Nova Scotia drivers make me crazy. Apart from the fact they never use their signals and drive UNDER the speed limit they always take forever to go when there is an advanced green light. Hello people, there are other cars behind you that would like to get through as well. The flashing green arrow isn’t just for you.
Get moving people!
—Toronto transplant
This article appears in May 7-13, 2009.
Before I moved to Canada, I had never seen a flashing advance green light. Came to my first one in Dartmouth, and it freaked me out– what the hell does that mean?!
In the states, an advance green is a solid green arrow, no flashing.
Oh yay. Yet another righteous UC (upper Canadian) blathering on about NS drivers. While I agree about the signals, as far as I’m concerned you can go right back to Toronto. If you’re in such a damned hurry, leave earlier, it’s that simple. We’re not going to change to suit some jackass from the Big Smoke. Life moves at a more relaxed pace here. If you don’t like it, you’re more than welcome to go back to your smog/asshole/idiot filled T dot.
didn’t know that….
the turn signals are still my biggest beef.
if you know you’re turning…. even if you’re not quite already turning the wheel… or sitting at a red light waiting for it to change, put the god damn thing on so I don’t have to sit and wait behind you when I could have stopped in the other lane!
LOL. Chill the fuck out and get used to it, this isn’t Toronto.
My friend came here from from Toronto and got pissed off about the exact same thing. Except he honked his horn angrily when, god forbid, the car in front of him didn’t take off at lightning speed within milliseconds of the light turning green. Everyone in front of us turned around in their seats and gave him a “wtf is your problem??” look. He never did it again.
What’s the hurry anyway?
I get a kick outta Torontonians. You go down the subway, and if you hear a train, everyone on the steps will run— in high heels! Through puddles! On ice! Down the stairs, people! Dangerous!— to catch the train.
The next train comes in three minutes.
I don’t paint Torontonians with too much of a broad brush…as if they complain about no turn signals or bizzare/poor driving habits, they haven’t spent too much time exploring all the fun places in Toronto….like “scarberia” “asiancourt” or Markham. No racism there ;~) ..and if you REALLY want a good rant, go commute around Ottawa for a few years, and lets hear the comments then? “Hong-couver” as the rasicts call it? a real treat driving there!..and then he absloute pinnacle of slooooooow driving sans signal lights, b lind and sudden lane changes, my personal favorite, my hometown Victoria! *insert pomp and ceremony music here* The home of the newlyweds ands nearly deads. And the home of six, count ’em six different police forces, all well budgeted (crazy taxland) and gleefully enforcing the speedlimits…see? Halifax ain’t so bad 🙂
I agree with you on that one Tt.
Another driver issue that gets my goat is those twits that don’t have “Position Awareness”. They block traffic behind them ’cause they dump themselves in positions you can’t get by at a stop light. Mostly blocking the right turns but other times too when they should be thinking of other traffic issues around them. Shitheads!
flyingbrick, that’s pomp and circumstance.
oooooooh yeeeeeah, snap into a slim jim.
LOL, TIM! It’s SO true — subway trains run all the freaking time yet everyone’s in a hurry to get the train NOW.
zZz your more ZzZ today than usual, I agree on the signals, is it too much to ask for a signal so I can plan my actions accordingly?
And Your Wrong, Never Wrong: Life IS defiantly (intended word, not a mistake) more relaxed here but fuck, I want to get there today so I can enjoy the relaxed state.
Remember too, half the traffic out there has a job to do, get the fuck out of the way!
I am from here and the drivers drive me nuts, too. Especially the advancing green. More than two cars should be able to get through that light before it turns amber.
You know what? Born and bred Nova Scotians want to get places quickly too, so fuck off with the Toronto bashing.
Ya, so do 8th generation Nova Scotians! ………………HONK, HONK!
Like the ad on TV says,”Seriously tho, come on….”
I’m nobody special, I just want to ……….
You are aware of what the word “limit” means right? It doesn’t mean drive this speed, it means, drive this speed at the very most, and preferably, drive less than this speed. You can’t complain if drivers here actually obey the traffic laws.
Ha, Tim, even here in halifax when I would have to wait for 30 mins for another bus, I refuse to run for them. I’m rarely in that much of a hurry, and at the same time not giving myself enought time to get where I’m going.
