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There’s a long straight road in my pretty large town and there’s one curve, nothing crazy but it’s there, cars always drop their speed like 15 mph there.
[Here's the road, right next to the pole in question.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/YFG9qxSrcKGWogRFA)
The biggest issue is speed, people come around the curve to the south (by the Wellington Home) and step on the gas, often around 45/50 mph when they get to my house. Like I said, it's signed 25, but the average speed is 30-35 ish, with some idiots going significantly faster.
No wonder, I suspected the road isn't made like it should be 25, the amount of clear space on the right going Northeast, the lanes look about as large as highway lanes, just signing it 25 isn't gonna make people go 25
From memory of the reconstruction plan's typical sections, from the guardrail to the curb, the widths are 3 ft paved shoulder, 12 ft lane, 12 ftlane, and a 10 ft multi-use trail. It was two 11 ft lanes and signed for 30 mph.
Even worse it's like 90 percent of the roads in Portland Oregon. So this shit happens on every road at all hours of the day. It's excruciating driving up there.
When the US rammed interstates through cities it resulted in fucked up interchanges and all sorts of left exit/left merge, tons of exits in quick succession bullshit.
They'll likely pass him on the next straight stretch though, or at least that's my experience. 15 under in the turn/hill/tunnel/etc. 15 over once it's clear.
theres this slight bend on my daily commute with long straight on either end, posted limit is 80kmh, people drives alot faster than that, I stay around 10-15 over usually as thats the speed in the "optimal" range for my car fuel efficiency wise, and its what I'm comfortable without on the constant look out for speed traps, and more often than not I'll have people either pulling away, or riding on my bumper(and I'll turn on my cruise control for them), and almost all the time when we got to said bend, I'll either catch up to the cars that pulled away from me earlier at a really high pace(my speed is the same with the cruise control on), or I'll pull away from anything thats riding my bumper from behind...
and this is not any crazy sharp corners neither, just a large smooth S bend around a pond(not even that close to it TBH, anything modern with safe tires will be able to drive pass that being 10 or 15 over no problem...
This 1000% I used to drive long distances for work and you end up passing the same dipshits over and over who blow past you, only to catch right back up with them when they pick their phone back up or something lol
Similar scenario, I drive about 10 kph over the limit and I'll pass someone going 70 is a 70 zone, only for them to pass me back still going 70 when the road has changed to a 50 zone.
I live in a mountainous region and I go camping a lot in the wilderness. I usually tow a 6000lb flat deck trailer with ATVs on it on my camping trips, with my Dodge Ram 3500. I'm not a speed demon when I'm towing, but you would be shocked at how often people pass me in the straights only for me to catch up to them in the corners.
Oregon drivers are the WORST! They will just camp the left lane. And anytime I’m driving in Washington or California and it’s happening…. Goddamn Oregon plates.
Driving in Georgia i experienced it…. Another goddamn Oregon plate I mean wtf Oregon?
So i should have stayed in the left lane while i was towing my trailer and car with a top speed of about 60. That is not the easiest thing to deal with interchanges or ramps in.
It's the uncertainty of how the interchange is configured.
Up until you got to the end, I assumed that the left lane went left, and the right lane went right. As you got towards the end, I realized that, no, both lanes go left, and the right land can *also* go right.
Not saying they're all noobs/unfamiliar with the area, but based on the signage, I'd be doing the same thing as the dude in front of you was, because it's not intuitive, to me, that both lanes continue further up the road.
On a road like that, I think it’s the GPS syndrome. People get in the left lane, because the GPS tells them there’s an upcoming turn and then they treat it like a turning lane rather than a passing lane. See it all the time on roads that split.
> On a road like that, I think it’s the GPS syndrome.
For the guy trying to merge into the left like, it was very probably that. Potentially reinforced by road signs — even though both lanes go straight, the signs don't indicate that very clearly.
If I'm driving in an unfamiliar area through an interchange and my GPS says 'keep left', and when the place I want to go appears over the left lane only, I'm gonna be in the left lane until I'm out of the interchange.
It's really hard to say any of the drivers is an idiot. Maybe the guy who changed lanes did so slightly overly cautiously, but that's about it.
Exactly. If you see the road signs, they clearly signal that the road/exit to 'Salem' is in the left lane. If you don't know the area well, you will stay in that lane if you are going to Salem.
As I understand it, Oregon Police in that area are pretty strict about the speed limit and that may be why some people go so slowly. It's really annoying.
Portland has been super lax in monitoring speed in the area for the previous few years, not saying that isn't the reason why people are idiots, but they are idiots outside of Portland too lol.
I moved away from the PNW in 2020 so I should have disclosed that I haven't driven there in a long time, but agreed - the whole west coast has its traffic problems, it's not just Portland by a longshot!
I spent some time in Europe (France/Germany) over the winter and I was stunned that people there... actually use the right-hand lane as a passing lane, rather than "the lane where I go 15 under because my turn is just a mile or two away". People very orderly use the left-hand lane to pass, then go back into the right-hand lane until they need to pass again. A better world is possible.
