OT: In Boston - Insane Drivers

[Patrick]

"M*******" -that's pretty good.

[DaCan23]

MA is also notorious for having an entrance ramp come onto a highway before the exit ramp... so you have a criss cross on the highway... what a mess... worst is the entrance from Braintree onto 93 North where you need to cross 2 exit lanes that connect to Route 3...

[Robin-535im]

I lived there (Cambridge, actually) for two years.

Once you get the hang of it, it's not so bad because people are very predictable. Predictably agressive and risky perhaps... but you can plan for it and even count on it.

I say this because other places (like here in New Mexico) people are simply random. That makes it tough to navigate because you have to keep an open mind about what kind of sh*t the person next to you is going to decide to do today. At least in MA you could pretty much count on people cutting in, pulling out, turning left the instant the light changed, honking like maniacs... etc.

- Robin

[Bill in MA]

I couldn't agree more !

Part of the problem is that Boston is not laid out like a typical city in a grid pattern that has some logic (although parts of Southie pretend to), the rumor is that the roads were based on the cow paths from Colonial days. This results in people from out of town getting horribly lost, slowing things down and getting in the way... Not a good thing.

I drive 120 miles a day from central MA to the Boston area every day and have seen it all. The use of directionals is considered a sign of weakness, red lights/stop signs are simply suggestions, hell it's even legal to drive in the breakdown lane on Route 128 during certain times of the day!

Kill or be killed. That's what it boils down to...

Bill
92 535i Turbo

[Kamil]

hell it's even legal to drive in the breakdown lane on Route 128 during certain times of the day!
Bill
92 535i Turbo

OMG... I saw that!!!! South of Mass Pike, near exit 22 maybe?
I was praying for cop to be waiting near the exit ramp and give all those fatheads a ticket.

Nothing for nothing... it's still easier to drive in Boston than it is in NYC... it's "different"... but you need to be more aware when driving in NYC... the taxi cabs will kill you.



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LET'S GO YANKEES!!!

[DaCan23]

128 Breakdown Lane is an accident waiting to happen... after the GF got her new Sebring Cabrio told her no more drivin in breakdown lane cause its not good for the tires and tons of crap gets kicked up into your front... amazin when I see Porsches, New Benzs & such disrespectin their cars drivin in it...

[CrimsonBrian]

I have lived in Harvard Sq for the past four and a half years and I agree that driving here is an unmitigated nightmare. As a native of SF, I thought that CA drivers were bad. But, while drivers in the Bay Area can be dangerous, Boston/Cambridge drivers are out for blood. Putting on your turn signal here is an invitation for the five cars behind you to make it their life mission to see that you cant move over. They will instinctively create a rolling roadblock, thus ensuring that you never are able to move over.

I have also been in numerous minor car accidents. People here dont mind trading a little paint if it means that they are going to be able to shave an 18th of a second off their arrival time. After a while it does become a matter of kill or be killed. While I still use my turn signal every time, I am not hesitant about forcing someone over so that I can make my exit, especially when they are speeding up and slowing down in sync with me.

Even parking here is dangerous. My car was parked on a corner here in Cambridge and a giant garbage truck was attempting to negotiate one of the narrow streets and broadsided my car. He then tried to make a speedy getaway, but this was made difficult as the rear crash guard of the truck had punched through my window and now my car was attached. Thankfully, there were many witnesses and the company eventually parted with $9000 to fix it ($7000 in damage and $2000 to rent me a brand new Infiniti for the six weeks it was at the shop). Now there is probably a mob hit out on me.

The moral of the story is dont drive in Boston, if you can avoid it. In fact, its even dangerous to walk here. Everyone should just stay home.

Brian