All these people with opinions on the way other people should drive with their own "punishments" for drivers who don't comply with their home-grown rules. Oh dear.
I drove my French-registered van around the UK for a week sticking to 50 in national speed limit areas with no speed limit shown. I pulled over to let the queues of cars behind overtake a few times but the horn blowing, revving engines, raised fists and Vs was too entertaining to pass up.
More to the point, given I get no personal advantage, how can I possibly be being selfish?
Because selfishness is not always about personal advantage, it's also not showing consideration for others but that personal gain could simply be
pleasure.
Anyway, you keep on doing what you do and as long as you're happy doing it, who are we to complain?
[I]I pulled over to let the queues of cars behind overtake a few times but the horn blowing, revving engines, raised fists and Vs was too entertaining to pass up.[\i]
Is there more to it than that? I normally drive my van at 50mph and never get that. However, add the horse trailer and at the same speed I am consistently overtaken!
Jersey use filtering at junctions and some roundabouts, it seems to work over there for the locals
Is there more to it than that?
No, the mad cow thing which resulted in us getting lots of abuse just because of the French plates had long gone. The problem seemed to be doing 50 which I put down to some drivers being ignorant of the van speed limit.
I was quite impressed to see on the roadworks on the A30 dual in Cornwall signs that read "Use both lanes until merge". And then at the merge 'Merge in turn' signs.
As was I. When driving down to St Ives 2 weeks ago everyone heeded the signs and the merging at the cones was (nearly) text book.
However, driving back up today, as we approached the same roadworks a douchecanoe in a red Beemer took it upon himself to ensure no-one could get past him in the outside lane - I tried going up on the verge to go past him just to see how righteous he was and he tried to ram me. Just laughed at him in his mirror and pulled in behind him. No doubt he is basking in the glory of "winning".
Some people do seem to go out of their way to get wound up about things.
[quote=aka_Gilo ]However, driving back up today, as we approached the same roadworks a douchecanoe in a red Beemer took it upon himself to ensure no-one could get past him in the outside lane - I tried going up on the verge to go past him just to see how righteous he was and he tried to ram me. Just laughed at him in his mirror and pulled in behind him. No doubt he is basking in the glory of "winning".
No winners I can see there.
This, my fellow cyclists, is STW at it's best!! Keep it going folks!
The problem seemed to be doing 50 which I put down to some drivers being ignorant of the van speed limit.
Doubt it. Or at least, I've never experienced what you describe.
And I do roughly twelve hundred miles a week in a van, mostly on national speed limit roads, sticking to the 50 limit
I've never pulled over once to let "queues of cars" past.
Never once had "horn blowing, revving engines, raised fists and Vs" as a result either.
190 thousand miles in 3 years and no issues
Must be you 😉
I regularly drive a can and stick to the 50mph also. I've yet to some across these impatient and angry car drivers. I will, however, make an effort to let cars past whenever I have the opportunity to do so without significantly impacting my own progress.
HGV drivers can do one though.
The queue I picked up through the Wyre forest out of Kiderminster was continuous as far as I could see behind which was not surprising traveling 10mph below the car limit with few overtaking possibilities and lots of commuters heading home, Neal.
I'll put the behaviour down to the plates then.
Out of interest, aracer, how does your strategy deal with traffic which is stationary in the left lane? Do you just drop anchor in the outside lane alongside another stationary vehicle?
I reckon I'd abandon my principles and slowly make my way to the front of the right lane. In such a situation then if I drive to the front the queues are going to form in both lanes as nobody can merge early anyway, and the proper merging might just happen when it all starts moving. Not something I've experienced when I've done that (I'm guessing that in those circumstances all lanes do fill up anyway, can't really remember what has happened), so I can't say what I have done.
[quote=Edukator ]The queue I picked up through the Wyre forest out of Kiderminster was continuous as far as I could see behind which was not surprising traveling 10mph below the car limit with few overtaking possibilities and lots of commuters heading home
I'd put it down to the latter. I've cycled not too far from there at going home time (I'd suspect some drivers were coming from Kiddy) and a significant proportion of drivers were complete arseholes.
In an ideal world, there wouldn't be an 'empty lane' for 'queue jumpers' to drive down as everyone would be using both lanes efficiently and merging in turn (like a zipper) at the point where one lane becomes 2.
It takes people with a bit of common sense, paying attention to what is happening to traffic in front of them and also being aware of road signs to make this a reality though.