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View Full Version : How many drivers here tailgate?



crono_logical
12-06-2006, 10:45 PM
These automatic rising bollards to control bus lanes should be more widespread :p
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/225/225933_drivers_lose_the_bollards_battle.html

Video version of people failing to tailgate buses and other vehicles :p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEbmJi3ROKk

Jowy
12-06-2006, 10:50 PM
Are those awesome metal rods of obstruction anywhere else, or just in the UK? That's an interesting method of traffic control.

Little Blue
12-06-2006, 11:37 PM
That was so funny! One of the guys I work with believes that the center of the steering wheel should be a big spike as further encouragement to get people to drive safely. I hope those bollards spread and that the trial is successful.

Chemical
12-06-2006, 11:47 PM
I'm not sure I exactly follow...
could you give some context to this location?
The only people who seem to be getting in there are the bus drivers?

Dr Unne
12-07-2006, 12:21 AM
I'm going to keep watching that video over and over while giggling.

Little Blue
12-07-2006, 08:39 AM
I'm not sure I exactly follow...
could you give some context to this location?
The only people who seem to be getting in there are the bus drivers?

From what I understand, Manchester City council have installed these bollards on a particually dangerous road in the city. As a bus, or other official vehicle such as a royal mail van approaches, they carry transmitters emmiting something that the bollards sensors detect, telling them to lower. The bollards then sense when the vehicle has passed and pop back up without caring if they're ramming into some stupid 4x4 or WVM.

Does that help?

Cloudane
12-07-2006, 04:21 PM
Hahahaha, I love it. Serves them right, there are so many drivers who deliberately "sneak" through areas they have no business driving through as if they're so important they deserve an exception. Maybe this will make people think twice in future - best deterrant ever. It's not like the no-entry signs aren't massively visible and lit-up already!

I note how only one of the cars was small and the rest were your usual 4x4s and vans, says a lot about the vast majority of people who drive those. As did the lazy sod who parked his "tank" square on the pavement (sidewalk) outside the pub (bar) yesterday because he couldn't be bothered to park around the corner and walk for 30 seconds, forcing pedestrians to step out into the road to walk around it.

As for tailgating (following another car closely) no I don't do it and I hate when people do - I refuse to be bullied into driving faster / breaking the speed limit. What I tend to do is give a good stomp on my brakes to scare them, then they usually get the hint and back off.

Bart's Friend Milhouse
12-07-2006, 05:24 PM
Seems a tad dangerous. That black van jumped a foot or so in the air

escobert
12-07-2006, 05:34 PM
that's pretty sweet. Stupid people driving is the sux.

Burtsplurt
12-07-2006, 05:45 PM
Seems a tad dangerous.

But in a good way. Just like rollercoasters and sharks.

Little Blue
12-07-2006, 05:55 PM
And provided you stand a safe distance away from the crashing 4x4's, a good laugh :D:p

Cloudane
12-07-2006, 05:58 PM
Dangerous = good

People are only "stupid" (read: act stupid) because they know they can get away with it as an excuse for laziness. You see this everywhere (I see it a lot in my IT support job)

If you say "don't go past this fence", people will invariably say "ahh, I'm sure it doesn't mean me" and climb over it. If climbing over the fence results in a fatal electric shock however, people would very quickly learn not to climb over it. :p

Peter_20
12-07-2006, 06:19 PM
I never tailgate others, but everyone tailgates me every day. XD

Yes, I know you sometimes need to break the rules, but those tailgaters always drive close behind me for the sole reason they drive too fast. :p

TAILGATER------------------------------------------ME

ten seconds later...

----------------------------------------TAILGATER--ME

:rolleyes2

Sephex
12-07-2006, 06:28 PM
They should have stuff like that in the US. For other kind of traffic violations, though.

Shauna
12-07-2006, 06:37 PM
These have been in Hamilton for ages. I've always wondered what they were, and how they worked. xD Now I know!

edczxcvbnm
12-07-2006, 07:24 PM
I don't get it...what I really don't get is the "Royal Mail Van". What the fuck? Is there a Peasant Mail Van that isn't allowed access to what ever :skull::skull::skull::skull:ty area that anyone can get to provided the hope on the bus?

Also what area would allow only a bus to access that area? I don't quite understand that or see what the big deal is.

I tail gate but it isn't my fault. Other people don't know how to press down on the gas and drive like they are more concerned with masturbating instead of watching the road. STOP JERKING WHEN YOU DRIVE PPLZ!

Cloudane
12-07-2006, 08:15 PM
Most likely it's a busy area and they need a route for priority traffic like public transport and postal services. Not the impatient white van man (aren't they all) who thinks that for some reason he deserves to be at his destination quicker than everyone else.

Also - unless it's some old bloke being unreasonably slow, perhaps the driver in front is driving at a relatively low speed because he *does* have his eye on the road instead of spending all his concentration trying to be Michael Shumacker?

Tailgating doesn't help anyone. If the person in front has any sense, he will *slow down* in order to increase his stopping distance in front to compensate for you sitting up his arse. http://www.smartdriving.co.uk

fire_of_avalon
12-07-2006, 08:41 PM
Yes, edlalalala, it is your fault. Now shut up. :D

It seems really, really dangerous to have these things installed where pedestrians are so close to the road. I've never been in any American cities where I think something like that would be useful, but it does make sense.

Quindiana Jones
12-07-2006, 08:51 PM
Those bollards are the best thing ever! I saw that ages ago and laughed! If I could, I'd just sit next to them, waiting for the idiots in cars.

But tailgating. I don't drive, but I do do it. On a bike. Otherwise I get really knackered in a headwind. :(

Little Blue
12-08-2006, 12:07 AM
The Royal Mail is the British postal service. As for why they only let some vehicles in, I don't know. I know that there are places where only buses and some other types of vehicles are allowed, usually because its a busy area where buses often stop to unload a lot of people and since these types of roads can link important sections of the road network people may try and use them as shortcuts, eventually leading to massive congestion with the sheer number of buses passing through and general traffic that would pass through if they thought they could. In this case though I thought I read that it was in response to several casualties along this stretch of road so they limited it to public transport and other public services.

Ender
12-08-2006, 12:13 AM
That's awesome! I hate being tailgated, and thus never do it myself.

I even hate tailgate walking...I usually wait for things to clear out so I don't have someone leaning all over my back in hopes that they can light their cigarette .2 seconds sooner. :rolleyes2