07-03-2022, 03:33 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-03-2022, 03:34 PM by danbrotherston.)
(07-03-2022, 03:07 PM)tomh009 Wrote:(07-03-2022, 09:20 AM)danbrotherston Wrote: Funny, I will ride across any time I have the right of way (i.e., there are not vehicles to yield to). If drivers stop for me when they have the right of way, I still won't go...it is their job to follow the rules and I do make myself an ass by forcing them to go.
The rules say that they have the right to go first, not that they must go first. Ceding that right-of-way happens from time to time in driver to driver interactions, too: letting a car pull out of a driveway in front of you, letting someone turn left in front of you, letting a parked vehicle pull out etc. In each case, the driver ceding has the right of way, but chooses to let the other driver go first.
Some people would call that being nice, or considerate.
Yeah, I strongly disagree here. The goal of right of way laws is to create understandable reliable behaviour from a chaotic system. Yielding incorrectly leads to confusion and bad behaviour all around. I have nearly been run over when a driver stopped for me, and another driver drives around them. This has happened more than once in multiple contexts. To say nothing of not seeing cars in other lanes or going the other way.
This is "kind and considerate" in the same way buying the entire UK Olympic Team[1] matching luggage was "kind and considerate"...i.e., it's a personal action you take (for you, I'm sure, and for most or at least many--but certainly not all) altruistically, but without understanding the broader implications of the decision.
Another example, when I was cycling in the region regularly, drivers would frequently yield improperly at traffic signals and stop signs. Most of the time it was drivers being "nice" and occasionally it is drivers distracted on their phones. I cannot tell the difference while cycling, and if I go and I'm wrong and a driver of a pickup truck looks up from their phone and sees a green light, I die.
The situation at PXOs, I feel is sufficiently insane that I don't think it helps anyone for me not to go, but in the other circumstances I mentioned, it is absolutely the case that being obstinate about it has saved me some close calls.
But, leaving aside entirely the risk, 9 times out of 10, drivers who yield improperly actually delay me even if I was to go when they yield. Whether it's someone at a stop sign who doesn't go and then we all have to wait longer or the most infuriating, a driver at the tail end of a queue at a crossing who stops and now I miss an opportunity to cross both lanes...the overall goal of that reliable behaviour achieved from right of way laws (remember, safety is not a goal in transportation) is actually optimizing throughput. If I can anticipate when I will have the right of way, I can reach the intersection at the right time to proceed. Then I don't have to stop and slowly accelerate, and we all save time. This applies to driving and cycling and a little to walking.
That's the most frustrating thing about this whole thing. 9 times out of 10, even if we ignore the risks which I feel are very real, being nice actually delays everyone.
[1] https://www.businessinsider.com/british-...ional=true&r=US&IR=T
FWIW: Where I live now, drivers much more rarely yield improperly, following the right of way laws is key to maintaining through put, and safety is not dependent on it either, because speeds are generally low enough that there is little risk if someone makes a mistake or does something unexpected.