The grumpy thread

[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 .

[PhilA]

10 minutes ago, Metal Guru said:

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 .

True, it peels off under the road. Been a while since I went that way.

That is, however, uncommon. Exits and entrances to the road on both sides here are common.

Primary reason is the Interstate was intended to be a quick route to out of the city, not a bypass route to get in and about the city faster than driving surface streets. Thus, it outgrew its original design spec significantly.

[Wack]

7 hours ago, PhilA said:

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

Thanks , I'd wondered how on some of the TV shows they pull a car out of a barn, get it running and drive it home , I can see rust not being a problem in the desert states but other things need checking

It seems bizarre that it's not mandatory across the US for cars to be checked annually  , I can't imagine that happening  here , Cheshire you need an mot , Lancashire you don't for instance.

[warch]

10 minutes ago, Wack said:

Thanks , I'd wondered how on some of the TV shows they pull a car out of a barn, get it running and drive it home , I can see rust not being a problem in the desert states but other things need checking

It seems bizarre that it's not mandatory across the US for cars to be checked annually  , I can't imagine that happening  here , Cheshire you need an mot , Lancashire you don't for instance.

My understanding of the Australian reggo system is that car’s are not subject to an inspection until they are sold to someone else. Australia is very heavily policed and the expectation is that the vehicle is completely roadworthy.

Lots of British vehicles are MoT exempt, especially things like classic cars and agricultural vehicles.

The nearest equivalent the UK has to states is the individual devolved administrations.  Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland or England could have their own rules if they wanted.

[Remspoor]

8 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.

 

6 hours ago, Muniphobia said:

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

I would also go for something with sharp pointy bits.

I hate leylandii. It grows too fast and creates much darkness.

To add to the holy suggestion  how about a nice rose will be great. The bigger the better. If it is too small they will trample on it before it has a chance to grow.

 

[Rocket88]

9 hours ago, PhilA said:

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

Any age exemptions, like the 40 year rule over here?

[andy18s]

20 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.

I know of a guy who went out for a spin on his keyless Ducati.

Only when he stopped for fuel he couldn't open the cap,or restart the bike as the key he thought was in his pocket was hanging up at home..

[D.E]

Oh in the name of everything that's remotely holy, I've just called the garage to let him know I'll drop by today to pick up the 205, and he's busy changing the tie rod RIGHT NOW? He's either lying or finally pressured into doing it, albeit at the last minute. 

I think I am going to "coincidentally" drive past the garage later this morning to check if he's truly working on it. If he is I'll let him finish, if he isn't I will fart in his general direction.

[MorrisItalSLX]

2 hours ago, warch said:

My understanding of the Australian reggo system is that car’s are not subject to an inspection until they are sold to someone else. Australia is very heavily policed and the expectation is that the vehicle is completely roadworthy.

It depends which state you live in, In New South Wales where I live there is a yearly roadworthy inspection.

It is true that there is an expectation that vehicles are completely roadworthy. The police can stop you and inspect your vehicle if they believe it to be unroadworthy, and if it does not meet the standards they will issue you with a defect notice (with a hefty fine) and ground the vehicle until it is inspected by an authorised inspector and the defect cleared. This can be anything from structural damage to a dead tail lamp.

[warch]

10 minutes ago, MorrisItalSLX said:

It depends which state you live in, In New South Wales where I live there is a yearly roadworthy inspection.

It is true that there is an expectation that vehicles are completely roadworthy. The police can stop you and inspect your vehicle if they believe it to be unroadworthy, and if it does not meet the standards they will issue you with a defect notice (with a hefty fine) and ground the vehicle until it is inspected by an authorised inspector and the defect cleared. This can be anything from structural damage to a dead tail lamp.

Thanks, my wife's family lives in Queensland so I don't know if the rules are any different there. In theory the rules about roadworthiness also apply in the UK, but quite frankly where I live you could drive around in an untested vehicle for months and not even see a police patrol car, thanks to cutbacks.

My MoT exempt vehicle is subjected to a rigorous maintenance regime where anything defective or slightly iffy looking gets replaced. I see exemption as a privilege and shouldn't want to see any future administration consider removing that privilege because people are taking the piss. 

[MorrisItalSLX]

Queenslanders have always been an odd bunch…

Generally speaking, you vehicle will only get inspected by the police if it is obviously and blatantly unroadworthy, if you are pulled over for another matter and the policeman really wants to punish you or if there is an operation targeting unroadworthy vehicles (modified, decrepit etc.) underway.

[Metal Guru]

7 hours ago, PhilA said:

True, it peels off under the road. Been a while since I went that way.

That is, however, uncommon. Exits and entrances to the road on both sides here are common.

Primary reason is the Interstate was intended to be a quick route to out of the city, not a bypass route to get in and about the city faster than driving surface streets. Thus, it outgrew its original design spec significantly.

It’s the opposite with most English motorways. They were built as bypasses but as they are close to those cities and towns people use them to get from one side of town to the other instead of going through city centres, which clogs them up severely for through traffic.

[D.E]

1 minute ago, MorrisItalSLX said:

Queenslanders have always been an odd bunch…

Generally speaking, you vehicle will only get inspected by the police if it is obviously and blatantly unroadworthy, if you are pulled over for another matter and the policeman really wants to punish you or if there is an operation targeting unroadworthy vehicles (modified, decrepit etc.) underway.

