15 January 2010

Compliment to Canberra Drivers

| ThatGuy
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I almost don’t want to say it for fear of jinxing myself, but I must say that Canberra drivers have been doing something right recently.

Several months ago I moved from North to mid-south-central (not quite ready to call myself a southsider yet). My girlfriend and I take advantage of the T2 lanes from Woden to our places of work in the city. When we first started utilising these lanes we ran into several issues:

  • Drivers going extreeeemley slow in the T2 lane
  • Drivers (with no passenger) getting pissy with us for getting ahead and attempting to block us
  • Drivers with no passenger using the T2 lane illegaly
  • I don’t want to generalise but young male drivers in gargantuan utes flying up our butts and getting angry at us for not going 20kph over the limit. For some reason it’s always young males in built up utes, I’m actually not generalising for once!

But recently, it seems that Canberra drivers are getting it. They’re getting that they need to have 2 people in their car, they’re getting that it isn’t necessarily the fast lane while still understanding that they need to go the speed limit, they’re getting that the lanes are aimed at benefiting those who car pool so it isn’t necessary to block me just because I’m getting in front of you. Canberra you’re getting it!

Undoubtedly, I’ll now be rear-ended by an angry ute driving maniac with no passenger on the way home. But until that time, credit where credit is due.

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One lovely member of the public has spun all the T2 signs around the wrong way. I suspect that the T2 part of the lane will be removed once the GDE is complete. I say this as where Adelaide Avenue was recently resealed, the T2 sign was removed & only “Bus Lane” was painted on the road.

In my mind, there should be cement wall in between the bus lane & normal traffic lanes. The barrier could end around Hopetourn Circuit turn off. This would allow buses enough room to move over to exit onto State Circle & to get from State Circle to bus lane of an afternoon. The T2 part would be removed as I see too many slow cars in the T2 at the moment

Time it went back to a bus-only lane (but with access for taxis and motor cycles); at the time it was converted to a T2 lane, government said it was only a temporary measure.

THEY’RE BAAAACCCK!!!!

Single occupant turkey in a red Mazda MX6 this morning decides that the traffic is travelling too slow for him in the right lane, so uses the T2 as an overtaking lane then proceeds to stay in that lane for the rest of the length of Adelaide Ave. Must have saved all of about 20 seconds of his trip.

Expect more of the same in the coming weeks as more of these people return from holidays.

I dont find its P-platers or tradies in utes, of a morning i find the tailgaters are the middle aged businessmen and women in their la di da flashy cars who i am guessing have left the house late!

trevar said :

molongloid said :

trevar said :

You may then have to wait until October for the annual westerly migration of the utes for another reprieve

What happens in/from October to the West?

The Deni Ute Muster (click the link)

The link looked like a link but didn’t contain anything. Thanks for the extra info.

sepi said :

I use the T2 lanes when Adelaide Ave is busy, but I don’t bother when there’s not much traffic. I may look like only one person too, but I do have little kids in the back.

I tend to do the same.

I use the T2 lanes when Adelaide Ave is busy, but I don’t bother when there’s not much traffic. I may look like only one person too, but I do have little kids in the back.

WillowJim said :

H1NG0 said :

That T2 lane is a joke and should be opened up for all traffic. I only ever see the odd bus using it and I drive along there in peak hour every day. What a waste.

Two options, comrade:

(a) Whinge about the lanes on the RiotACT.
(a) Car pool, which is the whole point of having the lanes. Maybe policymakers intended for you to be frustrated.

I already car pool but drop my passender(s) off in Civic on the way from Gungahlin to Woden. Where are the T2 lanes on Northbourne? Still does not change the fact that that T2 lane on Adelaide Ave is not used and literally a total waste of space.

since 2 tradies in a truck nearly ran me down as i was crossing the street (in a zebra crossing in front of an elementary school in broad daylight where the speed limit is 20 km/hr, mind you) i am in no mood to praise any drivers. to top it off he cursed me out… couldn’t figure out what he was saying but probably something along the lines of “you almost got your dirty brains on the grille of my truck you #$%#^#”.

yeah, canberra drivers are swell. woot. i don’t often wish i had a gun on me, but this was one of those times….

molongloid said :

trevar said :

You may then have to wait until October for the annual westerly migration of the utes for another reprieve

What happens in/from October to the West?

