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My guess is that this has been brought up before, but I just want to put my rant in here about it.

[RANT]
Everyone is on the environment bandwagon, politicians, health groups, do gooders....everyone, and that is fantastic, anything to keep the air clean and stop pollution.

However, has anyone stopped to think about stop signs, and how much pollution having them adds to the air we breathe? For those of you that don't know, I'm a Brit, and in the UK 'Give Way' signs are used wherever possible.....if you can see a road is clear, you do not have to stop, even at 40mph....just go on, make your turn or pull out, whatever is applicable....whatever, no stop.

Here and in the US, there are stop signs at almost every junction.

WHY?

Makes no sense. For a straight road with others joining it at rightangles, why do we have to stop at every junction....why not have those 'cross-roads' using give way signs? That would, IMHO, drastically reduce emissions. Imagine....every stop/start you make pumps out more emissions than if you went straight through....and uses more gas, but that's not my point.

Does anyone know if there has been any talk about this? I guess I feel strongly about it as I wasn't brought up with stops everywhere. It seems senseless.

I know that some re-education would be needed for drivers, but that is no worse than the 'right on red' issue...after all, there are SOME give way signs, so you have to know what they mean.

Yes it would cost money, labour, etc etc...but who cares...if they made one extra sign for every batch of give way signs made, we would soon have enough...do it slowly, but surely.....

...AND DO SOMETHING REALLY WORTHWHILE TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT.
[\RANT]

Just my 2cents worth.

Scorp.

They give out drivers licenses in this country like toilet paper. You don't really expect them to master a round a bout?

Half the people I see on a daily basis have never seen a car till they came here, can't read any language, sign, pictograph or symbol. They don't drive cars, cars drive them. Car goes one way, they compensate go a bit further and repeat, there is no "control".

I prefer they make at least an attempt at stopping at intersections if how the average dolt "merges" onto a 100km/hr freeway with 140km/hr traffic at a blistering 40km/hr (if they don't freeze up and stop altogether) is any indication.

the truth is that people barely stop for stop signs, treat yield signs as stop signs, and use merge lanes as passing lanes.

It's like when lights go out, or are flashing red, they should be treated as four way stops, but you never see that happen... instead, a whole wack of cars go through all at once until cars in the opposing direction get tired and pull out into the intersection, forcing the others to stop.

stop signs are just needed, people usually don't come to a full stop anyways, so why give them a reason to blow through intersections without looking?

the truth, is that the re-education you suggest would be simpler if we just taught britain how to drive on the right (hand) side of the road. (north american drivers suck)

the city has to make money somehow. That's why we have people who run stopsigns and get fined. Its a cash grab.

Oscar The Grouch,Mar 28 2006, 08:55 PM Wrote:the city has to make money somehow.  That's why we have people who run stopsigns and get fined.  Its a cash grab.
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especially in smaller northern communities. :P

There have been instances in Toronto where kids have stolen the stop signs, and people have died in crashes... believe it or not, they do serve a purpose.

There is a round-a-bout down the street from me.

It works nicely. You can have four cars approaching from four directions and going through without slowing down.

The only problem is when there is a non local who approaches the round-a-bout and slams the brakes not knowing what to do. :rolleyes:

Dblast has a good point... roundabouts DO work, so long as the guy running the car isn't a chimp... err, chump.

Otherwise, they cause HUGE nightmares and some really sick accidents.

dBlast,Mar 29 2006, 07:34 AM Wrote:The only problem is when there is a non local who approaches the round-a-bout and slams the brakes not knowing what to do. :rolleyes:
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*sings* Drifting on the roundabout, Drifting on the roundabout... *sings* :lol:

Well we've got some turning circles in the less congested areas of the city and surrounding cities... and the odd yield sign, but the city would be a dangerous place with nimrods flying through a yield because they "thought" they had the right of way...

But you do make a valid point...

Ok, maybe I should have clarified it a bit...cities that already have stop signs everywhere would need to change only AFTER the subs have been changed...give everyone a chance to get used to it. Would be too dangerous otherwise, I completely agree, And it's the same for roundabouts, which are one of the best traffic controls for junctions....you should see the size of some of them in the uk.

And of course, leave the stops where it's dangerous - saving lives is much more important.

Scorp.

Ive been saying this all my life!! I hate stop signs, when 2am and theres a stop sign, and no other cars around and you slow down to 10km/h and no other cars around, then you go through and the cop behind the bushes gives you a ticket, its ridiculous!

I don't know about 40mph though, thats quite fast, maybe if you like slowed down a bit and like 15mph and go though.