Driving in Houston, Observations of (an angry) Driver.
Okay, people this is a vent post. This is a regular vent topic with me, so I guess that means keep praying (for me).
First, there are multiple techniques for merging when a lane closure is before you. To be clear you are driving along in multiple unified direction lanes and there is a sign that states one lane is going to end soon. What do you do? Merge and continue along your path or use every last bit of "closing" lane pavement before you merge. Well, lets be honest, the wait until the last bit of pavement is used has become a hot topic in the last few years. Prior to living in Texas the merge at the last second was titled "moron driving" in my head, turns out it is called the "zipper-in". There are even articles promoting the virtues of the "zipper-in". Read one here: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/zippermerge/
Here is the problem in the real world, we are not mere drivers getting to our destination. We (drive like we) are actually driving in a road race compromised of many twists and turns. The zipper-in actually just postpones the merge until there is a greater chance of some kind of accident due to time impingement. If we had merged back when the first sign was posted we all could have continued at the posted speed limit. Instead we race to apply the brakes and "barely" avoid a collision as we merge. This is the crux of the argument can be summed with a hypothetical question. Could you imagine a world in which the grains of sand in an hour glass form a single file before going through the pinch point? Last thought on this topic, be a smarter grain of sand, GET IN LINE.
Credit www.chron.com
Second, Texas has pioneered the highway real estate market with the backwards overpass. Down here in Texas we build 24 lane wide sections of I-10. However, we do something that is amazingly dangerous. In the name of saving real estate on the sides of the "feeder" the main lanes of the highway overpass the cross streets. Here is the problem, I-10 has a blind hill with every cross street. While driving at highway speed we crest and fall, crest and fall like riding waves in the ocean. It's just death over the next hill when there is an accident. Somehow it was made a better highway, by being even more dangerous.
End rant.
First, there are multiple techniques for merging when a lane closure is before you. To be clear you are driving along in multiple unified direction lanes and there is a sign that states one lane is going to end soon. What do you do? Merge and continue along your path or use every last bit of "closing" lane pavement before you merge. Well, lets be honest, the wait until the last bit of pavement is used has become a hot topic in the last few years. Prior to living in Texas the merge at the last second was titled "moron driving" in my head, turns out it is called the "zipper-in". There are even articles promoting the virtues of the "zipper-in". Read one here: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/zippermerge/
Here is the problem in the real world, we are not mere drivers getting to our destination. We (drive like we) are actually driving in a road race compromised of many twists and turns. The zipper-in actually just postpones the merge until there is a greater chance of some kind of accident due to time impingement. If we had merged back when the first sign was posted we all could have continued at the posted speed limit. Instead we race to apply the brakes and "barely" avoid a collision as we merge. This is the crux of the argument can be summed with a hypothetical question. Could you imagine a world in which the grains of sand in an hour glass form a single file before going through the pinch point? Last thought on this topic, be a smarter grain of sand, GET IN LINE.
Credit www.chron.com
Second, Texas has pioneered the highway real estate market with the backwards overpass. Down here in Texas we build 24 lane wide sections of I-10. However, we do something that is amazingly dangerous. In the name of saving real estate on the sides of the "feeder" the main lanes of the highway overpass the cross streets. Here is the problem, I-10 has a blind hill with every cross street. While driving at highway speed we crest and fall, crest and fall like riding waves in the ocean. It's just death over the next hill when there is an accident. Somehow it was made a better highway, by being even more dangerous.
End rant.
The answer here years later. Each of the vehicles contains at least one human being, a driver. It's time that we stop seeing a vehicle and focus on the driver.
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