I can't stand people from Maryland

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had stayed away from this thread because I don't hate *people* from Maryland, of course, although as a pedestrian in the city I find I have daily conflicts with MD-tagged drivers declining to respect my right of way in crosswalks without lights. BUT, this morning, on my way back from walking the child to school, a mom-ish woman driving a gargantuan blue "mini"van with MD tags cut into the crosswalk while I was crossing to make a very inappropriate U-turn in pursuit of a parking space on the opposite side of the street.

Look, suburban mom, I realize you're not used to watching for pedestrians and were somewhat understandably nervous about finding a place to park your bus... but don't do that here. Driving (especially while looking for parking or for an address) in a city requires a different skill set because you have to react quickly to a broader range of changing circumstances than stop/go/is that guy trying to turn into or out of the strip mall.

I don't really notice better pedestrian-navigating skills from VA drivers, although during daylight hours I see more of them downtown than I do in Adams Morgan/Dupont (before the alcotourists converge). That's probably why I have a more negative impression of MD drivers in general. DC drivers are much better about stopping for pedestrians.

That's probably the crux of the whole matter. I'm a Maryland driver, born and raised in the burbs. I "hate" driving in DC and it's very different from MD. I take the Metro if at all possible, because I really don't feel comfortable driving there. And I consider myself a very safe and prudent driver. But there are just so many different types of things to look out for in DC. Stop lights on sides of streets, down low, tons of pedestrians, lanes that disappear, etc. So it's the Metro for me...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had stayed away from this thread because I don't hate *people* from Maryland, of course, although as a pedestrian in the city I find I have daily conflicts with MD-tagged drivers declining to respect my right of way in crosswalks without lights. BUT, this morning, on my way back from walking the child to school, a mom-ish woman driving a gargantuan blue "mini"van with MD tags cut into the crosswalk while I was crossing to make a very inappropriate U-turn in pursuit of a parking space on the opposite side of the street.

Look, suburban mom, I realize you're not used to watching for pedestrians and were somewhat understandably nervous about finding a place to park your bus... but don't do that here. Driving (especially while looking for parking or for an address) in a city requires a different skill set because you have to react quickly to a broader range of changing circumstances than stop/go/is that guy trying to turn into or out of the strip mall.

I don't really notice better pedestrian-navigating skills from VA drivers, although during daylight hours I see more of them downtown than I do in Adams Morgan/Dupont (before the alcotourists converge). That's probably why I have a more negative impression of MD drivers in general. DC drivers are much better about stopping for pedestrians.

That's probably the crux of the whole matter. I'm a Maryland driver, born and raised in the burbs. I "hate" driving in DC and it's very different from MD. I take the Metro if at all possible, because I really don't feel comfortable driving there. And I consider myself a very safe and prudent driver. But there are just so many different types of things to look out for in DC. Stop lights on sides of streets, down low, tons of pedestrians, lanes that disappear, etc. So it's the Metro for me...

Excellent idea. Please come see us in the city, but please take Metro!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At the VA German drivers club, we all sit around laughing at you and your cars with no power.

The funniest thing about this post, is that the PP probably thought it was really going to get under folks' skin. Heh. But really it's like saying, "You know, at the douchebag club, we sit around in our codpieces and laugh at you with your sensible pants!"

Too funny!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't really notice better pedestrian-navigating skills from VA drivers, although during daylight hours I see more of them downtown than I do in Adams Morgan/Dupont (before the alcotourists converge). That's probably why I have a more negative impression of MD drivers in general. DC drivers are much better about stopping for pedestrians.

When I used to live in A-M, I'd make a point of taking my clothes to the laundry during rush-hour. Stream of MD cars speeding down 18th street. There's a crosswalk with no signal at Belmont, and I used to bring my laundry cart. I'd just start into the crosswalk, pushing the cart ahead of me, and listen to the sound of screeching tires. Ah, those were the days! Alternately, you could carry a bowling ball or cinder-block, and when a driver doesn't yield the right-of-way, you can just yell, "Ahhh!" and drop it on their hood. "Now look what you've done to my cinder block!"

[Anonymous]

OP I completely agree with you. We live near the border of Maryland and it is always the Marylanders who are speeding up at us while in the crosswalk (or even honking). I have had moms with Maryland plates in minivans honk at me crossing with a stroller! I also find them to have poor manners in the supermarket--they shop like they drive.
FWIW I used to live in Virginia and did not find Virginians to be this way. I think it is a suburban MD thing, though, since where I am from in MD--way out East, we don't have this problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in MD but don't find the bad, aggressive, asshole drivers until I enter the Bethesda/Rockville area. The worst is these little women driving sasquatch sized SUVs that are so large they can hardly see over the dashboard and they don't seem to have enough upper body strength to actually turn the massive steering wheel. Some how they seem to think they should try holding a mobile phone up to their ears while barely being able to operate the vehicle.

You obviously wouldn't know - my massive Suburban has power steering of course. You should test drive one sometime. I love it! And it fits all our kids! Oh I forgot, that means I'm rich too, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't really notice better pedestrian-navigating skills from VA drivers, although during daylight hours I see more of them downtown than I do in Adams Morgan/Dupont (before the alcotourists converge). That's probably why I have a more negative impression of MD drivers in general. DC drivers are much better about stopping for pedestrians.

