"Spanfeller is a twat" (theaspiringengineer)
08/09/2018 at 11:36 • Filed to: None
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"Spanfeller is a twat" (theaspiringengineer)
08/09/2018 at 11:36 • Filed to: None | 1
| 10 |
This is a Spanish high way, the A-52 to be more exact, people here have such a savage respect (or fear?) of the highway code that the right hand lane is really shitty. It’s been fixed badly many times due to all of the potholes formed, and the patches they use are huge but they do not interfere with the left hand lane: the passing lane, which is always empty unless you’re passing.
What I noticed when I drove from Madrid to Vigo was that in many sections of the highway you don’t see anyone for kilometers ahead or back. So, r ather than sitting in the badly fixed side of the highway with all of the patched potholes and the unp atched ones, I decided to stay in the passing lane, all alone, doing an indicated 130 km/h. Whenever I saw a car in my rear view mirror I’d scoot back to the right lane and have them overtake me (even if I was doing *more* than the speed limit). Needless to say I was more vigilant of my mirror while hogging the lane.
Yesterday I went to Santiago, which is served by the AG-53; a toll highway. Since this is an arterial highway in Galicia no section is ever empty, but there’s never traffic to speak of. It was raining a bit, but nothing to be worried about doing 125km/h with all season tires. The lane on the left of the highway was wet, but not covered in water, and the lane on the right was filled with pools of water that would be quite unsafe. Yet, everyone was on the right lane! They had to go slower there because it was less safe, and I decided not to be part of the stupids and go to the left hand lane, doing the limit. Same considerations as before: if I see someone, I move.
N o one tried to overtake me, but I thought I was being abusive, so I switched to the right lane and my car juddered during the transition due to the pools, and slowed down noticeably on its own as well . I also noticed it was a bit harder to control and I was leaving a tall tail of spay behind. Even doing the speed limit was unsafe in the right hand lane. If the left hand lane was lightly wet, the right hand lane was soaked. I suspect it’s because it’s used a lot more often and the pavement doesn’t perform as well due to all the wear and tare.
But hogging the left lane is illegal in Spain, and with good reason; lane h oggers are the worst.. but I feel that in this situation in particular educating people on when it’s appropriate to use lanes and when not to is better than outright prohibiting. Its safer to hog the left lane when the pavement on the right lane is of low quality. Considering that the safest thing to do is slowing down of course , but no one will do that... I can imagine many people would do 120km/h in very bad conditions due to being on a rush or simply thinking their car can stay at that speed , so why not teach everyone to use the left lane if it’s safer unless there’s someone wanting to overtake them? then they slow down a little and transition safely into the right lane?
WilliamsSW
> Spanfeller is a twat
08/09/2018 at 12:09 |
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They need better road building probably.
It’s the trucks that create those ruts, cars do a tiny fraction of the damage trucks do.
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Spanfeller is a twat
> WilliamsSW
08/09/2018 at 12:18 |
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In many sections its illegal for trucks to use the left lane, so it checks out.
ttyymmnn
> Spanfeller is a twat
08/09/2018 at 12:41 |
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The right lane is shot because everybody drives in it. I am a dedicated keep-right-except-to-pass driver, but sometimes the right lane is in such poor condition that I’ll drive left.
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Spanfeller is a twat
> ttyymmnn
08/09/2018 at 12:43 |
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Yes... Which is why people should be educated on the subject.. Laws to mandate left-passing are good unless they become moronic and cause an accident. (Not that they would, an officer would need to be quite a dick to impose a fine to a driver for simply wanting to be safer)
Nom De Plume
> Spanfeller is a twat
08/09/2018 at 12:47 |
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The rain in Spain stays mostly in the right lane
Arrivederci
> Spanfeller is a twat
08/09/2018 at 12:51 |
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I’m of the (sometimes unpopular) opinion that as long as you aren’t impeding traffic in the left lane, then it’s okay to travel in it, so I would’ve done the same thing you did for periods of time.
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Spanfeller is a twat
> Nom De Plume
08/09/2018 at 12:56 |
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Um, que?
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Spanfeller is a twat
> Arrivederci
08/09/2018 at 12:57 |
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Yeah... I get that. It was kind of weird to see traffic stay in the right lane while the left one was so much cleaner.
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Nom De Plume
> Spanfeller is a twat
08/09/2018 at 13:00 |
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Eric @ opposite-lock.com
> ttyymmnn
08/10/2018 at 14:00 |
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I think this is more the big trucks than anything.
A well-built highway will handle the abuse of trucks in this lane and be fine, but many just build it the same way all the way across. I know some areas don’t and they have lane restrictions for trucks due to the increased wear if they leave lanes designed for them...