Ed’s Weekly Rant -Turning Wrong

GREEN+ARROWI know it’s not just me who has to look ahead and both ways before entering an intersection on a green light. Since when does green mean wait for everyone else who’s blowing the red before you go? And wasn’t it yellow lights that used to mean hurry up and go?

My wife complains to me almost daily about how many people who turn after the green and yellow arrows and then the red light. Is there a contest I don’t know about where ignorant drivers get a prize for being third or fourth or even the fifth car to blow through the intersection instead of stopping like they are supposed to.

Personally, I lay on my horn and barrel towards the blatant offenders, trying to scare the shit out of them or at least wake them up. One would expect to have the bird flipped in their direction for such behavior but most drivers continue through the intersection as if I’m not there and about to broadside them.

I wonder why the police don’t sit at these intersections instead of picking off dangerous speeders going 15km’s over the limit-it would be like shooting cars in a junk yard. Is blowing red lights not more dangerous than breaking the speed limit on an open road? Would camera’s at intersections make a difference? Is there a better solution?

Maybe it’s just Windsor drivers. I’ve driven in many other cities and some countries and haven’t seen it this bad at controlled intersection. As a matter of fact, I’ve seen safer intersections in some countries where there are no signs or lights at major intersections. We obviously couldn’t handle such responsibility here.

Ed’s Weekly Rant – Turn Signals

left1In addition to my daily posts of our travel photos on my Facebook Author Page I thought I’d do something weekly in an attempt to make you laugh, cry, pump your fist in the air in agreement, or just say ‘chill dude.”

This will be my forum for the little things that irritate, agitate, frustrate, infuriate or just plain piss me off. I’m sure some of you will be able to relate to these things – we experience them or have them happen to us every day.

I’ll start with a traffic rant. Turn Signals. I can already hear your wheels turning, thinking about the last idiot who had you shouting at your windshield, honking your horn or flipping the bird.

I traveled east on Tecumseh Road (4 lanes) from Lauzon today, and being what I believe to be an astute driver who looks way up road I moved to from the curb to the left lane to avoid the lineup of about a dozen cars that were stopped for the light at Forest Glade Drive. There was only one car in the left lane, which I would have avoided if the lone car had his signal on – there is no turning arrow there.

I patiently waited behind the car in front of me and casually noted the Alberta licence plate (old cop habit). Less than a minute later the light turned green and I’m sure you can guess what happened next. The car in front of me remained stationary and put his left turn signal on. F*%&!

I did a shoulder check to my right rear and saw there were now fifty cars in the right lane. It’s a good thing I’m retired and was in no hurry. Summer almost became winter while I waited to go through the intersection, but I remained composed. Until the idiot turned and I laid on my horn…just a little bit.

Tune in each week for more good stuff to make your blood boil or to have a good laugh at my expense. I promise the posts will be shorter than this one (no preamble).

Same but Different

IMG_2572Let’s start with vacation vs. travel. To those inexperienced in the latter, as opposed to the former, you’ll completely understand. Others may think the two getaways are the same, but they are quite different. Vacations tend to be those one-week jaunts to somewhere warm, where you can relax and forget all about work or whatever other crap life throws at you on a daily basis.

Travelling entails extending those sojourns, not only to relax or escape every day life, but to explore new places and perhaps venture off the beaten path. Two weeks at an all-inclusive resort may sound the same as two weeks in Europe, but they are very different. So, the question is do you want everything to be the same as home? If you do then stay at home. One reason to travel is to experience something different, whether it’s the weather, or food or wine or landscape or culture.

Continue reading “Same but Different”