WARNING! Dangerous prank. Don't fall for it... I did.

[MamaMimi]

I don't look at how me stopping is anymore dangerous than stopping for a school bus loading/unloading kids . Also, Piney Point road, there's 4 ... yes 4 stops and I swear it's not 200 yards inbetween!! But I assume the issue is they don't want the kids walking up/down that road where the speed limit is 50 or 55 (not even sure!)

 

[PeoplesElbow]

did you ever notice the SIGNS on 235 - they say "RIGHT TURN ONLY". There is no "MERGE".
The sign at the light says YEILD, it does not say merge. You should not come flyiing out of parkings and intersecting roads since the idea of that lane is to allow the vehicles ALREADY ON 235 a place to decelerate - instead of slowing the traffic down by stopping in the thru lanes (which people do now because of "merging").
The only merge area is on 235 North of Rt 4 where the road goes from 3 to 2 lanes.

Why have they put islands in several places that keep traffic from going straight in that lane?

 

[SG_Player1974]

The white dashed lines ANYWHERE on the roads indicate a merge lane and a turn lane. Turning right from southbound Rte 4/St. Andrew's Church onto southbound 235 has a Yield sign. It also has a merge/turn lane. This lane allows for people to speed up and merge in with existing traffic. It also allows for people to merge out of 235 traffic and make their appropriate turn off. Unfortunately, in this situation, there is a rather ill placed entrance/exit to the Wawa which causes problems.

What it is NOT for is speedsters to race ahead of you for passing AND it is not a driving lane! People tend to use these lanes for these purposes and then we wonder why we have so many accidents. You are supposed to enter these lanes at a REASONABLE time to allow you to make your turn. This DOES NOT mean you enter it immediately after the intersection light and drive down the lane for the next MILE!

 

[MMM_donuts]

I've been asking about it since I moved to this area and I have yet to see a clear, cited explanation for the merge/right turn lanes on 235. I honestly don't know if they are supposed to be acceleration lanes, deceleration lanes, turn lanes, or if St. Mary's County just thinks well figure it out on our own.

So, it'll be whatever kind of lane I want it to be depending on my position and mood at that time until I'm educated otherwise.

 

[Lurk]

I don't get that one either, I think it is just a Maryland thing.

In Chuck County, St Charles to be specific, the kiddies and their parents gather at specified corners to await the bus. The parents not infrequently drive the two blocks from their home to the corner and sit along the road that intersects the route the bus is on. If the earth warmers were for real, they'd be tormenting these parents for wasting gasoline and polluting the air as the drive to and sit idling twice a day.

 

[Hodr]

I know I am a bit late to the conversation, but I wanted to add my $0.02. Many/most accidents happen because of a combination of distraction and unusual / unanticipated behavior. Stopping for those busses (stopping short with no turn signal to warn) combined with a distracted driver behind you could easily have caused an accident.

Sometimes being polite on the roadway is much more dangerous than being inconciderate but predictable.

 

[glhs837]

I know I am a bit late to the conversation, but I wanted to add my $0.02. Many/most accidents happen because of a combination of distraction and unusual / unanticipated behavior. Stopping for those busses (stopping short with no turn signal to warn) combined with a distracted driver behind you could easily have caused an accident.

Sometimes being polite on the roadway is much more dangerous than being inconciderate but predictable.

HODR!!!!!HODR!!!!! Well stated.

 

[ArkRescue]

I accidentally drove past a bus on rt 301 South. I swear I did not see that bus in the far right lane that stopped by the trailer homes. I was confused when I was pulled over, and I swear I never even saw a bus go by me to give me a clue that is what I was about to be ticketed for. If it hadn't been for the fact that they were doing a task force event to cut down on it in that location, I still wouldn't believe it actually happened because it's hard to miss a big ASS yellow school bus, you know? The judge wanted me to admit to it, and I said I can't admit to something that I wasn't aware of, that would be dishonest. So I ended up paying a fine of $580 + court costs GRRRRRR. That was my 2nd ever moving violation in many years of driving. My first was speeding at 19 years of age - ticket said 39 in a 30 but as you might imagine, it was more than 39 and the offcer cut me some slack.

I got a kick out of hearing some of the cases that day. One was someone caught speeding. The accused said ... but I was going downhill ..... the judge said, your brakes don't work?

