The grumpy thread

[PhilA]

1 hour ago, Remspoor said:

I occasionally watch RR&BD Driving School on YT. I cannot believe how hard it is in the USA to drive and some of the laws covering insurance.

Coming from the UK, I can say this:

1) You are allowed to drive very heavy, articulated vehicles by proving you can drive your Honda Civic around the block.

2) The road signs here are very awful. Not just regular awful.

3) Interstate driving is often a problem because some drivers have been on the road for many hours. Couple that with old sections of Eisenhower camber, curve and surface designed for 55 mph and they'll lose control at a moment's distraction doing 85.

4) Big intersections with long lights lead to bored people and impatient high speed red-jumpers.

5) 44 ton trucks are not speed limited. They're usually doing 85 too.

And yes, insurance here is expensive. When the TV commercials say "Go with company X and save hundreds!", that's per annum but still.. between 3 vehicles (2 fully comp, 1 third party) I pay nearly $400/month in insurance alone.

Then they wonder why so many drive uninsured. That's also why I have specific coverage for uninsured motorists on my policy. Basically I'm paying for them if they crash into me and it's found to be my fault. Or vice versa.

Phil

[Pieman]

Every other post you make is either about extreme weather threatening to destroy your home, or something about America that is rubbish.  It always leaves me thinking "And you choose to live there?"

Then I remember I live in a country which is the laughing stock of the entire world in every aspect.

[PhilA]

15 hours ago, Pieman said:

Every other post you make is either about extreme weather threatening to destroy your home, or something about America that is rubbish.  It always leaves me thinking "And you choose to live there?"

Then I remember I live in a country which is the laughing stock of the entire world in every aspect.

Just plucking the choice pieces. After all, this is the Grumpy thread.

 

Don't forget, I've been here 15 years, and when in Rome; it's merely a different way of doing the same thing.

Yes, due to the geography, the weather can be much worse than there- often rather short bursts of very violent weather which in this case have affected me personally on an annoying scale for two years running.

On the flip side the people here are good, the food is a damned sight better and the overall attitude to life is better.

 

So yes, America is a bit marmite, but where isn't if it's not been home for a while?

[GrumpiusMaximus]

@PhilA In my limited experience of driving in the States, I noticed that highway driving was all about picking a lane and driving in it without any regard for the speed of the other vehicles.  We were around DC-Pennsylvania and New York.  Do you get that where you are?

[Remspoor]

9 hours ago, PhilA said:

Coming from the UK, I can say this:

1) You are allowed to drive very heavy, articulated vehicles by proving you can drive your Honda Civic around the block.

2) The road signs here are very awful. Not just regular awful.

3) Interstate driving is often a problem because some drivers have been on the road for many hours. Couple that with old sections of Eisenhower camber, curve and surface designed for 55 mph and they'll lose control at a moment's distraction doing 85.

4) Big intersections with long lights lead to bored people and impatient high speed red-jumpers.

5) 44 ton trucks are not speed limited. They're usually doing 85 too.

And yes, insurance here is expensive. When the TV commercials say "Go with company X and save hundreds!", that's per annum but still.. between 3 vehicles (2 fully comp, 1 third party) I pay nearly $400/month in insurance alone.

Then they wonder why so many drive uninsured. That's also why I have specific coverage for uninsured motorists on my policy. Basically I'm paying for them if they crash into me and it's found to be my fault. Or vice versa.

Phil

Thanks for the insight.

[Bren]

Forces TV has ended. Gutted.

Along with strikes and rampant inflation their 70's programmes gave 2022 a real touch of 70's authenticity.

[PhilA]

5 hours ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

@PhilA In my limited experience of driving in the States, I noticed that highway driving was all about picking a lane and driving in it without any regard for the speed of the other vehicles.  We were around DC-Pennsylvania and New York.  Do you get that where you are?

On more isolated sections of interstate (usually 2 lane) there tends to be slightly better lane discipline because the road calls for it- slower vehicles keep right.

