The Gripe Guy of Sedona
Like them or not, the roundabouts are here to stay. I honestly don’t mind the roundabouts because they’re far better than before when turning left from Hwy 89A onto 179 resulted in traffic backups all the way to upper Sedona!
The only problem I have with the roundabouts? It’s the other drivers who don’t know how to use them!
Yield does not mean come to a stop before entering the circle, but it does mean stop if the car in the circle is coming at you! And why oh why in the world would you stop once in the circle to let someone else in? And why does any driver approaching the circle assume that the car in the circle is taking the first right out of the circle?
Can you imagine driving in Rome with their multi-lane roundabouts? Good lord people, we all had to pass a road test in order to drive a car! I know they didn’t teach roundabout driving in the handbook, but use some common sense! At least, let me know the drivers license you were issued was given because you understood the basic road rules!
By the way, never assume to know what another driver is going to do, or a pedestrian for that matter! Oh by the way dear pedestrians, a cross walk is to be used like this: no cars are coming, enter the crosswalk; car is coming, put your foot into the crosswalk and look to be sure the car slows down for you to cross safely! Jump into a crosswalk directly in front of a moving car, assume that you may die. After all, the driver is 103 years old and driving a heavy 1982 Lincoln! Be afraid!
How’s this one? You are approaching a stoplight on the inside lane when the driver in front of you stops to let another car wanting to turn left crossover! Not once do both drivers ever consider the blind spot on the outside right lane that the crossing car will pull into! A driver saw me with my left directional on, waved me over to the outside lane. I waved back a “no thanks” and this guy gives me the finger as he punches the accelerator.
Listen up! You trying to be nice does NOT mean that I have to endanger my life, or the life of another driver who can’t see me coming into their lane! My “no thanks” is enough! Nothing personal, just my choice! Got it?
Why is going the speed limit no longer good enough? I finally concluded that drivers really don’t want to go faster than me, they just want to be ahead of me. You can reach the same conclusion by using the Bell Rock passing lane! The posted speed limit is 35 mph, but drivers just gotta punch it to get ahead.
The Bell Rock passing lane is similar to driving 89A from Flagstaff. Cars speed up behind me, cross that double yellow line into my lane or tailgate! If you want to go faster than the posted speed limit, then whatever possessed you to take that road in the first place?
I don’t know about you, but I never assume to know what someone else is going to do. I never tailgate because I don’t know if the driver in front of me will hit his brake hard for some freak reason and cause me to hit the back end of his car. I always slow down when approaching a crosswalk with people nearby, because I don’t know if grandma is going to suddenly start jogging across the street! I always slow down when approaching a traffic circle with a car in it, because I don’t know if that car is going to exit further around the circle. I know that people are unpredictable and I need to protect myself against higher insurance premiums or a gun pointed at me from the car ahead!
I failed my driving test three times before the State of New York gave me a license to drive a vehicle which does not say much for my driving skills, but then, driving tests don’t measure common sense! So with that said, please find some common sense to take with you when approaching our roundabouts.
Love,
The Gripe Guy
Have a roundabout story or comment to share? Tell me all about it hollywoodjimadvice@yahoo.com!
wonderful i loved reading this article. I have the same thoughts about common sense when pedestrians just step into the road and i have to jam on the brake, what are the cross walks for? What happened to stop, look both ways and if it is clear start crossing? Anyway love the whole article and the gripe guy said it all
Janette from sedona
Well, I had the pleasure of spending a week mid June in your gorgeous city. I’m from Massachusetts where we hold the dubious honor of being the rudest driver’s in America. We also have roundabouts, multi-lane roundabouts but we call them rotaries. I also live in a high tourist area, Cape Cod, and the most infamous rotary is in Hyannis. Nary an accident in years reported there with four, two lane road feeds into the rotary. You do not enter the rotary under 30 miles an hour, forget your directional because you can be guaranteed the car to your right or left wish to go opposite their position.
Now to my point. I was horrified and then duly terrified each time I entered or tried to enter one of your new roundabouts. I was nearly hit twice while in a vehicle and once trying to cross in a crosswalk! Upon reflection after reading your piece in the Sedona Times, I’ve come to the conclusion the problem is not knowing how to use a roundabout, but the speed in which you enter it. Step on the gas and here’s the real secret, pretend you do not see the other vehicle. Works like a charm.
Accident free in rotary littered MA.
Chuckled reading your article Sedona GG and comments Mass Rotary. After growing up in a small town with a “Circle” in its midst with 4 main arteries to handle tourists passing through, I don’t recall any accidents but will give you a minor or two for statistics. No one uses directionals in a Circle. Learn the pattern and obey the law about yielding. And striping? Never seen it anywhere except in Arizona unless 3 lanes or more. Unnecessary and confusing Arizona city engineers.
very cool. Also like the fact this newspaper has diverse articles
Hi Diane! Me too! Ha ha..