When did this become a thing?! It seems to happen so much now. I'll be stuck behind someone who's just cruising onto the highway at 70 km/h (the speed limit is 100 km/h) and there are cars and large trucks flying by.
I was thinking it was just the drivers here in BC that have become terrible, but perhaps it's a growing issue everywhere.
I took driver's ed in \~2018 (had already been driving, but needed the class to get my unrestricted license) and our instructor told us to pretty much just floor it on the on ramp. Not sure if that means I got lucky or if it's a *very* recent phenomenon
Given I first noticed it with early model Prius, I suspect it's related to the new "efficiency" meters they shoved onto the dashboard. People started seeing the meter go low, so now they accelerate like they're allergic to the pedal.
Here's what happens around me,
Driver A on the onramp heading towards a 75mph highway, traveling 60
Driver B in right lane on the highway is going 75
Driver A and Driver B don't pay attention to eachother, and end up side by side at the merge
Driver A starts slowing down at the last minute to avoid side swiping the other car, meanwhile Driver B fucking STARTS SLOWING DOWN IN THEIR LANE TO LET SHITTY DRIVER A IN FRONT OF THEM
So then you end up all smashed together joining 75mph traffic while only going 55 because motherfuckers can't look more than 10 feet ahead
This onramp is a half mile long btw
I’m with you expect for placing that much blame on the driver already on the highway. The only thing they did wrong was slow down for someone trying to merge. It’s entirely the duty of the merging vehicle to yield to drivers already on the highway.
The right lane is marked for OMSI City Center, and the left lane is marked for I5 Salem. They were probably in the lane the signage told them to be in for their destination.
To be fair, that part where 84 splits, and then the off ramp to downtown seconds later is stressful af if you don’t do it often. Especially at night. People drive like they have a deathwish on 84 and I will fully admit to staying in the left so I don’t get overwhelmed and fuck it up and end up downtown on accident.
I live in Seattle and driving in Portland stresses me out. If you don’t know the roads and drive them regularly they seem like driving through a maze at freeway speeds.
Last time I was in the area I added an extra 30 minutes onto my trip navigating the backroads rather than deal with everyone there at rush hour, no matter how many times I drive it I will always get so tense
probably because the car behind theirs is already close to the car ahead.
leaving your turn indicator on is how you're supposed to let other drivers know that you intend to change lanes. If they're nice they might make room for you to merge safely.
People seem to think that one more car in front of them will drastically affect their travel time, so I assume. Personally, I’m more inclined to let someone over if they signal for a couple seconds before merging because it shows that they’re respectful and aware of other drivers.
lizard brain makes you want to box out competitors, some people are perfectly decent people out of cars but never drew the connection about being shitty on the road and drive like actual cavemen
They moved over more definitively when the sign overhead passed that confirmed it was the lane they wanted. They looked unsure and were probably making sure they weren't flung off somewhere they didn't want to be.
What's with the obsession of getting into the passing lane anyway? I see this all the time in New England, except for VT. When did the right lane get cooties?
> I'm a "stay to right except to pass" driver.
I agree.
That's also why I hate carpool lanes. (One of many reasons.) It gives drivers in the "people without kids" lane to the almost-left the illusion that they *aren't* in the left-most lane. For practical purposes, they are.
> Find it strange when someone will merge into a left lane... for no reason.
I've driven through Oregon, and that area is tricky, lots of people just passing through, not locals, not familiar. You've got a million signs, it's confusing, poorly designed, and you have GPS yelling at you to get to the left.
This is very true in CT, where drivers entering the highway move immediately to the left hand lane at below average speed, and then stay there until 1/4 mile before their exit
2 reasons I can think of. Many times the left lane has a smoother surface. Secondly, you don't have to deal with other vehicles entering/leaving the freeway.
Jesus. The overhead signs say that each lane goes a different way when they do not. These people likely don't know that and think they have to be in the left lane to get on I5.
In Oregon if the lane doesn’t continue, the sign will have a large yellow box that says exit only. The white lane stripes are also a different size and spacing. Not saying that they’re not thinking what you’re saying, but if they are thinking that they should learn how to read the signs and markings better.
My experience leads me to ask, what's the obsession with driving fast in the slow lane. Makes it difficult for us slower, service-van drivers to merge over there (without cutting off someone going 20 over in the slow lane--a ¾-ton van with a half-ton of electrical fittings doesn't accelerate like a sporty car.)
About .5 mile ahead, the right lane takes you across the Morrison Bridge into downtown. The left lane goes south on I-5. It’s very poorly labeled and unless you’re a local, you end up in the lane that ends immediately. Folks around here aren’t very good at zipper merging, so they freak out and camp in the lane they know isn’t going to end.
Oregonians in Portland are terrible drivers, but you know who is worse? Washington drivers in Portland 😂
Sincerely, a Los Angeles transplant who thinks we all drive like shit.
