Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Pet Peeve

Do you have a pet peeve? I sure do. In fact, I think I have several… But when it comes down to it, I think the one that is at the top of the list is Perth drivers.

Nothing gets me more frustrated, worked up, annoyed and angry than dealing with Perth traffic.

The way no one can STICK to the speed limit. Everyone seems to do 5-10 km over or a standard 20km under, especially on the Freeway.

Did you know that people on the freeways travel at different speeds, no matter what the traffic is like at different times of the day? For instance, traffic is slower between 3 – 4 pm, no matter what day of the week it is, than it is between 4 – 5 pm.

Have you realized that Perth drives prefer travelling in straight lines and on a level surface. Any slight curve or rise in the road causes everyone to slow down.

Now I know that safe driving means being careful on corners and hills, but Perth doesn’t have any hills! Especially not ones we drive up! A slight rise for a railway bridge means drop 10km/hour; a slight bend in the road, even on the freeway when you can see what’s ahead, means drop 10km/hour; if someone is pulled over on the side of the road, drop 10 – 20km/hour so you can have a good stickybeak on the way past; and then there’s the merging (which we really can not do at all) – Taking Turns???  no way! I need to be first! The other day driving back up to Perth from Mandurah, people were slowing down, in both lanes, every time we passed an exit and entry, even though there didn’t appear to be any major problems. 

Oh and then the dreaded speed cameras! I can be travelling along at a safe distance from the car in front of me, cruise control on at the correct speed limit; and then for no apparent reason, everyone slows down to almost a crawl! I’m wondering what the problem could possibly be while braking heavily… no, there is no bend in the road, there is no incline, there’s no one broken down on the side of the road, no road works, no merging required and then.. oh its a speed camera! “Quick slow down now because if I was speeding before, if I drive very slowly by, they wont have noticed!”

Have you ever come across a Phantom Breaker? You know, those people who like to brake for no reason what-so-ever… Do they get bored with going slow and have to go slower for a bit to make them feel like they’re going fast when they return, eventually, to their previous pace? Do they have twitchy feet that need to press things just for the sake of it? (I have a brother who just loves to push buttons. Every new car he jumps in, he automatically starts pushing the buttons, rather randomly, not to find out what they do, but just for the sake of it)

Phantom Traffic Jams  Break Reaction

There’s more things that Perth drivers do, but I think I’ll save that for another time.

What’s your pet peeve?