When I used to live in A-M, I'd make a point of taking my clothes to the laundry during rush-hour. Stream of MD cars speeding down 18th street. There's a crosswalk with no signal at Belmont, and I used to bring my laundry cart. I'd just start into the crosswalk, pushing the cart ahead of me, and listen to the sound of screeching tires. Ah, those were the days! Alternately, you could carry a bowling ball or cinder-block, and when a driver doesn't yield the right-of-way, you can just yell, "Ahhh!" and drop it on their hood. "Now look what you've done to my cinder block!"

Ah- I love it! Once, on a really cantankerous morning, I rushed to the center of a the crosswalk I had already entered to meet the VA driver who was speeding up to get there before I did. When he finally admitted that he needed to stop, I crossed in slow motion in front of his hood. In general I'd say it's beneath my dignity to do that (and, I suppose, perhaps a little risky). I usually just continue crossing assertively and maybe limit myself to the "What the hell is wrong with you?" shrug if anything further seems to be required, but this guy really pushed my buttons on a bad day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I completely agree with you. We live near the border of Maryland and it is always the Marylanders who are speeding up at us while in the crosswalk (or even honking). I have had moms with Maryland plates in minivans honk at me crossing with a stroller! I also find them to have poor manners in the supermarket--they shop like they drive.
FWIW I used to live in Virginia and did not find Virginians to be this way. I think it is a suburban MD thing, though, since where I am from in MD--way out East, we don't have this problem.

To be fair, Marylanders drive like this in Maryland too - it's not like they only unleash their aggression in DC. I recently moved to close-in MD and I walk to metro, and I come close to getting run over in the crosswalk - on my own block - on a regular basis. In broad daylight, when I have the right of way. Now I not only drive defensively, but I have to walk defensively, too. It drives me nuts. I hadn't really thought about it before, but I do feel much more comfortable crossing sidewalks in DC. I once visited the WF on River Rd and could not believe that they have to have cops directing traffic in the parking lot on Sunday mornings. I guess that says it all.

I still think Atlanta has some of the scariest highway drivers. Usually on a highway you have the one jerk who speeds and weaves - in Atlanta, everyone does it simultaneously.

[Anonymous]

Yeah I'm with you on the Dutch - rude people. And Canadians totally bug me too - what an inferiority complex they have. Isn't this fun?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate people from DC. They are always filling up our Costco on the weekends and not one of them knows how to park. At least legally. All these entitled idiots thinking they can just cross the border and use OUR resources. Selfish Bastards!

Believe me, we hate doing it. Not the illegal parking-- we love that. Such a power trip. We hate coming out to the burbs and having to rub shoulders with you over the goat cheese. But I think we're getting our own costco sometime soon-- Fort Totten? Rhode Island/New York Avenue? can't remember-- so pretty soon you'll have your sad wine-less costco all to yourself again. Just don't come crying to me when it closes due to the loss of DC dollars!

PP, I think I love you.

[Anonymous]

Dang, what about the DC drivers who come to Maryland, violate traffic rules, and hit innocent Marylanders? That just happened to me.

I do wish our Costcos carried wine, though. Kudos to Va and DC on the alcohol-vending Costcos, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods.

[Anonymous]

Who goes to Costco? We're not exactly short of goat cheese here.

Not sure about the parking criticism. Any urban driver has a deeper pocketful of parking strategies, and we're not allergic to walking a little if the nearest spots are taken. Actually, when we used to have to go to Rockthesda for Target, I was amazed by the number of people who needed to hover close to the doors until spots became available rather than go to another deck or a more distant part of the structure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You suck and you are the reason I drive a huge old SUV--people like you damn well do let me get over b/c my car sends the message that I don't give a shit about running into you.

Your huge, old, gas-guzzling SUV also lets the rest of us know right away who the asshole is, so thanks for the early heads up!

Get a grip--where do you think the battery from your Prius is going to go? Congrats on promoting toxic waste.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You suck and you are the reason I drive a huge old SUV--people like you damn well do let me get over b/c my car sends the message that I don't give a shit about running into you.

Your huge, old, gas-guzzling SUV also lets the rest of us know right away who the asshole is, so thanks for the early heads up!

Get a grip--where do you think the battery from your Prius is going to go? Congrats on promoting toxic waste.

people with the older gas guzzling SUV's got around quite well in the bad weather we had this winter.

[Anonymous]

I just can't stand drivers from suburbs, they just don't seem to know how to maneuver in the tighter streets of Capitol Hill.

If you want to make sure not to hit my car or the parked car while we pass each other here's a tip: Try looking slightly to your right. That way you will definitely not hit the car that's parked. I'll do the same, that way I won't hit the parked cars either. By going that we should both be fine and can pass each other at a reasonable speed without you being paralyzed and too scared to move. And I - the driver with DC tags- assure you that I will use my best judgement. If it appears that we may not be able to pass each other, I will either stop and let you pass or I will move quickly to not make you wait that long.

If people just followed that basic rule when driving through my neighborhood streets (and I do welcome drivers from suburbs who don't clog all the main roads and are willing to explore other options) I think I would be less grumpy when driving during rush hour.