cc_rider wrote: 
As if he doesn't have the horsepower to get out in front of you.  wtf

YIELD, people - look it up if you're uncertain of the meaning.

 drsteevo wrote: 


Notice he says he rarely goes over 80. Chicago's expressways are like speedways all the time.
there are 2 ways I can do my 20 mile commute : either on regular roads, which make for a mostly stressless 35 minute trip, or a terror filled trip on 294/90 which cuts 10 minutes off my trip and costs me a buck in tolls.

 drsteevo wrote: 
Most of my cars are old and show some damage. Not from accidents, but enough to show I'm not concerned about swapping a little paint. Plus they're body-on-frame, so even if I did get them repaired, my bill would be a lot less. My station wagon is about 4500#, and once some idiot in a Subbie pushed his luck thinking he could intimidate me. He ran out of merge lane and ended up in the grass. About 25 yards from going into the Colorado River.

I still get the occasional Beamer thinking I'm going to slow my F250 down to let his line-cutting a$$ in. After I've let in the guy in front of him, zipper-fashion. Not happening, Ace. Those tire marks will buff out though...

 JrzyTmata wrote: 
In Maryland it's almost impossible to get a handicapped permit. Sometimes before the wheelchair days I had to park illegally just so Pops wouldn't croak from over walkering on hot days.

 JrzyTmata wrote: 
I'm with you 100%. This I understand all too well.

 Coaxial wrote:
guilt schmilt.  karma can be a bitch.
 

 JrzyTmata wrote:
Way to guilt them, Mom.

with all the security cameras around these days, don't get caught doing removing valve stems. I hope you're all just kidding but I think retaliation might make you a bigger asshole. You don't know who is driving that car. could be an inconsiderate idiot or it could be someone with small children or old people that just can't park well. Yeah, maybe they shouldn't be driving if they can't park. but there they are.

 helenofjoy wrote: 
And remember, always do at least 2 tires so even if they have a good spare they are still out of luck.

DaveInVA wrote:
That could get somebody hurt.

Not because they didn't notice and drove off on a flat tire and wrecked the tire and rim and couldn't steer properly, but because I came out of the store and saw you doing it to the car I parked in the only space the asshole who parked next to me (who left before you got there and before I got back) left me and I explain all this...by hand. Plus you'll pay for the bill at the tire shop.

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 

Zackly

 DaveInVA wrote: 
I LIKE this!

 DaveInVA wrote:  Love that one. Doesn't cause any actual damage, but creates colossal inconvenience.

I wonder if wrecker drivers carry a supply of valve stems? I'm sure they'll still charge the cost of a tow, but it would save them the hassle of hooking the car up.

 helenofjoy wrote: 


This is what you need, Will really make the assholes day when they find their valve stems missing and tires flat.

How to use.... 

 drsteevo wrote: 
Between you and Hippiechick I'm not sure I ever want to go to Chicago
 
I actually face the situation every day as my commute highway has a bottleneck approaching a bridge.

You are supposed to merge when it's safe to do so, and it's incumbent upon both drivers to make it safe. So the merging driver must slow to the speed of the next lane, the driver in the next lane must slow to allow the merge. The zipper: fine. Yes. But if there's a natural gap in the next lane and I merge into it safely before the bitter end of my lane, this is not an invitation for the driver behind to speed up and pass everyone just because the lane's now clear. They still need to be throttling back to match the speed of the lane they're merging into, not speeding up to jump to the head of the line.

I don't know what to say about making it a law that you don't merge until the lane runs out. There's a reason they give you a couple hundred yards to get your shit together and move over. Telling everyone to just wait until there's no more lane just brings everyone to a halt. I mean, when they put up a sign that says "lane ends 1/2 mile," why do you think they do that? To give you time to find a way to move over. The whole reason the next lane's moving slower is because somebody up ahead made someone else slam on their brakes, probably when they ignored the "lane ends" signs and just shoehorned their way into traffic without trying to go with the flow.

This thread is appropriately named. If I see someone pass up an open chance to merge into the lane behind me and instead shoot ahead of me and then insist on getting into the lane where there's no opening? Kill. I want them dead.
==================

Upon reading your link, I agree with it, providing we define "heavy and slow" traffic. It's the situations where traffic is moving reasonably well and there are reasonable gaps in the lane and people skip those to try to gain a few extra car lengths that actually cause some of the slowdowns that necessitate a "zipper."

 NoEnzLefttoSplit wrote:  I don't know when they changed the law, but I got my BRD (?) driving license in the mid '80s, and it was the rule then.

 helenofjoy wrote: 

Can't you just throw out some garbage or corn or sumpin? Hogs like that kinda stuff, will go get it and then you snag the spot! I will be taking calls for the next hour if you need anymore advices!

No, but I have Parking Hog rage!  I park about 3 blocks from my workplace so I can get a little exercise in on the way to the building since I can't bike anymore.  Who are these parking hogs who insist on parking in such away that they effectively take up two parking spaces?  I've been thinking of making up little cards to put on their windshields to remind them that there are others who need parking too and it would be considerate of them not to take up all the free parking just for themselves when they don't have to!  I also thought about a dart gun.

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 
They changed the law in Germany because of this problem. Now the law states you must go to the END of lane before merging AND the cars in the main lane must let you in one after the other (they call it zipping, like a zipper, one tooth after another).

 drsteevo wrote: 

1. No it isn't. It's what I call being an asshole. The sign says "Lane Ends Merge Right," not "Speed Up 20MPH and See How Many Suckers You Can Pass." You're supposed to merge over wherever you happen to be, ideally without changing your speed much, and the people in the next lane are supposed to allow you in. Once this happens, though, all of a sudden the left lane is empty for the next 200 yards and the assholes of the world think it's a good idea to shoot forward as far as possible, then force traffic to stop so they can nose into the lane when there's no room left.
2. It certainly is not. Please walk to the nearest police station and surrender your driver's license.
3. It's criminal is what it is.
4. Still criminal.
5.