Seattle Slow Left Hand Lane Freeway Drivers. Are you selfish, stoned or just stupid? (campers, live in)

[509]

Originally Posted by RotseCherut

Ugh, living in the Puget Sound (esp the South Sound) for many years I have to say the one thing that drove me crazier than almost anything else was when on a rare occasion there was no traffic on the freeway and then a bunch of slowpoke a-holes hog up the fast lane going 50 mph and forcing you to zig-zag and risk your life to get around them. Even worse is that when you attempt to pass them then they suddenly will speed up a bit and make it hard for you to get around.

Then get rid of the LEFT LANE exit ramps. Driving in Seattle is an adventure. You don’t know if the exit ramp is on the left or right side of freeway. Good thing since my daughter moved out of Seattle I don’t have to drive over there!

However, I want to know about ALL the IDOIT’s from Seattle that don’t have a clue about driving in Wenatchee.

Not that they are slowpokes...they drive like hell, switching across three lanes of traffic. It is ten miles from one side of the Wenatchee Valley to the other. Like 30 seconds it worth driving like a bat from hel?

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by 509

Then get rid of the LEFT LANE exit ramps. Driving in Seattle is an adventure. You don’t know if the exit ramp is on the left or right side of freeway. Good thing since my daughter moved out of Seattle I don’t have to drive over there!

However, I want to know about ALL the IDOIT’s from Seattle that don’t have a clue about driving in Wenatchee.

Not that they are slowpokes...they drive like hell, switching across three lanes of traffic. It is ten miles from one side of the Wenatchee Valley to the other. Like 30 seconds it worth driving like a bat from hel?

I also live in Eastern Washington, and I wonder how you can tell where the drivers are from, except for maybe a license plate that has a Seattle area identifying plate holder...

That said, in the Tri-Cities, I see much more aggressive driving than I see in Seattle. Part of it is lack of traffic and freedom to go fast...definitely a speed culture over here. Another part of it is the Tri is growing so fast it is attracting many from other States and they bring their driving habits with them. This is beyond a doubt in my mind. And some longtime Tri-Cities drivers still drive like the area was about half the size. They are creating a problem. You have to adapt or be left behind, no matter how much you may dislike it.

[James Bond 007]

Why does anybody think this is uniquely a Seattle problem? I see this everywhere I've lived and driven.

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by James Bond 007

Why does anybody think this is uniquely a Seattle problem? I see this everywhere I've lived and driven.

Except for one thing...a lot of transplants to Seattle come from California. This state has few of these "left lane hoggers". The freeway culture there has taught motorists how to drive on such. And you will be literally run over if you don't move right in CA. That said, in LA and Seattle, when traffic is slowed in all lanes then the point is moot.

[elkotronics]

Bingo, James Bond. These things happen everywhere. It was Seattle on I-5 where I first experienced the "slow fade."

What is that? It happens when you're just cruising along in the right lane and someone just has to go right in front of you. Trouble is, they slow down after they've made their conquest! As long as they're in front of you, like Dale Earnhardt, Sr., they're happy and can suddenly go 5-8 mph slower.

[509]

Originally Posted by pnwguy2

I also live in Eastern Washington, and I wonder how you can tell where the drivers are from, except for maybe a license plate that has a Seattle area identifying plate holder...

It is a carryover from working in Idaho. The plates are identified by county.

So yep, I read the license plate holders in Washington.

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by 509

It is a carryover from working in Idaho. The plates are identified by county.

So yep, I read the license plate holders in Washington.

Yeah, both Idaho and Montana have a county code system that easily identifies where a plate was originally registered. 1A-Ada, 2C Canyon, 8B. -Bonneville, etc.

Washington is completely random with plates. AAA-1111 is universal since 2012, and the plates are distributed throughout the State randomly.

As a sidenote, Washington had a similar county code system back in the 60's...plates that started with "A" were King County, "B" were Pierce County, "C" were Spokane County, "D" Snohomish, County, etc.. The system quickly broke down as there were not enough combinations to keep it going. Probably more information than is needed for this thread!

[elkotronics]

Elk, appreciate your words. We live pretty central so have quite a few surface street options. It isn't as bad as you think if you can live closer in. I do plan my day with traffic in mind though, common sense in any big city I guess. Example: if I have a 4PM appointment in Snohomish County, I'm gonna head north about 2PM, run an errand before it, have a coffee, work on my phone a bit. I'm often meeting listing clients at 10AM after traffic chills a bit, heading north, south, Bellevue or anywhere that time of day is pretty easy. You get the idea. But really, when I go to SFO or LA, traffic seems pretty manageable here in comparison. I get it, I have the luxury of living closer in. As a family, we've always chosen to live in a smaller home to be able to do that.

There are other more "affordable" (relative to central Seattle neighborhoods) areas that still give you surface street options, places like Northgate, Beacon Hill, Rainier Beach, Shoreline, Victory Heights, Cedar Park, Meadowbrook, Lake City. Yup, "the Hip" is amazing, incredible that they never became that popular in the States. A little slower music but Blue Rodeo is another Canadian band I love but never really known in USA. And then there is Bryan Adams, he got all the love. Arghhhhh.


Hey, thanks for the explanation, homes. Now I understand. Hey, if Seattle works for you, great. It takes a lot of income to live in Seattle, that's for sure. I still love Seattle. I'll always love Seattle!

[travis t]

I've lived in the Seattle area about 25 years now, and this problem was worse in the past than now. My theory is it is part of the Seattle-nice/Scandinavian heritage. Some people seemed to consider it 'nice' to drive slowly.

When I was in NY a guy taught me the practice of flashing brights to get a left lane camper to move over. There it was considered perfectly normal, and people would dutifully pull over right if brights were flashed. Try that here and people think you're a jerk. Rarely do they pull over. In fact, I've more or less given up on it.

I wish they would allow lane splitting on motorcycles here, as in CA. I did that once on the 520 bridge to get past a couple of 45MPH blockers. State trooper wrote me a ticket.

[travis t]

There were some threads on this in 'automotive.' They have since banned such threads, but AFAIK the old ones are still extant.