View from the Driver's Seat
Apr. 17th, 2006 09:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ellyssianSo, which side of the road do we drive on in this country?
A bit of set-up first: A bridge, fairly narrow for its length. One lane in each direction, room on the side for a mouse to scurry along, if it's careful and walks a straight line. Anything larger isn't likely to make it across if there is traffic. The bridge peaks in the center. The time was about 8:30pm, so it was rather dark out. Rain is threatening, but not there yet.
Friday night, after poetry - in which a most excellent discussion on religion occurred - I was driving along Race Street, and up onto the bridge over the Lehigh. When I saw the headlights in my lane, I slowed. Then I stopped. The car continued coming towards me as I honked. At the last minute, the driver swerved into his lane. I had the distinct impression that he was ticked off at me for being in the correct lane. I'm not sure if he was drunk, thought it was a one-way in his direction, or both.
Mere moments later, rain now pouring down, I sat at a red light. It turned green, and I proceeded across the intersection. At the other end of the intersection were three lanes - I was in the one with an arrow pointing straight ahead; on my right was a right turn only lane that just opened up, and on my left, was a left turn only lane that continued from the other side of the intersection. The left-turn only lane was occupied, and, in the cross-traffic, a car stopped in their right turn only lane with his signal. As I approached, he took the turn, about twenty feet off my starboard bow. And that would have been fine had he needed to take another right turn, and went from one right turn lane to another. But he didn't. Nearly scraping my bumper, and causing me to once again use horn and brakes, he moved into my lane, and across into the left turn only lane.
Later, I had a chance to test the anti-lock brakes, and narrowly avoided an SUV that stopped suddenly - that, had something untoward happened, would have been my fault of course. Despite the brakes making a very odd noise, and a bit of sliding, there was no impact, and, had there been more chance of one (in other words, closer/faster/stopped quicker) I was already aimed out of the way, and could have kept going. Still and all, it capped off a wonderful evening of driving.
A bit of set-up first: A bridge, fairly narrow for its length. One lane in each direction, room on the side for a mouse to scurry along, if it's careful and walks a straight line. Anything larger isn't likely to make it across if there is traffic. The bridge peaks in the center. The time was about 8:30pm, so it was rather dark out. Rain is threatening, but not there yet.
Friday night, after poetry - in which a most excellent discussion on religion occurred - I was driving along Race Street, and up onto the bridge over the Lehigh. When I saw the headlights in my lane, I slowed. Then I stopped. The car continued coming towards me as I honked. At the last minute, the driver swerved into his lane. I had the distinct impression that he was ticked off at me for being in the correct lane. I'm not sure if he was drunk, thought it was a one-way in his direction, or both.
Mere moments later, rain now pouring down, I sat at a red light. It turned green, and I proceeded across the intersection. At the other end of the intersection were three lanes - I was in the one with an arrow pointing straight ahead; on my right was a right turn only lane that just opened up, and on my left, was a left turn only lane that continued from the other side of the intersection. The left-turn only lane was occupied, and, in the cross-traffic, a car stopped in their right turn only lane with his signal. As I approached, he took the turn, about twenty feet off my starboard bow. And that would have been fine had he needed to take another right turn, and went from one right turn lane to another. But he didn't. Nearly scraping my bumper, and causing me to once again use horn and brakes, he moved into my lane, and across into the left turn only lane.
Later, I had a chance to test the anti-lock brakes, and narrowly avoided an SUV that stopped suddenly - that, had something untoward happened, would have been my fault of course. Despite the brakes making a very odd noise, and a bit of sliding, there was no impact, and, had there been more chance of one (in other words, closer/faster/stopped quicker) I was already aimed out of the way, and could have kept going. Still and all, it capped off a wonderful evening of driving.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-17 06:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-18 05:35 am (UTC)