School’s back in session: Stop for loading, unloading buses
QThursday, I observed a school bus stopped on Homestead Road in Sunnyvale with red lights flashing and the stop sign protruding from the side of the bus. The first half- dozen or so vehicles didn’t even slow down when they passed the stop sign.
Finally, a car stopped and blocked traffic behind it. There is no telling how many drivers would have passed if they weren’t blocked. Drivers are either ignorant or belligerent, take your pick.
People, wake up, you MUST stop when you see a school bus like this. — Glenn Grigg, sometimes pedestrian, always traffic engineer
AThose are the rules. With schools back in session, please follow them.
QSomebody complains that nobody lets her cut in after she signals her intention, I too have not let people cut in just because they signal. Why?
Because I have been waiting and moving slowly in my lane for five minutes and here comes somebody trying to cut in at the last minute. Is her
time more valuable than mine and the others behind me who have been waiting in this lane?
NOPE. They can go to the back of the line and wait just like I did. — Ed Chin San Jose
ARemain cool, Mr. Chin.
QPerhaps I’ve been mistaken all these years, but if changing lanes requires the other vehicle to slow down, then you are attempting to move improperly.
The telltale wording in the letter said: “often see a car way behind me going about twice the speed limit, who rather than slowing down for my obvious legal maneuver.”
While I agree that it’s wrong to speed up to deny another vehicle from moving into your lane (especially if they have the blinker on), I think it’s wrong to move into a lane requiring others to slow, perhaps even brake.
This can cause a chain reaction slowing of traffic in the lane involved.
What say you? — Darlene Brannen San Jose
AI say signal and change lanes when it’s safe to do so. And only then.
QUnbelievable! On Wednesday I was composing in my head as I was writing a letter to you about the increasing numbers of lousy drivers in this area.
It included a lack of signaling, dive-bombing and exit lane use. All three were addressed in your column on Thursday. Wow! — Pam Mallory
AGreat minds think alike.
QHere’s a last comment on the 3-second rule. I’m the guy who is in the car behind the car at the light and I’ll count “One banana, two banana, three banana” and then honk to get that person to look up from their phone. — Michael Foster, San Jose
AI bet it only works sometimes.