Road Rage Revenge
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The motorcycle test has a part specifically for riding at walking pace without wobbling, falling off or gunning it and running over the instructor.
It's called the Slow Ride, soo obviously, while doing it I had this running in my head:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcCNcgoyG_0
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If they can't drive walking pace (~3MPH) using stick then they can't drive stick
You ever tried to do that? It's one of the most annoying things to get right.
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Yup - common requirement on camping grounds. Though they commonly don't mind ~10km/h and the speedometer doesn't go that low anyway.
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Because otherwise they'll ask you to leave, uh, more?
No, to demonstrate your newfound respect for their request.
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I'm all for reducing 30 zones to 20 zones, but only outside schools, and I'd only worry about enforcing it during the peak times i.e. when the children are arriving/leaving. Other than that, I don't see a reason to reduce limits; in some places, I'd actually increase them.
One thing with school speed limits that we do over where I live is have a set of flashers on timers set to the school in/out schedule along with a "When Flashing" placard on the school speed limit sign...
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Hmmm, which new users joined on April 9?
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I'm all for reducing 30 zones to 20 zones, but only outside schools, and I'd only worry about enforcing it during the peak times i.e. when the children are arriving/leaving. Other than that, I don't see a reason to reduce limits; in some places, I'd actually increase them.
There's good reason to have lower limits where pedestrians are likely to be involved, and I'm all for that, as long as limits on highways are increased to 120* or 140* to balance it out.
*Miles per hour, of course.
**I rarely get to use the top half of my speedometer.
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In the Chicago area and suburbs, this is what I typically see around schools:
While I consider most posted speed limits too slow, this one is right on.I've always seen 25MPH limits around schools in the US, though I'm not surprised that some places feel the need to be different. That sort of speed has never struck me as reckless. It's pretty much the standard "residential street" limit, too.
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Where do you people put your schools? If I had to drive 25 past my high school, I would certainly go all road-rage.
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Where do you people put your schools? If I had to drive 25 past my high school, I would certainly go all road-rage.
My Primary school (<11 yrs):
My secondary school (11-18yrs)1:
- Technically not mine since it's moved site (and the original knocked down for a housing estate) since I left, but it has the same name and staff that haven't left in the meantime.
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OK, so for ten minutes, twice a day, there's a few hundred children walking down the road. None of them stop existing after they turn the corner.
- Why do we feel the need to be extremely protective in front of the school, but not a quarter mile away from it?
- Isn't the local speed limit already set at a speed that is considered safe for all of the neighborhood children and pets?
- Why make people drive slowly during the 98% of the school day that the children are inside the building?
There's also this dilemma: If it's a walking school, then the "safety zone" should extend far beyond the school. None of them do. If it's a bussing school, then what's the point of a school zone speed limit? Finally, if we care about the safety of school children, why are school busses the only exception to seat belt laws?
School zone speed limits are a typical example of "think of the children" bad thinking.
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NannyBully statism and petty minded bureaucrats.- Normally yes, but don't let that stop them dicating further
- See #1
I'm more interested in why previous generations were perfectly capable of crossing the road without getting run over but the current generation can't.</hyperbole>
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I wanna work at Jaybreak Enterprises.
I'm guessing their employees are all Ewoks.
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Dallas "solves" these problems by putting blinkenlights up in school zones: for 90 minutes (or so) twice a day, the speed limit drops; otherwise it's 35-40mph or whatever.
But they also put up mini-school zones at major intersections near the schools, too.
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Ohio has 20mph school zones as well, and I agree, that's a perfect speed. The ones I've been through have always been firmly enforced, as well. I live in Pennsylvania now, and the 15mph school zones seem a bit low, although they don't seem to be enforced as rigidly.
The 30mph limit seems excessive to be driving around a bunch of children that likely have their heads up their asses and don't properly respect the destructive power of a 1.5+ ton machine driven by someone else who likely also has his head up his ass.
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cyclists are all twats who never follow the rules of the road.
I take time out of my day, while cycling to and from work, to shout at other cyclists for breaking said rules. Some of us are decent.
I also do it with drivers who recklessly endanger my life, which happens a lot. As yet, only one of the group's have done anything worthy of police action in my presence. That was a 4x4 performing a hit and run on me while I shouted at him for overtaking me earlier at high speed inches away from me (for such benefit, the obvious queue ahead just 100m away). Ran over my foot while driving off giving no shits. Sadly UK law enforcement says driving away is only illegal if you actually injure someone. As I was wearing steel toe caps I remained unhurt, and he escaped justice.
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I take time out of my day, while cycling to and from work, to shout at other cyclists for breaking said rules. Some of us are decent.
I don't believe you.
