone has been waiting to pull into traffic from a business on the right, leave a gap and wave them in. You'll feel good about it and it keeps things moving. However, don't sit there and hold up people behind you letting 5 or 6 people in front of you. You've now upset everyone behind you and held up traffic. Also, if you're the person pulling into traffic, watch to see if someone lets you in. If you're not paying attention when someone is being nice and waving you in, YOU are now holding up traffic that you're not even in.
Unwritten Rule Four -- Like Jim and Jeff Stewart point out, blinkers help keep traffic moving. There are so many situations where a blinker can keep traffic moving. Say you're making a right turn and you look down the street to the left and a car is coming. You're waiting for the car to go by...waiting...he gets closer...then turns right just before he gets to you. You cuss him out and say "thanks for the blinker idiot, I could have been on my way along with the other 5 cars behind me."Unwritten Rule Five -- Don't get caught sitting in the intersection when the light changes. If this has ever happened to you, you know what I'm talking about. If there's no room on the other side of the intersection...don't enter the intersection and you won't get caught sitting there blocking cross traffic when the light changes. Believe me, you'll only do it once. This is a lot more common in L.A. than it is here because there are more lights closer together, but it'll be more common here in the near future. I've already seen it happen here.
Unwritten Rule Six -- Don't hold everyone up, make the "Michigan left." How many times have you sat behind someone trying to make a left from a side street or out of a parking lot with heavy traffic from both directions? You might just sit there till Tuesday if you're waiting on someone who is looking for a gap a mile wide. If I only had a nickel for every time I've sat behind someone thinking, "C'mooonnn...I could have made a left with an 18-wheeler truck by now." So, if you are that person trying to make a left, and traffic is too heavy, forget it. Make a right, go up and then U turn...a.k.a. a "Michigan Left." Or, remember the rule..."2 rights don't make a left...but 3 do."
I'm honored Jim. Thank you for that. I didn't really think anyone would get past my opening comments. I do ramble on.
I suppose the one thing I didn't mention is that drivers in cities with extremely heavy traffic have learned to allow for it. Leave earlier and expect it. That way you won't be so irritated and under pressure when you find yourself in it.
Scot's tips are excellent and practiced, for the most part, in major metropolitan areas. Having lived in the San Francisco Bay area for ten years under similar conditions as Scot, it was actually easy to spot a non-resident by the way they didn't "go with the flow." I will also admit, folks in Southern California are even better at it; almost like a traffic polka or square dance. The once thing that stands out for me is that when you look beneath the surface of these tips they are just an excercise in common courtesy. That is what has run dry in our society and that is the underlying reason for the problem. People have stopped looking beyond themselves; especially when they get behind the wheel of a vehicle.
Scot,
If you do not get a job in Washington, something is very wrong. Mind, your writing about 'road rules' in a manner that even 'a three year old can understand' might need to change as they only understand massive reports with much 'double talk' in the Beltway.
Come to think on, you might be getting a call from the new mayor, we could use some 'plain speaking' folks here in local government.
I think Fresno drivers will figure out the rules when traffic gets congested enough here for them to be needed - or evolve our own rules. That's what drivers in SoCal did, after all.
It takes a bit of time for drivers to learn something new. I drive or ride through the new traffic circles on Chestnut north of Shaw almost every day. To me, they're not hard to figure out - just slow down when you approach them, and yield to any traffic actually in the circle when you get there. But some drivers (especially those traveling east and west on Barstow) will blow through the circle as fast as they can, while others will stop at the entrance and wait for every car in sight.
I figure we'll all get the hang of it eventually.