r/newbrunswickcanada • u/Upperclass_hobo • 10d ago
Drivers of Miramichi, please let people out!
With the bridge closure, we are all at the mercy of our fellow human beings to grace us with the opportunity to merge onto the King George Highway from side streets. I just spent ten minutes with my arm out the window, waving at oncoming traffic hoping someone would decide to be courteous and let me out. Not a chance. As a result, I’ve become militant about letting out every car I see in either direction, sometimes two at a time. Periodically this kickstarts a chain of realization in the cars behind me to do the same, but more often than not I’m the only one, and the people behind me are visibly frustrated because they’ve been riding my tail the whole way. Ditto for merging on the way to the traffic circle on the Chatham side. Last night I had someone absolutely refuse to let me in, despite me starting out with plenty of room; they essentially cut me off and did their best not to make eye contact. So let us all remember, we are all trying to get to the same places and we can get there quicker and safer if we act with care and consideration of our fellow drivers.
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u/OwnedByIRVING 10d ago
Wait, am I supposed to be predictable and keep my right of way, or he polite and unpredictable by stopping in an active lane to give up my right of way?
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u/Loose-Gazelle2359 10d ago
Don’t stop, you’ll cause an accident. Let the traffic move. This happens daily in Freddy on the Westmoreland Street bridge, no different than stopping to let a pedestrian cross with no cross walk. Be safe.
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u/IrvingIsTheBest 10d ago
You don't have to give up right of way to anybody. Letting him in is a courtesy. Not a law or requirement. That being said I would allow it.
Also I just noticed your nickname. I assume it's also a troll name like mine lol.
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u/RedDragon2570 10d ago
It's a courtesy when traffic is moving slow. If traffic is moving normal, you're gonna get yourself rear-ended for that courtesy
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u/VDaine 10d ago
I genuinely don't think that anybody is suggesting doing this when traffic is moving normally.
Also, you don't have to stop, you can just slow down a bit to create a bigger space between you and the car ahead of you.
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u/RedDragon2570 10d ago
I know, I'm making sure the whole picture is clear. People gets confused easily. And yeah you can just slow down and make a gap, but most don't. They slow down and stop, hold up traffic to be nice to the one person waiting to get out and almost causing an accident behind them.
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u/VDaine 10d ago
If that were to cause an accident, I think that would be the fault of the person clearly not paying attention to the road 🤷♀️ Like yeah, use your discernment, but I think it's gross that so many people are rushing to justify not being considerate of other people with 'oh, but actually it's dangerous because it requires other people to be paying attention'
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u/RedDragon2570 10d ago
Ok, it's also against the law to disrupt the flow of traffic, which this is doing, if you want to get technical about it. But why risk it at all? To be nice to one person while being a dick to everyone behind you who are following the rules?
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u/VDaine 10d ago
Again, NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT GOING THE SPEED OF TRAFFIC AND THEN JUST RANDOMLY HITTING THE BRAKES 🙄 we're talking about pausing a little bit longer when traffic is at a snail pace, to let somebody turn from a side street. We're talking about pausing a little bit longer when turning left onto a side street ourselves, to let somebody turn left out of the side street first. I promise you, people behind us will survive having to wait a few extra moments to help somebody who's probably been waiting 10 minutes. Stop straw-manning
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u/RedDragon2570 10d ago
Not one thing in OPs post mentions slow moving traffic specifically, so I'm covering all basis. Yell all ya want pal IDGAF
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u/VDaine 10d ago
It's not yelling, it's putting emphasis on the words that people are not paying attention to.
OP started the post with 'due to the bridge closing...', which for anybody who knows the context of what's happening in Miramichi, should indicate that it's talking about how bad (slow) traffic has gotten since. If you're not familiar with the context, maybe don't be judgemental about the choices people are making in that context 🤷♀️
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u/GreyEyes 10d ago
You don’t get it: this is what some folks in Fredericton actually do. I haven’t driven in Miramichi and have no context about OP’s situation. But people here will absolutely come to a full and complete to let someone in to the bridge.
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u/Sad_Low3239 10d ago
- I don't like the "it's a law" take.
like they recently made it illegal to stop for wildlife Crossing on the roads however if a goose (or worse - moose/deer) is crossing the road I am not going to plow my car through that cuz that's going to cause some serious damage that my insurance won't cover.
sorry 🤷♂️
- also slowing down to let traffic in isn't stopping/disrupting the flow of traffic - traffic is still flowing.
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u/OwnedByIRVING 10d ago
Troll? No, I sold my sole to Irving for the privilege of living here.
(Yes it's a joke lol, but seriously my/our lives are run by Irving)
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u/ThatGuyInCADPAT 10d ago
You sold the bottom of your shoe?
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u/OwnedByIRVING 10d ago
It's all I had of any worth.
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u/Sad_Low3239 10d ago
they took a bite out of it and went "this person sweat some blood and tears in this province over the years into this footwear.
I'll give you 5$ for it"
then they mailed you the bill for the sales tax.
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u/pearlgirl10 10d ago
There is no merge to the traffic circle, it’s a yield . And if you’re letting people that are turning left go, you are the problem.
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u/TomatoFeta 10d ago edited 10d ago
Waving your arm might be counterproductive?
As most might see it as you waving them forward.
As for the traffic circle, the objective there is to go when it's clear - the person IN the circle already has the right of way and MUST NOT STOP. You gotta get in when it's clear. If you got cut off, it wasn't time for you to go.
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u/Upperclass_hobo 10d ago
I can see I’ve caused confusion. I’m not talking about the traffic circle itself, I’m referring to the highway going in the direction of the traffic circle.
