Over reacting a little?
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,433
Likes: 0
From: North, no further!
Over reacting a little?
Last night we were happily pootling into Edinburgh through the rediculously badly redesigned streets and just after the Gogar roundabout there's a very stupid junction designed to frustrate traffic (it genuinely is) where they merge 2 lanes off the round about into 1 and merge 2 lanes from under the roundabout into one and then split the consequent two lanes into two other roads with lights on different timings - horrible really.
Anyways I merge with traffic to my left and being that I HAVE to merge with that traffic due to stupidly placed hash lines that half the folk ignore anyway I chose not to use my indicator.
The guy behind me goes utterly bananas, flashing tooting and swearing turning the air blue (he has two young kids in the back of his car) telling me that I should have used my indicator, I mean really serious abuse that if we were in the street or something I'd have probably expected a punch up of some kind. I said to the guy that it was hardly a serious problem and that he should calm down a little - this only sent him more annoyed TBH.
Now not that I'm innocent of over reacting for other minor offences that drivers have performed but in the last 12 months it really appears as if it is getting considerably worse, has anyone else noticed people getting more and more angry for nothing or is it just me? Any ideas why? More traffic? Roads being designed to frustrate traffic (I know this is a goal of Edinburgh city council, they believe that if they frustrate traffic enough people will be less inclined to bring their cars - awful logic!) ? I just don't get why people are gettinng this wound up over something as minor as failing to use my indicator in almost static traffic.
Anyways I merge with traffic to my left and being that I HAVE to merge with that traffic due to stupidly placed hash lines that half the folk ignore anyway I chose not to use my indicator.
The guy behind me goes utterly bananas, flashing tooting and swearing turning the air blue (he has two young kids in the back of his car) telling me that I should have used my indicator, I mean really serious abuse that if we were in the street or something I'd have probably expected a punch up of some kind. I said to the guy that it was hardly a serious problem and that he should calm down a little - this only sent him more annoyed TBH.
Now not that I'm innocent of over reacting for other minor offences that drivers have performed but in the last 12 months it really appears as if it is getting considerably worse, has anyone else noticed people getting more and more angry for nothing or is it just me? Any ideas why? More traffic? Roads being designed to frustrate traffic (I know this is a goal of Edinburgh city council, they believe that if they frustrate traffic enough people will be less inclined to bring their cars - awful logic!) ? I just don't get why people are gettinng this wound up over something as minor as failing to use my indicator in almost static traffic.
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,661
Likes: 0
From: Perth, Australia
They introduce rubbish lights and mergings to make it crap for traffic.
They'll then introduce conjestion charging and phase the lights back that night - and WOW the traffic now flows !!
In Reading there was a massive roundabout near my work, it got a bit jammed at rush hour, but flowed well. Now it's a set of traffic lights. The phase is still out (6 months on) and backs traffic up for about a mile in 3 directions come rush hour.
They are also proposing they turn the Reading ring road into a one way system. So to go home I do my usual 300m of ring road and to go to work I'll do a 3 mile detour round the entire town.
(My mates are calling it Readring, we are thinking about racing round it (like Nurburgring) and we'll be making logo's for the backs of our cars.)
All these things are designed to infuriate the driver, no wonder road rage is on the up.
They'll then introduce conjestion charging and phase the lights back that night - and WOW the traffic now flows !!
In Reading there was a massive roundabout near my work, it got a bit jammed at rush hour, but flowed well. Now it's a set of traffic lights. The phase is still out (6 months on) and backs traffic up for about a mile in 3 directions come rush hour.
They are also proposing they turn the Reading ring road into a one way system. So to go home I do my usual 300m of ring road and to go to work I'll do a 3 mile detour round the entire town.
(My mates are calling it Readring, we are thinking about racing round it (like Nurburgring) and we'll be making logo's for the backs of our cars.)
All these things are designed to infuriate the driver, no wonder road rage is on the up.
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 9,022
Likes: 1
From: There's no i in toast!
TBH you should have used your indicator as there was other traffic about, but that's hardly a reason to go mental at you.
There are some very strange people on the roads these days, and they don't seem to care if their kids are in the car or not. They'll happily swear at you and then they complain that kids use too much bad language.
The only difference with Read'ring and the Nurburgring will be that Read'ring will have loads of pointless traffic lights on it
I like the idea of a sticker though
There are some very strange people on the roads these days, and they don't seem to care if their kids are in the car or not. They'll happily swear at you and then they complain that kids use too much bad language.
The only difference with Read'ring and the Nurburgring will be that Read'ring will have loads of pointless traffic lights on it
I like the idea of a sticker though
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 6,661
Likes: 0
From: Perth, Australia
Originally Posted by j8mie,Jun 4 2007, 11:01 AM
The only difference with Read'ring and the Nurburgring will be that Read'ring will have loads of pointless traffic lights on it
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,433
Likes: 0
From: North, no further!
Jamie, I don't disagree that I made a tiny mistake, lets take the context though, we're in standing traffic and the lanes are merging, my intentions are far from unclear.
What bothers me is the intensity that people are reacting these days is making our roads progressively more dangerous.
I hate driving to reading the council really hate cars there, that bit round the oracle is just lunacy.
What bothers me is the intensity that people are reacting these days is making our roads progressively more dangerous.
I hate driving to reading the council really hate cars there, that bit round the oracle is just lunacy.
Trending Topics
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 9,022
Likes: 1
From: There's no i in toast!
Originally Posted by Boab01,Jun 4 2007, 11:21 AM
Jamie, I don't disagree that I made a tiny mistake, lets take the context though, we're in standing traffic and the lanes are merging, my intentions are far from unclear.
What bothers me is the intensity that people are reacting these days is making our roads progressively more dangerous.
I hate driving to reading the council really hate cars there, that bit round the oracle is just lunacy.
What bothers me is the intensity that people are reacting these days is making our roads progressively more dangerous.
I hate driving to reading the council really hate cars there, that bit round the oracle is just lunacy.
We all make mistakes, and yours was very tiny, and there is no reason for this bloke to explode at you in this manner.
The best thing to do when driving in Reading, is to simply not. Just avoid the place at all costs. I've not been into Reading itself for well over a year now, and I live about 5 miles away.