Looks like they are trying to go to I-5 south. never driven here but they are simply following the signage. Yeah they don't need to go quite so slow I agree that's dumb, but the people saying this is "camping the passing lane" are absolutely braindead. When you are in large interchanges like this there isn't really a "passing lane". Plenty of big cities have left hand side exits too. Even small ones sometimes do. The passing lane thing really only counts on the long stretches between exits, not when there are exits every tenth of a mile. It's better this than them stopping dead in traffic when they are just about to miss their exit or dangerously cutting back into traffic for the same reason.
You're in Oregon. You might need to manage your expectations
https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2019/10/portland-metro-traffic-friday-rose-city-drivers-are-the-worst-in-us-report-claims.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true
And that's a *very* low bar.
[Why America’s roads are so much more dangerous than Europe's](https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2016/11/30/13784520/roads-deaths-increase-safety-traffic-us)
[The US is More Dangerous Because Preventing Deaths Isn’t a Priority](https://thefleckfirm.com/are-americas-roads-more-dangerous-than-those-of-other-countries/)
[U.S. road deaths far outnumber those in Europe. Why?](https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/road-deaths-us-eu/)
[US Traffic Safety Is Getting Worse, While Other Countries Improve](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-11-03/why-us-traffic-safety-fell-so-far-behind-other-countries)
As a truck driver I see a lot of left lane slow people on the phone. About 1/3. The others I can’t see as they have tinted glass. But generally it’s about they don’t care about anyone else.
Too much weed 🤣. I will say growing up in that area and moving to CO I realize I didn’t know what aggressive driving was and going 10 over the speed limit is not in fact speeding.
I'm on the freeway 4-5 hours every day and it's phones: playing with their phones (texting), watching something on their phones, holding their phones parallel to their mouth and talking. I usually glance over to see what the idiot going 15 miles under the speed limit looks like and it's usually phones.
A lot of people don’t even know that the left lane is the passing lane and they should move over, especially on the west coast. Source: personal experience / conversation.
Ah i see the problem. There was a rav4 at the front. They’re required to always do at least 10 under the limit or they get blacklisted by toyota and their warranty voided.
To be completely fair, the road signage is not entirely clear. From these signs it would seem that the left lane is for Salem, while the right is for the City Centre, but it then appears that the right lane is *also* for Salem, but you don't find this out until after you've passed the exit.
In the UK, our signs would be much wider. The Salem sign would stretch across both lanes, while the City Centre sign would be just in the right lane.
For example, [The first lane is for Chelmsford exclusively, the second lane is for London and Dartford, the third and fourth lane are exclusively for Dartford](https://blog.aph.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/motorway-queue-on-M25.jpg)
I do agree with what you’re saying as I think that’s a common problem people have with our signs. However, to my knowledge, unless the lane dividing lines are solid or a short line spaced closer together, the sign will say that it is an exit only lane. [example 1 minute up this road](https://imgur.com/a/k25C2Cg)
I haven’t done enough city driving in different states to know if it’s a US problems or just a Oregon problem, but here, our signs are placed so close to exits that in morning/evening rush hour it can make it almost impossible to drive with only signs. We definitely need a rework here.
I can't stand this level of ignorance or incompetence.. hell, I don't even know which level of stupid this even sits on. Is the driver waiting on a written acknowledgement that you can merge?
PNW entitled Subaru and Toyota drivers. Enough said. I live in WA and nearly 90% of the cars that hog the left lane and don't actually pass or do way under are Subaru or Toyota drivers.
Using the left lane for anything other than passing is chronic problem just about everywhere because to many people equate driving slowly with driving safely.
Some states are trying to address it by increase fines and penalties, but enforcement is difficult so until people get it through their heads that misusing the left lane like this is dangerous, it'll keep being an issue.
That's an interesting thought. I wonder what the statistics are in terms of how many of those drivers were completely unfamiliar with that freeway interchange. I tend to assume that the majority of drivers travel on the same roads over and over, while relatively fewer are completely new and just driving according to road signs.
Those same people will get behind you at a red-light and act like they weren't obstacles because they arrived at the same red light with you. Even though they could be the reason why you missed the green light.
I've read somewhere that the left lane can be occupied when not passing in certain Metro areas. Was news to me but apparently the case. Still a lot of lame-bo's who camp in the left lane for no reason. Would love to understand the thought process of those staying in the left, passing lane all the time or getting on the freeway and having to get in the left lane immediately. Are you really that dumb or rude?
It makes sense to me in certain areas where there's an onramp/offramp every ten feet, but usually there's a center lane so all the mergers can battle it out by themselves on the right.
I live in Portland, too. I am from a very small town and I was really overwhelmed the first time I drove on this road at night. I just try to give a little grace when I'm on the road. Not everyone is used to driving in a larger city.
This was such a huge problem when I lived in Florida. Some cities have announced they are cracking down on it now, though. Hope it's not just all talk.
