Beating up on the RCOC

OK.  We have been reading about the poor performance of the Road Commission of Oakland County for over a week. I am not going to get into that.  Rather, I think this photo puts them at least one step above the performance of the Arizona Department of Transportation:

'Nuf said.

Cross Words

I've mentioned before that I enjoy the New York Times Crossword puzzles.  The Sunday puzzles usually have some clever cluing and answering.  Today was no exception.  Actually, I was doing the syndicated puzzle from October 10.  I enjoyed it and was curious to see what Rex Parker had said about it.

OMG.  I could not believe his reaction.  And those of others. 

The theme was 'Driver's Translations'.  I have seen these drivers around town.  Their interpretation of a STOP sign is 'coast right through'.  I have long said that in West Bloomfield, STOP is just a suggestion.  And don't even bet that someone will YIELD.

The theme seemed all the more appropriate after the article in the Oakland Press about how wonderful the roundabouts are.  Right.  I guess if you enjoy driving and having someone pull out right in front of you without looking, thereby enabling you to test your braking ability, then they are wonderful. 

Anyway, the other theme 'CLUES' and 'answers' geared toward the driver without a clue are:

NO THRU TRAFFIC:  Good shortcut
STAY IN LANE:  Ignore this sign
NO STOPPING OR STANDING:  Leave if you see a cop
SPEED LIMIT 65 MPH:  Keep it under eighty

And if you have never encountered the driver who interprets signs this way, count yourself blessed.

YIELD - NOT a Suggestion

It's time for me to complain about the roundabouts again.  Today, in the pouring rain, I drove through the roundabout at Maple and Drake.  The rain was so heavy at times you could hardly see in front of your windshield.  I even saw cars pulled off the road.  It was probably a smart idea.

As I was returning home I thought about driving three miles out of my way in order to avoid going through the aforementioned intersection.  Alas, I just wanted to get home.  Traffic was moving slowly.  As usual, everyone seemed to head for the left lane in the roundabout.  So, I got in the lane and waited my turn and pulled into the intersection.  As I am going around, a car pulls into the roundabout right in front of me.  He looked right in my direction and just kept moving.  What part of 'Yield' do these drivers not understand?  Do they think it means that someone will 'yield' to them?

Several years ago a local radio station had someone from the State Police on the air at the start of a long holiday weekend.  He was giving safe driving tips.  He told drivers that when merging onto a freeway they are required to yield to oncoming traffic and merge when they are able to do so safely.  He reminded them that it is not the freeway driver who is required to yield to them.  Boy, I bet that idea surprised a lot of drivers.

The fact that a car in the roundabout has the right of way seems to mean little to drivers who have no intention of yielding to anyone.  It's more like 'Damn the torpedoes.  Full steam ahead.'  Oh, and BTW, the speed limit is only 20 mph in the roundabout.  And yes, it is posted.  You just have to read the signs.

Catching up

I have been back in town for 24 hours and have finally unpacked my bags.  I did not say that everything is back in place, just that nothing is left in the suitcases.  Amazing that I can go away for eight days on a plane with a carry-on, but put me in a car for five days and I pack two bags plus whatever I throw on the seat.  (Which made getting the spare out of the trunk a whole lot of fun.)

I spent a good deal of my time today reading the news I missed, either online or in the printed papers.  I refuse to stay connected while vacationing unless there is really something I need to do.  When I was working, I stayed in touch with my staff while in Australia (a bit of a trick since we were on different days and 14 hours apart in time) and while on a cruise during Hurricane Lenny in the Caribbean.  Not so much anymore. 

I used to tell people that since I did not have a red phone next to my bed that the world would revolve just fine without me.  And while old news is still old, I always check to see if I missed anything.  One of the days the Oakland Press did an article about bloggers where I was mentioned.  I have never kept a scrapbook of news clippings, so it will go out with the rest of the papers tomorrow in the recycle bin. 

Apparently I missed the Oakland Press survey on roundabouts.  Well, place me in the 'hate them' column unless it is 2 am and I am all alone in one.  I am still trying to figure out the point of moving drivers through in a non-stop fashion only to have traffic back up further along the way for over one mile as it did today on Maple from Haggerty.  So, when they work, they just create another traffic problem.  You might want to visit the State's website for roundabout information.  While there, take the survey.

Roundabouts - Part One

OK.  I could write an entire blog about my experiences in West Bloomfield's roundabouts.  Now that I am retired, I find myself driving through them all the time.  So, we'll do one thing at a time.

Yesterday, I was sitting in an establishment at Farmington and Maple.  I heard a woman say that she liked the roundabouts because you no longer had to stop. 

OK.  I've seen this driver.  The one who comes barreling up to the yield sign and whips right into traffic, despite the fact that they must see other cars waiting to enter.  I guess their hope is that everyone else will stop for them.  The gentleman she was talking to told her that in the roundabout you must hope that the other person knows what to do, especially if you don't. 

That's how I figure it.  One wonders what would happen if all of these people who don't know what 'Yield' means were to drive up to the roundabout at the same time.  YIKES! 

Patience is NOT my Middle Name

I have never had much patience.  I like people to know how to get things done and do it.  My motto is 'Lead or get out of My Way'.  Driving in this area really tries my patience and today was no exception.

I'll not get into particulars but think 'riding the brake' and 'Oh, was I supposed to look before pulling into traffic?'  I find myself gritting my teeth and wondering how they ever passed their driver's test.  And then I remembered something.

My mother-in-law lived and worked in Chicago.   She had an older sister who also lived and worked in Chicago.  Neither of them ever had the need for a car as there was always public transportation.

As they got older both decided to move to the suburbs and buy a three-flat house together.  While my mother-in-law had already been driving, Aunt Kathryn had never driven nor had a license to do so.  So off she went to the local license bureau and applied for a license.  She took her eye exam and a written test and was given a license.  No road test.  She had never, ever been on the road driving.  We all decided that someone figured no one would apply for their first license in their 60's, so they would just issue it with no test.

So, the next time you are behind a driver and wonder how they passed the test, remember that perhaps they never even took one.