 

[RareBreed]

Husband took one quick look and had to sit down. He was done.

My husband was giving play by play with the first one.

 

[glhs837]

I don't look at how me stopping is anymore dangerous than stopping for a school bus loading/unloading kids . Also, Piney Point road, there's 4 ... yes 4 stops and I swear it's not 200 yards inbetween!! But I assume the issue is they don't want the kids walking up/down that road where the speed limit is 50 or 55 (not even sure!)

Becuase people behind you expect you to stop becuase they can generally speaking, see the blinking yellow lights the bus turns on to warn of a stop. Wihtout those, they might not be expecting it.

 

[awpitt]

did you ever notice the SIGNS on 235 - they say "RIGHT TURN ONLY". There is no "MERGE".
The sign at the light says YEILD, it does not say merge. You should not come flyiing out of parkings and intersecting roads since the idea of that lane is to allow the vehicles ALREADY ON 235 a place to decelerate - instead of slowing the traffic down by stopping in the thru lanes (which people do now because of "merging").
The only merge area is on 235 North of Rt 4 where the road goes from 3 to 2 lanes.

Not all of those turns have yeild signs. Coming from Chancellors Run Road turning right onto south bound Rt.235 (Sheetz corner), there is no yield sign. There is also a solid white line for the people who are already on south bound Rt.235. The solid while line doesn't stop until the actual entrance to Sheetz/AutoZone. This means those folks cannot change lanes until the end of the solid white line.

 

[FED_UP]

I accidentally drove past a bus on rt 301 South. I swear I did not see that bus in the far right lane that stopped by the trailer homes. I was confused when I was pulled over, and I swear I never even saw a bus go by me to give me a clue that is what I was about to be ticketed for. If it hadn't been for the fact that they were doing a task force event to cut down on it in that location, I still wouldn't believe it actually happened because it's hard to miss a big ASS yellow school bus, you know? The judge wanted me to admit to it, and I said I can't admit to something that I wasn't aware of, that would be dishonest. So I ended up paying a fine of $580 + court costs GRRRRRR. That was my 2nd ever moving violation in many years of driving. My first was speeding at 19 years of age - ticket said 39 in a 30 but as you might imagine, it was more than 39 and the offcer cut me some slack.

I got a kick out of hearing some of the cases that day. One was someone caught speeding. The accused said ... but I was going downhill ..... the judge said, your brakes don't work?

Good thing they did not cut your fingers off for a confession. You better stop texting so you can see the busses. New law in affect Oct 1, heftier fine for an accident involving texting, up to 500.00 bucks.

 

[ArkRescue]

That's me too. But I remember, back in the day, some of our friends bragging about getting that on video as if they had managed to tape the second coming. LOL...I wonder if they ever went back and watched those. Or showed them to anyone else...

One of my girlfriends had her hubby record it to show the child later in life, and also share with family/friends. I said NO I do not want to see that!

 

[ArkRescue]

Good thing they did not cut your fingers off for a confession. You better stop texting so you can see the busses. New law in affect Oct 1, heftier fine for an accident involving texting, up to 500.00 bucks.

Umm I wasn't texting, I was driving to a doctor's appointment. I don't text and drive. Actually I have yet to find a decent enough quality blue-tooth (that I can afford) so I gave up phone use while driving. IT CAN WAIT. I wish all the adults I see yapping on the phones would set a better example for the younger folks. A lady almost hit me head on because she rounded a right turn while going too fast with only her right hand (left was holding the phone to her ear) while yapping on the phone and she went too far to the left and came within inches of hitting me head on. What an idiot.

 

[FED_UP]

Umm I wasn't texting, I was driving to a doctor's appointment. I don't text and drive. Actually I have yet to find a decent enough quality blue-tooth (that I can afford) so I gave up phone use while driving. IT CAN WAIT. I wish all the adults I see yapping on the phones would set a better example for the younger folks. A lady almost hit me head on because she rounded a right turn while going too fast with only her right hand (left was holding the phone to her ear) while yapping on the phone and she went too far to the left and came within inches of hitting me head on. What an idiot.

I got pushed off to the shoulder of a road once because someone yapping on a phone. People are still doing it; I see many trying to hide the small phone next to their ear, still mostly women too. I guess I would have to say anytime a person is texting or talking while driving, they might as well be cocking a gun.