Ask, and I shall receive. I asked readers to tell me their peeves. Here’s what they said:
“Mine is the cheaters. The ones that cut through parking lots or corner businesses to cut in front of everyone else waiting for their turn.”
Jessica Victorino, Aptos
“How about people who sit in the right lane when they are going straight, thereby preventing those behind them from turning right on red? This is a constant occurrence at the intersection of Chestnut and Mission streets. People who are going straight onto the Highway 1 extension sit in the right lane. I have been stuck behind them countless times, unable to turn right onto Mission.”
Lori
“Anybody who either isn’t paying attention, or isn’t driving like it is a cooperative process (not a competition).”
Bruce Korb
“Bicyclists that ignore stop signs and ride through a red light. Last year, I was at a stop sign, turning right. It was clear so I started to go forward. A bicyclist, darted out in front of me. I hit the brakes and got rear ended. A few years back, I saw a woman get plastered on Laurel Street. I hope she’s OK, but she was knocked out by the impact. She flew through a crosswalk, on a green light, but a pick-up truck turning left onto Pacific didn’t see her as she was about 20 feet away from the crosswalk when he started his left turn. She was on the sidewalk when she barreled in front of him. He hit her rear tire, flipped her around, but didn’t run over her.”
Mark Leonardich
“This is in regard to traffic failing to ‘yield’ at the Soquel-Water Street ‘Y.’ So many drivers continuing on Soquel in front of 24 Hour Fitness fail to yield to on coming traffic merging from Water Street onto Soquel Avenue. Where are the police when you need them?”
Scott, Santa Cruz
“How about no left turns (both directions) on Mission Street between Swift and Chestnut streets, except at turn lanes — similar to 19th Avenue in San Francisco. They keep traffic moving and if you want to get to the left, you turn right, right, right — UPS does it — or use the left hand turn lane. What inconsiderate people are doing now is clogging traffic, risking an accident. It just doesn’t make sense. What were the traffic engineers thinking and you don’t see any bicyclists on 19th Avenue? Also, turn lanes at traffic lights that turn and/or stay green when no vehicle is present — like the one on eastbound Water at River streets. I understand that if traffic lights are malfunctioning, it can be interpreted by the EPA as a pollution factor. I would like to document that one. That’s enough for now thanks.”
Mike Bombardieri
“My driving peeves are: People who use the bike lanes to pass cars that are waiting to make a left turn. People who cannot wait for a car to make a right turn and pass them over a double yellow line. Police, including CHP officers, who not only don’t cite for these blatant violations, but do it themselves. People who drive on mountain roads, like Highway 9, and act like they have the right of way in the opposing lane, to pass a bicycle rider. People who try to straighten the curves out by using both lanes. In general, the general lack of courtesy on the road today! I’ll stop here for now.”
Ray Soler
“I’d like to vent about drivers who force their way into an intersection when there is no room to complete their turn, and end up clogging up the intersection. I see this especially often at King and Mission streets and Water and Front streets in Santa Cruz. In San Francisco, they have signs warning drivers not to do this, and the police occasionally camp at the intersections to cite violators. We could use something like this here.
Thanks,”
Tim Goncharoff, Santa Cruz
“People turning right at an intersection, but only looking left. If something, such as a pedestrian or bike comes up on the right, they’re going to hit it. Turning on their turn signal while changing freeway lanes as opposed to before doing it. On mountain roads, dimming headlights to oncoming traffic at the last minute, after they’ve already blinded everyone.”
LeeAnn Craft
“I like your peeve idea. I have three for you. Hail to the people that merge on to the highway at 25 mph to 35 mph. What are they thinking? I just love those people who get into left turn lane and don’t get all the way over. My best one, at Soquel Drive and Porter Street, I’m behind a SUV and there are three other cars ahead of us. The light turns green, the SUV signals to turn right and stops in the middle of the crosswalk. Even though I’m going five miles a hour, I have to slam on my brakes to prevent rear ending her. A moment later two kids jump out for their karate class. World class Bozo.”
Dan
“This is in response to Jizzle in your June 8 column. Here is a quote from
the California Driver Handbook, http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/traffic_lanes.htm: ‘Pass traffic on the left. You may pass on the right only when an open highway is clearly marked for two or more lanes of travel in your direction, and/or the driver ahead of you is turning left and you do not drive off the roadway.’
While passing on the left is recommended, it is not required. As long as
there are two or more lanes of traffic moving in the same direction, you may
legally pass on either side.”
Ken Grunstra, Santa Cruz
“People that don’t stay between the lines intended for their lane. At times I wish I could just let them run into me, but seeing as how I drive a VW van, I guess I would be the hurting one, not them. Ughhh!”
Linnea Edwards
