City
What are Toronto drivers' worst habits?
Recently, we asked our readers to list the most frustrating cycling habits on display on Toronto's streets. The social media and comment thread response was, as expected, very strong. Drivers, bikers and pedestrians alike told us how cyclists riding on the sidewalk, running stop signs and red lights, failing to wear helmets, and riding dark at night gets their blood boiling.
In the interest of fairness, we thought we would let other road users have a chance to detail which faults of bad drivers make moving around the city slower, harder and more dangerous for everyone else. Let's be clear, though - this isn't an attack on drivers or driving; it's a chance to voice concerns about dangerous, illegal, or just plain inconsiderate actions by a small group of people behind the wheel.
It's also worth noting that, unlike other road users, drivers are the only group required to hold a valid license before leaving the driveway. Many cyclists hold a driver's license too, but judging from experience and today's response it doesn't seem as though testing is the perfect antidote to mistakes and rule breaking. If you're looking for driving tips, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation has some good information.
Our Twitter followers had a chance to speak out earlier this morning and now it's your turn. Maybe it's blowing past open streetcar doors, no signals, bad lane changes, or aggressive behaviour. Let it all out in the comment section below.
Photo: "Downtown Traffic" by Daily Grind Photography in the blogTO Flickr pool.
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Not checking your blindspot before changing lanes. Parallel parking too far from the curb. Taking up more than one parking spot in a parking lot. Going through a crosswalk while people are crossing and the overhead lights are blinking. Stopping in front of streetcar doors so you block people getting off the streetcar.
And lastly, basically anything a cab does.
1. Failing to signal.
2. Leaving signals on for minutes after they've turned, confusing other drivers (how the hell can you NOT hear your turn signal?!)
3. "Lane riders." The worst for this are taxis, who "float" between two lanes - pick one, dammit!
4. Drivers who stop at corners, and decide to pull out a map/scratch their ass, etc. How can we turn if you're just sitting there?
5. "Horn-happy." Light just turned green, so I might as well blow my horn at the driver in front of me after a nanosecond, right?
6. Drivers who open car doors into traffic, and leave them open. What the f#@k is wrong with you??
7. Double-parkers, especially downtown during rush hour.
8. Drivers who park in bike lanes. They are BIKE LANES. Stay out of them, or cyclists are forced to pull out into traffic, endangering themselves and others.
9. Drivers who don't keep 60 cm. away from driveways. Thanks, a-holes! Makes it real easy to pull into my own driveway!
10. The worst? Cell phones! You cannot legally use a cell phone or other hand-held device while driving, but it seems some people are just too stupid or lacking in respect for themselves and safety to bother to obey the law.
Right turning on a bike-laned street is a huge confusion point, though I don't blame anyone in particular. The street layout doesn't provide much guidance and nobody's been taught the proper way for cars and bicycles to interact.
I have to agree that Toronto drivers are bad about merging. I'm tired of drivers who, despite earlier opportunities to merge easily into traffic, merge akwardly at the last possible moment and force everybody in the right lane to slow down.
Turning right without yielding to the pedestrian that has the right of way. Trying to beat a pedestrian crossing with a light. Not yielding to pedestrians (I want write that a 1000 times). Honking horns for no reason, particularly when the traffic is stopped and can't move, what kind of idiot are you, do you think the longer you honk your car will sprout wings and you can fly? The horn is for warning only!! Lay off the horns!!!
Some of my peeves.
THIS! THIS! THIS!
#losers
But besides taxi drivers, for the most part I think drivers in this city aren't that bad. The only things that irk me are driving past a stopped street car and stopping in bike lanes.
- Making illegal left turns during all-red signal at intersection
- Honking at cyclists stopped at stop signs
- Deciding that the speed limit is actually 10 kph more than posted
- Driving on the sidewalk to intimidate cyclists
- Driving backwards the wrong way down one-way streets (more dangerous & illegal than just driving the wrong way, geniuses!)
Another thing: people who overrun the stop line and then decide to back up to make it right. Really dangerous. Just stay where you stopped the first time.
- Merging early in stop-and-go traffic. I know you're trying to be kind, but this causes every person waiting in the merged lane to let even more cars in front of them, when 2 cars proceed to merge in front of you. You're actually causing everyone further delays. It's most fair to merge into single file with one car merging for each car already in the lane, so continue until it's your turn.
- Slowing down to go through a tunnel, to go past an accident or cop car (even if it's on the other side of the road), to go around a slight gentle curve, or for no reason at all.
- Persistently driving in a blind spot.
- Indicating after changing lanes, or not indicating at all.
- Weaving through traffic.
- Parallel driving, or Sunday driving in the left lane.
- Entering an intersection that they can't clear.
- Honking at pedestrians that are crossing at pedestrian lights, whilst failing to slow down to avoid hitting them.
Also, trying to pass you on the left while you are making a legal left turn. So, pulling out and trying to but their way in front of you, sometimes in the face of oncoming traffic. This has happened to me 3 times this season, twice on a bike and once when I was driving a car.
