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Path: utzoo!linus!security!genrad!grkermit!masscomp!kobold!tjt
From: tjt@kobold.UUCP (T.J.Teixeira)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: Boston Driving Returns!
Message-ID: <181@kobold.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 21-Oct-83 09:29:22 EDT
Article-I.D.: kobold.181
Posted: Fri Oct 21 09:29:22 1983
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Oct-83 12:19:35 EDT
References: <168@vortex.UUCP>
Organization: Masscomp, Littleton, MA
Lines: 38


    Of course, if I had been a true Boston driver, I guess I would have
    ignored the one-way signs and just driven the wrong way on the road.

No, a *TRUE* Boston driver would never drive the wrong way up a one-way
street: he would drive on the sidewalk (this also avoids the trucks
parked in the road).

    2) Cut roads through the center of those death trap "rotaries"
       and install some traffic lights.

This is probably a good idea since rotaries here are actually a
legalized game of "chicken".  However, this is more a problem with the
local inhabitants than with rotaries per se:  England is full of
rotaries (they take less space than a cloverleaf), and amazingly
enough, rotaries work great in England.  The traffic rule is to simply
wait until the rotary is clear before you get on.  This is also the
rule in Massachusetts, except on alternate Thursdays and everyday
between 4 and 6 where the guy coming onto the rotary has the right of
way (seriously, Massachusetts keeps changing its mind on what the law
should be on rotaries, but it never makes any difference to the people
driving).

    5) Congratulations on passing a law allowing right-hand turns on
       red lights, unless the intersection is specifically posted against 
       such turns.  However, the law might have more of an effect if
       99.9% of the intersections in and around Boston were NOT so posted!
       Please take down most of those signs, immediately.

Right-turn on red is not a good idea in Massachusetts: the drivers here
don't need any encouragement to ignore a traffic light, thank you.
What's next?  Left-turn on red?  Straight on red?!  I believe that at
over 90% of the intersections posted for no-right on red should stay
that way.

-- 
	Tom Teixeira,  Massachusetts Computer Corporation.  Littleton MA
	...!{harpo,decvax,ucbcad,tektronix}!masscomp!tjt   (617) 486-9581