A practice I've only seen here in Mexico.

"Spanfeller is a twat" (theaspiringengineer) 04/20/2019 at 02:49 • Filed to: None

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This is a Federal highway, and as you can tell, all of the cars are riding the shoulder.

This highway is littered with signs saying “ride the shoulder, allow overtaking”

In this snapshot, the google earth car is overtaking the white Honda, and two cars going the opposite way are riding the shoulder so that it can pass. When you wish to overtake here you must put your turn signal, and then flash your brights, this is the sign for cars going the opposite way to start riding the shoulder, or to tell you that they won’t let you pass.

I find it disconcertingly unsafe, some find it very practical.

The crossing speeds are upwards of 200km/h, since the speed limit is 110km/h, but I assure you most people are going quicker. On the other hand, the entire road is always clean because of cars driving on it all the time , so riding the shoulder is not dangerous.

thoughts?

Berang > Spanfeller is a twat 04/20/2019 at 03:10

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Seems... stupid. 

Spanfeller is a twat > Berang 04/20/2019 at 03:11

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Widely done across the country. 

f86sabre > Spanfeller is a twat 04/20/2019 at 08:00

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They do it in South Africa as well. Seems to work as long as everyone understands the rules. 

pip bip - choose Corrour > Spanfeller is a twat 04/20/2019 at 08:29

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too bad for anyone if they’re broken down or changing a tyre

dumpsterfire! > f86sabre 04/20/2019 at 08:55

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And then, after passing and returning to the shoulder, flash your hazards as a sort of thank you.

Urambo Tauro > Spanfeller is a twat 04/20/2019 at 09:03

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as you can tell, all of the cars are riding the shoulder.

This is not so obvious to some of us. I n the US, the shoulder is separated from the rightmost travel lane by a SOLID white line, not a broken one . A br oken line suggests the presence of another lane , and the option of merging between them as necessary.

At first glance, I (having never been to Mexico ) assumed that there was no shoulder here. But even if there were four lanes , the point about keeping the inner/passing lane clear still stands. I don’t understand what that Honda driver thinks he’s doing.

benjrblant > Spanfeller is a twat 04/20/2019 at 09:04

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I looks wide enough for four lanes , why not re-strip e it?

Not the Droid you're looking for > Spanfeller is a twat 04/20/2019 at 10:05

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It always amazed me how committed the locals were in this practice. We drove to Oaxaca a couple years ago from CDMX, and most of the road was like this. They would go into the oncoming lanes around corners, over hills, didn’t matter. They got annoyed behind me that I would wait for a decent site line before pulling out. Very strange, and more than once I saw close calls where people were passing in both directions around corners, or over hills. Especially scary when the bravest passers were driving Tsurus. 

LongbowMkII > benjrblant 04/20/2019 at 10:08

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It looks wide enough for only 2 lanes and shoulders

Spanfeller is a twat > benjrblant 04/20/2019 at 10:35

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Outside passing zones the shoulders are separated by a solid white line and cars are meant to use the entire lane rather than ride shoulder . I think it would be smarter to make an asymmetrical passing zone with three lanes and no shoulders; one direction can overtake in one section and another in the next

Just Jeepin' > Spanfeller is a twat 04/20/2019 at 10:45

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Seems like it requires a great deal more situational awareness on everyone’s part, which is good in some ways but pretty scary overall.

The overtaker should look for enough ahead on both shoulders to make sure it’s safe for everyone. Everyone has to be aware something like this can happen in front of them. The person you’re passing has to be paying enough attention to the rear view mirror to detect it.

Impressive.

Spanfeller is a twat > Just Jeepin' 04/20/2019 at 10:52

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Everyone is very concentrated, which is also why everyone is doing outrageous speeds, I was overtaken often, even if I was doing a solid 20-40 km/h above the posted limit in the straight sections and with the GPS to let me know about corners beforehand. Even Dacia Dusters would overtake me. 

I did feel very unsafe on that highway until I went on the freeway; on the freeway cargo trucks are always trying to overtake eachother and it takes them a long time to do it, so cars become desperate and start tailgating, or trying to overtake on the slow lanes.

On these smaller roads cargo trucks rarely ever left the shoulder, they rode it almost entirely inside. Only passenger bus es overtook.

Spanfeller is a twat > Not the Droid you're looking for 04/20/2019 at 10:59

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I would ride the shoulder on blind corners to avoid the more “brave” people. Even if I was entitled to using the entire lane. 

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Spanfeller is a twat 04/20/2019 at 12:02

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That doesn’t make it any less stupid.

and 100 more > Spanfeller is a twat 04/20/2019 at 12:09

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We have a lot of those asymmetrical sections here in Texas. 

Spanfeller is a twat > BaconSandwich is tasty. 04/20/2019 at 13:33

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On the contrary, it makes it even more stupid

TheRealBicycleBuck > Spanfeller is a twat 04/20/2019 at 18:14

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I had a debate with a friend of mine about this practice in parts of Texas. I asked my uncle (the police officer) about it. In Texas, when you cross into the shoulder, you are effectively ceding right of way to traffic in the main lane. If you have to swerve into the lane to avoid something on the shoulder and it causes an accident, you are at fault, even if the traffic in the main lane is traveling well over the speed limit.