OK, does anybody know for certain what this sign means? In context, it appears to mean that the lane represented by the straight line continues and the lane indicated by the broken line goes away, hence necessitating drivers in that lane to merge into the other lane. However this is most certainly NOT the interpretation that my fellow drivers in Austin, TX associate with this sign. In practice, this sign says: "If you are in the lane represented by the broken line, and especially if you are driving any kind of truck, wait until your lane starts to disappear then swerve over into the other lane and almost hit the grey 1997 Nissan Sentra that is driving there. Do this because your stupid vehicle doesn't actually have the power to accelerate around said '97 Sentra (which is, you have to admit, fucking sad) and because to put your foot on the brake pedal would remind you of that time in 5th grade when you peed your pants during the spelling bee because you couldn't remember how to spell the word 'man' and you cried." Next time, I need to roll down my window and yell "Italians throw fruit at your mind!" I have it on good authority that this feels great.
I read a book many years ago about a guy and his girlfriend who rode their motorcycles basically around the globe, having all kinds of adventures with wild animals, crooked border guards, terrain that tore up their bikes, and terrible weather. But they made it all the way back to the US before his motorcycle was destroyed. He had stopped on the side of the road to take a photo of a sign and somebody deliberately drove over his bike. The sign read: "Welcome to Texas. Drive Friendly - the Texas Way."
3 comments:
When I was dating David - your favorite, Sally, I know - he always waited until the last minute to merge or change lanes. I'm talking even about situations like needing to exit the freeway. It was like his attitude was "nobody's going to make me change lines." Argh.
I almost (very slowly) rear-ended a bus yesterday morning, though, due to forgetting that the car does not stop as quickly on ice. Even with ABS I was pretty sure I was going to gently slide into the back of the thing. But somehow I stopped about 2' short.
Damn Texas drivers!
I was under the impression that this sign means the left lane is for suckers. (Yes, that would be me.)
The sign clearly states that two lanes are about to become one, and that this is your last chance to whip your truck around any slow-moving Nissans that might otherwise be ahead of you.
As I recall, the road around this sign is rather misleading: if you're watching the road instead of the sign, it looks like the other lane is going to be the one that disappears. Which is surely why I automatically get in the wrong (disappearing) lane just after the sign, every time.
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