This is quite similar to how things were handled here before the days of the mandatory inspection (which was introduced in 1985). Police would target cars that appeared unroadworthy, if there was anything wrong they would either give you the possibility to fix and show the repair at the police station, or (in case a car was a death trap, like the 2CV of one of my grandpa's collegues which had a fuel system made out of an old bucket and a hose) it could be seized.

[Yoss]

10 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

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 .

M25 J5 for the A21 to Hastings is like that. You have to be in the outside two lanes to go to Hastings but the inside two to stay on the M25. 

In the above screenshot the main carriageway is marked as both the M25 and A21 at the same time but that goes south towards Sevenoaks. To stay on the M25 you need that slip road that drops down to the M26 where both that and the slip road rejoin the M25. 

It's interesting doing that with a Routemaster with its 40mph cruising speed. 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

American car does American car hub cap cliche on mount side...

[PhilA]

7 hours ago, Wack said:

 I can't imagine that happening  here

See: Jersey

[PhilA]

5 hours ago, Rocket88 said:

Any age exemptions, like the 40 year rule over here?

There are. Once a vehicle reaches 25 years old (in this state at least, it varies) you can apply to register it as an antique. That process involves an inspection and requires an affidavit from a car club or other knowledgeable source (museum etc) that the car is as it was when it left the factory without modifications.

The car then gets a special plate stamped ANTIQUE along the bottom and a silhouette of an old jalopy. That exempts it from annual safety test. However, it also exempts the vehicle from being used as an everyday hack, you're allowed to putz about in the evenings and go to and fro a car show or two at the weekend, but if you're in an antique plated vehicle sat in commuter traffic on the interstate at 5pm expect to get stopped and asked why you're there and where you're going and been. Usually your insurance will be void if you're using the vehicle for regular duty also.

That's why mine has a normal passenger car registration plate. It's registered and insured the same as any other vehicle, and requires inspection.

[wuvvum]

16 hours ago, PhilA said:

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

I'm assuming Michigan is one of the states that doesn't, given the condition of some of the heaps I saw on the road over there.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

1 hour ago, PhilA said:

See: Jersey

My other half lived in Guernsey for a year.  Just before she moved over there, her Ford Ka was due an MOT it was likely to fail so instead she just exported it and sold it on just before she came back to the UK.  It was good thinking.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

2 hours ago, Yoss said:

M25 J5 for the A21 to Hastings is like that. You have to be in the outside two lanes to go to Hastings but the inside two to stay on the M25. 

In the above screenshot the main carriageway is marked as both the M25 and A21 at the same time but that goes south towards Sevenoaks. To stay on the M25 you need that slip road that drops down to the M26 where both that and the slip road rejoin the M25. 

It's interesting doing that with a Routemaster with its 40mph cruising speed. 

That junction is an absolute menace.  It's much easier to arrive from the M26.  Did it yesterday.

Classic example of Ringways not being completed and making the best of what was already there with the M25.

[horriblemercedes]

First proper MOT failure I've had for a long time. I'm a bit surprised really. The pads all looked a lot thicker than that when I checked them last week and the handbrake holds the car very strongly, but I trust them so I must have cocked up. 

 

Anyway, could've been worse 

[PhilA]

1 hour ago, wuvvum said:

I'm assuming Michigan is one of the states that doesn't, given the condition of some of the heaps I saw on the road over there.

Holey sills, batman.

Given how much salt and grit they dump on the roads there annually, you'd think they would. But, no.

[artdjones]

10 hours ago, Wack said:

Thanks , I'd wondered how on some of the TV shows they pull a car out of a barn, get it running and drive it home , I can see rust not being a problem in the desert states but other things need checking

It seems bizarre that it's not mandatory across the US for cars to be checked annually  , I can't imagine that happening  here , Cheshire you need an mot , Lancashire you don't for instance.

The US is 50 countries federated together, lots of things are left to the individual states. 

[Wack]

48 minutes ago, artdjones said:

The US is 50 countries federated together, lots of things are left to the individual states. 

So not that united then 

I've no real interest in America so have been educated today 

[Ghosty]

15 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

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 .

 

The south east corner of the M60 has a slip road that comes in on the right going anticlockwise, as a result of an unfinished junction. 

[Zelandeth]

21 hours 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 

It was... interesting...the first time I drove on the Interstate in Michigan.

Nothing quite like watching a pickup truck bombing past you at 90+ that is visibly flexing in the middle by about a foot where the body is holding the non existent chassis together...

[Dead_E23]

16 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

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 .

The junction for the M62 from the A1 at Castleford is like that, as is the entrance to the M6 Toll from the M6 westbound.

[Wack]

18 minutes ago, Dead_E23 said:

The junction for the M62 from the A1 at Castleford is like that, as is the entrance to the M6 Toll from the M6 westbound.

On the M6 Lane 3 northbound just north of Birmingham splits off to the right  as it joins the Northbound toll road exit 

Over the years I've seen quite a few near misses as people swerve back into lane 2 because they think they're entering the toll road 

[Pieman]

11 minutes ago, Wack said:

On the M6 Lane 3 northbound just north of Birmingham splits off to the right  as it joins the Northbound toll road exit 

Over the years I've seen quite a few near misses as people swerve back into lane 2 because they think they're entering the toll road 

Whenever I see people do that on any junction I always wish another car would clip them and send them spinning like a top.

[Urko]

Trivia - first MOT in Norn Iron is at 4 years - Eng Scot and Wales it's 3.