The Deni Ute Muster (click the link)

trevar said :

You may then have to wait until October for the annual westerly migration of the utes for another reprieve

What happens in/from October to the West?

H1NG0 said :

That T2 lane is a joke and should be opened up for all traffic. I only ever see the odd bus using it and I drive along there in peak hour every day. What a waste.

Two options, comrade:

(a) Whinge about the lanes on the RiotACT.
(a) Car pool, which is the whole point of having the lanes. Maybe policymakers intended for you to be frustrated.

“Drivers (with no passenger) getting pissy with us for getting ahead and attempting to block us”

How do you know they’re getting annoyed and trying to block you in deliberately? The vast majority of drivers are not passive aggressive people. In fact the majority of drivers are sensible people, albeit with vastly varying driving abilities. Hence where 85th %ile speed theories and the like come from.

Rather than thinking a driver has deliberately sped up to block you in, assume that they’ve probably got their mind on their day ahead at work/dinner that evening and have accidentally sped up/slowed down to match your speed, as many drivers do when being passed by someone. Being tailgated? The person behind isn’t doing it deliberately, they’re probably not aware that they’re travelling at an unsafe distance which is making you uncomfortable. After all, the only focus of driver training these days is how important magic numbers on signs are.

Admittedly there are drivers who do possess passive aggressive, or just aggressive habits, but I like to assume that these people are few and far between. The majority of people using the roads are simply attempting to get from A to B safely, without being killed. Drive with this frame of mind, and your trips will be far more pleasant and less stressful. Particularly given in Canberra, if you ever are hampered by another person for whatever reason, chances are it will literally add 10 seconds to your trip on average, if that. Not worth getting worked up over, at all. 🙂

Highly recommended reading for absolutely everyone:
http://tomvanderbilt.com/traffic/excerpt/

Canberra, Australia??

That T2 lane is a joke and should be opened up for all traffic. I only ever see the odd bus using it and I drive along there in peak hour every day. What a waste.

Traffic won’t go back to normal until about the first week of February when the kiddies go back to school. Idiot drivers double as parents get back on the road going to work. Enjoy your next 3 weeks of relative peace..

Hmmm good point, it could be the annual ute migration. I think I may have been lulled into a false sense of security by the roads being fairly busy over the last week.

I’ll report back in June.

How long have you been free from these aggressive utes?

I suspect that, at this time of year, the utes may have made their annual easterly migration, and they will probably return in February. You may then have to wait until October for the annual westerly migration of the utes for another reprieve

Not just young driver that tail gating you. I find that most people in a Falcon or Commodore that do the tail gating as well.

Ummm I think it’s that most Canberrans are still away down the coast.

I’m a regular user of the T2 lanes also. I must say, I have seen in the few weeks before Christmas (quite regularly too – few times a week), cops both in cars and on bikes watching the T2 lane. Perhaps that has scared a few people off from using it when they shouldn’t.

Overall – it seems to work quite well, its only very rarely I see someone using it with only 1 person in the car (no offence to P platers, but it tends to be a P plater hooner most of the time).

I had thought they’d be taking away the T2 lane after the Gungarhlin drive extension was finished, but they’ve kept it in place (possibly due to the EXTENSION of the Gungarhlin drive – because its cheaper to make it, then extend it later on isn’t it government).

I dont see it posing any slow-down to public transport whatsoever, so be great if it stays in place for good!

Touch wood, immediately.

marcothepolopony11:35 am 15 Jan 10

Excellent news Thatguy,

But, could it be that the ‘Tradies’ have been on holidays and just not been on the road for the past month?

What about a report from you in say, June on the state of traffic in the T2 lane.

Don’t worry, it will all start again when we have a full compliment of vehicles back on the road after everyone goes back to work after their holidays.

agreed. i use the T2 and have noticed the same thing. now people just need to learn that the concept of merging (especially at ‘form one lane’) isn’t a race…

Maybe it is a 20-10 resolution.

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