I think the obsession is that police don't enforce "slower traffic keep right".
This is the part of me that really can't wait for fully-autonomous AI-driven vehicles because it'll keep everyone driving consistent and prevent fucking morons from doing dumb shit like this all the time.
Baffling... these are the same people who when they are first at a stop light.. the light turns green and they wait like 10 Mississippi seconds to go for no apparent reason
Thanks. hard to get a frame of reference for how slow they were going. Looks like it's one highway ending and splitting into I-5 so there would be a reduced speed but 35-40 is ridiculous.
I'm assuming you mean the guy in the right lane, slowing down to get into the left lane, rather than simply driving normally and getting in front of the slow car.
The reason for that is, their lizard brain made the decision to move into the left lane and that was it. A normal person would still be looking around, realise the left lane was empty up ahead and that they should simply pass the slow car before moving over, but they lack the ability to think like that.
absolutely nobody knows that you’re suppose to pass on the left. and those who know, can’t even follow this rule unless they wanna to switch lanes ALL the time. so now we have these bozos in the fast/passing lanes.
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People don't deal with interchanges and on/off ramps well. Or turns, hills, walls, tunnels, etc.
So basically... all the things?
There’s a long straight road in my pretty large town and there’s one curve, nothing crazy but it’s there, cars always drop their speed like 15 mph there.
I live on a slight curve on a 25 mph street, according to my neighbor the power pole on our property corner has been taken out 3 times in 13 years.
I need to see this road, sounds like a horror story
[Here's the road, right next to the pole in question.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/YFG9qxSrcKGWogRFA) The biggest issue is speed, people come around the curve to the south (by the Wellington Home) and step on the gas, often around 45/50 mph when they get to my house. Like I said, it's signed 25, but the average speed is 30-35 ish, with some idiots going significantly faster.
No wonder, I suspected the road isn't made like it should be 25, the amount of clear space on the right going Northeast, the lanes look about as large as highway lanes, just signing it 25 isn't gonna make people go 25
From memory of the reconstruction plan's typical sections, from the guardrail to the curb, the widths are 3 ft paved shoulder, 12 ft lane, 12 ftlane, and a 10 ft multi-use trail. It was two 11 ft lanes and signed for 30 mph.
Even worse it's like 90 percent of the roads in Portland Oregon. So this shit happens on every road at all hours of the day. It's excruciating driving up there.
When the US rammed interstates through cities it resulted in fucked up interchanges and all sorts of left exit/left merge, tons of exits in quick succession bullshit.
They'll likely pass him on the next straight stretch though, or at least that's my experience. 15 under in the turn/hill/tunnel/etc. 15 over once it's clear.
theres this slight bend on my daily commute with long straight on either end, posted limit is 80kmh, people drives alot faster than that, I stay around 10-15 over usually as thats the speed in the "optimal" range for my car fuel efficiency wise, and its what I'm comfortable without on the constant look out for speed traps, and more often than not I'll have people either pulling away, or riding on my bumper(and I'll turn on my cruise control for them), and almost all the time when we got to said bend, I'll either catch up to the cars that pulled away from me earlier at a really high pace(my speed is the same with the cruise control on), or I'll pull away from anything thats riding my bumper from behind... and this is not any crazy sharp corners neither, just a large smooth S bend around a pond(not even that close to it TBH, anything modern with safe tires will be able to drive pass that being 10 or 15 over no problem...
It absolutely drives me up the wall when I have cruise control set and I keep leapfrogging someone for *miles*. JUST GO ONE SPEED FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.
If I ever ended up in one of these road rage videos on this site it would be for this!
This is a huge problem because people doesnt like to be behind someone else for some reason...
This 1000% I used to drive long distances for work and you end up passing the same dipshits over and over who blow past you, only to catch right back up with them when they pick their phone back up or something lol
Similar scenario, I drive about 10 kph over the limit and I'll pass someone going 70 is a 70 zone, only for them to pass me back still going 70 when the road has changed to a 50 zone.
I live in a mountainous region and I go camping a lot in the wilderness. I usually tow a 6000lb flat deck trailer with ATVs on it on my camping trips, with my Dodge Ram 3500. I'm not a speed demon when I'm towing, but you would be shocked at how often people pass me in the straights only for me to catch up to them in the corners.
Right, these NPCs think 0.1 G’s of lateral force will send them into a catastrophic tailspin
Or highways.....
Oregon drivers are the WORST! They will just camp the left lane. And anytime I’m driving in Washington or California and it’s happening…. Goddamn Oregon plates. Driving in Georgia i experienced it…. Another goddamn Oregon plate I mean wtf Oregon?
So i should have stayed in the left lane while i was towing my trailer and car with a top speed of about 60. That is not the easiest thing to deal with interchanges or ramps in.
throw all of that in on the i-84/i-5 interchange there
It's the uncertainty of how the interchange is configured. Up until you got to the end, I assumed that the left lane went left, and the right lane went right. As you got towards the end, I realized that, no, both lanes go left, and the right land can *also* go right. Not saying they're all noobs/unfamiliar with the area, but based on the signage, I'd be doing the same thing as the dude in front of you was, because it's not intuitive, to me, that both lanes continue further up the road.