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1. Why do we feel the need to be extremely protective in front of the school, but not a quarter mile away from it?
You obviously have never been near a crowd of kids for a longer period of time (or even supervised a crowd of kids).
It's just like with the collective intelligence of crowds: It's the IQ of the most stupid member divided by the number of members.
And so it's with a crowd of kids: The higher their number the higher the chance that one or more of them will step out into the street without looking.
Over here we actually have 30 km/h limits in residential areas - helped me yesterday to not run over a kid which stepped out into the street without looking because it was watching its mobile. Should've taken that stupid gadget and smashed it - the moron only noticed me because I honked, two(2) meters away.
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You obviously have never been near a crowd of kids for a longer period of time (or even supervised a crowd of kids).
Yes I have... read my post. What I'm saying is that the speed limit should have already accounted for this. If a school is attached to a neighborhood, that neighborhood already has children that exhibit exactly the same traits you are describing. The five hundred feet on either side of the school are not an exception.
I drive by a school every day that's on the busies commercial street in the area. The speed limit reduces from 45 to 35 in front of the school. The street is so busy and so wide that any attempt to cross it without a light will result in death. Do you think these children aren't still young and inexperienced when the walk a block down the street? Yet, there isn't a rash of flattened children on either side of the school zone. The reduced speed limit does nothing in this case.
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No, you haven't. Keyword: CROWD.
Learn to read.
Also: It's most likely a requirement for all school areas.
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Dude, the crowd of kids at the school only has two ways to go. At best, there are two crowds, each going opposite directions and half the size of the original crowd 1/4 mile down the street when the school zone ends. None of them fling themselves into traffic.
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Over here we actually have 30 km/h limits in residential areas - helped me yesterday to not run over a kid which stepped out into the street without looking because it was watching its mobile. Should've taken that stupid gadget and smashed it - the moron only noticed me because I honked, two(2) meters away.
This is proof that the school zone isn't special. The risk of running kids over exists on every residential street. So, whatever speed limit is appropriate there should be appropriate for in front of a school.
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I also do it with drivers who recklessly endanger my life, which happens a lot.
Yes, drivers do stupid shit too.
I mean, even the non-life threatening stuff irritates me.
Like, on a highway, why do people who know they need to exit on the right side try to pass everyone on the left then suddenly slam over 2+ lanes to the exit?
Actually, that one could be life threatening...
Edit: Actually, don't we have an old topic about that sort of stuff?
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This is proof that the school zone isn't special. The risk of running kids over exists on every residential street. So, whatever speed limit is appropriate there should be appropriate for in front of a school.
And the risk is higher in front of schools. Stop being dumb.
And since when was an anecdote "proof"?
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At best, there are two crowds
When I was in school, people broke into 2s and 3s fairly quickly. Most got picked up by their parents in vehicles or boarded a school bus, leaving just a few small groups walking home.
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don't we have an old topic about that sort of stuff?
Yes, we do:
http://what.thedailywtf.com/t/driving-anti-patterns-now-with-icing/3300
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Your argument has two fatal flaws. First, just because something is safer, doesn't mean it should be done. Examples of safer things that shouldn't be done:
-Strip searches for weapons in schools
-Send the teachers to the student's home instead of meeting at a school
-Bubble wrap the childrenSecond, "driving slower" is not the same as "driving safer".
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And since when was an anecdote "proof"?
Your debating skillz are so intimidating that you automatically win.
Or maybe, you only pointed out that I chose too strong a word and after correcting it to "evidence", my entire point is still just as valid as before the correction.
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Sadly UK law enforcement says driving away is only illegal if you actually injure someone.
What about intent to injure? Because that sure as hell qualifies.
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cycling proficiency; are those things still taught at schools nowadays?
Doesn't matter. Most cyclists are idiots intent on killing themselves by ignoring the rules of the road.
Drivers are taught to do it properly, yet my drive back from Manchester suggests a lot of car drivers are probably closet cyclists.
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Is it bad that I want to drive the hour and a half there just to see this sign?
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Nope, if you attempt to murder a guy in a car, but miss, there's no crime at all there. Just drive away, you're golden.
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No. Me and some online pals took time out from a LAN to visit a town called Wantage. They had a really crappy website with a section called "Wantage for children", which seemed pretty funny at the time. Not so much now I'm all mature and stuff.
Anyway, had a group photo in front of the sign. You only live once!
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Dallas "solves" these problems by putting blinkenlights up in school zones: for 90 minutes (or so) twice a day, the speed limit drops; otherwise it's 35-40mph or whatever.
Yes, but most of the time when that happens there aren't any children in sight.
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School zone speed limits are a typical example of "think of the children" bad thinking.
