Things that happen on the way into the office

"KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs" (kusabisensei) 11/04/2016 at 08:28 • Filed to: Commutelopnik

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So I was on the metered onramp getting on to 75, and I’m in the Mini. Now because the onramp is metered, I can just leave the car in first and idle down to the meter. This of course means no brake lights (The line is only moving at 3MPH, so who cares, as this is idle speed in first).

Guy who’s about 47 in a Merc CLK430 cabrio pulls alongside me saying that I have no brakelights. I said that I don’t have an indicator saying a light is out (Practically all German cars, including his Merc, have that). He keeps reiterating that I have no brake lights. It finally clicks for me.

“It’s a MANUAL! I DON’T HAVE TO USE THE BRAKES! Watch!”

Pull forward, and press brake pedal. And God said “Let there be brake lights” and there were brake lights.

Party-vi > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 11/04/2016 at 08:38

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“So I was on the metered onramp getting on to 75, and I’m in the Mini. Now because the onramp is metered ”

wat

Rainbow > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 11/04/2016 at 08:41

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I once told someone that she had no rear lights whatsoever, including brake lights. She just smiled at me and rolled up her window.

Okay, lady. Enjoy being dead.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Party-vi 11/04/2016 at 08:41

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I think he means there’s a toll booth at the end of it bottling up traffic.

ttyymmnn > Party-vi 11/04/2016 at 08:42

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What a metered ramp might look like.

DipodomysDeserti > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 11/04/2016 at 08:45

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Solid dude for letting you know, even if he was wrong.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > ttyymmnn 11/04/2016 at 08:48

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That shit just seems unamerican.

ttyymmnn > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 11/04/2016 at 08:49

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I have always wondered if they even work as advertised.

fourvalleys > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 11/04/2016 at 08:52

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Generally no toll, just a light that only lets one car through at a time when traffic is slow. Slows the in-flow of cars onto the highway so there isn’t a bottleneck and gridlock when 30 cars try to merge at once.

Comes over to help work on your car and only drinks beer > Rainbow 11/04/2016 at 08:55

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Her smile was because she’s *already* dead....bwa-ha-haaa.....

MonkeePuzzle > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 11/04/2016 at 08:59

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i feel like i read this exact same post on oppo before.

metered on ramp, no brake usage because manual, busy body noted the lights, driver showed off brae lights.

like identical

Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > ttyymmnn 11/04/2016 at 09:03

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They work. Makes it a lot easier to merge into traffic when it’s just one car trying, as opposed to a bunch all at once.

ttyymmnn > MonkeePuzzle 11/04/2016 at 09:09

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If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 11/04/2016 at 09:13

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You should still be using your brake lights while engine braking as a courtesy to other motorists.

TysMagic > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 11/04/2016 at 09:18

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on the total opposite end of the spectrum, I’ve used downshifting to slow down as a method of brake checking someone. It’s wicked effective
additional: I understand this is a douche move

yamahog > Rainbow 11/04/2016 at 09:19

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Maybe she couldn’t hear you? That’s the impression I get from that reaction, at least.

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 11/04/2016 at 09:25

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They space out the cars trying to merge, so in that sense, they work. Whether or not the cars on the freeway space themselves out enough to allow for a proper zipper merge is a different matter. We have a few metered ramps in our area. For the most part, they work as intended.

Rainbow > yamahog 11/04/2016 at 09:32

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I think she just didn’t speak English. There’s a massive Hispanic population in my area, and I don’t remember fully, but I’m pretty sure she was a part of it. She was most likely smiling in case I was being friendly and rolling up her window in case I was not.

Party-vi > ttyymmnn 11/04/2016 at 09:37

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THIS DOES NOT ASSIST ME IN ANSWER MY QUESTION

ttyymmnn > Party-vi 11/04/2016 at 09:47

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What is your question?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Party-vi 11/04/2016 at 10:06

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Two lanes, that switch back and forth green and red. Green left/red right ->red right/green left. Really damn popular in Atlanta on 285 and some other places.

MonkeePuzzle > ttyymmnn 11/04/2016 at 10:07

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Party-vi > ttyymmnn 11/04/2016 at 10:15

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what is meter ramp?

