Seattle Four Way Stop Sign

[divemaster5734]

Just got home after a fun filled afternoon dealing with Seattle traffic.

They have a unique procedure out here at stop signs.

They try to "out nice" each other.

Often, after spending 15 minutes crawling to an intersection, you will face off with three other drivers, all gesturing, nodding, grinning at each other, demanding each other goes first.

So they will sit there, no one moving, waiting for the other guy to go.

They have a very strict set of rules for their superfluous game.

You are required to wave off at least three other drivers before you are allowed to go, or, if you are a "competitive" type, you are allowed to maintain your position, and simply wave off to other drivers, thus proving YOU are the winner, and the nicest clueless idiot of the intersection.

But don't let it get to your head, because all bets are off at the next intersection, and you will be forced to assert your over the top politeness all over again.

Never mind the dozens of cars behind you, what's it to you if a normal 20 minute commute is now taking 2 hours after every intersection is filled with similar ignorant self-serving libtards, all trying to make the world see all that universal goodness oozing from their very soul.

It's not like people can't already tell by the rainbow, coexist,end coal, or obama'08 stickers on your hybird, or the luggage and bike carrier on your Subaru, the ONLY acceptable gas only car allowed to the inner fuzziness of Seattle's uber uber uber crowd. Not required but highly recommended are expensive $15,000 minimum mountain bikes latched into the carriers, thus proving you are on your way to partake in nature oneness, to pay for your offence of even operating a "dinosaur" internal combustion engine powered car.

Most have resignedly taken off their "eat my smug" bumper stickers, after they won the bidding war, and paid $10,000 MORE than the retail price for their Prius, after all, no price is too high when proving YOU are the first on your block to dwell within the astral plane of higher consciousness and earth mother awareness. The Prius bidding wars in Seattle took place before every shipment of cars even arrived, not only did they overpay, they then had to wait up to 3 months to actually receive it.

I mean,does it even matter, and who cares anyway, if the plastic canoe you paddled to protest the drilling rig was made from petroleum products, you paddled it yourself after all. 

 

When a sane person finally makes it to the intersection, and immediately sees the other drivers deep into the competition, to just go through will incur the instant wrath of all the other "players".

You will be judged, sentenced, and executed instantaneously, with the most heinous and vile of punishments known to man, the indignant, haughty, judgmental, and triple affirmed conviction of being an actual living Neanderthal, and will then be forced to suffer the most incredible Stink Eye, administered with spirit felt energy, by the remaining and obviously oh so much nicer drivers that you have left sitting in that poor abandoned intersection, and all they wanted to do was play their game with you, because after all, we are all the same, as long as we are all socialist libtards, and any bottom dwelling Christian incompetents are on earth solely to give the enlightened ones something to hate.

There is no other reason to be in traffic, certainly not because you have a schedule to meet, employees to deal with, customers waiting, or, God forbid, any appointments.

So go forth, and prove your elitism, to every living being you are fortunate enough to be able to delay.

 

Grrrrr....DM

[tommyboy]

They ought to do four-way stops the way we do where I live. It's all voluntary, but works very well. 

 

First, a car travelling north and one travelling south both go, then one east and one west go. Always two cars in the intersection travelling in opposite directions.

 

Works out VERY well until you have some a$$hole try to race through, then everybody blows their horn and gives that person the one-finger salute.

 

I have sat there on the side of the road and just watched and found it amazing that peeps can really cooperate an their own without lights, cops or laws. It's a beautiful thing.

[divemaster5734]

I have sat there on the side of the road and just watched and found it amazing that peeps can really cooperate an their own without lights, cops or laws. It's a beautiful thing.

 

Civilized, intelligent humans have a remarkable capacity to cooperate.

In the blue collar manufacturing areas a different ethic is practiced.

Whoever is on the right, as is the law, goes first.

If it is full, whoever has been there longest will usually go, and the guy going the other way will have a free pass as long as the other isn't turning left.

They manage to get through 4 ways quickly, safely, and go on their productive way.

It's only the more "enlightened" sections that seem to have great difficulties with common sense.

 

Besides, I was just venting anyway. For being one of the "smartest" populations in the world, (average education is a Bachelors), they seem to be competing for the worst drivers award as well.

[billbill]

LOL!!!!

That was a Good Read, DM

Reminds me of driving in Sun City, AZ. You just don't know what the other driver is going to do from one moment to the next. That's because they don't know. Sometimes they forget why they are even driving down the road! Then throw in a bunch of golf carts into the mix. Really gets exciting sometimes.

[nstoolman1]

Hemet, Ca also.

[jeepguy]

O-M-G    dive master ,  I  only wish  we could  get  about  half  of this  ,  here  is what our  great  new  masters of traffic  have come up with here in the  southern Indiana near Louisville ky ,  { I  will do a little back  info first ,  ------ now  here , where  the ohio river has  the 2 states divided ,  there is 3  bridges  that serve  traffic  too north Kentucky ,  Louisville area ,  if you check maps you can see how  highways  travel right  through the area ,  2 years ago  , --- a run away barge , traveling down river with tug boat ,  broke away  and rammed  one  bridge , they had to shut that one down divert traffic too the other 2  , which one  is older than  time itself ,  and other one  is  a straight drive right too down town Louisville ,  non-the less  both were  over worked  for about 2 months ,   --- so the powers that be finally  got it together , and  are now in the process of  building 2 more bridges  east  and  next  two  the  older than time bridge ,  ----  }   o .k.  now   here is what  the  feeder roads are about to do , the think tank  guru`s  have come up with ONE HELL OF AN IDEA         okay  we have a highway loop that will have  a  circle  traffic  loop after you exit  , that will  blend  4  lines  of traffic  ,  I think  it is  what  European vacation with chey chase  drove through ,  Piccadilly circle  ,  round ,round .  --- I think the idea is ,   if you are in the  pattern  circle  and doing the round round ,   any one  who  just arrives  too the confusion , yields  to the  auto that is already  in state  of,oh  shite I hope they stop  !    { look at  a clock face  ,  now  at  9 o clock  and 3  oclock  will stop  go too the right  and start  the ride around  , and  now  4 o clock  and  the  10 oclock  positions   will now  arrive  and blend  in  }    easy  cheesy  right  !   hahahahaha      an insurance night mare  and now all of this is  double  lane traffic  ,,,  not  to forget   high way speeds  are arriving at the  crash site soon to be !  ----------  can be viewed  by  trimac  traffic  cams  live   Louisville ky  southern Indiana ,  click  on  number 22  or  23  I think  if seems  calm  but the cameras  are stop and reload every 3  minutes  so  it is  interesting to see  who will make it !     as for me  I go  long way around  in the morning hours  ........ 

foot note  camera  number 20    not 22   or 23  

look at  how  the tramarc  map locates  the loop they are trying to  complete !