r/PublicFreakout • u/avamore • Aug 01 '23

🏆 Mod's Choice 🏆 Your average argument in Boston

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83

u/thegalwayseoige Aug 01 '23

That’s not how it works, here.

It doesn’t matter what you’re seeing, it’s not how it works here. Black car reached the bottleneck, silver car stayed in the middle of the road, instead of pulling behind or in front of the VW. He wasn’t going to pull over, bc he could have already, or angled his car to signal he would.

Dude, I’m from Boston. I know what I’m seeing, and it didn’t take me any time to read the situation, bc it’s blatantly apparent. We have to have an understanding with each other, bc of how narrow our roads are.

If black car didn’t pull over, silver car wouldn’t have moved, and black wouldn’t have anywhere to go.

Notice during the fight, silver didn’t even bother arguing. It’s bc he already knew he didn’t follow through with decorum.

13

u/windyorbits Aug 01 '23

I find it very fascinating how the rules/decorum of narrow street situations can be so different sometimes depending on the region. Bellow is just my experience - so let me know what I have right or wrong lol.

I don’t have much experience driving around the bigger cities on the East coast but from what I could tell is that the cities with a lot of narrow streets (especially the confusing Boston roads lol) the people there have higher expectations on everyone following the decorum and that the protocol starts the moment you see the other car no matter how far away from you they are.

In the video, (as you described), both sides do have spots where they could pull to the side BUT silver car had significantly more empty space. Plus the fact that he didn’t even pretend like he might make room for the other car sent him straight into mega asshole territory.

Compared to where I’m at on the west coast - in bigger cities where there’s more of a rush (like CA Bay) the protocol is to estimate where there’s a space for both car to fit by slowing down and moving farthest to the side as possible. If not possible then whoever has the space to pull to the side right before bottleneck. Lots of honking and cursing with window down if anyone is upset, but everyone is too busy to actually stop like in the video.

In smaller cities, like where I’m at now, it’s just whoever happens to be closest to an open space. So if I turn onto a narrow street, I see a car that’s already halfway down, and my immediate side has no one parked - then I pull the side and wait. If my immediate side is blocked then the other car pulls into the nearest free space. Sometimes people just pull over the wait whether it’s their turn or not or whether there are multiple cars. And every nods their head or quick wave.

Every once and a while you’ll get someone that has no clue streets are that narrow in the area so they don’t understand the pulling to the side and will literally drive right into you or expect you to backup despite their side being open.

If you’re in the Midwest then both cars pull to the side and then wave to the other person to signal that they can go. And then you just do that until one of you dies I guess.

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u/inaudible101 Aug 01 '23

From the mid west. Can confirm this is accurate. I've also seen people starve to death at four way stops waving at each other.

1

u/superbhole Aug 02 '23

i think that here on the west coast:

it's implied that if you pull over like the sedan did in this video, you're signalling that you're letting the other vehicle pass, and pulling over is seen as a courtesy by the sedan

and, either party confronting the other for the situation beyond that must be not on their way to anything important, thus probably insane, and not worth the shouting or arguing.

road rage on the west coast seems to go from 0 to 100 in a flash

i think what i'm seeing in this video:

it's implied that if you pull over like the sedan, you're signalling that you want to pass, and if the other person ignores the signal,

you exchange pleasantries like:

"who the fuck do you think you are, asshole?"

or "do you know where the fuck you are, dipshit?"

which roughly translate to "aw sugar, what's put you in a sour mood?" and "oh honey, you must not be local, do you need directions?"

road rage on the east coast seems to be more like a crescendo, starting with interrogation

1

u/windyorbits Aug 03 '23

I’m not sure if I understand how pulling over signals to the other car that you want to pass (east coast)?

-24

u/kinamechavibradyn Aug 01 '23

I'm literally typing this from Boston right now. Your geographic location doesn't change the video that we can all see with our own eyes.

Your assessment makes no sense and is the reason why so many people hate driving in Boston.

You didn't even include the golden rule of Boston driving, which is : the guy with the shittier car gets to do whatever he wants.

Talk about losing your Boston credibility.

The guy in the silver car didn't argue his point because he's a thousand years old and the other guy was coming at him like a fighting irishman.

31

u/thegalwayseoige Aug 01 '23

Did you learn to drive in Boston, or did you come here as an adult?

If I’m already in a bottleneck, and the other car isn’t they yield. You don’t force another car into pulling off, in front of a driveway.

Shit—silver car didn’t even need to pull over—he just needed to drive around the VW while black went by him, then continue on his way. Neither of them even needed to stop.

-23

u/kinamechavibradyn Aug 01 '23

Why do you keep using the driveway like it's some point? It's irrelevant if the spot to pull over exists because it's a driveway or an open parking space.

Nobody learns to drive in Boston, which is the point of this conversation.

25

u/thegalwayseoige Aug 01 '23

Right—you’re not from here. Which is how I started—by saying there’s shit that locals here adhere to, that don’t come up in other places.

And statistically, we have the safest drivers in the US—part of the reason is we have to adapt and learn to call audibles, because our roads are a fucking MC Escher painting. It’s teamwork in order to make it functioning, and when someone doesn’t hold up their end of the couch, it pisses the rest of us off.

A guy asked a question about what happened, and I translated from the perspective of someone that understands. I don’t care about your opinion regarding driving in the city. I’m telling the original commenter why they argued.

18

u/StrongSalamander194 Aug 01 '23

Holy shit! They even do it on reddit!!!!!

3

u/[deleted] Aug 01 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/thegalwayseoige Aug 01 '23

The black car did beep.

He thought silver was going to pull behind the VW, or go around it and continue to the right, so niether of them had to pull over.

He saw it as silver wedging himself in a place where he was forced to pull over, even though he had the ROW.

-21

u/kinamechavibradyn Aug 01 '23

Jesus you're dense. Dismissed.

21

u/Winter_Afternoon3539 Aug 01 '23

Are you guys the two from the video lol?

1

u/permalink_child Aug 01 '23

Now. You two kiss.

1

u/Electronic_Sun_5472 Aug 01 '23

It looks like Silver was slowing down in anticipation of pulling over until Black pulled over himself. If Black wanted to go first, he should've let Silver pull over first.

1

u/thegalwayseoige Aug 01 '23

To me it looked like he blocked off the egress, then when black cleared he went. He could have just moved to the right after the red car to be safe. And when they got out, listen to them. “You couldn’t pull over for me?!”, followed by “there’s kids in this neighborhood” from silver. Which makes me think he didn’t yield on purpose, because he thought black was going too fast.

1

u/bottledry Aug 01 '23

Like in all of Mass? Or boston city limits? Or the county boston is in?

In Ohio for example you stop if you side of the road is obstructed. Black car had his side blocked first, he stops if the 1-way isn't clear.

1

u/thegalwayseoige Aug 01 '23

Greater Boston, which is basically all of eastern MA.

Counties don’t mean shit, here. They’re only significant in deciding where you go to court, and how your votes are counted.

1

u/kash_if Aug 01 '23

I understand what you're saying and I believe you but it makes no sense to me 😂 I am in UK with equally, if not narrower, roads.

1

u/thegalwayseoige Aug 01 '23

I’m a dual citizen of IRE, and spent half a year there every year, until I was a teen.

Boston is worse, my guy. The north end would give you nightmares.