Pittsburgh Driving Pet Peeves (Wilkinsburg, Liberty: neighborhoods, university, living)

[SteelCityRising]

Let's hear 'em, yinz all!

1.) When drivers proceeding northbound on North Negley Avenue in East Liberty (towards Highland Park) in the left-hand lane STAY in the left-hand lane, which becomes a left-turn-only lane onto Black Street, and then proceed to go STRAIGHT onto North Negley Avenue anyways, cutting off vehicles in the "straight" lane.

2.) When drivers proceeding southbound on Shady Avenue in Squirrel Hill (towards Forbes Avenue) are in the left-turn-only lane and proceed straight onto Shady Avenue, cutting off vehicles who are in the "straight" lane.

3.) People who still think it's a smart idea to park on Penn Avenue in Point Breeze near the Evergreen Cafe, despite ample nearby street parking on side streets, AND in light of numerous recent crashes---some fatal---that have made the local news headlines.

4.) Penn Avenue heading into Wilkinsburg from Point Breeze. Is this road two lanes in each direction or what? How about some lines being painted please?!

5.) People who park facing the wrong way on busy streets. The other day someone on my own block (who was probably running late from work) almost slammed into me head-on as she veered out of her parking space and into my path.

6.) The parking chair. I can understand if you just shoveled the snow out of the space. I can understand if you're trying to reserve the space for a moving truck. What I don't understand is why people still use parking chairs year-round for no viable reason. I see one chair all the time on Melwood Avenue here in Polish Hill and think to myself "You know what? I could use another chair in my living room!"

7.) People who are in such a rush to make the "Pittsburgh Left" that they don't pay attention to pedestrians that have already entered the crosswalk in their path with the "WALK" signal on the intersecting street. I've nearly been plowed over on numerous occasions.

8.) The Squirrel Hill Tunnel Monster. Someone needs to slay this mighty beast so those who drive Buicks, Lincolns, and Cadillacs can stop hitting the brakes before entering as they fear for their lives!

9.) The infamous "Who's Yielding to Whom?" yield sign at the intersection of Beechwood & Beechwood (confused yet) as you enter Greenfield from Squirrel Hill. If I slow down when coming from either direction to prepare to yield due to the limited sight distance I'm almost rear-ended. What will happen if people all keep assuming that "the other guy" is the one who is supposed to yield?

10.) Box-blockers. Need I say more?

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Let's hear 'em, yinz all!
2.) When drivers proceeding southbound on Shady Avenue in Squirrel Hill (towards Forbes Avenue) are in the left-turn-only lane and proceed straight onto Shady Avenue, cutting off vehicles who are in the "straight" lane.

That happened to me this past weekend, except going north on Shady toward Forbes. I'd have yelled obscenities out the window but I had a child in the car.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

That happened to me this past weekend, except going north on Shady toward Forbes. I'd have yelled obscenities out the window but I had a child in the car.

In general I try to be more relaxed and forgiving, especially because I've seen so many visitors in town as of late, but tonight I noticed the woman who cut me off was on her cell phone, had a PA license plate with a local dealership logo on the edge of it (indicating she was likely a local), and made ZERO attempt to signal over into my lane OR yield to me (there was only one car behind me, if I'm not mistaken, and none behind her in the left-turn lane). I didn't yell, but I did blare the horn. I'm much more relaxed living here than I was in the DC area in terms of driving; however, that doesn't mean I don't occasionally tap the center of my steering wheel!

[bradjl2009]

1. People really can't merge or change lanes here. It's amazing how many people stop at a yield sign on a highway when it's completely safe to get on the highway. That makes me hold down the horn for a few seconds.

2. People who fly down narrow side streets and don't get over to the point you think they will side swipe your car.

[ditchdigger]

Wow! Great thread topic! I don't know why nobody has thought of one like this before...

[greg42]

How many of these threads do we need?

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I'm much more relaxed living here than I was in the DC area in terms of driving; however, that doesn't mean I don't occasionally tap the center of my steering wheel!

thank you! i will never forget the misery of doing 200-mile per day drives across that metro area for my former employer (using my own car).

i just wrote a screen full of text, but to keep it simple, here are my three biggest peeves:

-whiny drivers probably never having driven extensively in other places that think pittsburgh traffic is a nightmare. *****, please. why not go multi-modal - park the car, then take a bus into downtown or oakland, maybe. no one really wants to adjust and adapt. everyone only wants their gratification and convenience immediately. this is manifested in pointless speeding one downtown or oakland block, only to ride the brakes hard at the next light or stop sign.

-the squirrel hill speedway. one of these days, and i predict it will be ME - someone will be killed on Wightman Street. the speed limit is 35mph there, i think. not 45 (which is probably lower than the average). the speed makes it excessively noisy as well as dangerous (and more air pollution). i ride my bike there, and walk at the crosswalk, sometimes arrogantly in the path of a distant, on-coming speeder. (i walk briskly, sometimes jog across with several bags of stuff from Giant Eagle, though. i dont meander).

-texters - from my perch on various busses that travel many neighborhoods in the east end/university corridor/downtown, i see texting drivers at least 3 times per trip, daily.

[Mugatu]

I can't think of any. Pittsburgh drivers are the best in the world, especially when merging onto a highway. In fact, they are such good drivers they intentionally place obstacles in the road, like chairs, to add a challenge when parking.

[gg]

These threads are beat, but there is one thing that always confuses me about drivers in general. No one seems to be able to anticipate stop signs, red lights and curves in the road. Most everyone seems to think there is only the gas pedal and a brake. For example, when cycling UP through the zoo 90% of drivers use their brake UP the hill to navigate around that small bend in the road. They can't let their foot off the gas early enough to slow down and smoothly go around that bend. I find that really odd. I understand the sharp bend closer to the top, even though I don't use my brake at all going up hill, but goodness 90% of people really can't drive? I suspect there would be an amazing energy savings if people learned driving properly, but I also know that is never going to happen. It is funny though. I always pass time as I am riding up that hill saying, wait for it, wait for it, ahh there it is, the brake applied while going UP hill. Too funny.

[fleetiebelle]

My big driving peeve is that so many people just ignore stop signs, blow through red lights, and Pittsburgh left (which does have a place) long after their window for that has closed. I've taken to driving pretty defensively because you can't assume that people are going to stop when they're supposed to stop and go when they're supposed to go.