Drivers who keep their windows down are exposed to 80 percent more air pollution

Re:Drivers who keep their windows down are exposed to 80 per... by kube-system on Saturday August 08, 2020 @02:13AM (#24089497)

Stop signs are a pretty bad solution for traffic calming, though. The key to effective traffic calming is to shape drivers’ natural behaviors, not authoritatively demand it.

A stop sign that serves no purpose than to slow people down will piss off drivers more than anything, and lead to people speeding between signs or running them. It will make your street noisier as impatient people aggressively obey the signs.

A typical neighborhood would be much better off if traffic was calmed by adding kerb extensions or narrowing the lanes.

I think the above commenter might share my frustration that local politics is often full of people unknowingly demanding the wrong solution to their problem.

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Re:Drivers who keep their windows down are exposed to 80 per... by diablerouge on Saturday August 08, 2020 @02:48AM (#24089635)

As someone who lives in a neighborhood full of stop signs (just about every other street is signed), I find that it actually does exactly what you're saying, i.e. shape drivers' natural behaviors.

Almost everyone elects to drive on one of the nearby "thoroughfares" rather than stop and start all the way through the neighborhood. So I see stop signs as the perfect solution.

I'd agree this wouldn't probably work on a road that sees heavy traffic already though.

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Re:Drivers who keep their windows down are exposed to 80 per... by pravus on Saturday August 08, 2020 @05:53AM (#24090383)

Except where I live they also put stop signs on the thoroughfares. Some places just have messed up traffic.

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Re:Drivers who keep their windows down are exposed to 80 per... by luckylion on Saturday August 08, 2020 @03:00AM (#24089666)

Stop signs are not meant to calm traffic, they're safety features. When you have to stop, you're not blindly driving into traffic, that's the whole point. You stop, you need to start driving again, you have the time to look to the left and to the right.

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Re:Drivers who keep their windows down are exposed to 80 per... by xwdv on Saturday August 08, 2020 @05:17AM (#24090253)

You can look left and right while gently rolling through there is no need to come to a full stop in many cases.

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Re:Drivers who keep their windows down are exposed to 80 per... by luckylion on Saturday August 08, 2020 @06:55AM (#24090628)

You can, but few do. The Stop sign makes sure you've come to a halt and are focused on what happens next instead of "just cruising".

Interruptions reset focus (unless you're so distracted that you don't notice the sign).

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Re:Drivers who keep their windows down are exposed to 80 per... by Hamuko on Saturday August 08, 2020 @05:26AM (#24090280)

No, you need to come to a full stop at a stop sign. That's why it says STOP on it with capital letters - so that even idiots know what to do.

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Re:Drivers who keep their windows down are exposed to 80 per... by ouchjars on Saturday August 08, 2020 @05:58AM (#24090407)

The point is that other jurisdictions get away with using way fewer stop signs than in North America, while having much safer roads.

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Re:Drivers who keep their windows down are exposed to 80 per... by varjag on Saturday August 08, 2020 @07:00AM (#24090642)

Yep, from driving in the States it is clear that they liberally use stop sign where you really want a yield sign.

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Re:Drivers who keep their windows down are exposed to 80 per... by mrob on Saturday August 08, 2020 @08:42AM (#24091214)

Even with perfect visibility, ignoring stop signs can kill:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYeeTvitvFU

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Re:Drivers who keep their windows down are exposed to 80 per... by cik2e on Saturday August 08, 2020 @09:28AM (#24091486)

Slowing down to idle speed and ensuring the intersection is clear absolutely nothing like what’s being addressed in that video.

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Re:Drivers who keep their windows down are exposed to 80 per... by ThePadawan on Saturday August 08, 2020 @08:17AM (#24091060)

Congratulations, you just got an immediate fail on your driving exam!

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Re:Drivers who keep their windows down are exposed to 80 per... by throwaheyy on Saturday August 08, 2020 @02:18AM (#24089514)

The US is gradually coming around (heh) to roundabouts.

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Re:Drivers who keep their windows down are exposed to 80 per... by Multicomp on Saturday August 08, 2020 @08:42AM (#24091212)

I hope so, the only one in my immediate area is about 30 feet in diameter... That's right, there is a single-lane for the roundabout itself!

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