drivers in Pittsburgh (dangerous, assessment, safe)

[Q-tip motha]

Originally Posted by EveKendall

Just to put in my two cents about bad/rude drivers...
I was driving home this afternoon. I was stopped in my left turn lane as the cars ahead of me waited to turn. A bus started coming toward me around a curve. It stopped and I assumed it was letting passengers off. I moved forward and it suddenly swerved into my lane. The driver started swearing and shouting at me and she gave me the middle finger! I guess she needed more room to get around the curve and I was supposed to know that, and therefore remain stopped. I drive home that way every day and have done so for three years, and this has never happened. I could not believe her unprofessional behavior.

LOL What you're stating is the status quo for Pittsburgh bus drivers. I was actually hit by one and knocked on my butt crossing Liberty Ave at the corner of Heron Ave. Driver was trying to get an early start on the light turning (which was still red when she lurched forward into me). I think the shock to her was worse than any physical damage I received, and to be fair I had some less than kind words for her as well.

My absolute favorite occurence with the bus drivers though is when they are attempting to make a turn, I'm stopped in cross traffic behind white line that has been placed further back to give them the appropriate space to make the turn, and they still can't manage it. Somehow though they feel that it is my fault despite the fact that I've given them an extra 5 feet beyond what they've been provided.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Q-tip motha

My absolute favorite occurence with the bus drivers though is when they are attempting to make a turn, I'm stopped in cross traffic behind white line that has been placed further back to give them the appropriate space to make the turn, and they still can't manage it. Somehow though they feel that it is my fault despite the fact that I've given them an extra 5 feet beyond what they've been provided.

I intentionally stop about a full car length behind the white line when I'm heading up Morewood Avenue towards Shadyside between Fifth and Forbes. Buses turning right from outbound Fifth Avenue onto Morewood (towards CMU) always struggle there, and I usually garner a polite little "thank you" wave from the bus driver for trying to plan ahead for them. Same with the buses that turn right from outbound Fifth Avenue onto Shady Avenue.

I do my best. Sometimes you unintentionally get "trapped" in the way, though, AHEAD of the white line if you're trying to turn left at a congested intersection with no turn arrows.

[LIRefugee]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I intentionally stop about a full car length behind the white line when I'm heading up Morewood Avenue towards Shadyside between Fifth and Forbes. Buses turning right from outbound Fifth Avenue onto Morewood (towards CMU) always struggle there, and I usually garner a polite little "thank you" wave from the bus driver for trying to plan ahead for them. Same with the buses that turn right from outbound Fifth Avenue onto Shady Avenue.

I've learned the hard way at that intersection that the big white stop line is definitely not the ideal place to stop; a full car length back is definitely better. There always seems to be a bus ready to turn down Morewood whenever I am at that intersection for some reason.

The work on the S Highland Bridge has forced the 75 bus to head westward down Alder and it's fascinating to watch a bus navigate that little jog Alder does when it crosses Highland. It's far from an ideal bus route.

[Tony_Soprano]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

Sometimes you unintentionally get "trapped" in the way, though, AHEAD of the white line if you're trying to turn left at a congested intersection with no turn arrows.

One my HUGE pet peeves is drivers ignoring the white lines at an intersection. I understand it is difficult to make left turns when oncoming traffic seems never ending but stay behind that damn white line until it's time to turn!

When I am making a turn and I'm partially blocked by a driver over the white line, I usually wave my hand telling them they need to be back (I never flip people off, but I do get animated).

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by LIRefugee

I've learned the hard way at that intersection that the big white stop line is definitely not the ideal place to stop; a full car length back is definitely better. There always seems to be a bus ready to turn down Morewood whenever I am at that intersection for some reason.

The work on the S Highland Bridge has forced the 75 bus to head westward down Alder and it's fascinating to watch a bus navigate that little jog Alder does when it crosses Highland. It's far from an ideal bus route.