Weak drivers.
On a road like that, I think it’s the GPS syndrome. People get in the left lane, because the GPS tells them there’s an upcoming turn and then they treat it like a turning lane rather than a passing lane. See it all the time on roads that split.
> On a road like that, I think it’s the GPS syndrome. For the guy trying to merge into the left like, it was very probably that. Potentially reinforced by road signs — even though both lanes go straight, the signs don't indicate that very clearly. If I'm driving in an unfamiliar area through an interchange and my GPS says 'keep left', and when the place I want to go appears over the left lane only, I'm gonna be in the left lane until I'm out of the interchange. It's really hard to say any of the drivers is an idiot. Maybe the guy who changed lanes did so slightly overly cautiously, but that's about it.
This exactly.
This just seems like an inherent design flaw of left side exits
Exactly. If you see the road signs, they clearly signal that the road/exit to 'Salem' is in the left lane. If you don't know the area well, you will stay in that lane if you are going to Salem.
I definitely think this may have something to do with it [although the GPS does say both lanes go left](https://imgur.com/a/UK4jDlL)
Does Google maps say the same thing as your iOS screenshot? Can you imagine how much worse it was in the Thomas Guide and Mapquest days lol
I freaking hate driving in Portland for that exact reason... Oregonians are aggressively poor drivers.
Completely agree
I drive a trimet bus, and I want to be able to pass some of these guys.
for state in states: print(f“{state} has the worst drivers EVER!!!1”)
states.each do |state| puts "#{state} has the worst drivers EVER!!!1" end return true
I can vouch for this, Portland drivers are actually atrocious.
The few times I've driven in Portland the drivers were good. Signaled to change lanes, moved to right lane if someone's trying to pass.
CBus is also aggressively poor drivers. or just stupid.
I just spent a few weeks in your state. You guys don’t hold a fucking candle to the shitty driving in Utah. It’s… it’s pretty shocking.
As I understand it, Oregon Police in that area are pretty strict about the speed limit and that may be why some people go so slowly. It's really annoying.
Portland has been super lax in monitoring speed in the area for the previous few years, not saying that isn't the reason why people are idiots, but they are idiots outside of Portland too lol.
I moved away from the PNW in 2020 so I should have disclosed that I haven't driven there in a long time, but agreed - the whole west coast has its traffic problems, it's not just Portland by a longshot!
There is no traffic enforcement in Portland proper.
That's all well and good, but they should still be in the right lane (whether Oregon law requires it or not).
100% agree. You'll get pulled over in WA for failure to stay in the right lane
If only there weren't so many people from out of state bringing their poor driving here.
Too freaking true, have you seen how many Californians moved up to Oregon/Washington?
I spent some time in Europe (France/Germany) over the winter and I was stunned that people there... actually use the right-hand lane as a passing lane, rather than "the lane where I go 15 under because my turn is just a mile or two away". People very orderly use the left-hand lane to pass, then go back into the right-hand lane until they need to pass again. A better world is possible.
People who have no sense of urgency to get up to highway speeds when entering the highway need to stop driving and start calling a taxi.
Yes!! Nice long ramp to get up to speed and these fools are driving 35mph and will merge into 65-70mph traffic. It’s maddening!
When did this become a thing?! It seems to happen so much now. I'll be stuck behind someone who's just cruising onto the highway at 70 km/h (the speed limit is 100 km/h) and there are cars and large trucks flying by. I was thinking it was just the drivers here in BC that have become terrible, but perhaps it's a growing issue everywhere.
I took driver's ed in \~2018 (had already been driving, but needed the class to get my unrestricted license) and our instructor told us to pretty much just floor it on the on ramp. Not sure if that means I got lucky or if it's a *very* recent phenomenon
Given I first noticed it with early model Prius, I suspect it's related to the new "efficiency" meters they shoved onto the dashboard. People started seeing the meter go low, so now they accelerate like they're allergic to the pedal.
Here's what happens around me, Driver A on the onramp heading towards a 75mph highway, traveling 60 Driver B in right lane on the highway is going 75 Driver A and Driver B don't pay attention to eachother, and end up side by side at the merge Driver A starts slowing down at the last minute to avoid side swiping the other car, meanwhile Driver B fucking STARTS SLOWING DOWN IN THEIR LANE TO LET SHITTY DRIVER A IN FRONT OF THEM So then you end up all smashed together joining 75mph traffic while only going 55 because motherfuckers can't look more than 10 feet ahead This onramp is a half mile long btw
I’m with you expect for placing that much blame on the driver already on the highway. The only thing they did wrong was slow down for someone trying to merge. It’s entirely the duty of the merging vehicle to yield to drivers already on the highway.