Once the road enters a more urban area that often goes out the window because the road system forces chaos.

As a rule, I've found that in Europe the motorway system will generally force you to exit to one side (right on rhd roads, left on lhd) and if there is necessity for an interchange the exit lanes may grow to more than 1 on the exit side, while the main section of road continues. Lane 1 is always lane 1, 2 is 2. 3 or more continue alongside.

That system is what's attempted to be kept to here but once you enter a densely populated urban area that usually goes out of the window , and the principle of "the lane you're in is for where you're going".

Sightly less intense than D.C., interstate 10 into New Orleans is a reasonable example of the chaos. If I join I-10 at the 10/310 interchange and head eastbound, i have to join using the left of the two lanes. That then adds to the interstate and becomes what would be termed lane 1 in Europe. At that point I have 2 lanes to the right of me and two lanes to the left. The right hand two then peel off toward the airport and 3 continue east.

If I stay in that lane, never exit, it'll bring me through areas of road where I'm in the middle lane, with 3 lanes to my right and 3 to my left. Those lanes join and leave the road several times, and finally I'm forced off the road onto Canal St exit, about 15 miles later.

Around D.C. that can become more extreme- if you join in the right lane and stay in it, you can actually exit the road and peel off on the left.

Thus, around cities, the concept of "passing lane" goes well out the window and is replaced by the "this lane (or group of lanes) goes to X" principle whereby all lane position and passing rules vanish.

What makes it worse is when someone who's used to city interstate drives on rural interstate and ignores the rules. 

That and 44 ton semi trucks tend to sit in the middle lane if there's 3 and so if they're going slowly, traffic will just flow around them on either side.

I'm told it infuriates and confuses people whose experience of high speed roads being more ordered and the "middle lane hogger" being a rolling roadblock rather than a free for all moving traffic island.

Phil

[Wack]

Next door but one has just had his car nicked at 4am this morning  , waited 9 months for delivery, 71 plate BMW , 3 scumbags with their faces covered caught on the CCTV 

He must've been followed home , where we are isn't somewhere you just drive past , one road in and out and we're well into the estate 

 

 

 

[RoverFolkUs]

8 minutes ago, Wack said:

Next door but one has just had his car nicked at 4am this morning  , waited 9 months for delivery, 71 plate BMW , 3 scumbags with their faces covered caught on the CCTV 

He must've been followed home , where we are isn't somewhere you just drive past , one road in and out and we're well into the estate 

 

 

 

Bet they've used an antenna to pick up a keyless signal. Exactly that happened with a BMW 2 series near me the other month. I wish dealers would educate people on keeping keyless car keys away from the front door and preferably in a shielded metal box 

 

[Richard_FM]

My brother & sister in law recently had their car opened at some services by someone picking up their signal when they locked their car up.  A few things were taken, mostly my Step-Niece's luggage for a holiday.  Luckily my Sister In Law managed to get the CCTV footage & they were traced through their number plates.

[Wack]

1 hour ago, RoverFolkUs said:

Bet they've used an antenna to pick up a keyless signal. Exactly that happened with a BMW 2 series near me the other month. I wish dealers would educate people on keeping keyless car keys away from the front door and preferably in a shielded metal box 

 

I thought that but they've broken into the house and taken the keys , though the back door, bumped the lock by the sound of it 

The most ridiculous part is it had a bmw tracker find my car thing in it  but they'd ripped that out by the bottom of the street 

No point in putting them in if they're in the same place on every car

[Pieman]

1 hour ago, RoverFolkUs said:

I wish dealers would educate people on keeping keyless car keys away from the front door and preferably in a shielded metal box 

 

I wish manufacturers would fuck this stupid "keyless entry" off altogether.  It has no advantage whatsoever over unlocking and starting your car with a key and the ONLY change it makes is making your car easy to nick.