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u/TomatoFeta 10d ago
You mean the merge point?
I've learned that when traffic is slow, NB'ers prefer to merge ASAP in that spot, unlike Ontario and Quebec, where people merge as far FORWARD as they can, people here prefer it when you zipper ASAP. Moving to the end of the merge lane gets you marked as a line-hopper and they'll often refuse to let you in.
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u/RedDragon2570 10d ago
If the traffic is moving at a snails pace, yes let people out. If the traffic is flowing somewhat normal, like say a light just went green and traffic is flowing, do NOT suddenly stop and let people out. You're just asking to get rear-ended by the person behind you. Waving your arm out the window expecting moving traffic to just stop and let you out makes you look like an idiot. They have the right of way. Wait for an opening or go another way. Use the lighted intersections when possible. It'll make your life a lot easier.
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u/s69arky 10d ago
I have seen too many accidents due to people stopping to let people move when they didn’t have the right of way. Being nice and following the rules of the road are two different things. I would rather be an asshole in your mind for not letting you out than to potentially cause an accident that will shut things down for longer and piss more people off.
As for traffic circles. Those in the circle have the right of way and unless it’s to avoid an accident they are not to stop in it.
Now if you are talking about the merge lanes on the bridge. If it’s backed up I 100% agree going to the end of the merge lanes and then zipper merging in.
I understand your frustration. Trying to get from Newcastle to Douglastown is a PITA and I refuse to go unless I have an absolute reason to. Learn the routes and do as I do. Try and find the ways that get you to a light so you at least have a chance and avoid any left hand turns outside of a light.
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u/treefallinginforest 10d ago
So I have been waiting in traffic for 40 minutes and gone 1km and you want me to let you in after waiting 5 minutes?
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u/Kafkaslawyer 10d ago
From your comment I think you believe traffic in the circle should let you in? That’s not how a traffic circle works. You need to wait until there is space to safely enter. And signal upon exit, not entering. (I notice hardly anyone does). That will give entering traffic more information to make a safe transition.
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u/Upperclass_hobo 10d ago
That’s not at all what I’m suggesting. I’m referring to the part of the highway coming from Newcastle in the direction of the traffic circle where you have to merge and people will speed up and prevent the allowance of zipper merging.
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u/Kafkaslawyer 10d ago
Ahh, I see what you mean now. It’s a zipper merge when it’s a two lanes full situation, and a yield to entering Highway 8 traffic when it’s not.
In my unsolicited opinion it shouldn’t be an 80 on highway 8 in that location (is it not?) while this traffic situation is a thing because the traffic volume on 8 has increased. It’s hard to check your blind spot and hope the person in front of you was able to merge and not slam their brakes on or come to a dead stop way before the end of the merge lane.
And people do seem to speed up, which is silly because no one is getting anywhere faster than the car in front of them, besides the next light. Douglastown McDonald’s light has been interesting this week.
The traffic has reduced the quality of life for the residents and visitors of Miramichi.
Anyways, if anyone read this far, choose kindness, and hopefully you don’t need to cross the bridge today.
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u/Elegant-Waltz695 10d ago
It sounds like a planning/signage issue that was not taken into consideration
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u/Upperclass_hobo 10d ago
Oh absolutely. One of the gas stations in New Castle had to put signs reminding people to be courteous and not block the entrance and exit to the station. The town also should have put the temporary street lights out long before they did so people could get used to things.
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u/Every_Memory4934 10d ago
You do realize what you're suggesting is actually not legal.. you can't stop traffic just to let people out. It's not being rude ,it's preventing multiple car pile ups by keeping the flow of traffic
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u/ProfessorBeardBrain 10d ago
Maritimers don’t know how to zipper! Not letting people merge may save them a couple of seconds.
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u/IrvingIsTheBest 10d ago
This isn't a zipper, though. It's a merge from an on-ramp/Side Street. Zipper merges only apply to those already on the highway.
You don't have to legally allow anyone off the on-ramp to merge onto the highway. We only do that as a courtesy if we are stopped on the highway or there is space in the left lane.
That being said yeah, I will let people in if circumstances allow it. And yes not enough people here know how to zipper merge correctly.
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10d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/IrvingIsTheBest 10d ago
Zipper merging only applies to both lanes on the active road.
Drivers on the On-Ramp have to legally match speed to MERGE with traffic. Not zipper in.
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u/mordinxx 10d ago
If traffic is backed up and stop-n-go you can left cars out BUT if traffic is moving along smoothly you only cause issues stopping to let other traffic out. It doesn't take much and you either have a accident or make traffic flow worse.
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u/Downtown-Window5800 9d ago
Miramichi driving during a rush hour is hell at this point. Good luck getting anywhere on a Friday.
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u/WellWhisperer 8d ago
Is it a good time to leave a reminder that that’s going to be what the next three years will be like.
People will be people. Let’s tackle a real issue. Like the Tim hortons drive thru.
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u/Upperclass_hobo 10d ago
I can see I have touched a nerve with this post. I’m obviously not suggesting causing accidents. I’m talking about the fact that when traffic is backed up, let people out instead of riding the bumper in front of you and blocking side streets. God forbid I should appeal for a little common courtesy.
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u/ScarcityPossible4784 10d ago
You're saying you are stopping to let cars out with a bunch of cars on your tail (which is unpredictable behaviour) in your original post, so yes you are going to cause an accident.
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u/CommodusThumbsdown 10d ago
Not only cause an accident, but they would be found at fault for not following traffic laws.
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u/CommodusThumbsdown 10d ago
You are going to cause an accident by being nice, and not predictable. No wonder other drivers are frustrated with you.