Party-vi > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 11/04/2016 at 10:15

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This is nonsense

ttyymmnn > Party-vi 11/04/2016 at 10:18

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It’s not a meter ramp. It’s a metered ramp. See definition 2.

tr.v. me·tered, me·ter·ing, me·ters

1. To measure with a meter: meter a flow of water.

2. To supply in a measured or regulated amount: metered the allotted gasoline to each vehicle.

3. To imprint with postage or other revenue stamps by means of a postage meter or similar device: metering bulk mail.

4. To provide with a parking meter or parking meters: meter parking spaces.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Party-vi 11/04/2016 at 10:20

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I agree it is nonsense. But - it’s a nonsensical thing that is done by actual traffic engineers in real life .

Party-vi > ttyymmnn 11/04/2016 at 10:23

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Do not like this. I feel like this is Obama’s fault.

404 - User No Longer Available > Rainbow 11/04/2016 at 10:24

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Consuela, is that you?

ttyymmnn > Party-vi 11/04/2016 at 10:27

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I’m sure it is. Don’t worry. There’s only a couple months of his presidency left. Everything will be back to normal when we get a new president.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Party-vi 11/04/2016 at 10:34

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It’s undoubtedly Obama’s fault. Definitely unamerican enough to be.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Party-vi 11/04/2016 at 10:51

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Have you never driven in any major US city? I’m Canadian and know what that is. First encountered them in Portland, OR almost ten years ago.

Party-vi > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 11/04/2016 at 10:59

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I mean, only Washington DC and Baltimore and Philadelphia and New York and damn near everywhere else that I’ve never seen this devil’s work.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Party-vi 11/04/2016 at 11:09

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As ridiculous as it is, it actually works pretty well. Yes there are better ways of merging, but given so many drivers have no idea how to do so without obstructing the flow of traffic, this does pretty well. An artificial bottleneck in a controlled environment is definitely better than one that is uncontrolled and disorganized.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 11/04/2016 at 11:54

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Like Chicago.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Party-vi 11/04/2016 at 12:01

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Well, that’s because those are communist bastions where they want the proletariat to suffer in traffic so that you might use glorious public transportation to take you where they want you to go.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > Rainbow 11/04/2016 at 12:02

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If she was in a Cadillac, they she was already dead. She just hadn’t been notified.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > ttyymmnn 11/04/2016 at 12:05

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You should have seen how traffic flowed before the ramp meters on 75. Every. Single. Damn. Onramp. would cause the traffic in two of the three lanes (above 575) to completely stop as 50 cars attempted to merge.

Then everyone wanted to immediately cram into the left lane, and stopped that up too.

Now we at least creep along at 7.5MPH rather than 0MPH.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > DipodomysDeserti 11/04/2016 at 12:08

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Exactly.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > TysMagic 11/04/2016 at 12:09

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No, that’s just trolling.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 11/04/2016 at 12:12

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When driving in a queue at idle speed? You really ought to be paying attention so you don’t hit the guy in front of you.

Chuckles > Party-vi 11/04/2016 at 12:39

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Philly has ramp meters for some on-ramps on the blue route (476). I’ve rarely seen them used though.

Chuckles > Party-vi 11/04/2016 at 12:42

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https://www.google.com/amp/philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/08/21/blue-route-on-ramp-traffic-metering-starts-wednesday-in-montco/amp/?client=ms-android-verizon

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee 11/04/2016 at 12:48

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Portland’s not America. It’s Soviet Russia.

Party-vi > Chuckles 11/04/2016 at 12:52

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Such an odd thing. I will need to keep an eye out for more as I drive.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 11/04/2016 at 13:02

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The irony is that a couple posts up similar claims were made about cities not implementing such tactics.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 11/04/2016 at 13:47

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Signalling to other drivers is your duty. Don’t place the burden of your safety entirely on them because that will not end well.

ateamfan42 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 11/04/2016 at 14:08

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it’s a nonsensical thing that is done by actual traffic engineers in real life .

Traffic engineering programs require large amounts of hallucinogenic drugs during school. That is the only explanation I’m accepting for some of the brain-dead things I’ve seen implemented.