Nobody has implied driving above the legal speed. I seldom do more than 10% over ‘cept when I’m being pushed from behind and I can’t get out of the way to let the arse by. Just be cognizant of being in the way and don’t block other traffic.
Smee: If you want to get to where you’re going on time, leave earlier. As PAS said, it’s the speed “LIMIT”, not “the speed you must go”. I’m not saying other drivers don’t bug the shit out of me too, quite the opposite. The lack of usage of turn signals pisses me off on an minutely basis when I’m driving around HRM. People seem to think that driving is a right. It’s not, it’s a priviledge and people need to realize that.
Smee, I’d argue that the OP themselves implied that driving above the legal speed is preferable:
“they never use their signals and drive UNDER the speed limit”
Notice ‘under’ is in caps.
Never Wrong: Your wrong. I’m always on time.
PAS: Your full of shit! The speed limit is the safe speed under ideal conditions, not “preferably drive less than this speed”. Nobody prefers you drive less than the posted limit in ideal conditions. You can be ticketed for driving too slow. There is a “go with the flow” aspect to safe driving practices.
Anyway, this is getting hairy trying to watch the road and follow this bitch, I gotta sign off.
Oh, a red light. one more thing…
Fizz: OP said under the limit, that did not imply he/she wanted to go over. Oh, advance green light, ah fuck some asshole behind is honking at me!
I’m going, I’m going! Where are you from? Toronto!!
Man, I just finally got my car, and after not having to deal with idiot’s in car’s for so long, I can feel the rage coming on. Honestly though, it’s not worth it, slow down, chill out and fucking relax.
zZz..not the musical score “pomp and circumstance” I meant music befitting pomp and ceremony..eg; “the queen arrived with much pomp and ceremony”…I know, details, details.
Flashing (advance) green in Vancouver means something like a pedestrian pressed the walk button so use caution. At least that is what I was told, however I recall a number of times seeing the flashing green and not a pedestrian in sight. I never figured it out, I just know it doesn’t mean you get an advance to turn left. Shit these things should be standardized across the country, that is just nerve wracking.
Sorry OP, when I get an advance green I like to wait a couple seconds to see if some jackass is going to smoke me trying to beat the red.
This shouldn’t be about how slow people drive in NS, or not putting on their turn signals. People in both ontario and NS drive slow – we all have seniors and nervous drivers, and we dont all realize if our turn signal light breaks. However, I hate driving here because people don’t know the rules of the road – try and bet money on “the RIGHT of way” at a 4 way stop and you’ll lose.
And for the people who cant figure out advanced greens? It’s when the city decides that intersection needs a priority turn for the left-going traffic and doesnt want to replace the traffic light – an arrow takes an additional housing on the post. It’s considered basic knowledge where I learned.
Now who can figure out what flashing red and yellows mean?
ah flyingbrick… gotcha.
I just associate pomp with the song since I’ve had to play it in the past… and hear it every week as a kid since it was macho man’s theme song.
DIG IT.
zZz, yes sadly I remember playing it, and many other school band “standards”…Oh Canada, God save the queen, freekin Greensleeves, and the theme from “Exodus” ad nauseum….*sigh* decades of expensive therapy just to forget the musical nightmare of my youth…thanks zZz ;`) ….and btw, tuba’s have a very low CDI factor.
HfxGurl, I can’t agree more. I am from here and drivers here drive me nuts. Very few know the rules of the road. I avoid using my car now.
Funny thing about running for the bus/train/etc… I’ve found is that the more frequently it runs, the more people run for it. I can’t count on my fingers how many people run for the 1 (every 15) in the course of a shift, oftentime putting their life at risk, but when I drive the 14 on Saturdays (once an hour), it is extremely rare for people to run for it.
that;s because they know it only runs once an hour so they make sure they’re on time… would be my guess.
The only thing that bugs me when i’m driving are pedestrians crossing the street with their slow asses…when I’m walking/bussing the only thing that bugs me are dumb ass cars when I’m crossing the street with my slow ass.
This adds absolutely nothing to the table here, but I thought I’d share anyway.
Haha pk i’m the same way.
Now more than ever I’m gonna light up a cigar with my feet up at intersections. Good luck Trawna Tranny.