New Kansas Law

[Diane Amberg]

 A few years back someone at highways decided to use flashing green to mean " expect crossing traffic." It meant the side street had a flashing red signal at that off peak time of day. You can imagine how confusing that got.  You would be driving down the road and if someone pulled up to the light at the cross street, your solid green would start flashing. It was scaring out of area drivers into slamming on the brakes because they didn't know what to do.  They are finally gone now and good riddance!!!!!

[Tobina+1]

Diane; we have the flashing yellow on the main street, and flashing red on the other side.  This means that the traffic lights are not working (or they don't need to be during a slow time of the day) and the main street traffic is to slow down and use caution, and the side streets can enter traffic when it's clear.

Yes, in Kansas, I think this law will only apply to 4-lanes (2 each way) interstates and highways, and of course our "stay right except to pass" sections.  Most of the multiple lane traffic is within city limits.  The majority of the cars I saw camped out in the left lane over the past few weeks were from out of state.  I say, no warnings for them; get that $60 out of them right away!     A lot of them I had to pass on the right side.  I'd even move to the left lane to indicate I wanted to pass them, wait there plenty of time for them to get over and they never did.  So I'd have to pass on the right.  In my opinion, that's very dangerous as the driver doesn't have as good of vision on the right side of the car.  Some people have used the excuse that the left lane isn't traveled as often, so it's smoother, but I only found that in about one 5 mile section of highway (north of Salina on 81 as you're coming from Neb into KS). 

As for the discussion about Hwy 400... this is the scariest section of road I have ever traveled (well, since they got 99 fixed).  Have you ever noticed that from about the top of Beaumont hill all the way into Leon, the entire stretch is marked as passing zone?  (Well, OK, there may be one section at the bridge, but that's it).  There are HILLS, people!  There should be many more no passing zones!  People start to pass and they don't realize that there's a hill coming up and some oncoming car pops over the top of the hill and it's either slam on their brakes, or race to get ahead. 

I actually asked a highway patrol about the "stay right except to pass" zones around Beumont one time.  He said that although the Eastbound traffic has the passing zone, that that "center" lane does belong to the Westbound traffic.  So, if cars are traveling to the West and they are in the center lane, if an Eastbound vehicle crosses the center line to pass and causes an accident, it will be their fault (even though the signs told the Westbound vehicle to stay right).  So, therefore, if I'm driving home (East) and trying to pass someone in front of me, I won't do it unless BOTH Westbound lanes are clear.

[Lazy Bear]

Tobina, in the case your talking about who ever occuppies the lane first has the right of way. So if you are coming off the hill and pass when the lane is empty, it is your lane. By law. But there are a lot of dead and injured people who were right by law, but still lost.

[indygal]

Diane; we have the flashing yellow on the main street, and flashing red on the other side.  This means that the traffic lights are not working (or they don't need to be during a slow time of the day) and the main street traffic is to slow down and use caution, and the side streets can enter traffic when it's clear.

Um, Tobina, you might want to clarify that you aren't referring to Howard specifically but to the state as a whole....LOL I read that and thought, "We have a flashing light on Main Street? Since when?" then realized what you meant....LOL.....

There are HILLS, people!  There should be many more no passing zones!  People start to pass and they don't realize that there's a hill coming up and some oncoming car pops over the top of the hill and it's either slam on their brakes, or race to get ahead.

I have the very same thought...why aren't there more no passing zones when you clearly cannot see what's coming from the other direction? There are a few of those spots on 99 and 160 after the turn-off at Moline, too, but they are marked a little better. Frankly, if I can't see what's coming from the other direction, I stay put until I can.

[Tobina+1]

Yes, Indygal... Diane is in NOT KANSAS and "we" are in Kansas.     I think it was only about 5-6 years ago that they put up stop signs in Howard, so I think we're a ways from a stop light!

Lazy Bear; I don't know.  According to the highway patrol office I was speaking to (and he was familiar with that area), it didn't matter who was occupying that lane; since it's on the other side of the yellow line, it "belongs" to the Westbound traffic.  And therefore the Eastbound traffic in that lane would be the offender.  I quizzed him about it for quite a while because it always made me mad when Westbound traffic would just drive in that lane and Eastbound traffic couldn't use it to pass.  So when I realized that if I was Eastbound and trying to pass someone in that lane, and Westbound traffic just "decided" to switch over and use that lane that I would be in the wrong, I've been much more careful (and not just the fear of dying aspect, either).

[greatguns]

I can't imagine relying on passing zone instead of your eyes and your mind.

[srkruzich]

i wonder how this is going to affect eveyrone parking in the middle of the road in the busy little town of piedmont!!

[Warph]

Here's one for all you men who have to drive any distance to work:

I was riding to work yesterday when I observed a female driver cut right in front of a pickup truck causing him to have to drive on to the shoulder to avoid hitting her. This evidently angered the driver enough that he hung his arm out his window and flipped the woman off. "Man, that guy is soooo stupid" I thought to myself.

I ALWAYS smile nicely and wave in a sheepish manner whenever a female does anything to me in traffic and here's why: I drive 48 miles each way every day to work, that's 96 miles each day. Of these, 16 miles each way is bumper-to-bumper. Most of the bumper-to-bumper is on an 8 lane highway so if you just look at the 7 lanes I am not in, that means I pass something like a new car every 40 feet per lane.

That's 7 cars every 40 feet for 32 miles. That works out to be 982 cars every mile, or 31,424 cars. Even though the rest of the 32 miles is not bumper to bumper, I figure I pass at least another 4000 cars. That brings the number to something like 36,000 cars I pass every day.

Statistically, half of these are driven by females, that's 18,000. In any given group of females, 1 in 28 has PMS. That's 642. According to Cosmopolitan, 70% describe their love life as dissatisfying or unrewarding. That's 449. According to the National Institute of Health, 22% of all females have seriously considered suicide or homicide. That's 98. And 34% describe men as their biggest problem. That's 33.

According to the National Rifle Association 5% of all females carry weapons and this number is increasing. That means that EVERY SINGLE DAY, I drive past at least one female that has a lousy love life, thinks men are her biggest problem, has seriously considered suicide or homicide, has PMS, and is armed.

Flip one off?  I think not.
(written by a very smart man)

[Varmit]

I don't know Warph, if they shoot like my wife does, you've got nothing to worry about.

[srkruzich]

I don't know Warph, if they shoot like my wife does, you've got nothing to worry about.

Remember warph revolvers hold 5 shots, and they make high capacity semi autos that hold 10 or more. 

even a dead clock is right two times a day  you know.