As a professional driver who spends a lot of hours in the downtown core, I have noticed that most of you are pretty fucking rude when it comes to street etiquette. Only about 3/10 give you a wave when you let them into traffic in their cars and about 2/10 give you a wave when you stop and let their ignorant asses jaywalk in front of you. I just moved back from living away and the notion that Halifax is such a friendly, mannerly place makes me fucking laugh now. You should be ashamed of yourselves, especially during tourist season! —Smarten Up
This article appears in Jul 19-25, 2012.
Here in Hillbilly Hollow, Jeb’s Oxen Trolley only runs twice a day to the feed/liquor store. You can’t afford to get ugly with the locals here ’cause they’re all related.
http://www.geekologie.com/2011/02/23/thumb…
as an ordinary driver, i hate the fucking downtown area with a passion. there are too many ignorant bastards that think they own the road, and don’t get start on the walkers. holy shit, they just dash right the fuck out from where they are. there must have been a gigantic sale on invisible force fields that i am not aware of.
and it’s not just a local thing, the other day, this old lady walks out in front of me. had to stand on the brakes and fucking near got rear ended. people, learn to fucking take a little caution with you.
I also came here ‘from away’ and find it equally frustrating the number of drivers who don’t even wave a ‘thanks’ when I make a gap in my line of stopped traffic to let them out or when I pull behind a parked car so that they can come through the other way first (usually at a high rate of speed). It’s not like courtesy costs anything…
Apparently you’re wrong, STL. Courtesy, according to you, costs a smile and a wave. That may be a small price, but, it’s pretty expensive when your texting, smoking, and drinking coffee like an entightled douchebag. If they don’t wave, I always honk the horn to get their attention, and give them the finger.
I’ve driven in every major city in Canada, and hands down, Halifax drivers (and pedestrians) are the most inconsiderate, idiotic, and dangerous. All these country bumpkins moving to Halifax, thinking it’s the “big city” and they are somehow entitled to an attitude because they live here?
Halifax used to be a very friendly city.I’ve driven across the country 5 times and found Winnipeg,Manitoba to have the most friendly driver’s.
nah, winterpeg drivers aren’t smiling back at ya, they are drooling brain damaged idjits from the bouncing potholes in summer, and ice ruts (you shall go HERE!) in winter. I have found Nova Scotia drivers wonderful in some ways, and horrid in others. Horrid for tailgating, driving 2 feet over the yellow line and speed demon old ladies. Wonderful at 4 way stops and anywhere one has to take turns. if you want a taste of absolute rude, drive Vancouver. and a Halifax bus driver could beat me with a tire iron and I would smile and say ‘that tickles!’ because…….I have commuted on Skytrain and managed to keep myself out of prison for murder.
100% correct, OP. Hate to agree, but I have to on this one…
We drove Halifax to Victoria 5 times,we drove through Northen Ontario once after that we learned that Northen Ontario is a shithole.By the time we made it to Manitoba we did a ‘lucky to be alive dance’. After that we avoided N.O. like the clap.Yes we stayed in Winnipeg a couple times. and I did think they were friendly.
there is only one place that i have seen for worse drivers than halisux. i refer you to montreal. now they aren’t all bad, just the ones that have vehicles. some of the most insane drivers in canada live there, and once in awhile, migrate to halisux, and bring their habits with them. on a scale from 1 to 10, for being the worst, i give them an absolute 9. mid easterns being the very worst. seriously, and i’m not hating them. just their style of driving. they are fucking crazzzzzy.
One of the advantages of retiring early is that I no longer have that bloody commute from BLT every day, skidding and sliding wankers in the winter too stupid or poor to buy snow tires and delay upon delay in the summertime thanks to road repairs. No road rage on my deck this lovely morning, and yesterday morning and the one before…..keep working suckers my pension relies upon the sweat of your brow 🙂
*gasp* They didn’t wave to you? Those heathens!!! /sarcasm
I believe good manners is being polite/considerate/giving and not expecting a thing in return.
ahhh Boru, Winnipeggers ARE very friendly, but sometimes not behind the wheel. I grew up in the peg, and family still lives there. My sister is a maniac in a car. seems to be a lot of poorly supressed rage in Winnipeg. Perhaps you got smiles from residents hoping you’d take pity on them and invite them back to Nova Scotia. Montreal road behaviour is like something out of Road Warrior, but I haven’t lived there, just passed thru. Vancouver road behaviour (or lack thereof) I have lived with from the 70’s to recent. There is no supressed rage there, it’s right in your face. and I agree with Depeche Mel on good manners. Its like generosity.
Montreal is where NY cabbies go for defensive driving training. Drivers aren’t unusually impolite or rude, they’re just batshit insane. “Doing 60kph in reverse, up a one-way street, across three intersections” insane.
Then again, so are the pedestrians. Red lights, crossing signals, crosswalks? They’re more akin to vague suggestions.
Parking/No parking signs? Mysterious esoteric language akin to scribbles by lovecraftian Elder Gods. I’ve had to ask a cop to interpret some of them before and even he couldn’t figure them out; just said he wouldn’t give me a ticket if I parked there.
I recall that I entertained a visitor from out of town, from a major city in the US. I asked him what he thought of our fair city. He said the people are really friendly — until they get behind the wheel of a car. 🙂
*vague suggestions* yep, that sounds like montreal
I hate when people walk out in front of my car – no crosswalk in sight, they just step out. Especially these chicks that are texting or listening to music. For some reason they seem more oblivious than the males, although the guys do it as well. Its just stupid. Ive also had chicks dash across the road right in front of me – in heels. Not the safest thing to do in traffic, but hey.