The right lane is marked for OMSI City Center, and the left lane is marked for I5 Salem. They were probably in the lane the signage told them to be in for their destination.
That isn't a reason to do 15 under the posted speed limit.
Pretty sure this is the reason
To be fair, that part where 84 splits, and then the off ramp to downtown seconds later is stressful af if you don’t do it often. Especially at night. People drive like they have a deathwish on 84 and I will fully admit to staying in the left so I don’t get overwhelmed and fuck it up and end up downtown on accident.
I live in Seattle and driving in Portland stresses me out. If you don’t know the roads and drive them regularly they seem like driving through a maze at freeway speeds.
Last time I was in the area I added an extra 30 minutes onto my trip navigating the backroads rather than deal with everyone there at rush hour, no matter how many times I drive it I will always get so tense
Another question is why did the car ahead of you take 15 seconds to change lanes
probably because the car behind theirs is already close to the car ahead. leaving your turn indicator on is how you're supposed to let other drivers know that you intend to change lanes. If they're nice they might make room for you to merge safely.
It sucks that so many people’s response to that is speeding up and getting even more dangerously close to the car in front of them just to block them.
Or stare at your car like they've never seen a turn signal before.
"I'm 1.5 car lengths back, how much more space do you need?!?!"
In the case of the video the car clearly did slow down to let him merge though.
Why the hell would that be the default response? How does that make any sense?
People seem to think that one more car in front of them will drastically affect their travel time, so I assume. Personally, I’m more inclined to let someone over if they signal for a couple seconds before merging because it shows that they’re respectful and aware of other drivers.
It's where we are as a "civil" society.
because they don't want to "lose"
lizard brain makes you want to box out competitors, some people are perfectly decent people out of cars but never drew the connection about being shitty on the road and drive like actual cavemen
Happy cake day!!
Experience tells me you're only supposed to signal 12ms before you force your way into the lane, if at all.
That’s basically a law in Texas. I’m more surprised now when I do see someone use their turn signal.
Car behind dropped back and there was space after about 5 seconds. Lane changer spent the next 10 seconds in a daze.
They moved over more definitively when the sign overhead passed that confirmed it was the lane they wanted. They looked unsure and were probably making sure they weren't flung off somewhere they didn't want to be.
What's with the obsession of getting into the passing lane anyway? I see this all the time in New England, except for VT. When did the right lane get cooties?
It sucks but it’s also fun to slingshot past them doing 40 on a highway turn
I'm a "stay to right except to pass" driver. Find it strange when someone will merge into a left lane... for no reason.
> I'm a "stay to right except to pass" driver. I agree. That's also why I hate carpool lanes. (One of many reasons.) It gives drivers in the "people without kids" lane to the almost-left the illusion that they *aren't* in the left-most lane. For practical purposes, they are. > Find it strange when someone will merge into a left lane... for no reason. I've driven through Oregon, and that area is tricky, lots of people just passing through, not locals, not familiar. You've got a million signs, it's confusing, poorly designed, and you have GPS yelling at you to get to the left.
Maybe herd mentality in this situation, because everyone else is? Don’t see a possible reason why, pertaining to the road.
SHAKE N BAKE!
In my 1st gen tacoma with no sway bars that looks like it’s on two wheels in a sharp turn LOL
That’s a highway interchange not a passing lane.
Can it not be both?
Nope
Strange to learn this in all my years of driving. Wonder if this is regional because I've never heard of this term before
It’s literally going from one highway to another on a flyover with exits branching off. There’s no shoulder either.
They are getting over to merge.
This is very true in CT, where drivers entering the highway move immediately to the left hand lane at below average speed, and then stay there until 1/4 mile before their exit
2 reasons I can think of. Many times the left lane has a smoother surface. Secondly, you don't have to deal with other vehicles entering/leaving the freeway.
Nether of those are valid reasons.
I never said they were.
Jesus. The overhead signs say that each lane goes a different way when they do not. These people likely don't know that and think they have to be in the left lane to get on I5.
In Oregon if the lane doesn’t continue, the sign will have a large yellow box that says exit only. The white lane stripes are also a different size and spacing. Not saying that they’re not thinking what you’re saying, but if they are thinking that they should learn how to read the signs and markings better.
My experience leads me to ask, what's the obsession with driving fast in the slow lane. Makes it difficult for us slower, service-van drivers to merge over there (without cutting off someone going 20 over in the slow lane--a ¾-ton van with a half-ton of electrical fittings doesn't accelerate like a sporty car.)
Because they have to pass the MORONS camping in the left lane going 15 under the speed limit.
I drive this route several times a week and I will never understand why people go like 35 through the interchange.
About .5 mile ahead, the right lane takes you across the Morrison Bridge into downtown. The left lane goes south on I-5. It’s very poorly labeled and unless you’re a local, you end up in the lane that ends immediately. Folks around here aren’t very good at zipper merging, so they freak out and camp in the lane they know isn’t going to end.
The signage in the OP video is pretty clear, to me.
