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Ever watch a car try to go the wrong way?

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Old 10-06-09 | 09:39 PM
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Ever watch a car try to go the wrong way?

When waiting at an intersection, I generally move over to let cars get through to make right turns. But two separate times (at the same intersection) a car started creeping up on my ass to make a right turn the wrong way onto the one-way street. I looked back and made like a "no" motion but they were clearly upset that I was blocking their path. The first time this happened, when the light changed the guy practically peeled out once I was clear, only to be greeted by furious honks of the oncoming traffic. When it happened more recently the guy seemed to realize pretty quickly he was going the wrong way.

kuf made a diagram that she wanted to use in the other thread which is now locked...

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Old 10-06-09 | 09:42 PM
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I move over like you do if the car has its right turn signal on before I stop.
If the driver decides to right turn after he stops, he has to wait for the green.
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Old 10-06-09 | 09:46 PM
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Your new avatar is creepy, old man
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Old 10-06-09 | 09:51 PM
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Originally Posted by umd
Your new avatar is creepy, old man
She is Not Creepy.



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Old 10-06-09 | 09:56 PM
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Originally Posted by 10 Wheels
She is Not Creepy.
I meant it is creepy for an old man to have an avatar of a young woman.
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Old 10-06-09 | 09:57 PM
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Unrelated though, I meant to ask you if you guys came through Santa Barbara on your ride. I saw a "42" van one day when I was riding a while ago.
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Old 10-06-09 | 09:58 PM
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Originally Posted by umd
I meant it is creepy for an old man to have an avatar of a young woman.
I have a wife, Two daughters, Three granddaughters.
They are all very pretty.
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Old 10-06-09 | 10:01 PM
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Originally Posted by umd
Unrelated though, I meant to ask you if you guys came through Santa Barbara on your ride. I saw a "42" van one day when I was riding a while ago.
I was on The 42 Southern Group.
We came to LA from San Diego.
It was so neat to ride along the coast 101.
The temp never got above 68*, I loved it.
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Old 10-06-09 | 10:20 PM
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It happens all the time on the street outside my window. It doesn't help that the street is two-way one block further, and the mass of signs and storefronts at the intersection where it changes practically obliterate the Do Not Enter signs (one is actually behind a stoplight pole).

I think my busybody neighbor with the shrill voice complained loudly enough that, during business hours, there's a Capitol Police cruiser parked at the corner to "woop woop" at people driving the wrong way and make them turn around. Really, that's their mission. I've seen them light up and stop drivers who persist and either keep going the same way or turn the wrong way up the other one-way street across the front of my building.

I wonder if GPS units or Mapquest and Google databases know that it's a one-way street.
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Old 10-06-09 | 10:24 PM
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Originally Posted by BarracksSi
I wonder if GPS units or Mapquest and Google databases know that it's a one-way street.
That's a good question... I've certainly heard stories of strange places GPS devices have tried to route people.
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Old 10-06-09 | 10:49 PM
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Originally Posted by umd
That's a good question... I've certainly heard stories of strange places GPS devices have tried to route people.
Then again, I'd have to make the assumption that they're smart enough to read their GPS or Mapquest printout. Instead, they're usually from out of the area, looking up at street signs instead of the traffic around them.

One screwy thing that isn't the fault of any signage is, at the problematic intersection, there usually isn't any traffic waiting to come out of the one-way part. The timing of the other lights means that people can turn into this street and not see anyone coming at them for another block or two.

Plus, because there are three streets crossing here (with two of them changing to one-way streets—one coming and the other going), there are multiple stoplights for each direction. They tend to get more attention, of course.

I could blame their using cell phones, but I don't see them with phones any more often than anyone else.

I'd have the signs relocated, and maybe some unnecessary clutter removed, but that's about all I can think of without adding markings that aren't usually seen in the US.
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Old 10-07-09 | 12:13 AM
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my gps has never tried to route me down a one way, but it did try to route me down a hiking trail. The trail is a road over much of its length.
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Old 10-07-09 | 08:53 AM
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Probably not the right thing to do, but if I were in that situation I'd move over towards the curb and wave them on through. Then I'd enjoy the show.
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Old 10-07-09 | 09:17 AM
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Originally Posted by Tundra_Man
Probably not the right thing to do, but if I were in that situation I'd move over towards the curb and wave them on through. Then I'd enjoy the show.
Haha, pwnd either way.
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Old 10-07-09 | 10:01 AM
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Shortly after I moved to Denver from a small town in SE WA state I made a right onto a one way street in downtown. The correct direction was a left.
Anyhow, I was a bit confused and overwhelmed driving there. Fortunately, the street was empty and I sped to the next street and exited going the correct direction on a different street.
Sometimes folks just screw up.
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Old 10-07-09 | 10:04 AM
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See it all the time, have quite a few one way streets in the neighborhood.

My work is just off of 14th ave which is a one-way. Its not well marked however. I've seen tons of people turn the wrong way. Witnessed a bad accident between a Corvette and a Suburban. Needless to say, the Suburban won.

If I see them coming at me, I quickly dodge. In my car, I'll honk real loud and find the quickest out. On my bicycle, I dodge off to the side and get on the sidewalk or something.

Originally Posted by DataJunkie
Sometimes folks just screw up.
Exactly. I've done it a couple times. Especially on the streets not well marked.
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Old 10-07-09 | 11:55 AM
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I see it happen a lot too- mostly downtown here in San Francisco and near some hotels.

That's a good point about the GPS units too- I remember my dad having one in a rental car out here and it kept indicating left turns on streets that were either one way, or that didn't allow left turns. I assume they update those regularly though... who knows.
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Old 10-07-09 | 01:09 PM
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I've seen a teenager driving on a path from one road to another squeezing between two fences.

I was so flabbergasted that I didn't even think to make a note of his plate or anything.
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