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We'll be arriving on the 1st! Are there any laws or ordinances we need to know about right away? Obviously we'll look them up, but if there are any you know of that newbies should be aware of immediately, that would help.
I'm thinking along the lines of cell phone use while driving, right turn on red, etc.
We'll be arriving on the 1st! Are there any laws or ordinances we need to know about right away? Obviously we'll look them up, but if there are any you know of that newbies should be aware of immediately, that would help.
I'm thinking along the lines of cell phone use while driving, right turn on red, etc.
You can make right turns on red, except where noted. You can also make u-turns at almost every intersection, also except where noted.
There are red-light cameras at several intersections around town (Telshor and Lohman, Walnut and Lohman, Main and Solano...) DOT put grids on the streets leading up to them so you know to slow down before you get to the intersection - they will ticket you for speeding as well as running the red light.
There are a few streets where the speed limit changes, seemingly arbitrarily - Main is the worst 'offender' - so watch for that.
Once school is back in session, the speed limit around the schools is 15MPH and yes, people do slow down for the most part. This makes for a slow drive around from around 7:30 - just after 9am, and again from around 2:30pm - just after 4pm, since the start times for the elementary, middle, and high schools are staggered.
There is no ban on talking on cell phones while driving - yet.
The city has a publication that gives info on where go to get utilities turned on, etc.
There is a copy on the LC City website - it is called 'Reference Guide 2009' - right side column, nearer to the bottom.
There's a bunch of other useful info here as well.
Let people into traffic, don't use your horn (except a brief tap if somebody is asleep at an intersection) and wave if waved to.
Might sound corny, but those are the best parts of driving out here, I've driven lots of other unfriendly driving places and you arrive at your destination here much more mellow if you don't try and be in a big hurry.
Out of towners typically say we drive horribly here because a lot of people don't signal, which there's no excuse for. But I've found the folks turning left on green in front of everybody else, not letting people into traffic and just being rude and fast is whole lot more dangerous.
*Admittedly most of these aren't Statutes (state) or ordinances (local).
Thanks! I especially like the u-turn scenario. Here, there are lots of places where a u-turn would be great but are not allowed.
Yes, it is very convenient. A lot of the streets have cut-outs or turn lanes that allow you to turn in the middle of the street so you don't have to go out of your way/to the light to turn around. Coming from NJ where one could/would have to drive miles before being able to turn around, I really appreciate this.
Another thing that I love about driving here is that almost all of the major intersections have left-turn signals, and they actually last a decent amount of time. People tend to wait for the signal, so you don't get that mess in the intersection when the light changes with people trying to make a left hand turn while others are trying to proceed straight ahead - another nightmare I was glad to leave behind in NJ.
My only real pet peeve about driving here is the tailgaters, and, unfortunately, there are a lot of those.
I love the look on out-of-towner's faces when the see a cocked/locked .45 on my hip. Priceless.
You can also carry concealed while inside your car without a permit. Once you step out of your car, however, you'll either need a permit if you wish to continue carrying your weapon concealed, or you'll need to move it outside your clothing (aka "open carry").
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when the see a cocked/locked .45 on my hip. Priceless.