Usually, there are ulterior motives in this child protection stuff:
- Speed limits: valuable tickets and judges who are unsympathetic
- Child porn: valuable laws for regulating the anarchic web; First and Fourth Amendment reduction laws
- Zero tolerance: filtering of undesirables out of the school-age population
- Drug free zones: an excuse to search everyone walking by and every home in the radius
- Sex offender-free zones: We all hate sex offenders who grab miscreant girls by the arm so we'll force them all to live in a hole under a bridge
Generally, these end at the point where the ulterior motive ends. School zones are a perfect example: With zero tolerance, kids are absolutely expected to behave themselves at school, and there are crossing guards, and monitors, which means there is actually less chance of their being run over there. I won't go so far as to actually argue that speed limits should be lower elsewhere than in the school zone, but you get the idea.
So we have nice little examples like:
- The 8-year old they threatened to expel because he drew a picture of a gun (zero tolerance)
- The day the storm at the school coincided with the end of the school day, and the school wouldn't let the parents take their kids home because there was lightning
And the counter examples:
- Let's make it so all the teachers, administrators, guards and police in the school carry guns--hell, let's get some grenade launchers--no risk to the kids there--coming soon to a state near you (courtesy NRA)
- When the Orange County Florida fire department here had the unmitigated gall to cite multiple local schools for fire safety violations; the state made them back off because fire safety for kids is less important than saving money (taxes)
Basically, our leaders are enthusiastic about rules to protect children when there's an ulterior motive. But when it comes to protecting kids for kids sake...not so much.
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Yes, but most of the time when that happens there aren't any children in sight.
Depends on the intersection. Arapaho just west of Hillcrest has a lot of kids, as one example.
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Your debating skillz are so intimidating that you automatically win.
Or maybe, you only pointed out that I chose too strong a word and after correcting it to "evidence", my entire point is still just as valid as before the correction.
Oh, yes, changing it for "evidence" makes this argument so much more valid
It's still a "I'm using an anecdote to make broad and sweeping conclusions". If you think that exchanging a word for another one with the same connotation is making it better somehow, then you're deluding yourself.
Then again, the latter's pretty much a given for you. And, yes, by the way, driving slower IS driving safer. Did you ever calculate the difference in the braking distance between 30 km/h and 50 km/h? Not to mention the difference in kinetic energy when you do hit someone.
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One thing with school speed limits that we do over where I live is have a set of flashers on timers set to the school in/out schedule along with a "When Flashing" placard on the school speed limit sign...
Which I don't mind. Except that there is no fucking timers on them here! So the freaking things start flashing at you completely out of nowhere if you do 41 km/h at midnight. Bonus point if it's outside of a city and street lighting is poor so it screws with your eyes even more.
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Earlier this week I was cycling to work. This takes me on dedicated bike lanes most of the way, but the last ~100 meters is shared with cars.
It happened as I was preparing to left turn toward the office building. So I'd indicated left, and had moved toward the center of the road.
A big car decided it couldn't wait 5 seconds until it could pass me on the right, zipped past on the left, then immediately shifted over all the way to the right for the traffic lights 30 meters futher on.
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Some people are jerks.
That's independent of what mode of transport they are using. I've had cyclists shout angrily at me for crossing a road at a pedestrian crossing when the lights were clearly indicating that I had priority; there was even an auditory indicator to say that I had priority too. Which isn't to say that car drivers won't ever be jerks. I bet there are pedestrians who are jerks too (though most pedestrians are at least a bit careful round motor traffic, given the momentum and squishiness differences).
The best I can ask for is that other people try to not be jerks. Yes, what that means varies from place to place. (Almost all traffic law is just codification of “don't be a jerk”, FWIW.)
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(though most pedestrians are at least a bit careful round motor traffic, given the momentum and squishiness differences).
I wouldn't be too sure of that - do you realize how bikes tend to behave when people let them?
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do you realize how bikes tend to behave when people let them?
They fall over sideways. I don't see your point.
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Your argument has two fatal flaws. First, just because something is safer, doesn't mean it should be done.
I don't think it's fatal. But the farther from the school you get, the more dispersed the crowd / danger / etc. So it may make sense in ways that your hyperbolic examples don't.
I'm sure we can all find exceptions to anything.
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Most cyclists are idiots intent on killing themselves by ignoring the rules of the road.
My favorite ones are those who do ignore the rules and ride where their bikes belong: on the sidewalk.
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My favorite ones are those who do ignore the rules and ride where their bikes belong: on the sidewalk.
There's places in Dallas I won't ride a bike in the street, but ride on the sidewalk.
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The only time a bike should be on the street (this is not counting residential areas) is when there's a dedicated bike lane.
