The Sloths are Taking Over

In article >, Scott en Aztlán wrote:

> the roads were wide open
> (except for a few arrogant pedalcyclists, who undoubtedly used these
> roads for the same reason I was).

> Things have changed drastically. Now large sections of former farmland
> are being developed into housing, and the roads are jam-packed with
> Sloth who drive a maximum of 45 MPH on these 65 MPH roads - and, of
> course, there is a 1/4 mile long conga line of vehicles stuck behind
> these assholes.

Proof that a few ordinary sloth drivers are worse than any bicyclist could
be even if he was trying.

Scott en Aztlán wrote:
>
>I changed jobs recently, and the best route to my new office takes me
>over several streets (Irvine Boulevard, Portola Parkway) that I used
>to drive regularly to work back in 1999. At that time, these were
>essentially rural roads with very little traffic and 65 MPH speed
>limits. Even as recently as 2 years ago I used to take little pleasure
>drives through this area after work because the roads were wide open
>(except for a few arrogant pedalcyclists, who undoubtedly used these
>roads for the same reason I was).
>
>Things have changed drastically. Now large sections of former farmland
>are being developed into housing, and the roads are jam-packed with
>Sloth who drive a maximum of 45 MPH on these 65 MPH roads - and, of
>course, there is a 1/4 mile long conga line of vehicles stuck behind
>these assholes.

Blame the city planners. When I saw those roads get built,
I knew that there would be this problem. I live in NORTH
Orange county, which has (with a few exceptions in small
areas that were built in the Model T era) a proper grid of
straight and wide streets. When Portola Parkway is a parking
lot, Orangethorpe and Knott are free-flowing. Just look at a
map and you will see why: Buena Park has a wide N_S and E_W
street every mile or so. Irvine has a huge area feeding
a mass of cars into each street, and not enough streets to
handle the load.

As for sloths, who cares when there are three lanes going each
way, with a fourth left-turn lane and a fifth right turn lane
at every intersection? Just drive around any sloth you see, and
watch as the speeders pass you, all with no conflict *by design*.

Scott en Aztlán wrote:
>
>Guy Macon wrote:
>
>>As for sloths, who cares when there are three lanes going each
>>way, with a fourth left-turn lane and a fifth right turn lane
>>at every intersection? Just drive around any sloth you see
>
>Easier said than done when the Sloths are driving three-abreast down
>Culver Drive at 35 MPH, forming a Rolling Roadblock...

My point exactly. In North Orange County this doesn't happen,
because we don't pack all the sloths, speedsters and normals
on to one road, like the idiots who laid out the streets in
South Orange County did.

In article >, Guy Macon wrote:

> As for sloths, who cares when there are three lanes going each
> way, with a fourth left-turn lane and a fifth right turn lane
> at every intersection? Just drive around any sloth you see, and
> watch as the speeders pass you, all with no conflict *by design*.

Extra lanes only minimally reduce the effect of sloth because sloth
drivers have a nasty habbit of driving next to each other instead of
keeping right. There wouldn't be a problem if they kept right.

Scott en Aztlán wrote:
>
>Guy Macon wrote:
>
>>>>As for sloths, who cares when there are three lanes going each
>>>>way, with a fourth left-turn lane and a fifth right turn lane
>>>>at every intersection? Just drive around any sloth you see
>>>
>>>Easier said than done when the Sloths are driving three-abreast down
>>>Culver Drive at 35 MPH, forming a Rolling Roadblock...
>>
>>My point exactly. In North Orange County this doesn't happen
>
>Of course it does. I used to work in Garbage Grove, and I ran into 5
>lanes of Sloths on Beach Boulevard every morning. Beach Boulevard is a
>so-called "Smart Street" - what good is a Smart Street when it's full
>of Dumb Drivers?

Let me guess; were these "sloths" going at the median speed?

You could have used a parallel street one or two blocks to the
left or right. Also, if you think that Beach Blvd. is slower
than the parking lots they call streets in Irvine, you haven't
been paying attention.

