San Francisco Drivers

San Francisco drivers. Hmm, how should I phrase this? Clueless is pretty accurate. I think the stop signs are too much to handle for some people.

I guess stop signs are better that traffic lights, but really, the excess of stops signs is a little overwhelming here. (Where's the challenge for college kids these days looking to obtain a stop sign?) Some streets have a stop sign every block, some every other block, and some at random. I would say figuring out the best way to direct traffic through these types of intersections is the major drawback of a grid city. This is likely why drivers out here have no idea when to stop and where to stop.

I have never been anywhere before where the drivers are so out to lunch. Being from Boston I am an aggressive driver. I am not a bad driver, just aggressive. If there's room, I take it, etc... I don't cut people off, honk, give the bird, or swerve lanes at the last minute. I use my turn signal, let people in to traffic and generally like to just be on my way. I draw the distinction because of the rep of Boston drivers.

However, San Francisco can be really annoying to get around in by car (we'll deal with the "Muni" another day). The problem stems from some of the most clueless drivers I've ever come across. I miss countless lights, face countless slowdowns, and generally get annoyed more than ever before. Drivers tend just sit there while they decide whether or not to turn. When they do decide, they do it so slowly that even if you are one car back you can forget about making the light. The random break and slowdown is a favorite out here too. Especially on the highway. It's rather baffling and with lots of traffic, helps contribute to the frustration level of driving in this city.

The interesting thing is that driving in San Francisco should be so easy. You are driving a grid where there shouldn't be many surprises about which direction a road takes you. I find this the easiest city to find your way that I have every driven in. Knowing just a few basic streets you can get around the entire city somewhat reliably.

I meant to comment on the drivers and have gotten sidetracked. In short, drivers are okay but highly annoying for those of us that don't like to waste time in traffic. There are just way too many of them that have no idea what they are doing on the roadways. Both young and old give the impression that they aren't really engaged in what they're doing. Just the other day a visiting friend asked me about drivers. I started to say "San Francisco drivers are..." and right on cue a pickup slammed on its brakes and skidded past the stop sign into the intersection we were walking past. Really, if there has been a stop sign every block for the last ten, is it that surprising to find one at the next block???

As a sidenote, I really love the guys out there who haven't figured out that there are lots of streets with lights timed for driving 35. Or better yet, they have figured it out but their need to speed by is greater than their need to drive normally. It's great when they RACE by you gunning the engine, screetch to a halt at the next light (where you pass them as the light turns green), then race by you again. I really get a kick out of this one. I may write a poem about this, "Speeding Between Red"...okay that's just a working title, but if I do I'll post it here as well.