Question for Seattle Drivers from relative newcomer (to live, moving)

[obsidian97]

Is it just me, or are the roads around here simply geared for you to not be able to get anywhere quickly?

I have never seen a place with so many speed limits set to 25/30 mph in my life, and lights seem to be timed to slow traffic even more. Why?

I see drivers doing odd things here I've never seen anywhere else, like driving half a mile down the middle turn lane to make a left turn when traffic is still moving in the other lane.

Here's another one I really can't explain at all that seriously cuts down on the number of people that can make it through a light: cars don't start moving after the light turns green, or even let off their brake until the car in front of them has already moved 8-10 feet or more instead of everyone starting to roll slowly when the light turns green as long as they have some space left.

It's WEIRD.

Also, parking spots here are microscopic. I have never in my adult life seen a normal sized adult have to ask a stranger to squeeze into their car so they could back out because the parking spots were tight and the cars on both sides of them were not huge, and in the lines.

Is this some sort of strange conspiracy to make traffic so miserable you're annoyed into getting on the bus?

[allforcats]

Originally Posted by obsidian97

this is cascadia. There's a policy for everything.

--

Welcome to Seattle. You've started a thread that will bring up all sorts of old jokes about old Scandinavians learning how to drive in Ballard...
It is what it is. Why not relax and let the trees and the mountains bathe you in their benevolent energies

Voila! Found what I was looking for:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/seatt...uch-holes.html

http://www.city-data.com/forum/seatt...ttom-list.html

[sean98125]

Drivers are much worse today around here than they were 20 years ago. That's because so many of them are distracted, in my opinion. They are jabbering away on their cell phones.

[CityGirl72]

I find the streets on the Seattle side - SO SKINNY! Cars are parked on the sides of a street that only allows ONE car at a time, and it's customary to pull over and let the on-comer go by...

Plus did you notice that there aren't many painted lines on the streets? Like it's really a two lane street but you can't tell because there aren't lines (like a 4 lane street - two lanes per side) It looks like only one lane but it's actually two. That took me a while to get used to.

Plus people rarely U turn here

PLUS I think you touched on this - it bugs me so much. If you are in a left turn lane and someone is ahead of you - ROLL TO THE MIDDLE PEOPLE! So when the light turns yellow MORE then just the car infront can turn - son't just sit there during the whole light puttering!!! GEEEZ.

"You can take the girl out of California, but you can't take th California driver out of the girl"

[obsidian97]

Oh no. I seem to have let the thread back out of the can. Maybe we can close it rather than rehash it. Sorry.

[RobertLCrocker]

Seattle is the "green" city. The political consensus is simply that you shouldn't be driving because it's a total affront to the environment so we are going to make those engaged in this activity as miserable as we possibly can. And I think we are doing a great job in that regard.

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by CityGirl72

PLUS I think you touched on this - it bugs me so much. If you are in a left turn lane and someone is ahead of you - ROLL TO THE MIDDLE PEOPLE! So when the light turns yellow MORE then just the car infront can turn - son't just sit there during the whole light puttering!!! GEEEZ.

I'm pretty sure that could be considered blocking an intersection... Maybe...

[allforcats]

Originally Posted by backdrifter

I'm pretty sure that could be considered blocking an intersection... Maybe...

Yes, I agree.

[jenlion]

.... And that's why traffic here is such a disaster. There's no driving monoculture that everyone adheres to and learns to live by.... you just have no idea when the guy 4 cars in front of you will decide to stop at the green light and the next cars in front of you will sit and patiently wait too, OR when that crazy idiot kid in the porsche will whip around you for going only ten over the speed limit. Or when people will brake to merge or when they will speed up to merge. Box of chocolates -- NEVER know what you're gonna get around here.

I guess there's a lesson about culture and all of that buried in here somewhere, but I'm too busy being pissed off about how everyone drives to learn it. It's much more socially/politcally correct to be angry about how someone/a perceived group of people seems to drive than it is to be angry about anything else culturally different! All that pent-up you're-pissing-me-off-but-I'm-too-highly-evolved-to-admit-it comes out as road rage!

[70Ford]

Today I was on a three lane highway, driving with my wife.

The guy in the right lane...going 61. The guy in the left lane...going 60. The guy in the HOV lane...going 59. Oh yeah, and the other 3,000 people were doing the same thing....effectively blocking anyone from passing.

Not a lot you can do....but grin and bear it...or go insane.