Brent P wrote:
>
>In article >, Guy Macon wrote:
>
>> As for sloths, who cares when there are three lanes going each
>> way, with a fourth left-turn lane and a fifth right turn lane
>> at every intersection? Just drive around any sloth you see, and
>> watch as the speeders pass you, all with no conflict *by design*.
>
>Extra lanes only minimally reduce the effect of sloth because sloth
>drivers have a nasty habbit of driving next to each other instead of
>keeping right. There wouldn't be a problem if they kept right.

Extra lanes have a huge effect. It's a lot harder to get three
slow drivers across than it is to get two. And of course in areas
of the country that have two-lane roads with no passing, it only
takes one.

In article >, Guy Macon wrote:
>
> Brent P wrote:
>>
>>In article >, Guy Macon wrote:
>>
>>> As for sloths, who cares when there are three lanes going each
>>> way, with a fourth left-turn lane and a fifth right turn lane
>>> at every intersection? Just drive around any sloth you see, and
>>> watch as the speeders pass you, all with no conflict *by design*.
>>
>>Extra lanes only minimally reduce the effect of sloth because sloth
>>drivers have a nasty habbit of driving next to each other instead of
>>keeping right. There wouldn't be a problem if they kept right.
>
> Extra lanes have a huge effect. It's a lot harder to get three
> slow drivers across than it is to get two. And of course in areas
> of the country that have two-lane roads with no passing, it only
> takes one.

One would think it would be harder. But it doesn't seem to be anywhere
near as more difficult as one would think.

Really late at night, when there are only 2 or 3 other vehicles on
the same road as I, they will be right next to each other. Sloth attracts
sloth. They have an ability to come together to form a rolling road
block.

Brent P wrote:

> One would think it would be harder. But it doesn't seem to be anywhere
> near as more difficult as one would think.
>
> Really late at night, when there are only 2 or 3 other vehicles on
> the same road as I, they will be right next to each other. Sloth attracts
> sloth. They have an ability to come together to form a rolling road
> block.

I can't say for certain, but it seems that lane discipline is better
when there are only 2 lanes available (per side).

>>>It is SO great to have 400 HP once again.


URASICKPERVERT. No normal person finds a souped-up car thrilling. You
pedal-philes are psychopaths.

On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 20:03:23 -0800, Scott en Aztlán
> wrote:

>I changed jobs recently, and the best route to my new office takes me
>over several streets (Irvine Boulevard, Portola Parkway) that I used
>to drive regularly to work back in 1999. At that time, these were
>essentially rural roads with very little traffic and 65 MPH speed
>limits. Even as recently as 2 years ago I used to take little pleasure
>drives through this area after work because the roads were wide open
>(except for a few arrogant pedalcyclists, who undoubtedly used these
>roads for the same reason I was).
>
>Things have changed drastically. Now large sections of former farmland
>are being developed into housing, and the roads are jam-packed with
>Sloth who drive a maximum of 45 MPH on these 65 MPH roads - and, of
>course, there is a 1/4 mile long conga line of vehicles stuck behind
>these assholes.
>
>So this morning I got fed up, and used a lane which leads to an
>on-ramp to the 133 toll road as a passing lane, and passed about 30 of
>these Sloth morons. I had to cross a solid white line to do it, but it

Why were you worried about crossing a solid white line, assuming you
mean a standard width one (same width as normal skip lines)

>was WELL worth it - I was in the clear doing 65 MPH, while the Sloths
>faded away in my rear view mirror. Of course, a couple of copycats saw
>what I did and pulled the same move, but the majority of the cars were
>stuck behind a wall of Sloth.
>
>It is SO great to have 400 HP once again.

--
Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts:

"What, sir, is the use of militia? It is to prevent the
establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty. . .
Whenever Government means to invade the rights and liberties of
the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia, in order
to raise a standing army upon its ruins." -- Debate, U.S. House
of Representatives, August 17, 1789