Sorry for the lapse in posting. My son had some medical tests and appointments. And we received very good results, so then I got busy emailing people that their good thoughts had yielded a good result.
Passing Lanes. WTF?
Where I live in Michigan, they expand a two way highway to have an additional “Passing Lane”, sometimes on one side of the road, sometimes on both. This usually happens on a main route that is not an expressway.
I HATE THEM!!! I think the envisioned purpose was to allow vehicles going the speed limit to more easily pass vehicles going slower than the speed limit, without having to face oncoming traffic. All they do is allow people who want to speed a chance to pass people doing the speed limit! They are usually preceded with signs that say “Slower Traffic Stay Right”. That makes some sense. That is how it is supposed to work on an expressway. But here are the two things that usually happen when you approach a Passing Lane:
1. People traveling the speed limit merge right. Then when the lane ends and they need to merge back left again, all the fast people will not let them back in. So, you are penalized for following the law.
2. EVERYONE SPEEDS UP. Everyone hits the Passing Lane, and the drivers who were doing 45mph speed up to 55mph. The drivers who were doing 55mph speed up to 65mph. And no one ever gets around anyone, and when the passing lane disappears, the whole line of traffic is in exactly the same order it was to start with.
So, you say you want to know what I do when I come to a Passing Lane? Well, everything in this post runs through my head and I get a little angry. Then I stay in the left most lane, doing the speed limit (or the Basic Speed Law, it if is dark & rainy. Don’t know what the Basic Speed Law is? YOU SHOULD NOT BE ON THE ROAD!!!). Then, when I get to the end of the Passing Lane, I do not need to merge anywhere. I was going as fast as was allowed by law, I stayed in the speedier lane, and I don’t have to fight to get my piece of road back when merge time comes. Winning.
Roundabouts? Oh Hell. Do not get me started on those.
I'm not stalking you. 