My partner used to live on Alder right by Highland, and I can recall minor traffic tie-ups at that intersection just because of people parked too close to Highland on Alder by Pizza Perfectta preventing two cars from being able to pass by each other on Alder, so I can just imagine a BUS trying to navigate that right now!

I like buses. Thanks to buses there's even less congestion in Pittsburgh than there otherwise would be while I'm making my deliveries. This is why I always go out of my way to try to envision how much space they'd need to turn even if I don't (yet) see any bus nearby. I know we have an entire anti-PAT thread on here, but I happen to think the drivers, while fairly compensated, are sorely underappreciated for how difficult their job can be.

[SteelCityRising]

Pittsburgh driving pet peeve of the day: People who ride your rear bumper, even as you prepare to parallel park.

If I'm in a residential neighborhood, throw on my right turn signal, and start to slow down mid-block, then don't you think there's a pretty good chance I'm preparing to parallel park? The other day there was almost a chain-reaction collision as someone behind me who was speeding up Brereton Street here in Polish Hill decided that he didn't want to stop while I parallel parked and instead veered into the oncoming lane, narrowly missing my front left fender as my car swung into the on-street space. He would have ricocheted his own car into several parked cars on the other side of the street, and I would have been bounced into the parked car in front of me. My former car was already damanged in a chain-reaction collision on Brereton Street while it was parked, and we certainly don't need more people losing out on $500 (this was a year-and-a-half ago, and I'm still waiting for State Farm to recoup my deductible).

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Tony_Soprano

One my HUGE pet peeves is drivers ignoring the white lines at an intersection. I understand it is difficult to make left turns when oncoming traffic seems never ending but stay behind that damn white line until it's time to turn!

When I am making a turn and I'm partially blocked by a driver over the white line, I usually wave my hand telling them they need to be back (I never flip people off, but I do get animated).

The problem is that if I DO just "hang back" behind the white line when the light turns green cars idling behind me in the left-turn lane honk. There's no "winning" here sometimes. You either tick off the people behind you or you tick off the people turning into you.

[LIRefugee]

Originally Posted by Tony_Soprano

One my HUGE pet peeves is drivers ignoring the white lines at an intersection. I understand it is difficult to make left turns when oncoming traffic seems never ending but stay behind that damn white line until it's time to turn!

Although it might be different in PA, in the state where I learned to drive, someone in the left turn lane SHOULD enter the intersection while waiting for oncoming traffic to end prior to turning left, and if the light starts changing while still in the intersection, you still need to turn in order to clear the intersection once oncoming traffic stops. What annoys me are people who pull ahead of the white line when attempting to turn left and just sit there after the light turns red again.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by LIRefugee

Although it might be different in PA, in the state where I learned to drive, someone in the left turn lane SHOULD enter the intersection while waiting for oncoming traffic to end prior to turning left, and if the light starts changing while still in the intersection, you still need to turn in order to clear the intersection once oncoming traffic stops. What annoys me are people who pull ahead of the white line when attempting to turn left and just sit there after the light turns red again.

^ This is what I do, actually. If I find myself beached in the intersection even when the light turns red I continue turning left. I can't tell you how many times I see people just go into "deer in headlights" mode and stay in the way of traffic instead of just turning to get out of the way.

The intersections like the one I referenced at Morewood & Fifth, where the left-hand turn lane on northbound Morewood is pretty FAR back from Fifth Avenue (and where there's also no left-hand turn arrow from Morewood onto Fifth) is a good example of this. If you were to just sit behind the white line waiting for all approaching traffic on southbound Morewood to clear you'd NEVER get through the light many times, and nobody behind you will, either.

[Tony_Soprano]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

The problem is that if I DO just "hang back" behind the white line when the light turns green cars idling behind me in the left-turn lane honk. There's no "winning" here sometimes. You either tick off the people behind you or you tick off the people turning into you.

I get what you're saying and have experienced that myself, actually. My attitude though is if you're behind me, I really don't care. I'd rather follow the rules and try to be a courteous driver. I can be a bit more forgiving of people trying to make a left than I can of people who blatantly disregard the white line. It's there for a reason!