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DON'T sit there when you have a protected merge lane. Keep driving and either speed up and slow down to merge. I imagine people are honking at you because they think you don't understand that the merge lane is protected. What drives me nuts is when someone stops because they want to illegally cross a solid white line and get into the next lane, instead of using a protected merge lane. I don't care how un-Texan that makes me, I will honk on something like that.
I agree, and frankly, it's UNSAFE to be stopped in a protected merge lane--you could get rear-ended.
Yep! When there is a protected merge lane it is typically because cars need to be going faster to merge safely. When a car stops and then starts again, it creates danger for those behind him merging as they may not be able to accelerate to a safe merging speed. And that is why it really pisses me off when people do it, not because I am in a hurry.
Jenni, I agree with you. One of the intersections I'm referring to is not protected - there can be other cars coming from under the bridge. Not only that, but you have to turn your head completely to the left to check for oncoming traffic and then check the lane ahead for the speed of the other traffic to make a decision on how fast you need to accelerate. I'm talking 5 seconds or so, not waiting for a break in traffic. The ironic part is that sometimes the traffic is stopped, so pulling into the merge lane means you still have to wait for the traffic to start moving again and then hope someone let's you in - which I'm sorry to say is a whole other problem. Honking when there's nowhere to go anyway is just plain rude!
I agree, and frankly, it's UNSAFE to be stopped in a protected merge lane--you could get rear-ended.
Just moooove.
Which is why I ended up rear-ending someone at that same intersection - so I do understand the importance of going when you should but also safely checking all the traffic before making a move.
Sheesh people, you're missing the point. I've had plenty of frustration waiting for people in front of me when I would have gone, but honking at them is not driving Texas friendly which seems to be a completely foreign concept lately.
Jenni, I agree with you. One of the intersections I'm referring to is not protected - there can be other cars coming from under the bridge. Not only that, but you have to turn your head completely to the left to check for oncoming traffic and then check the lane ahead for the speed of the other traffic to make a decision on how fast you need to accelerate. I'm talking 5 seconds or so, not waiting for a break in traffic. The ironic part is that sometimes the traffic is stopped, so pulling into the merge lane means you still have to wait for the traffic to start moving again and then hope someone let's you in - which I'm sorry to say is a whole other problem. Honking when there's nowhere to go anyway is just plain rude!
Moonlady, You are absolutely right in ignoring anyone who honks and tries to rush you when you are trying to merge into an unprotected intersection. Don't let anyone rush you into a situation that you do not feel is unsafe. I agree, sometimes honking is just plain rude.
Unfortunately, some drives on the road deserve a honk or two.
By the way, per the Texas Transportation Code, Section 547.501 - Audible Warning Devices, (c):
A motor vehicle operator shall use a horn to provide audible warning only when necessary to insure safe operation.
So guess who's the one in violation of traffic laws in Moonlady's scenario
and most of the other ones on here?
+1. The purpose of an automobile horn is to signal warning.
Why do people think honking at you is going to help anything? It's happened to me a couple of times and it's starting to really **** me off. When you're at a busy intersection and trying to evaluate the traffic, merging, etc, and someone honks at you, it disrupts your concentration not to mention, in my case, giving me a serious case of road rage. I'm not a meek driver by any stretch but some intersections require a little more thought and caution before just pulling out. It's happened to me getting on 360 at Great Hills and getting off 360 on Bee Caves westbound. What's really screwed up is that the thru lanes are usually stopped or crawling so zooming into the merge lane isn't going to get you anywhere anyway. Is this the new Austin? Is it long term residents fed up with the congestion or transplants bringing their poor driving habits here? The next time someone honks at me (unless I'm sleeping at a green light), I'm tempted to just sit there. Has this happened to anyone else?
360 @ Great Hills: I may be one of the ones honking, although I typically refrain from doing so. There is a MERGE lane there for a very specific reason. 360 is a high speed road. The wonderful engineers who designed that intersections thought..."let me put in a 3rd lane so that people from Great Hills can speed up in a protected space where they can then merge with 360 traffic in the safest way possible." By stopping there, you are defeating the purpose of the merge lane and making your entrance on 360 less safe.
Solution? Don't stop there. Keep your eyes in front of you, make the turn, and then look in your rear view mirrors/blind spot to merge on to 360. Even if there's a lot of traffic, vehicles will be spaced enough to let you in.
I make that turn at least once a day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HappyTexan
You don't honk in Texas. I don't even recall the last time someone honked at me.
I guess Austin is the exception now eh ?
I honk in Texas.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady
By the way, per the Texas Transportation Code, Section 547.501 - Audible Warning Devices, (c):
A motor vehicle operator shall use a horn to provide audible warning only when necessary to insure safe operation.
So guess who's the one in violation of traffic laws in Moonlady's scenario
and most of the other ones on here?
Stopping in a protected merge lane to a highway with 55 mph speed limit is VERY unsafe. I use my horn to provide audible warning only when necessary to encourage the safe and proper use of a merge lane.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CptnRn
That is what we need, friendlier horns.
Horns that sound like "Toot, Toot",
instead of.... "Get the **** out of my way you Idiot!!!".
Ever heard those fire engine horns up close? The ones that have like 3 different tones that - together - sound like the apocalypse? I want one of those on my Jeep.
