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The Bad Drivers of Ontario Thread
- Thread starter Boots
- Start date
True, though you are required to follow that guideline to obtain a license, so how informal is that? License in hand, the average driver would rather lazily chug along avoiding the 'stress' of lane changes.. oh well, around here congestion isn't usually a huge issue, and as such the right lanes are the right lane for a timely commute.
Informal and formal rules can coexist. I was referring to the informal rules. The first clue was when I called them informal rules. They are also known as culture, etiquette, custom... People from Germany or any other culture will usually be surprised with our informal rules of the road. Just as we are with theirs. Even if one driving culture were somehow 'better' than the other, it's usually a bad idea to try and impose it in the wrong region. At the very least it will cause aggravation, as you've experienced. At worst, it will cause death.
The formal rules, i.e. laws, read to me as are mere guidelines when it comes to passing in Ontario, but I could be wrong. Regardless, where the laws and customs conflict, it is because those particular laws are poorly enforced, or strongly opposed. Judging from the way people drive in Ontario, the informal rules take precedence when it comes to overtaking on the left or right. That's called reality. You can adjust your driving to reality, or you can take your personal reality and bring it back with you to the culture you came from. Either way, you shouldn't have any more cause to complain that the vast majority of people don't drive the way you really, really, strongly think they should drive.
The formal rules, i.e. laws, read to me as are mere guidelines when it comes to passing in Ontario, but I could be wrong. Regardless, where the laws and customs conflict, it is because those particular laws are poorly enforced, or strongly opposed. Judging from the way people drive in Ontario, the informal rules take precedence when it comes to overtaking on the left or right. That's called reality. You can adjust your driving to reality, or you can take your personal reality and bring it back with you to the culture you came from. Either way, you shouldn't have any more cause to complain that the vast majority of people don't drive the way you really, really, strongly think they should drive.
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One thing. Toronto is not Ontario. Where I live in Ontario, people tend to pass left and drive right. Only when I get near Toronto do I see more people immediately pull to the left and set the cruise. Even then, it's not a very large percentage of drivers.
I'm one of those rotten drivers that buzz the tower in the right lane. Figure if I do it enough, folks will move over and I can start passing in the left lane.
Until then, I find the right lane to be the "express" lane.
Rarely do it on a bike though. Only when a left lane bandit clearly won't move, I'll pass on the right.
As for DLRs, my current vehicle "dims" the interior lights when the full lighting system is on and won't adjust to the same brightness. Learned to live with it. Tend to drive with full lights on majority of the time.
Previous VWs didn't have auto lights so, it was habit for me to just turn them on.
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So in a sentence, the majority are doing it, so should you; got it. I'll remember this for the '130 on the 401 is too fast' crowd. informal rules ftw
I rarely find myself on a 400 series highway on the bike; or even a crowded road. I ride for rec, and either of those are just a bore
True but, sometimes you just got the get there. Even on the bike.
For instance, I'll bomb up to Ottawa to meet up with my Father-in-law. Rather get there in 5 hours via freeway so, we can ride together for the weekend or whatever.
I've done the northern roads up through Bancroft etc. It's fun. But it's not always practical.
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You can at least route through Tweed and up the number 7. It's listed as 10 minutes longer, but can be faster some days. No left lane bandits there.
As I said in my first post on this subject, limited access highways are different, people generally observe the passing on the left rule. I've seen the odd driver pull onto the highway barely breaking 100 and immediately pull over 4 lanes to cruise in the left. This is obviously disapproved by most drivers, it's not a rule of any kind. But your distate for GTA drivers is obviously much broader than that type of offense.
You seem to be upset by safe, predictable, but informal rules that conflict with your own internal sense of road justice. I'm just saying that problen is all yours.
BTW, Ontario is not Toronto either.
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Do whatever you want. However complaining about what the majority do because it doesn't suit you personally is pretty much the definition of elitism. Are you an elitist?
I82l8
Well-known member
hmmm apply the same theory to say 1933 Germany???
Same thing. I'd tell the guy who complains that the majority who support star of David tags should instead support an Arian ID card for 'authentic' Germans, to f* right the hell off too.
We're not talking about concern for others here, but self-centered holier-than-thou judgment of the majority who do things in way their ego deems unworthy of their compliance, at least in an environment like the roads where the space is shared and we all need to collaborate to get the best outcome.
Are you describing me? Because we can go back through your participation in this thread post by post and empirically see who's "elitist" and "holier-than-thou"
You can go back and do anything. Who's stopping you?
My description applies to anyone who rejects what the majority does purely on the grounds that they disagree and regardless of whether any harm results. Is that you?
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yodude
Banned
o.k. but your concept of what the majority does, comes completely from anecdotal evidence. Are you willing to change?
My basic premise is to get from point A to point B as quickly and safely as possible, while allowing others to do the same.
I happen to drive and ride mostly in the right lane, as that was what I was taught, and given demerits for when I didn't. If I'd done it too much, I would have failed my G license exam. I'm not sure if that's changed to fit your new scenario, but I've never been honked at, given the finger, or brake checked in the right hand lane. It also tends to have a more consistent speed, and when you come upon a slower moving vehicle, there is usually the option to pass on the left when outside of Toronto.
There are those who would try and force you to fit their example of driving, by cutting you off, brake checking you, and driving at exactly the speed limit beside another vehicle and then accelerating to 150 kph or more, when you try and pass. I don't like those reindeer games, and try to keep as far from those people as possible, whether in front of them, or behind. You can't teach them anything, and anything you do will be taken in as negative a light as possible, so I don't even try. I will however model the driving that I see as working well. That included driving to the right, passing quickly and safely to the left when I can. I like to allow others to pass me, as it takes the burden of speed traps off the table, diffuses any volatility in the situation, and allows me to relax behind the wheel or at the bars. Like I said before, I try and allow for the mistakes of others, and hope that those others will do likewise, when I make a mistake, which I try to minimize.
Anyways, its good to discuss things like this as we find that one person's definition of a bad driver, or mediocre driver, may be another person's definition of a good one, and can work toward some sort of consensus. Or maybe there's just some apathy or ignorance on the part of some drivers.
My grounds were the fact that one must drive in the right lane at all times, unless passing or preparing to turn, when completing a driver examination; so it's strange that this is unreasonable once on your own, regardless of what everyone else is doing. I'm not totally disagreeing with your previous assertions that this is not always ideal, and circumstance dictates etc etc... my flippant comment was just a reminder that this sort of rational seems entirely dependent on ones 'feelings' about any given 'normality' of driving behaviour.
For someone who gets on a high horse about insults etc, your pretty quick to take things up a notch.
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