Montreal drivers

[Newbie]

I like cars. Cars are cool. I would drive a car if I didn't like walking so much. But I wonder why is it so difficult for Montreal drivers to understand this:

 

Right:

 

 

Wrong:

 

 

It's really annoying when I am carrying something like a large suitcase. It also sucks for people on wheelchairs. Why is nothing done about this?

 

I would tell them myself not to do this but I've been told people tend to be angrier in average when they are behind the wheel.

 

Lonely Planet warns travelers that "crosswalks are rarely respected" here. Is there some kind of historical reason for this? I've been to other places with two-line crosswalks and even worse paint than the one used here and this doesn't happen as often as it does here.

[Cyrus]

What do you mean, like at a stop sign? The sightlines are usually pretty poor in those situations so you should pull over the crosswalk to see better before taking off again. At a red light of course that is ridiculous but I rarely see people stopped in the crosswalk on a red.

 

I think what LP means about crosswalks are zebra crossings that aren't at an intersection, just in the middle of the road. There are very few of them in Montreal as compared to other places, so I think it is just a question of familiarity. That said, I really hate the zebra crossing design because I find it unsafe and not terribly convenient either... there are enough intersections in the city that you can just cross the road at the intersection. But if you go to a city like Calgary those friggin things are all over the place (those and actual pedestrian overpasses over the road with stairs, LOL).

 

I don't know why what you drew would be annoying for pedestrians, I mean they should leave the intersection before you get there. Or are you crossing the street and then they go out and push you in the street? Now that is bad driving

 

I would say that people are generally happy behind the wheel and approachable, it is just when there is too much "traffic calming" on the roads then the drivers are irritable and pissed off

[jesseps]

I know how you feel. Why, can't the cops ticket people for not stopping properly? Isn't it a traffic violation?

[Cyrus]

I know how you feel. Why, can't the cops ticket people for not stopping properly? Isn't it a traffic violation?

 

Yes, as the friendly SPVM officer explained to me the other day, it is a $154 ticket and 3 demerit points... he also explained that a "stop sign" requires you to stop, in his words, "for all the wheels to stop turning"

 

Yes yes I know but fuck that! I don't want to put the car back in 1st I only want to use 2nd, 1st is too balky and annoying. I got let off with a warning

[MTLskyline]

I like the thread idea.

 

It's our famous rolling stop. Montrealers (maybe all Quebecers - I'm not sure) are well known for that. I don't like it either. When I'm driving, I always am ready to slam on the breaks in case these people don't stop. When I'm a pedestrian, I try and judge whether I think they'll stop or not before I step out (even if they're supposed to). Oh, and it bugs me too that they never stop at the white line like they're supposed to.

 

Of course, each place has drivers that act bizarre. In PEI I find that people tend to drive really close to the center of the road (half on the yellow line). In Toronto, people always cut you off., etc.

[Cyrus]

I like the thread idea.

 

It's our famous rolling stop. Montrealers (maybe all Quebecers - I'm not sure) are well known for that. I don't like it either. When I'm driving, I always am ready to slam on the breaks in case these people don't stop.

 

I blame it on the "all way stop" intersection. It is a freak design that is not supposed to exist... there should only be stops on the minor road or yields or even an uncontrolled / no-sign intersection where you just have "priorite a droite".

 

By having all way stops, nobody actually has to stop, so nobody does stop unless there is a backlog of traffic on each leg so that they let each other go first, as they would with a yield sign... basically it is treated as a yield.

[MTLskyline]

I blame it on the "all way stop" intersection. It is a freak design that is not supposed to exist... there should only be stops on the minor road or yields or even an uncontrolled / no-sign intersection where you just have "priorite a droite".

 

By having all way stops, nobody actually has to stop, so nobody does stop unless there is a backlog of traffic on each leg so that they let each other go first, as they would with a yield sign... basically it is treated as a yield.

Sounds about right to me. There are a TON of these kinds of intersections on the south shore. Particularly in St. Lambert with its huge speed bumps and 30kmh speed limit. Anybody who has driven on Desaulniers Blvd. knows what a frustrating experience that can be. These intersections are practically on every second street. At least if there is an accident, nobody is going too quick!

[JFrosty]

Un fort dévisagement du conducteur le fera souvent reculer. Une petite tape sur son hood en indiquant le passage piétonnier du regard fonctionnera aussi.

[Newbie]

Maybe I'm generalizing just because I have seen it a lot before and it happened to me like 5 times today while carrying heavy stuff. I'm not talking about stop signs. I mean mainly red lights downtown. I will count how often this happens to me this week, and maybe even take pictures, just for "fun" (for lack of a better word)...

[Cyrus]

Un fort dévisagement du conducteur le fera souvent reculer. Une petite tape sur son hood en indiquant le passage piétonnier du regard fonctionnera aussi.

 

if someone tapped my hood I'm gonna hit the gas! Ka-clunk!

 

Maybe I'm generalizing just because I have seen it a lot before and it happened to me like 5 times today while carrying heavy stuff. I'm not talking about stop signs. I mean mainly red lights downtown. I will count how often this happens to me this week, and maybe even take pictures, just for "fun" (for lack of a better word)...

 

Ah I see what you mean... often I see that when someone is trying to turn left, but there is no gap in the oncoming traffic and then the light goes red so they sit there. I see that a lot on say Rene-Levesque and Guy, traffic on Rene-Levesque wants to turn left but can't manage it, especially Rene-Levesque west onto Guy southbound because there is no advanced (flashing) green for them. Technically if you get caught in the intersection like that you should turn when it goes red, but traffic has a good response rate on that intersection so it isn't always the best idea (and there is a police station right there!)

Modifié 5 octobre 2010 par Cyrus