Friday, September 30, 2016

CRHTs

If you look close, you can see the rain drops on the wind shield.
Not far from Chez Sarge is an intersection. Okay, truth be told, near the place where I live there are a lot of intersections. I mean I live in a town, in the East. People have been living here for thousands of years. Okay, the original inhabitants weren't really in to building roads and streets. That's something we European types brought with us. So roads and streets have been going on here for only a few hundred years. Bristol has been around, in one form or another, since the late 1600s, the earlier inhabitants (the Wampanoags) didn't call it that. But...

Yup, digressed. I do plan on presenting a bit of a history lesson on the area someday. Lots of history in this area. Only today did I discover that where I live used to belong to Massachusetts, the Crown gave it to Little Rhody. Imagine that, being passed around like some common...



Right then, the intersection in question which is near my house and which isn't far from this very nice Mexican restaurant is depicted in the following graphic which I borrowed (of course) from Google Maps. All street and place names have been redacted so that the Russian Army can't find me. Not that I'm hiding from the Russian Army, mind you, but I'd rather they didn't know where I lived. Then they might stop by, we'd have to have snacks, and vodka of course, though I don't drink vodka and...

Right, getting on with it.

The Intersection Relevant to This Post... (Google Maps)
During the afternoon rush hour, there is normally a lot of traffic proceeding in the upper most street traveling from right to left as you look at the map. (FWIW, that is also downhill, not that that really makes a difference. But I thought I'd throw that out there, for the sake of completeness. Or something.) So if one wanted to make a left hand turn, one might have to wait for quite some time.

Now somewhat far (but not that far) to the left of that wee map snippet is the "main road" through Bristol. It's what we call Hope Street. Oddly enough, Bristol doesn't have a Main Street (by name), Hope Street is the main street. It's just not called that. To make things perhaps more confusing, we also have a High Street. Which is what they call the main street in England, I think. Perhaps that is confusing only to the English. Not in England mind you, but here in Bristol. Now I'm confused. Where was I?

Oh yes, the main road is to the left. That's the road with most of the traffic and traffic lights. In order to skip a chunk of that main road, people will take a "short cut" to get to the intersection depicted above where they will then wait for a break in traffic to get back to the main road. Which annoys me.

It annoys me because when I need to go to the supermarket after work, I will pass my street (which is just off the bottom of that map above, but don't tell the Russians) and proceed to the intersection where I will then make a right turn. The supermarket being over the top of the hill to the right and then down the hill about a quarter mile away.

The bit that annoys me is having to wait for the people who want to make a left turn. Causing me to wait. Sometimes an inordinate amount of time due to the east to west traffic along that road at the top of the wee map (above, in case you haven't clued into that yet). Oh yeah, the top of the map is north, as is traditional in depicting a map. North is usually at the top. Usually. No, I didn't make that up, it's tradition.

Anyhoo, it struck me the other day that...

What? Oh the title! Sorry, I should have mentioned that earlier. It's an abbreviation. Be patient, I'm about to tell you what it stands for.

So yes, it struck me the other day that I like to plan my trips about town so that I never have to turn left. Turning left in this country implies having to turn across one lane of traffic into another. (Yes, in Britain, Japan, Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand it would be the opposite. But...)

Turning left is a pain when there is a lot of traffic. So I like to try and make right hand turns as much as possible. Even if there is a red traffic light in my path, normally one can make a "right turn on red," as the saying goes. (Note that in New England, especially Little Rhody, some people will skip that whole "stop" then "right turn on red" thing. Oh one more thing, they never use their turn signals. Ever. You can tell I'm not from around here, I always signal.)

Anyhoo. As I pulled into the drive the other day after work (and yes, first I had gone to the supermarket and had to wait behind three people making left turns), it started to rain. (Evidence in the form of the opening photo is submitted for your edification and approval. And would the clerk please mark that "Sarge's Exhibit One." No, I'm not entering the wee map into evidence as I could have drawn that on a white board. If I had one, but I don't so... Alright, mark the wee map "Sarge's Exhibit One" and mark the opening photo "Sarge's Exhibit Two." As I mentioned the map first and the photo second. Though they are presented in the opposite order and... Sorry. Did it again. Digressed that is.)

Anyhoo...

In the driveway, starting to rain and I'm annoyed at having been delayed in my return to home and hearth due to people making left turns. No, I know, it wasn't done to annoy me, but it did. And I had the thought,
"Wouldn't it be nice if life was nothing but a series of Continuous Right Hand Turns?"
But no, it isn't. And yes hence the title and yes I'm awfully tired as I write this.

BWE is almost as bad as BWI. (Blogging While Exhausted vice Blogging While Irritated.)

Yeah, I know. This post was quite a stretch. I promise, I'll make it up to you. POCIR.

Then, apropos of not much...




Oh yes, today is The Missus Herself's birthday. Happy Birthday, Love of My Life.



44 comments:

  1. Excellent https://youtu.be/Y8DqAIyuR0Q post, however: Sweden drives on the right!

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    1. D'oh! You're absolutely right Glenn (pun intended). Sweden does drive on the right. Ireland and India (and a few others) also drive on the left. But not Sweden. They switched from the left to the right on 3 September 1967. I guess I never got that memo.

      Delete
  2. Not much for NASCAR are Ya? All left-hand turns...

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    1. Hahaha!

      No but I could easily program a Nav system for NASCAR. "In a quarter mile, turn left. In a half mile, turn left..."

      Delete
  3. Better that drivers have free will to turn when they wish, than having it totally regulated with traffic signals or extra stop signs

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    1. Hahaha!

      No doubt that has been discussed by the loons of the left.

