Ok, it happened to me again this morning (as it has happened pretty much once per week going to or from work).
You are driving along thinking about overtaking a pair of large trucks (think semi's, car transporters, hauling trucks etc), a hundred yards or so in front of you. You are doing about the speed limit, lets say 40mph for most of my trip into work, they are tootling along at around 35mph, you can take them. Then the light changes, suddenly the rear truck decides it is going to pull into the left lane to "overtake" the front truck which is in the right hand lane. So you are forced in behind them as they are mostly in the right lane now. Lights change, the trucks start moving slowly, after a minute of acceleration, they are hitting the heady speed of about 15mph after 1 min, after 2 mins 25mph, 3 mins 35mph and that seems to be about top speed for them on this road type. So then either you start towards another light and we all have to stop and start all over again, OR if the light stays green, they take it in turns to "race" and get half a truck length in front of the other one, then slow down and the other one takes a turn. They do this down the whole length of the main drag to my workplace (6 miles) and it takes me twice as long to get to work as a normal run would do where i could go 40 all the way with a few stop lights thrown in for good measure. WHY do they insist on trying to overtake each other when they know they arent going to go anywhere???? There is usually a train of traffic behind these trucks that is waiting for one of them to yield (maybe 30-40 cars), i am pretty sure all thinking the same thing - what are you doing???
Ok on a similar note, do fire trucks and ambulances have an engine regulator that stops them going over a certain speed?? As a courtousy (sp?) and i think it might be the law as well, you pull over and let them pass when you hear the sirens and see the lights going. However, once they are past you, it is like the safety car is out on the race track, you all go along awfully slowly following these trucks trying not to overtake them due to the excessively slow speeds they go at. I know these trucks are many tons and must have huge engines to even get them moving, but i have seen fire trucks and ambulances going pretty quickly in other countries, at least the speed limit, which is not the case in Orlando. Arent these vehicles supposed to move quicker - maybe to save lives rather than going at the same speed as an 80 year old leaving church on a sunday morning?
I am not advocating driving beyond the speed limit, nor is this truly road rage, more an annoyance, but i am saying that if there is a speed limit and that the roads and environment are in the right conditions to allow you to drive at that limit, why do trucks get in the way or emergency service vehicles pootle along preventing normal traffic flow on our roads???
You are driving along thinking about overtaking a pair of large trucks (think semi's, car transporters, hauling trucks etc), a hundred yards or so in front of you. You are doing about the speed limit, lets say 40mph for most of my trip into work, they are tootling along at around 35mph, you can take them. Then the light changes, suddenly the rear truck decides it is going to pull into the left lane to "overtake" the front truck which is in the right hand lane. So you are forced in behind them as they are mostly in the right lane now. Lights change, the trucks start moving slowly, after a minute of acceleration, they are hitting the heady speed of about 15mph after 1 min, after 2 mins 25mph, 3 mins 35mph and that seems to be about top speed for them on this road type. So then either you start towards another light and we all have to stop and start all over again, OR if the light stays green, they take it in turns to "race" and get half a truck length in front of the other one, then slow down and the other one takes a turn. They do this down the whole length of the main drag to my workplace (6 miles) and it takes me twice as long to get to work as a normal run would do where i could go 40 all the way with a few stop lights thrown in for good measure. WHY do they insist on trying to overtake each other when they know they arent going to go anywhere???? There is usually a train of traffic behind these trucks that is waiting for one of them to yield (maybe 30-40 cars), i am pretty sure all thinking the same thing - what are you doing???
Ok on a similar note, do fire trucks and ambulances have an engine regulator that stops them going over a certain speed?? As a courtousy (sp?) and i think it might be the law as well, you pull over and let them pass when you hear the sirens and see the lights going. However, once they are past you, it is like the safety car is out on the race track, you all go along awfully slowly following these trucks trying not to overtake them due to the excessively slow speeds they go at. I know these trucks are many tons and must have huge engines to even get them moving, but i have seen fire trucks and ambulances going pretty quickly in other countries, at least the speed limit, which is not the case in Orlando. Arent these vehicles supposed to move quicker - maybe to save lives rather than going at the same speed as an 80 year old leaving church on a sunday morning?
I am not advocating driving beyond the speed limit, nor is this truly road rage, more an annoyance, but i am saying that if there is a speed limit and that the roads and environment are in the right conditions to allow you to drive at that limit, why do trucks get in the way or emergency service vehicles pootle along preventing normal traffic flow on our roads???
