Greatest state in the Union: California

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The New York city experience is unique. So is the Boston one. In fact, there is a book out called "The Boston Driver's Handbook" (The Boston Driver's Handbook: Wild in the Streets - The Almost Post Big Dig Edition -- book review). Here we see such gems:

"One of the cardinal rules of driving is surely 'Stop on Red.' However, if the light is red for more than five seconds, you can assume that it is broken. You may proceed after a quick check for cross-traffic and police cruisers." (p. 52)
 
another few excerpts:

Street signs
"If you are in an unfamiliar part of town, don't even try to navigate by street signs. Most intersections don't have them; those that do are likely to be turned. Major streets are almost never marked; cross streets might be ... It is assumed that the motorist always knows which street he is driving on. Since even experienced Boston Drivers do not always know this, and there is no logic to the layout of the streets, getting lost is a common occurence."

Street layout
"The hodgepodge of one- and two-way streets pointing in different directions, curving wildly, merging from three lanes to one and back again, and sprinkled with 'No Left Turn' signs is enough to unsettle any anarchist."

Right turn on red
"We must reluctantly point out that Massachusetts was one of the last states in the United States to pass legislation permitting right turn on red. As soon as the measure became law, 'No Turn on Red' signs began appearing on every street corner ... To make up for this, city planners are now gathering support for a new law permitting straight ahead on red, and there is a chance that it will pass this year."

Left turns at intersections
"If the car in front or you Beats the Green [i.e. guns the accelerator for a left turn as soon as the light changes to green], the oncoming traffic must stop. But if you tailgate the Green Beater, they will have to stop for you as well, as long as you can manage to follow so closely that oncoming cars cannot cut you off. Properly done, you will have negotiated a difficult intersection at no greater cost than an earful of horn."

Turn signals
"Most drivers misuse their directionals by signalling way too early. It is best not to signal until the middle of the turn; that way, your legal obligation to signal has been fulfilled, but no one has time to react."

The horn
"The most basic use of a horn is to persuade drivers in front of you at an intersection to get moving after a light turns to green. One second is the maximum amount of reaction time you should tolerate before blasting away. While the leading drivers may not be able to go right away due to cross traffic running the red light, this is their problem, not yours ... If you have ever been the lead car under such circumstances, you know how intense the pressure of hundreds of horns honking behind you can be, especially when there is no clear path in front of you."
 
another few excerpts:

Street signs
"If you are in an unfamiliar part of town, don't even try to navigate by street signs. Most intersections don't have them; those that do are likely to be turned. Major streets are almost never marked; cross streets might be ... It is assumed that the motorist always knows which street he is driving on. Since even experienced Boston Drivers do not always know this, and there is no logic to the layout of the streets, getting lost is a common occurence."

Street layout
"The hodgepodge of one- and two-way streets pointing in different directions, curving wildly, merging from three lanes to one and back again, and sprinkled with 'No Left Turn' signs is enough to unsettle any anarchist."

Right turn on red
"We must reluctantly point out that Massachusetts was one of the last states in the United States to pass legislation permitting right turn on red. As soon as the measure became law, 'No Turn on Red' signs began appearing on every street corner ... To make up for this, city planners are now gathering support for a new law permitting straight ahead on red, and there is a chance that it will pass this year."

Left turns at intersections
"If the car in front or you Beats the Green [i.e. guns the accelerator for a left turn as soon as the light changes to green], the oncoming traffic must stop. But if you tailgate the Green Beater, they will have to stop for you as well, as long as you can manage to follow so closely that oncoming cars cannot cut you off. Properly done, you will have negotiated a difficult intersection at no greater cost than an earful of horn."

Turn signals
"Most drivers misuse their directionals by signalling way too early. It is best not to signal until the middle of the turn; that way, your legal obligation to signal has been fulfilled, but no one has time to react."

The horn
"The most basic use of a horn is to persuade drivers in front of you at an intersection to get moving after a light turns to green. One second is the maximum amount of reaction time you should tolerate before blasting away. While the leading drivers may not be able to go right away due to cross traffic running the red light, this is their problem, not yours ... If you have ever been the lead car under such circumstances, you know how intense the pressure of hundreds of horns honking behind you can be, especially when there is no clear path in front of you."

I'm sorry, I'm just not seeing a difference between San Jose and Boston, then. Except for the fact that they fail to signal AT ALL, so....
 
Oh, and Alston-Brighton. The book even mentions this..

"In the Alston-Brighton area the wharf rats are so large you can see them from the highway"

Also, Triple parking (Like Double Parking, only it's almost a complete line across the road. It's common.

Also, in Brighton the proper method to park is "Stop the vehicle in a straight line. Turn off ignition. Close the doors behind you"

I parked my CRX on the sidewalk at 4 bars in Chicago. On the sidewalk. Like, where people are walking. I did it once to run into a store, came back and found a ticket. So I kept the ticket on the windshield and partied. $50 to park on the sidewalk all day.
 
I'm sorry, I'm just not seeing a difference between San Jose and Boston, then. Except for the fact that they fail to signal AT ALL, so....

Have you ever seen the streets of Boston? street layout from the 1600s = the absolute biggest clusterfuck, ever.

I can't make heads or tails of any street in downtown on Google Earth. Boston is the only city that gives me a headache.
 
I parked my CRX on the sidewalk at 4 bars in Chicago. On the sidewalk. Like, where people are walking. I did it once to run into a store, came back and found a ticket. So I kept the ticket on the windshield and partied. $50 to park on the sidewalk all day.
thats awesome
 
How many of those Interstate freeways are 8 lanes going in each direction? To me, in light as shit traffic that would be fun as hell to drive on. The widest I've seen is on the west side of Indy on I465 which is something like 6 lanes for a few miles.
0, most are just 1, 2 or 4 lanes.
 
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