[RoverFolkUs]

8 minutes ago, Pieman said:

I wish manufacturers would fuck this stupid "keyless entry" off altogether.  It has no advantage whatsoever over unlocking and starting your car with a key and the ONLY change it makes is making your car easy to nick.

Extremely annoying when servicing them too - you might have drained the oil and need to take the steering lock off (that has automatically applied) and unless its brake/clutch down to start you run the risk of inadvertently starting the engine! Whatever was wrong with a key? As you say - completely unnecessary technology

[sdkrc]

Recent cambelt and water pump...4yrs and 64k miles ago. 

[Cavcraft]

I wonder if the 'antis' who mention vegetarians far more than vegetarians do, and the 'antis' who mention Christians far more than Christians do have now teamed up with the 'antis' who mention electric vehicles far more than actual electric vehicle owners do? All those frothing haters and hysterical* memes must be their sole reason for getting up in the morning.

[Bren]

1 hour ago, sdkrc said:

Recent cambelt and water pump...4yrs and 64k miles ago. 

Yes. There is some utter shite being offered. Even traders are selling stuff that insurance have paid out on.

[jakebullet]

Twat next door again. Why use the open gate & path when you can climb over the wall?

I was going to have words but he'd gone out so I left a polite note "stop trampling my garden you cunt use the fucking gate".

I realise I should have used better language, bunglecunt & comic sans.

[Remspoor]

On 7/2/2022 at 6:42 PM, PhilA said:

Another Canute ran the stop sign and drove into this poor Canute who then crashed into the power pole.

And that's why the Canuting power is out.

 

Driving is hard

This is not the same location I take it. Linked to the right time stamp.

 

[AnnoyingPentium]

8 hours ago, Pieman said:

I wish manufacturers would fuck this stupid "keyless entry" off altogether.  It has no advantage whatsoever over unlocking and starting your car with a key and the ONLY change it makes is making your car easy to nick.

Nightmare when you're jumping between cars and some have buttons, and some have a physical key. I do grin when I get to valet something with a real key.

 

[PhilA]

7 minutes ago, Remspoor said:

This is not the same location I take it. Linked to the right time stamp.

 

No, different place. Looked similar though.

[Remspoor]

4 hours ago, jakebullet said:

Twat next door again. Why use the open gate & path when you can climb over the wall?

I was going to have words but he'd gone out so I left a polite note "stop trampling my garden you cunt use the fucking gate".

I realise I should have used better language, bunglecunt & comic sans.

 

IANAL but I think that he is trespassing. Obviously you cannot keep the ball as that is theft. Escalate things over a ball could make for a crap situation.

[Wack]

15 minutes ago, Remspoor said:

This is not the same location I take it. Linked to the right time stamp.

 

I only found out recently the US doesn't have an annual roadworthiness test like we do 

You can see that in the video by the amount of cunts with no brakes or maybe no reactions , add on the nutcases and the nutcases with guns it's not a place I'm in a hurry to visit 

[D.E]

The deadline I gave the garage has passed, do you lot think he's finished the job?

No. Of-bloody-course not. He did change the tyres (which is at least something, I guess)...

... but hasn't done the tie rod. I think it is fairly safe to assume by now that, for some reason, he really does not want to do (or cannot do) this job but doesn't have the balls to tell me, and no matter if I would give him another week of month he's just not going to do it. 

So, I am going to take it back unfinished and will search for a garage that actually can and will change a tie rod. I am never going back to this one, that's for sure. 

 

[sheffcortinacentre]

8 hours ago, Pieman said:

I wish manufacturers would fuck this stupid "keyless entry" off altogether.  It has no advantage whatsoever over unlocking and starting your car with a key and the ONLY change it makes is making your car easy to nick.

Yes but it's so tiresome not to mention hardwork using a key.

[jakebullet]

25 minutes ago, Remspoor said:

IANAL but I think that he is trespassing. Obviously you cannot keep the ball as that is theft. Escalate things over a ball could make for a crap situation.

