As the due date for this blog post was nearing I was contemplating a few different topics to write about. I was having trouble deciding between them when I was granted with a gift in disguise. Some people think that I just have road rage, but I feel that my rage is legitimate most of the time. I was waiting at a stoplight to turn left and for some reason, I couldn't get a left turn light. To make matters worse, I was trapped behind some lady that refused to go if there was no left turn light.
So there I sat, waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Most people edge into the intersection so that when traffic stops coming, they can make their turn. I don't know where she learned to drive, but that was apparently out of the question. The more radical drivers do a "Pittsburgh Left", a quick left turn before the oncoming traffic starts coming. So we both sat waiting a ways back from behind the white line, which I figured out was the reason we couldn't get a green light. She was too far back for the sensor to work. The people going straight got their green, but I couldn't get a simple left arrow. She would not budge forward.
One light passed, then another, then another. After three whole lights had switched, there was finally a large enough gap in the oncoming traffic for her to make her left and I was freed from the prison of the left turn light. For some reason I have terrible luck when it comes to driving. Take a look at things that have happened to me in the one year of driving I've done:
-Someone stopped on first street to let out passengers (which was a jerk move in the first place), then their car stalled.
-I turn eastbound onto springfield right behind a truck that was too tall for the underpass. It got stuck.
-The car behind me didn't know their brights were on. They also followed me for seven city blocks
-There is a glass company on Neil just south of green street. The loading dock requires that the semi-truck backs into a small garage door. When they do that, they have to stop traffic because the truck spans across all four lanes. The truck driver messed up a few times before finally making it into the garage.
Maybe these things happen to everyone but whenever I drive, it seems to me whatever divine force controls the universe tries to hinder me as much as they can. It drives (pun) me crazy! I get so furious on the road. So I guess you could say that I have road rage.
I know what you mean. I get furious driving in this town because people seem to love doing dumb things. One time I was driving on the street between Krannert and Manolo's and there was a van for whatever band was playing at the Canopy parked on one side of the road and this woman stopped her car in the middle of the street to pick up an order from Manolo's and there was just a tiny space in between them and like 20 cars trying to get through so it took 10 minutes to travel a quarter of a block. Good post!
ReplyDeleteThough you say you have road rage, it sounded like you handled the situation pretty well and didn't yell at her or get out of your car. And wow that is a lot of bad luck in driving.
ReplyDeleteI also get really frustrated with drivers here. It seems like there is always someone who drives 10 mph under the speed limit, completely slowing down traffic. By far the worst time to drive is right after a football game, because it's impossible to get anywhere. I saw one truck that was heading east on springfield crossing neil street, and luckily he braked really quickly to avoid hitting the underpass. Whenever a truck hits it, they close down the street for a while to clean up the debris. Campus seems to have some pretty bad drivers generally.
ReplyDeletewellll I recently became one of the bad drivers on campus, so watch out for a black sedan with three red STUDENT DRIVER signs on it. Super embarrassing, but people give me a lot of distance :)
ReplyDeletegood post! yeah I cant stand some of the drivers out there. i once got stuck behind a car that stalled while driving in both lanes, so I was late to basketball. I liked the story about the semi stuck in the overpass!
ReplyDeleteSounds like your just getting unlucky--your not raging. But you do rage elsewhere. A lot.
ReplyDeleteThis definitely happens to me a lot, though I've never been as unlucky as you seem to be. When I'm driving, I'll always see people doing stupid things, and it is incredibly frustrating. People make terrible left turns, too...that's what bugs me the most.
ReplyDeleteNice post!
This sounds horrible - I am so glad that I don't drive. Taking the bus is so much more agreeable; I let the bus driver do all the work while I get to read and relax.
ReplyDeleteThis sucks, I hope this doesnt happen to me. I still cant wait till i get my license though.
ReplyDelete