Sec. 547.501. AUDIBLE WARNING DEVICES. (a) A motor vehicle shall be equipped with a horn in good working condition that emits a sound audible under normal conditions at a distance of at least 200 feet.
(b) A vehicle may not be equipped with and a person may not use on a vehicle a siren, whistle, or bell unless the vehicle is:
(1) a commercial vehicle that is equipped with a theft alarm signal device arranged so that the device cannot be used as an ordinary warning signal; or
(2) an authorized emergency vehicle that is equipped with a siren, whistle, or bell that complies with Section 547.702.
(c) A motor vehicle operator shall use a horn to provide audible warning only when necessary to insure safe operation.
(d) A warning device, including a horn, may not emit an unreasonably loud or harsh sound or a whistle.
Generally interpreted to mean necessary to avoid an accident.
All this talk about merge lanes guaranteeing the opportunity to join the flow of traffic basically ignores the laws of physics(and likely the tight spacing of the 55-65mph traffic that has the right-of-way). This might explain the way plenty of folks around here just cruise down the merging lane and when the solid white line on the right pushes them over, they just pull in...existing traffic be damned! Never mind that they are going well less than the speed of the traffic they are joining...necessitating a chain reaction of heavy braking and creating the 'slinky' effect we all enjoy so much.
Can't tell you how many times I've seen a merging vehicle match the speed of the vehicle directly next to them and just pull in when the ramp runs out! No need to adjust your speed...it's a merging lane--keep going! Uh, NO! One of these days that flowing traffic may have nowhere to go, horrible Austin traffic and all. That merging lane doesn't vaporize the vehicles already moving in the traveling lanes.
Various entrances on to 183 work this way. Skippy enters the on ramp at whatever speed pleases him/her and proceeds to bull into the 65mph traffic already flowing smoothly. Never mind the quarter-mile gap behind the car they just cut off...they never saw it because they didn't look because they think the merge lane guarantees a gap in traffic exactly where their car enters the highway. Doesn't work that way folks...especially in those li'l bitty '2000 lb' cars mentioned earlier. Don't make 65mph traffic yield to YOU when YOU are supposed to yield to the flow of traffic. And yes, you might even need to stop in the merging lane , rather than make 60mph traffic slow down for YOU.
On the other hand, you MIGHT need to stop texting long enough to scan the oncoming traffic for opportunities to enter the flow without making every other vehicle adjust for YOU.
360 @ Great Hills: I may be one of the ones honking, although I typically refrain from doing so. There is a MERGE lane there for a very specific reason. 360 is a high speed road. The wonderful engineers who designed that intersections thought..."let me put in a 3rd lane so that people from Great Hills can speed up in a protected space where they can then merge with 360 traffic in the safest way possible." By stopping there, you are defeating the purpose of the merge lane and making your entrance on 360 less safe.
Solution? Don't stop there. Keep your eyes in front of you, make the turn, and then look in your rear view mirrors/blind spot to merge on to 360. Even if there's a lot of traffic, vehicles will be spaced enough to let you in.
sonofgray - I wish it were that easy on GH/360 but at 5:30 it can be a bit trickier. Oddly enough - I do exactly that getting on 360 at 183 - I rarely have a problem merging because I always accelerate to the speed of the traffic and there's always enough room to merge. Not so at GH - the traffic is bumper to bumper and I've even had people speed up to cut me off!
Quote:
Originally Posted by 10scoachrick
All this talk about merge lanes guaranteeing the opportunity to join the flow of traffic basically ignores the laws of physics(and likely the tight spacing of the 55-65mph traffic that has the right-of-way). This might explain the way plenty of folks around here just cruise down the merging lane and when the solid white line on the right pushes them over, they just pull in...existing traffic be damned! Never mind that they are going well less than the speed of the traffic they are joining...necessitating a chain reaction of heavy braking and creating the 'slinky' effect we all enjoy so much.
Can't tell you how many times I've seen a merging vehicle match the speed of the vehicle directly next to them and just pull in when the ramp runs out! No need to adjust your speed...it's a merging lane--keep going! Uh, NO! One of these days that flowing traffic may have nowhere to go, horrible Austin traffic and all. That merging lane doesn't vaporize the vehicles already moving in the traveling lanes.
Various entrances on to 183 work this way. Skippy enters the on ramp at whatever speed pleases him/her and proceeds to bull into the 65mph traffic already flowing smoothly. Never mind the quarter-mile gap behind the car they just cut off...they never saw it because they didn't look because they think the merge lane guarantees a gap in traffic exactly where their car enters the highway. Doesn't work that way folks...especially in those li'l bitty '2000 lb' cars mentioned earlier. Don't make 65mph traffic yield to YOU when YOU are supposed to yield to the flow of traffic. And yes, you might even need to stop in the merging lane , rather than make 60mph traffic slow down for YOU.
On the other hand, you MIGHT need to stop texting long enough to scan the oncoming traffic for opportunities to enter the flow without making every other vehicle adjust for YOU.
Boy, you hit on one of my other pet peeves. I see this every morning getting on NB 183. I always pull over to the middle lane because the right lane jams up when all those idiots suddenly decide they have nowhere to go when the lane ends. Plan people, plan!
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Uh, NO! One of these days that flowing traffic may have nowhere to go, horrible Austin traffic and all. That merging lane doesn't vaporize the vehicles already moving in the traveling lanes.
, rather than make 60mph traffic slow down for YOU.
