Crazy drivers breaking your glide?

[abq sfr]

Seems like every day during my commute when I'm gliding on my favorite street with a speed limit of 35 or 40 at least once some crazy nut zooms up to one of the side stop signs like they are going to run through it, and slams on the brakes right at the stop. I hit my brake just in case, probably because of the crazy cell-phone lady that ran the stop sign on the same commute route and totaled my minivan. I assume this happens other places besides Albuquerque, home of the worst drivers in the US. Am I the only one affected by these crazy nuts? Maybe I should buy a brake shop? Don't they realize they just cost me 1 mpg on my commute??

[samiam]

If it weren't for all the traffic I bet you'ld get some nice glides from the heights down to the river. I even used to like the glide down in my old porsche 912 when I lived there (was it Candalaria, Lomas, or Indian School that I liked best? -- can't remember, all changed now I suppose).

[TonyPSchaefer]

Every once and a while, when I'm timing the stoplights, I'm surprised by that enlightened driver who knows what I'm doing and goes with it. One day, an annoying little piss figured out what I was doing and as I approached behind him, he started taking off with traffic. As I began to ease back up to speed, he hit his brakes just enough to make me hit mine [HARD] and then he took off again. It was intentional and blatant.

Yesterday, the woman in front of me was most likely lost and randomly braking. Even the longest of following distances can be ruined by a random braker.

[abq sfr]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(samiam @ Sep 6 2007, 09:46 PM) [snapback]508355[/snapback]</div>

If it weren't for all the traffic I bet you'ld get some nice glides from the heights down to the river. I even used to like the glide down in my old porsche 912 when I lived there (was it Candalaria, Lomas, or Indian School that I liked best? -- can't remember, all changed now I suppose).
[/b]

Actually I live on the OTHER side, the northwest heights, this is where all the growth is now. Same principle, downhill almost all the way to the Rio. All the streets you mention are great for gliding west. Going back up is another story! Abq to NZ... you really get around! I knew a computer programmer that moved to Tazmania or NZ, can't remember... you ever work at USGS?

[samiam]

Nope, wasn't me. We have green chile sent to us here. The smell of roasting chile in the autumn air. Dang, I miss that.

[AussieOwner]

I envy all you guys and girls who at least get some form of timed sequence on the lights. In Sydney there are too many two lane roads with totally unphased lights to make any form of decent glide happen.

Then you get the idiots who pull out from a side road just in front of you and then don't get up to the speed limit quickly enough. Yeah, we actually have drivers in other cars who are a lot slower than the perceived Prius driver.

[patsparks]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AussieOwner @ Sep 7 2007, 05:17 PM) [snapback]508441[/snapback]</div>

Then you get the idiots who pull out from a side road just in front of you and then don't get up to the speed limit quickly enough. Yeah, we actually have drivers in other cars who are a lot slower than the perceived Prius driver.
[/b]

I hate that with a passion. I especially hate it when they pull out in front of me and drive slowly, but when I look in the mirror there is a massive gap behind me. <_<

Hey, your traffic light system in Sydney is the system South Australia uses although we made some modifications to it. The lights work in pairs, one set of lights tells the other when your coming and it is suposed to be timed to go green on your approach. It doesn't work every time especially during peak hour. Our system is also suposed to addapt for heavy traffic extending the green time for the most congested direction. There are cameras on most lights and the system is monitored from a central monitoring centre.

[shoregeek]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AussieOwner @ Sep 7 2007, 03:47 AM) [snapback]508441[/snapback]</div>

Then you get the idiots who pull out from a side road just in front of you and then don't get up to the speed limit quickly enough. Yeah, we actually have drivers in other cars who are a lot slower than the perceived Prius driver. :D
[/b]

Here in Delaware USA, we get that all the time. Tourists and Locals alike. Complete idiots. Best display of brainless driving I've ever seen.

I just drive smart and keep my distance, get a great glide and seldom touch my brakes - at least through most of the traffic. There is always the golden brainless idiot who we see waiting to get into traffic, on a road where the speed limit is about 45-50mph, and waits until just the last minute to enter the lane.

I need a semi-truck horn on my Prius I think --- any suggestions? Something that pierces even the loudest stereo. :)

[patsparks]

AK47? I hear they are pretty loud and piercing.

[qbee42]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AussieOwner @ Sep 7 2007, 03:47 AM) [snapback]508441[/snapback]</div>

I envy all you guys and girls who at least get some form of timed sequence on the lights. In Sydney there are too many two lane roads with totally unphased lights to make any form of decent glide happen.

Then you get the idiots who pull out from a side road just in front of you and then don't get up to the speed limit quickly enough. Yeah, we actually have drivers in other cars who are a lot slower than the perceived Prius driver.
[/b]

Lights? Who has traffic lights? We have two flashing ones on the state highway where it winds through town, but no real stop lights. The pressure of urban sprawl is working it's way toward us, though, as there is now one real stop light in the county. It's 20 miles away, right on the edge of our only big city (population 16,000).

Another tourist town on the south end of the lake has two traffic related ceremonies every year: when they turn on the traffic light at the beginning of summer, and when they turn it off at the end.

Tom