Slow pokes, get out of the left lane. Yes, I'm back on my soapbox, but I'm not alone. Tucson driver David Hirsch is annoyed by drivers who stay in the left lane when they're dawdling along, and he wishes they would meander over into the right lane every now and then.
In fact, Hirsch said he thinks those drivers need a little incentive, such as a personalized sign.
Instead of the ones reading "Slower Traffic Keep Right," which many of the inch-alongs don't seem to recognize, he suggests something more along the lines of, "Cell Phone Users Keep Right," and other specific scenarios.
I think he's got a point, although we risk getting carried away with all the possibilities.
It's not that Hirsch is totally down on Tucson drivers, who he says are often courteous - but only to those in front of them. They don't acknowledge when they're going so slow that traffic backs up behind them, or when they cause someone to floor the brakes by cutting off traffic.
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It seems like we have only a 180-degree view of the road, because somehow those rearview mirrors just work better for checking your teeth than for noticing the car about to rear-end you.
The point is more on point for highway drivers than for those in town, who may be blocking the left lane looking for a turn that seems to never come.
Too many times on Interstate 10 or I-19, people are just enjoying their leisurely drive in the left lane, blocking anyone who wants to pass them, or forcing them to pass on the right, which isn't courteous.
The worst is when you get a matching pair of snails - one keeping to the right lane, as he should, to let faster traffic pass on the left, and one in the left lane who refuses to pass.
Down the road they go, with increasingly antsy traffic backing up behind them. The right-lane Sunday driver is just fine. The other guy is oblivious.
My favorite is the left-lane blocker who finally merges over to let a faster vehicle pass, then immediately jumps back left to hold up some other poor traveler's journey.
I have more patience for left-lane dawdlers in the city. Who knows where they might be going?
But out on the highway, drive right, pass left. It isn't just me and Mr. Hirsch who want you to. It's the law. Follow it.
Road Q
Question: "What are the requirements by law for median barriers on Interstate 10 in Arizona? It seems that there are way too many cross-median accidents between Tucson and Phoenix, especially where the road curves. I wonder why most of the stretch between Tucson and Phoenix does not have barriers," wrote Laura Bartkowski.
She added: "Barriers protect drivers from horrific accidents when a vehicle crosses over (either by driver error or mechanical malfunction) into head-on traffic. There is usually some debate on barriers, because they can also cause injuries (and even death) if a driver crashes into them, but yet they prevent catastrophic accidents involving multiple vehicles that are totally innocent of any driving errors."
Answer: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials sets national standards for median barriers, said Linda Ritter, spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Transportation. The state's road-design guide meets or exceeds association standards for medians, she said.
Ideally, the best setup is no barrier at all and plenty of room for a driver to recover after a vehicle leaves the road, Ritter said. However, sometimes other objects, or the other side of the highway, are too close and require a median barrier.
"Different barriers are used, depending on the distance and the flexibility of the barrier. Interstate 10 has a combination of guardrail, cable and concrete, with the majority being cable," Ritter said.
Find Road Runner plus traffic cams and other transportation news at azstarnet.com/transportation. Send your questions by e-mail to roadrunner@azstarnet.com or to P.O. Box 26807, Tucson, AZ 85726. Please include your first and last names.