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  4. The Birthday Badger sends Respectful Birthday Greetings to Mrs. Goodrich! HUZZAH!

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  5. Only right hand turns would imply traffic circles, which are NOT Badger Approved! On 3 September 1967, the Swedes FINALLY listened to what us Norskies had been telling them for hundreds of years, DRIVE ON THE RIGHT!

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    1. Traffic circles. We hates them. They were a thing fifty years ago, they all went the way of the T. Rex as being dangerous. Now the politicians are bringing them back, Lord knows what went into that decision.

      I was on Okinawa and had a car when Okinawa switched from the right side of the road to the left. Drove in that mess twice. Then got rid of the car. There wasn't really anyplace I wanted to go on Okinawa badly enough to deal with that. Riding in a car in the UK still scares the crap out of me.

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    2. That was before my time on Oki but then no one carried swords and it was still ours, not Japans. Not sure how comfortable I'd be with driving on the LH side of the road. Happiest of Birthdays to Mrs. Goodrich- 39 is always a special year. Yes, traffic circles are quite the thing now in my part of NC, like it is a new invention and y'all will just love it, Not. We are short of turn signal blinker fluid in this area so I try to save it just in case I really need it some day.

      Uphill and downhill make a difference in winter. I still stay close to the curb, just in case, when we have snow every other decade.

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    3. Heh, no one carried swords and it was still ours.

      No fun at all driving after the switch I can tell you.

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    4. First year and a half I was at Kadena, it was two weeks there, two weeks in Osan, two weeks at Kadena, two weeks at Clark, rinse repeat. Got so bad, I'd have a hard time making a left turn and figuring out which lane to turn into. Got pretty good at doing a James Bond turn around when I'd turn into a one way coming the other direction. Did that more than once. Finally figured out that I needed to put the drivers seat in the middle of the road.
      Yep, flies multi-million dollar jets, can't even figure out how to drive a car!

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    5. Hahaha!

      Yup, I can imagine your chagrin.

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  6. Traffic can be awful here in a small town. At 9:30 you get bluehair flight, an unending stream of new or nearly new SUV's proceeding eastbound on main street (properly Hwy 30) at approximately 7 mph, right turn signals blinking, heading for the coffee shop, which is on the left.

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    1. I get driven to distraction by the old folks driving 500 miles with their turn signal on.

      I'm guessing they can't hear the wee noise it makes in the cabin. I was once holding forth on that topic regarding an old guy in front of me when The Nuke pointed out that my turn signal had been blinking for at least the last two miles. Same as the old fellow in front of me.

      Yes, that was a bit embarrassing.

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  7. Read somewhere the average persons spends six months of their lives sitting at a red light. Wonder how much more for the left turn matrix?

    Getting back to the six months, which must be an average, in my town it feels like a year.

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    1. There is a light nearby which everyone in the neighborhood calls the "forever light." It turns green once every three years. At least it feels that way in the morning when I'm trying to get to work.

      We all complained once. The town adjusted it, then someone using the main road (a town councilman no doubt) complained about it. It went back to being the forever light.

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  8. We went from having two lights in town to nine.
    None of them under the control of the town, but by the state transportation department ...lord help us!

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    1. Oh, and then they put in a big traffic circle at the freeway interchange.

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    2. Ah yes, the State knows best.

      (Grumble, grumble...)

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    3. Traffic circles remind me of Roller Derby. Sometimes the outcomes are the same.

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    4. They had to put in a traffic circle when the state installed the new and vital multi-million-million-dollar I-80 bypass. It opened on October 1, and on that very day a semi-load of freshly harvested sugarbeets turned over on the roundabout. They haven't yet invented the word to adequately describe the hilarity of that event.

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    5. Ah sugarbeets! A very prevalent crop in the area of Germany in which I lived.

      No overturning of trucks were held when I was there. Of course, the Germans know a thing or two about building roads.

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    6. This is Oktoberfest weekend. The stupidium bomb just went off again and it's infected the town. Coming home from lunch right now, had to travel DOWN main street just to drop off the wife. Couple of brake pedal to the floor to check and see if the antiskid would stop me before I flattened a jay-walker. Folks, it's a major US highway, use the crosswalks! Geez!

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    7. Ah that's right! It is the annual Stupidiumfest, er I mean, Oktoberfest weekend!

      Hope all goes well. Something else folks around here have trouble with, crosswalks. It's like freaking Thunderdome out there some days!

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    8. I know of at least one town that had a traffic circle installed, that the state did not bother to ask how long the town's Snorkel was. It didn't fit.

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  9. May I add my best wishes to the Missus herself on this happy occasion? The very best of everything to both of you.

    Paul L. Quandt

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  10. Happiest of birthdays to the Mrs.
    Convey our heartiest congrats that she has survived another year keeping you in the right or left line line (multiple meanings there, I think).

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    1. She works very hard keeping me in line. Tough job etc.

      Thanks Dave!

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  11. Are you putting videos in the large white spaces on my browser? Is the NSA editing your posts? Do I need to use Firefox? Important questions, here in the 21st Century.

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    1. Large white spaces? Ruh roh!

      Yes, you should see videos there. What browser do you use? Tablet, computer or smartphone? I'll get the techies on that mo skosh.

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    2. I've seen them when browsing from my iPad using Chrome. Nowhere else though.

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    3. Occasionally such vast white tracts will be visible on my Android "smart" phone.

      Sometimes they might take a few seconds to load, then you'll see snow, er, white space.

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  12. If the Russians bribe me to help them find you, how much should I hold out for? :)

    (Hey! That's the cross street that deadends at the pink gate!)

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    1. Make them pay dearly.

      And tell them to bring enough caviar for everyone this time...

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Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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