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What Irked You Today?


LokisTyro

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Easy solution: leave five minutes earlier and you won't encounter them.

I've tried earlier. I've tried later. I don't get caught every time, but often enough that it got pretty annoying. What I question is the fact that the driver keeps the flashing lights and Stop sign active the whole time, even when the kid is nowhere to be seen. I've sat behind that bus for 5-10 minutes at a stretch. Seems ridiculous to hold up traffic like that while the kid is still in the house getting ready. And this particular stop is only for that specific kid. No others get on or off the bus there. It's the "special bus" that makes personalized pickups/dropoffs.

I don't blame the mom or the kid for constantly making the bus wait so much as I blame the driver for holding up traffic for no good reason.

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Not true.

The Illinois statutes that Harry quoted are consistent with most states, and as the law firm website quite accurately says, pedestrians who cross streets outside crosswalks (commonly referred to as "Jaywalking") or cross against traffic controls may be deemed at fault, depending upon the specific circumstances. Being a pedestrian does not grant carte blanche legal authority to do whatever one wants.

The real key is crosswalk. Inside a crosswalk, the pedestrian has the presumptive majority of right of way, but outside a crosswalk, the pedestrian has no more right of way than cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, horseback riders, skateboarders, or any other 'traffic unit.'

California does not require painted crosswalk lines.

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... I've encountered some who just walk out when they see you coming, without waiting, and dare you not to stop for them...

That's getting pretty common around here in some areas, by guys who seem to have some sort of chips on their shoulders, or the little-thing syndrome. Too bad they can't all get Hummers to compensate.

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California does not require painted crosswalk lines.

They have an overabundance of pedestrian population. They're probably just trying to thin the herds. ^_^

I'm guessing Californya probably falls into the 'not-most' category of my post. :rolleyes:

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I understand pedestrians have the right of way when using a crosswalk and by law drivers are required to stop. does that excuse the BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH fools from walking right out into oncoming traffic?

right?

dead-right!

dam

You been in Geneva, IL recently? I swear that has to be a local past time around here, especially at night, while wearing dark clothing, on less that well lit sections of highway..............

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From the website of a law firm that specializes in pedestrian accident claims:

Pedestrians have the right of way in crosswalks. Most intersections have a pedestrian crosswalk whether or not lines are painted on the street. Most crosswalks are located at corners, but they can also be located in the middle of the block. If you are a pedestrian and crossing the street not in the crosswalk, you could be considered the at fault party if an accident occurs.

Only crosswalks and light in main down town. no cross walks in the rest of the city and on the way home no cross walks. so people cross as they feel. I understand your points Harry. When I took my drivers test over 20 years ago the book said they had the right of way. Could be different now...

Edited by slusher
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Here's an interesting one. Pennsylvania law says that when a traffic signal is not functioning, ALL sides must come to a complete stop before proceeding. We have power outages on a regular basis and the lights on the highway nearest me are often dead during them. Nobody seems to know this law because during these episodes the cars on the highway are zooming past at 50 or greater while those of us on the cross roads try to merge in or worse case make a left onto the divided highway. Last time I decided that it wasn't going to be safe to make my left, so I made a right and found a left that I could use as a turn around. I made my turn safely. I got up to the next intersection and there were two Camrys that had imploded in the center of the intersection. Camry number one was no doubt trying to sneak the left onto the highway and Camry number two nailed him at highway speed.

I only saw the law in the paper right after that.

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(superbowl xposure) - Revell did the right thing, but I don't ever see a shortage of fools shilling their goods in national spotlight.

More common than you think... there are Fortune 100 companies that expect their vendors to sell goods and services to them at a loss, just so that they can list that company on their client list in hopes of attracting new clients.

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Flooded streets proved to be a challenge this afternoon..encountered 3 of them, had to change my route across town for a meeting quite a bit..should have just taken the freeways..

I have seen articles where the west needs rain but why does it flood so easy in the Phoenix and areas?

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I have seen articles where the west needs rain but why does it flood so easy in the Phoenix and areas?

During Monsoon season, the rain comes in huge downpours that last a short time. Overwhelms the existing drainage systems in town and the water pools in low spots---a lot of the roads in the desert areas follow the contours ot the land, incl. arroyos and washes (natural dips).

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I rode out to Phoenix in 2000 for Arizona Bike Week (GREAT time). We out somewhere, maybe Tombstone, when a quick shower hit us. Almost immediately the road we were on flooded and we had to pull over and stop. The group leader, a local, said something about an arroyo fills up pretty quick with rainwater and sends it down to the roads.

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Phoenix and Las Vegas are located in valleys. Large expansive valleys that were once inland seas. The runoff naturally gathers in these areas as it has for millenia. Man encroached upon these areas and naturally felt he could overcome Mother Nature.

Vegas receives 4-5 inches of rainfall a year, trouble is it all happens in about one week. Phoenix got that in one HOUR the other day.

The water literally has nowhere to go.

G

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Phoenix and Las Vegas are located in valleys. Large expansive valleys that were once inland seas. The runoff naturally gathers in these areas as it has for millenia. Man encroached upon these areas and naturally felt he could overcome Mother Nature.

Vegas receives 4-5 inches of rainfall a year, trouble is it all happens in about one week. Phoenix got that in one HOUR the other day.

The water literally has nowhere to go.

G

Thanks guys. G if Las Vegas gets only 4 to 5 inches a year where does the water come from for the city? Lake Tahoe ?

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Phoenix and Las Vegas are located in valleys. Large expansive valleys that were once inland seas. The runoff naturally gathers in these areas as it has for millenia. Man encroached upon these areas and naturally felt he could overcome Mother Nature.

Vegas receives 4-5 inches of rainfall a year, trouble is it all happens in about one week. Phoenix got that in one HOUR the other day.

The water literally has nowhere to go.

G

G is exactly right, but that's actually only a part of the problem. The rest of the issue is that this is the desert. 90% of the time it is sun-baked, hard crusted soil. So hard that rain doesn't soak in well. Then when you dump huge amounts of rain and runoff in a very short period of time, there is no saturation/soaking at all, there is just gravity. So, ALL that water starts heading for the lowest level, which is downstream from anywhere, including here. The fact that people built a city between the mountains and the ocean is of no consequence to nature. When the monsoons hit, everything gets wet on top and on the uphill side.

The storm drainage system is a minor factor. As G said, we usually don't get much rain. Average annual rainfall is 7 inches. Doesn't take much of a drainage system to handle that. But my side of the valley got 3-1/2 inches Sunday night and more than 4-1/2 inches Tuesday morning. The foothills ABOVE us averaged 4 - 5 inches each day Sunday through Tuesday. It flows downhill.

It's supposed to rain tonight, too. We can't wait!

PS: The TV films you saw were in my neighborhood. The flood control drainage channel overflowed about 3/8 mile from my house and flooded Interstate 17 for 6-7 miles adjacent to us. My neighbor has a boat. He's now my best friend.

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