There was this thing when I was a child, where you went next door, knocked on the door and politely asked for the ball back apologising for any damage you've caused. You didn't get your gormless father to climb over the wall to trample shit, and then stand on the person next door's garden furniture to get back over the wall.

Guess that's progress for you.

Question: is there anything stopping me from sticking trellis on the wall to make it like 3 foot taller, and growing stinky plants on it? I'd bang leylandii in down the side of the wall but don't want to wait for them to grow.

[PhilA]

1 hour ago, Wack said:

I only found out recently the US doesn't have an annual roadworthiness test like we do 

You can see that in the video by the amount of cunts with no brakes or maybe no reactions , add on the nutcases and the nutcases with guns it's not a place I'm in a hurry to visit 

Incorrect.

That's my inspection (MoT if you will) certificate glued (mostly) to the screen.

Not all states have a roadworthiness test, but the majority do.

Phil

[DavieW]

The council put up temporary traffic lights for the best part of a week to replace perfectly working pelican crossing lights. This is what we are left with - ignore the temp light units still cluttering the place up but how could anyone sign that off?

 

[Muniphobia]

2 hours ago, jakebullet said:

There was this thing when I was a child, where you went next door, knocked on the door and politely asked for the ball back apologising for any damage you've caused. You didn't get your gormless father to climb over the wall to trample shit, and then stand on the person next door's garden furniture to get back over the wall.

Guess that's progress for you.

Question: is there anything stopping me from sticking trellis on the wall to make it like 3 foot taller, and growing stinky plants on it? I'd bang leylandii in down the side of the wall but don't want to wait for them to grow.

I would have thought thorny plants are what you need along the wall or some holly

[mitsisigma01]

22 minutes ago, Muniphobia said:

I would have thought thorny plants are what you need along the wall or some holly

Or just razor wire 

[Metal Guru]

14 hours ago, PhilA said:

On more isolated sections of interstate (usually 2 lane) there tends to be slightly better lane discipline because the road calls for it- slower vehicles keep right.

Once the road enters a more urban area that often goes out the window because the road system forces chaos.

As a rule, I've found that in Europe the motorway system will generally force you to exit to one side (right on rhd roads, left on lhd) and if there is necessity for an interchange the exit lanes may grow to more than 1 on the exit side, while the main section of road continues. Lane 1 is always lane 1, 2 is 2. 3 or more continue alongside.

That system is what's attempted to be kept to here but once you enter a densely populated urban area that usually goes out of the window , and the principle of "the lane you're in is for where you're going".

Sightly less intense than D.C., interstate 10 into New Orleans is a reasonable example of the chaos. If I join I-10 at the 10/310 interchange and head eastbound, i have to join using the left of the two lanes. That then adds to the interstate and becomes what would be termed lane 1 in Europe. At that point I have 2 lanes to the right of me and two lanes to the left. The right hand two then peel off toward the airport and 3 continue east.

If I stay in that lane, never exit, it'll bring me through areas of road where I'm in the middle lane, with 3 lanes to my right and 3 to my left. Those lanes join and leave the road several times, and finally I'm forced off the road onto Canal St exit, about 15 miles later.

Around D.C. that can become more extreme- if you join in the right lane and stay in it, you can actually exit the road and peel off on the left.

Thus, around cities, the concept of "passing lane" goes well out the window and is replaced by the "this lane (or group of lanes) goes to X" principle whereby all lane position and passing rules vanish.

What makes it worse is when someone who's used to city interstate drives on rural interstate and ignores the rules. 

That and 44 ton semi trucks tend to sit in the middle lane if there's 3 and so if they're going slowly, traffic will just flow around them on either side.

I'm told it infuriates and confuses people whose experience of high speed roads being more ordered and the "middle lane hogger" being a rolling roadblock rather than a free for all moving traffic island.

Phil

The M8 through Glasgow is a bit like that. I think it’s the only bit of U.K. motorway I know where exits / entries can be on the right .