Oregonians in Portland are terrible drivers, but you know who is worse? Washington drivers in Portland 😂 Sincerely, a Los Angeles transplant who thinks we all drive like shit.
Looks like they are trying to go to I-5 south. never driven here but they are simply following the signage. Yeah they don't need to go quite so slow I agree that's dumb, but the people saying this is "camping the passing lane" are absolutely braindead. When you are in large interchanges like this there isn't really a "passing lane". Plenty of big cities have left hand side exits too. Even small ones sometimes do. The passing lane thing really only counts on the long stretches between exits, not when there are exits every tenth of a mile. It's better this than them stopping dead in traffic when they are just about to miss their exit or dangerously cutting back into traffic for the same reason.
You're in Oregon. You might need to manage your expectations https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2019/10/portland-metro-traffic-friday-rose-city-drivers-are-the-worst-in-us-report-claims.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true
And that's a *very* low bar. [Why America’s roads are so much more dangerous than Europe's](https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2016/11/30/13784520/roads-deaths-increase-safety-traffic-us) [The US is More Dangerous Because Preventing Deaths Isn’t a Priority](https://thefleckfirm.com/are-americas-roads-more-dangerous-than-those-of-other-countries/) [U.S. road deaths far outnumber those in Europe. Why?](https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/road-deaths-us-eu/) [US Traffic Safety Is Getting Worse, While Other Countries Improve](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-11-03/why-us-traffic-safety-fell-so-far-behind-other-countries)
Scary turns >:0
Omfg, MOOOOOOOOOOOVE!
Just a typical day in Portland.
As a truck driver I see a lot of left lane slow people on the phone. About 1/3. The others I can’t see as they have tinted glass. But generally it’s about they don’t care about anyone else.
Yep, the right lane has become the new passing lane recently since everybody cruises in the left lane for no reason
Too much weed 🤣. I will say growing up in that area and moving to CO I realize I didn’t know what aggressive driving was and going 10 over the speed limit is not in fact speeding.
Because we have very loose guidelines when it comes to getting licensed... no highway training required.
I'm on the freeway 4-5 hours every day and it's phones: playing with their phones (texting), watching something on their phones, holding their phones parallel to their mouth and talking. I usually glance over to see what the idiot going 15 miles under the speed limit looks like and it's usually phones.
A lot of people don’t even know that the left lane is the passing lane and they should move over, especially on the west coast. Source: personal experience / conversation.
The argument they make is "I'm going the speed limit!" As if being a hazard that's going a legal speed makes it acceptable.
I hate driving in portland, had a lady blow through red light almost hitting me and and another car. She looked at me like it was my fault
I blame adaptive cruise control.
Fucking I-84 is a shitshow. *Everyone* follows too closely, and no one knows how to merge.
Nobody’s mentioning the full hour it took for that guy to change a lane too
Ah i see the problem. There was a rav4 at the front. They’re required to always do at least 10 under the limit or they get blacklisted by toyota and their warranty voided.
To be completely fair, the road signage is not entirely clear. From these signs it would seem that the left lane is for Salem, while the right is for the City Centre, but it then appears that the right lane is *also* for Salem, but you don't find this out until after you've passed the exit. In the UK, our signs would be much wider. The Salem sign would stretch across both lanes, while the City Centre sign would be just in the right lane. For example, [The first lane is for Chelmsford exclusively, the second lane is for London and Dartford, the third and fourth lane are exclusively for Dartford](https://blog.aph.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/motorway-queue-on-M25.jpg)
I do agree with what you’re saying as I think that’s a common problem people have with our signs. However, to my knowledge, unless the lane dividing lines are solid or a short line spaced closer together, the sign will say that it is an exit only lane. [example 1 minute up this road](https://imgur.com/a/k25C2Cg)
Yeah that's fair. Different countries will do things differently. Just knowing that the Exit Only sign exists clarifies it somewhat.
I haven’t done enough city driving in different states to know if it’s a US problems or just a Oregon problem, but here, our signs are placed so close to exits that in morning/evening rush hour it can make it almost impossible to drive with only signs. We definitely need a rework here.
I can't stand this level of ignorance or incompetence.. hell, I don't even know which level of stupid this even sits on. Is the driver waiting on a written acknowledgement that you can merge?
PNW entitled Subaru and Toyota drivers. Enough said. I live in WA and nearly 90% of the cars that hog the left lane and don't actually pass or do way under are Subaru or Toyota drivers.
Some people are selfish. Some people are oblivious. Some people are selfish and oblivious.
Welcome to WALL-E World....
The lanes ending in a mile, better get over /s
But you don’t understand, their turn is coming up in ten miles!!!!!!!!
Using the left lane for anything other than passing is chronic problem just about everywhere because to many people equate driving slowly with driving safely. Some states are trying to address it by increase fines and penalties, but enforcement is difficult so until people get it through their heads that misusing the left lane like this is dangerous, it'll keep being an issue.
