If yesterday didn't do it, then today almost certainly made fyellin do a spit-take.
I seem to have caused a vigorous debate in Mr. Roadshow's column. (For the back story on this, click here.)
Today's Mr. Roadshow Headline: Is 55-60 mph too slow for the slow lane?
Roadshow: Is 55-60 mph too slow for the slow lane?
By Gary Richards
grichards@mercurynews.com
Posted: 03/17/2011 11:00:00 PM PDT
Q I read the comments from the Prius driver who goes 60 to 65 mph in the slow lane and is tailgated by faster drivers. I fully understand what he was saying, but let me tell you another story. I was driving down Highway 101 a few miles north of San Jose at about 8:30 a.m. a few Saturdays ago. Traffic was very, very light with only a handful of cars on the road. To be honest, I was driving like a maniac, passing cars like they were standing still. I was using all the lanes. I was looking for any opportunity to gain a little speed. And I reached a top speed of 67 mph. Overall, the right lane was the fastest on the freeway.
I'd like to thank Mr. Prius Driver for observing other cars on the road and going a consistent speed -- which 90 percent of drivers don't do.
But, yes, in an effort to drive a blistering 67 mph, I would tailgate him in the slow lane.
Mitch Frazer
Sunnyvale
A Aw, Mitch, say it isn't true. The Prius driver isn't the problem and doesn't deserve to be tailgated. Your weaving in and out of lanes is a risk to everyone on the road. While 67 mph is OK, your constant lane changing was not.
Q Please remember that there are drivers who have to use the slow lane to get to our exits. I move to the right lane within a mile or so of my exit, as I was taught long ago. When I need to merge right to exit and get stuck behind a driver going 55-60 mph, I need to determine if I will stay behind him or change lanes again and drive around him. And then when I attempt to drive around him, he may start to speed up, causing me to miss my exit or make an unsafe maneuver. We who drive the speed limit or above cannot tell if drivers are going slowly because there is something on the road, they are distracted and our going around them wakes them up or they just like to drive 5-10 mph below the speed limit. All this creates anger and road rage. So even in the slow lane, why not join the vast majority of drivers and drive the speed limit when the rest of traffic is?
Carolyn Tiernan
Milpitas
A You are depressing me. How much time will you save by trying to go faster in the slow lane to reach your exit? A few seconds at best. The driver going 55 to 60 in the slow lane isn't causing road rage, but you might be.
Q I have to chime in on this slow-lane debate. The right lanes are for people who wish to drive slower. Period. End of story. There may be any number of reasons for driving under the speed limit in the slow lane:
Perhaps the driver is nervous about going faster or trying to conserve gas. He may be having car problems. He may be towing a trailer. He may be slowing or speeding up from a ramp. He may have a nagging wife telling him to slow down. He may simply not be in a hurry to get where he is going.
So, if he wishes to go under the speed limit, where would you have him do it -- in the fast lane?
Jeff Masnaghetti
A You know the answer to that as well as I do.
Q I drive in the slow lane all the time and I got a ticket for going 60 mph in the far right lane by a CHP officer who said I was impeding traffic. I'm going 60 and I got a ticket! This was way wrong.
Richard Martinez
A It sure seems that way.
Q I had a similar experience with being tailgated on Highway 101 when I was going 55 mph in the carpool lane with traffic in the other lanes almost stopped. So I took out my cell phone and started taking pictures. As soon as he realized that his actions were being filmed, he backed off. Never mind that my phone is very old and doesn't even have a camera, but he didn't know that.
D.C.
Gilroy
A Now that was quick thinking.
Q I am laughing so hard about this slow lane debate that my side hurts. I was once a fast driver. I'd go 72 mph and someone in the left lane would be going 68. How dare they! Move over, road boulder!
But I got religion. I now drive around 67 to 68 in the middle or right lanes, always being as courteous as I can -- and watch in humor as all those stressed-out people pretending they're in the Daytona 500 are going lane to lane trying to get in front of one car and save 12 seconds to their destination.
I laugh because I am now so relaxed behind the wheel it's unbelievable. I get to work unstressed. I enjoy driving to work (really!). It's really miraculous, Gary. Life is good. Every person complaining about slow traffic needs to re-evaluate priorities and JUST CHILL OUT!
Kevin Weber
Los Gatos
A Perhaps we can all agree on that.