1. Sudden, unindicated multi-lane right turns into driveways of strip malls.
2. Squeezing by too close.
3. Improper use of the high occupancy commuter lanes i.e. Don Mills road. Years of cycling this road I would say single occupancy drivers completely disregard it's clear markings and purpose.
4. Bad attitude! Seriously. Ring a bell, mention caution, etc. to a driver and said driver explodes into an apoplectic rage screaming obscenities, jerks the steering wheel to hit or run me over using car as a weapon... By the way, this is not rare, happened to me 2 - 3 times per day, 10+ years.
5. Seeming complete ignorance of the Highway Traffic Act. Years of cycling included numerous "incidents" some of which involved police. In all cases it ended up with the Toronto police officer lecturing the HTA to the screaming belligerent drivers and in one sweet case, arresting the driver!
I favour Toronto police having authority to do traffic checks where they can ask 3 random HTA questions; driver gets one wrong and loses license for X days.
Drivers not looking both ways before pulling out of an intersection
Gunning through flashing crosswalks, or yellow lights. Hanging a right the SECOND the light turns green, and cutting off pedestrians as they step into the street. Getting stuck in the middle of intersections and effing up traffic flow in all directions because it doesn't occur to them to wait for the intersection to clear before entering it.
Basically any selfish behaviour is infuriating.
Instead of waiting in a long line of right/left turners, they gun up the middle then merge near the intersection. Please do not let those people in! They deserve to wait forever.
Parking on busy streets during rush hour, thus removing an ENTIRE lane. I cannot emphasize this enough! Legal or not, if you park on a busy street during rush hour and remove an entire lane so you don't have to walk an extra 30 seconds, you are a douche. I can't believe they allow parking on main streets at all, get rid of it and you would improve traffic incredibly.
Someone above mentioned commuters that live outside the city complaining about traffic in the city and wanting to create more highways into the city. You chose that commute by choosing to live in the suburbs, so deal with it.
Drivers that can't understand that one bus/streetcar != one car in terms of people. It's an incredibly simple concept, if that bus wasn't there 20-30 cars would be instead, which would be a lot worse. So stop blaming traffic on buses/bikes/pedestrians, and start blaming it on the actual traffic, i.e. CARS.
Basically just selfish behaviour really bugs me.
2 or the equivalent: when three cars go through a red light in order to complete a left turn, which in turn kills the advanced left turn for drivers heading in the other direction.
3. riding my behind mercilessly if i DARE drive at the posted speed limit.
2) Drivers who try to explain the traffic laws to cyclists, and get the law wrong.
3) Drivers who believe they have a right to travel at their preferred speed, and that everyone in front of them, whether in a car or on a bike, has a corresponding obligation to travel at or above the speed limit.
I'd argue this is the root of a LOT of on-road problems.
I can only speak from personal experience with two instructors, but I never fail to encounter other people who had had similar experiences.
I enrolled in driver's ed before the Ministry of Transportation made changes to the driving instructor certification process in 2007, so perhaps things are better. Still...idiotic motorists who went to driver's ed before 2007 are still on the road...
- too fast on the street, too slow on the highway
- tailgating!
- swooping into someone's safe driving distance and slowing down
- signalling *after* starting the lane change or turn...you're not actually signalling anything...the point is to let people know what you're about to do...not just flash a light after I already know what you're doing
- filling in the space someone wants to change lanes into...the ultimate in thinking you own the road
- terrible merging onto the highway...get on the gas already
- slowing down way before the off-ramp....umm, you're still on the highway, 70kph is dangerous
- honking...get over yourself, mistakes happen
- lack of apologies...you screwed up, acknowledge it, bow your head & wave quickly, make the world a better place
- lack of thank yous, someone was nice enough to let you in, how about a quick wave of appreciation?
- yes, I know what the speed limit is on the 407. No, you shouldn't pay it any attention. (Best driving in the GTA happens on the 407, btw)
- waiting until the merge squeezes to nothing before getting over
- right-turners who stick their noses into the cross traffic
And, actually, I cabbies don't bug me. I know they are crazy, and it's easy to anticipate them. It's the unpredictable public that's the problem.
1. The two-lane right hand turn. e.g. Right hand turn into left lane. So stupidly dangerous they almost kill people every time.
2. Not signalling. Tweak the mirror of every driver who turns or changes lanes without signalling. Hey, it's not like they were using it anyway.
3. Cab drivers who try to get in front of you, even though that's where they are more dangerous, because it is their job to slam on their brakes at random and turn around in traffic.
People in LA started driving a lot better once they were afraid of being shot at by other drivers. Just saying.
Arrow: It's called filtering. Motorcyclists should stay out of the bike lane, but filtering in traffic actually improves it.
But really, let's just chill. Sometimes people just make mistakes. They don't/can't see the cyclist coming up behind them. They don't see the green light the second it changes. Just relax.
And karma will get the intentional bad drivers, so don't worry about them either.