The left lane is for passing (Miami: to live, prices, law) - Miami-Dade County - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

tallrick · 08-20-2011, 10:42 AM

I almost hit an idiot who decided to make a left turn from the left lane, not the left turn lane. The fool stopped at a green light and I had to swerve left, while pulling a car trailer. Luckily the car right of me was not hit but that idiot who stopped deserved to be rear ended by a garbage truck.

tallrick · 08-20-2011, 10:43 AM

Now that school starts next week prepare for horrendous traffic around the idiotic "school zones" that slow traffic to a clogging speed.

seain dublin · 08-20-2011, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dollydo

If the sheriffs department here in Florida would ticket every senior going 20mph in a 40mph zone and using the passing lane, our county taxes would drop by at least 25%.

Don't you know, that, if they are planning to make a left hand turn four miles down the road they must toodle along in the passing lane, to prepare for the big event.

LOL....and it isn't just the seniors. I had a guy who was around 40 who held myself and other cars up by riding the left lane for a couple of miles.

Turns out we were both going to the same place, so I said to him "you held up 3 cars behind you by riding the left lane".

His response was he was turning left. So he thought it was OK to stay in the left lane for 3 miles.

I said "so when you're getting close to where you need to turn left you change lanes not ride the left lane"......BLANK STARE.

FL law enforcement is pretty lazy, you will get a ticket in other states for riding the left lane.

Then combine that with seniors and the many Floridians(mostly transplants) with the "me first, I'm the only one on the road" mentality and it creates problems.

catt6 · 08-20-2011, 11:16 AM

i'm YELLIN ya. being on the roads here here gives "defensive driving" a whole new meaning....

cixcell · 08-20-2011, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seain dublin

LOL....and it isn't just the seniors. I had a guy who was around 40 who held myself and other cars up by riding the left lane for a couple of miles.

Turns out we were both going to the same place, so I said to him "you held up 3 cars behind you by riding the left lane".

His response was he was turning left. So he thought it was OK to stay in the left lane for 3 miles.

I said "so when you're getting close to where you need to turn left you change lanes not ride the left lane"......BLANK STARE.

FL law enforcement is pretty lazy, you will get a ticket in other states for riding the left lane.

Then combine that with seniors and the many Floridians(mostly transplants) with the "me first, I'm the only one on the road" mentality and it creates problems.

ill admit when i first moved here i had no idea about a passing lane. i got dirty looks driving cross country and had no idea why. in california it doesnt matter most of the time since everyones sitting in traffic to and from every destination. passing, most of the time there is futile. also there are so many lanes to hang out in that theres no real thought going into it. the way you plan a trip there is you just realize that no matter what you do its going to take you x amount of time to get somewhere and just plan to inch along listening to music or books on cd. i still look at it like that. i'm always surprised when i show up somewhere earlier than expected. its just a recipe. merge into left lane through this construction zone, then into right lane for this stretch. this lane becomes another lane, etc. its just a recipe to follow every morning to get to the destination. no point in getting to work sooner. what sucks is alot of my commute now there are only 2 lanes going each direction. you have maniacs driving ultra fast on the left and people half awake going 10mph under on the right.

hurricaneMan1992 · 08-20-2011, 01:56 PM

The fact that all transit busses drive at 55 in the left express lane is also an outrage. It's a great way to encourage motorists to take transit

.

roadtrip75 · 08-20-2011, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rusty78

Actually...it is a written law...many states have a law that requires motorists to stay right unless passing...rarely enforced but it is called "Impeding Traffic" and carries a 3 point credit against your drivers license...

It isn't just written in the law books. It is written on street signs on the expressway "Slower traffic keep right". Obviously, the problem is that the signs are written in an archaic language, English.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyMIA

These 55 limits have been around since the 1950s! Cars a just a bit safer these days no?

Actually, speed limits used to be 75 mph. It was the 1970s gas crisis that brought about the 55 mph speed limit. And, yes, cars are much safer. Remember 4-wheel drum brakes? No seatbelts?

FlyMIA · 08-20-2011, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cixcell

no i didnt. a friend later let me know there is actually a FHP number you can dial to report them. i didnt really want to call 911. i actually took a small video though with my camera of a couple swerves so maybe i could get the plate # out of that. who knows. i remember i saw a woman buy a big bottle of corona from a gas station off caribbean once, had the attendant crack it open and she drove off with it while drinking it. i dont think most cops would bother with this stuff though. a coworker of mine called the police because he say two black guys off 75 beating the hell out of each other and he called the police and they kept transferring him between departments till he gave up and hung up.

When on any highway in Florida unless it is an absolute medical emergency it is always best to call #FHP so #347 you press the # key then the number. Takes you directly to FHP in your area. I have used it a few times to report stuff in the road like a matress or a car on fire etc..

boxus · 08-20-2011, 08:43 PM

"It isn't just written in the law books. It is written on street signs on the expressway "Slower traffic keep right". Obviously, the problem is that the signs are written in an archaic language, English."

It is actually pretty universal no matter where in the world someone drives, whether written or not.

amIayankee? · 08-21-2011, 12:02 AM

As the OP, I notice this in any sort of "transit" place ie. grocery stores, sidewalks in Miami. People go slow or abruptly stop in congested areas with NO regard for others. Then they get upset with you. It is insane. I routinely expect persons in grocery stores or on streets to stop in the middle of the intersection without warning. I also expect them to do so without courtesy.

As for the road. I do not understand why the Palmetto is a 55mph highway. It is a major road. I am going to sound xenophobic but a lot of people that use it are immigrants and aren't used to our caravan style of traffic in the US. They function on the basis like driving is a video game. I work for a business in a 3rd world (PC, developing country) and it is like a video game! So that mentality is brought to Miami and we get those drivers. Now, I don't think there is an excuse for being unaware.

Also, police officers need to step it up here in Miami-Dade. If there is construction going on at an intersection (because there always is) a police officer needs to be there DIRECTING traffic. None of this let the traffic lights handle bottlenecking that have not been adjusted for years because the county has no foresight. I just shake my head. And no I will not move out of Miami because I may seem to not like it as some will probably try to tell.

None the less, driving can be fun swerving in and out!