So I’m heading to Noe Valley from the Sunset. This involves a right turn from eastbound Oak (a mojor east/west thoroughfare) to southbound Divisadero (which leads to Casstro & Market, the middle of the City). So I get to that intersection, and the light is red. There’s one car in front of me as I approach, whose turn signal is off. The last three parking spaces on the right are empty, so I pull into them to wait for my right turn. This way, if a third grade field trip decides to cross Divis in front of me when I want to turn, I won’t be holding up traffic.
So I’m inching up little by little, trying to see if Divis is clear, and keeping an eye out for pedestrians crossing Oak on their green. I notice the car that was in front of me, and is now on my left, keeps inching up every time I do, and the same distance. After that happens a few times, I look up at the driver (and yes, it’s an SUV), and evidentally I really pissed him off. He keeps motioning at my car, saying, “What the hell are you doing?!” All I can say is “right turn,” with a shrug. Afer I turn, he turns as well behind me. He continues to give me stank eye until he turns onto Haight.
Dude, I’m sorry your little peabrain is unable to grasp the concept of traffic efficiency, but if there’s a safe way to prevent congestion, I’m gonna take it. If your balls are so defective that you feel a need to compensate by being OMG FUR$T!!1! in line, you need to figure out how to use the little clicky/flashy thing behind your steering wheel. I’m not gonna sneak by you if you’re indicating a turn, but if you can’t be assed to do such a simple little thing, then don’t be surprised by people driving right past you.
There’s an intersection I cross each morning where I go straight, though a lot of people turn left. The light at this intersection is very short in our direction. It’s a rather narrow road, with cars often parked along the right curb, but I’ve got a nice little car, so once I’m past the parked cars, I’ll swing over to the right to get around the line of people waiting to turn left. This way I can sometimes get through the intersection in less than three or four cycles of that light.
This morning, I was third in line when the light turned red on us again. The first car made its left against the red. I pulled to the right, behind an SUV with its right-turn signal on, and the car behind me pulled up to our left, though not all the way up to the white line; it was basically further forward than me, but not as far forward as the SUV. The SUV went straight, despite its turn signal. And the car that had been behind me went straight also, cutting in front of me.
Flipped him off. I don’t usually add hand gestures to my muttered cursing, but he really pissed me off.
I don’t get it. You left the marked lane to make a turn from a parking space? Would you have done this if there was a motorcycle cop parked on the corner with a radar gun out (i.e., looking for tickets to issue)?
Suppose the other driver did signal, but his blinker light chose that day to burn out.
Suppose this other driver didn’t see you there, or thought you were parking, and made a right on red in front of you when traffic cleared, colliding with you. Whose fault is it?
Do you cut through a gas station or parking lot at a corner to avoid waiting in line to turn right on red?
Of course. Hell, there often are cops at that intersection.
Suppose he did? The operation of his equipment is his responsibility, not mine.
His.
I was quite obviously not parking, as I was moving forward and looking for an opening in traffic.
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His. It’s his responsibilty to not hit drive into things.
No.
I don’t particularly care if I have to wait at a light. I do particularly care when some yahoo is unecessarily blocking traffic, and so I make it point to not do that myself.
When you turn, do you drive straight out into the intersection, stop, and make a perfect 90 degree turn into your destination lane?
Well, I have to correct this. In SF, parking spaces go all the way to the corners, for the most part (we’re low on parking, and space in general). The spots had meters and everything.
That said, if the last few spots are unoccupied, I see no reason not to use it as a turn lane, especially if there’s zero evidence that you’d be a nuisance in doing so.
If he had his blinker on would you go ahead and pull into the parking slots and assume that the guy would understand that
(a. you were closer to the corner and should go first?
(b. that you were just utilizing space and were going to wait on him to go first as he was at the intersection first and in the proper driving lane? You expected him to under this how?
(c. You are 100% sure that all your lights work 100% of the time?
(d. what if he is using hand signals? ( are they still legal in Calif? )
No, because I don’t make maneuvers that cut people off, if it’s at all possible to glean what another driver is doing.
My indicator was on, and I was in motion, watching oncomingtraffic, performing a common driving maneuver. He had a clear sight line to me, and it was obviously what I was doing.
No, but I check them regularly, specifically so I’m able to avoid confusion like this.
As I said in the OP, “I’m not gonna sneak by you if you’re indicating a turn, but if you can’t be assed to do such a simple little thing…” There was no indication whatsoever that he wanted to turn, not blinkers, not hand signals*, not movement, not position of the car. I dunno about you guys, but when I need to turn my car, I, y’know, turn my car. If I’m turning from the right lane, I have my right blinker on, and my car is angled right, ready to make the turn as soon as it’s safe to do so.
*-As far as I know they’re legal (they’re on the driving test), but one is encouraged to get the blinkers fixed if they’re not operating correctly.