Well, my parents always said I was a better shit-stirrer than I realized.
Today's Mr. Roadshow Headline: Is 55-60 mph too slow for the slow lane?
Roadshow: Is 55-60 mph too slow for the slow lane?
By Gary Richards
grichards@mercurynews.com
Posted: 03/17/2011 11:00:00 PM PDT
Q I read the comments from the Prius driver who goes 60 to 65 mph in the slow lane and is tailgated by faster drivers. I fully understand what he was saying, but let me tell you another story. I was driving down Highway 101 a few miles north of San Jose at about 8:30 a.m. a few Saturdays ago. Traffic was very, very light with only a handful of cars on the road. To be honest, I was driving like a maniac, passing cars like they were standing still. I was using all the lanes. I was looking for any opportunity to gain a little speed. And I reached a top speed of 67 mph. Overall, the right lane was the fastest on the freeway.
I'd like to thank Mr. Prius Driver for observing other cars on the road and going a consistent speed -- which 90 percent of drivers don't do.
But, yes, in an effort to drive a blistering 67 mph, I would tailgate him in the slow lane.
Mitch Frazer
Sunnyvale
A Aw, Mitch, say it isn't true. The Prius driver isn't the problem and doesn't deserve to be tailgated. Your weaving in and out of lanes is a risk to everyone on the road. While 67 mph is OK, your constant lane changing was not.
Q Please remember that there are drivers who have to use the slow lane to get to our exits. I move to the right lane within a mile or so of my exit, as I was taught long ago. When I need to merge right to exit and get stuck behind a driver going 55-60 mph, I need to determine if I will stay behind him or change lanes again and drive around him. And then when I attempt to drive around him, he may start to speed up, causing me to miss my exit or make an unsafe maneuver. We who drive the speed limit or above cannot tell if drivers are going slowly because there is something on the road, they are distracted and our going around them wakes them up or they just like to drive 5-10 mph below the speed limit. All this creates anger and road rage. So even in the slow lane, why not join the vast majority of drivers and drive the speed limit when the rest of traffic is?
Carolyn Tiernan
Milpitas
A You are depressing me. How much time will you save by trying to go faster in the slow lane to reach your exit? A few seconds at best. The driver going 55 to 60 in the slow lane isn't causing road rage, but you might be.
Q I have to chime in on this slow-lane debate. The right lanes are for people who wish to drive slower. Period. End of story. There may be any number of reasons for driving under the speed limit in the slow lane:
Perhaps the driver is nervous about going faster or trying to conserve gas. He may be having car problems. He may be towing a trailer. He may be slowing or speeding up from a ramp. He may have a nagging wife telling him to slow down. He may simply not be in a hurry to get where he is going.
So, if he wishes to go under the speed limit, where would you have him do it -- in the fast lane?
Jeff Masnaghetti
A You know the answer to that as well as I do.
Q I drive in the slow lane all the time and I got a ticket for going 60 mph in the far right lane by a CHP officer who said I was impeding traffic. I'm going 60 and I got a ticket! This was way wrong.
Richard Martinez
A It sure seems that way.
Q I had a similar experience with being tailgated on Highway 101 when I was going 55 mph in the carpool lane with traffic in the other lanes almost stopped. So I took out my cell phone and started taking pictures. As soon as he realized that his actions were being filmed, he backed off. Never mind that my phone is very old and doesn't even have a camera, but he didn't know that.
D.C.
Gilroy
A Now that was quick thinking.
Q I am laughing so hard about this slow lane debate that my side hurts. I was once a fast driver. I'd go 72 mph and someone in the left lane would be going 68. How dare they! Move over, road boulder!
But I got religion. I now drive around 67 to 68 in the middle or right lanes, always being as courteous as I can -- and watch in humor as all those stressed-out people pretending they're in the Daytona 500 are going lane to lane trying to get in front of one car and save 12 seconds to their destination.
I laugh because I am now so relaxed behind the wheel it's unbelievable. I get to work unstressed. I enjoy driving to work (really!). It's really miraculous, Gary. Life is good. Every person complaining about slow traffic needs to re-evaluate priorities and JUST CHILL OUT!
Kevin Weber
Los Gatos
A Perhaps we can all agree on that.
Well, my parents always said I was a better shit-stirrer than I realized.