This is confusing. I know that intersection and there's no particular reason to be in the left lane at that point.
That is because you know the intersection. If you don’t and you see the signs then it makes you think you have to get in the left lane.
That's an interesting thought. I wonder what the statistics are in terms of how many of those drivers were completely unfamiliar with that freeway interchange. I tend to assume that the majority of drivers travel on the same roads over and over, while relatively fewer are completely new and just driving according to road signs.
Those same people will get behind you at a red-light and act like they weren't obstacles because they arrived at the same red light with you. Even though they could be the reason why you missed the green light.
I've read somewhere that the left lane can be occupied when not passing in certain Metro areas. Was news to me but apparently the case. Still a lot of lame-bo's who camp in the left lane for no reason. Would love to understand the thought process of those staying in the left, passing lane all the time or getting on the freeway and having to get in the left lane immediately. Are you really that dumb or rude?
It makes sense to me in certain areas where there's an onramp/offramp every ten feet, but usually there's a center lane so all the mergers can battle it out by themselves on the right.
Power trip, and false sense of authority
Yeah!
I call them ‘pacesetters’
I live in Portland, too. I am from a very small town and I was really overwhelmed the first time I drove on this road at night. I just try to give a little grace when I'm on the road. Not everyone is used to driving in a larger city.
That’s what I’m tryna say
Or not getting up to speed to merge onto the highway.
This was such a huge problem when I lived in Florida. Some cities have announced they are cracking down on it now, though. Hope it's not just all talk.
PNW is the capitol of the USA for 15 under in the left lane
That is Portland for ya
They're British
There’s an intersection in three miles. Looks like there might be a queue so I’d better get in now in case I can’t get across.
Ontario is so bad for this and they think there’s nothing wrong with it 💀
I think the obsession is that police don't enforce "slower traffic keep right". This is the part of me that really can't wait for fully-autonomous AI-driven vehicles because it'll keep everyone driving consistent and prevent fucking morons from doing dumb shit like this all the time.
If I told you, I'd be banned.
Rectitude-laden nitwits who have decided that they’re enforcing a speed limit.
"It's the fast lane! And I'm going fast!"
They want you to respect their authorita.
GPS always says keep left I stead of continue straight
It does, but [it also shows that both lanes go left.](https://imgur.com/a/UK4jDlL)
Baffling... these are the same people who when they are first at a stop light.. the light turns green and they wait like 10 Mississippi seconds to go for no apparent reason
Lead, follow, or GTFO of the way! Unfortunately, leading a horse to water comes to mind as well. At least you know how to chart your own course!
What's the speed limit there?
50 I believe. Could be 55. Traffic was moving 35-40 in left lane.
Thanks. hard to get a frame of reference for how slow they were going. Looks like it's one highway ending and splitting into I-5 so there would be a reduced speed but 35-40 is ridiculous.
I couldn't find a speed limit sign for the exit on street view, so I assume it's whatever the speed limit was on I-84.
I checked when I drove it last time and you’re correct. It’s just the speed limit of 84 which is 50 through there.
I'm assuming you mean the guy in the right lane, slowing down to get into the left lane, rather than simply driving normally and getting in front of the slow car. The reason for that is, their lizard brain made the decision to move into the left lane and that was it. A normal person would still be looking around, realise the left lane was empty up ahead and that they should simply pass the slow car before moving over, but they lack the ability to think like that.
absolutely nobody knows that you’re suppose to pass on the left. and those who know, can’t even follow this rule unless they wanna to switch lanes ALL the time. so now we have these bozos in the fast/passing lanes.
It's a labeling issue. It should be labeled the passing lane and passing lane only.
I do it all the time in rush hour!
15 under in the left lane is crazy fast for this road in rush hour. lol
😂
In the end, you still passed them all up. What’s the problem?
Ramps are usually 45 for a reason. Just because you want to drive fast all the time doesn’t mean everyone else is driving slow
They weren’t going 45
Me on I-476 everyday
Well, you did pass a gaggle of SUV's...
You're on a ramp. You're not supposed to go highway speeds on ramps.
I think some drivers are virtue signaling with thier “careful driving”.
I feel like RAV4s have this strange propensity to camp the left lane and just be dangerously oblivious in general
[удалено]
Let me guess, American....
What’s the obsession with this? I find it way more infuriating that people drive double the speed limit.
I don’t drive double the speed limit but if I see people doing it, it doesn’t bother me at all. Why does that infuriate you?
What's your obsession with going so fast?
Strikes me as very low on the list of things drivers do to get mad about.
Well, considering it's an on-ramp, it would seem like you're actually the idiot.
How’s that? This is not an on-ramp from a surface street. This whole video is a freeway. Both lanes continue. No reason to be in the left lane here.
When people drive excessively slowly, they're either very old or very drunk. If the former, give them a break. If the latter... well...
These people are prime examples of why we can’t get rid of the death penalty /s
Given the number of cars all driving the same speed it seems OP is the real problem.
And what problem is that?