15 nov 04
Why do people, when sitting at a red light, inch their cars up until it turns green? The light is not going to turn green faster if you shift slightly in your lane! You are not going to get anywhere faster! It’s just a red light, only a minute or two. What’s the hurry?
This is kind of like when people hit the elevator buttons over and over. Hit that button all you want, the elevator is NOT going to come any faster! Sure, the elevator thinks, oh that person on the third floor does not need me that badly, they only pushed the button once. BUT, that person on the second floor, they must need me, because they cannot tear their finger away from that button! No, that is not the way it works.
I think it says something about our society when we cannot sit still at a red light for sixty seconds.
Emily / 15 nov 2004 / 11:13 p.m.
I read, also, that 90% of “Door Close” buttons in elevators don’t work, either, which I think is kind of funny, because people pound those suckers, too, trying to get the elevator to move to its next stop.
Jason / 15 nov 2004 / 11:28 p.m.
It’s because, despite what anyone may believe or attest, we really imagine that we’re racing the other people on the road.
We want the elevator to see the world from our perspective, even if a few hands need to be severed in the process.
Laura / 16 nov 2004 / 12:12 a.m.
I inch forward at lights because I’m anticipating the light turning green and I let off the brake. Since I have an automatic, my car moves forward without touching the gas. There’s my explanation. :)
filmmaker / 16 nov 2004 / 8:06 a.m.
What Laura said.
As for most elevators I’ve encountered, if you hold down the “door close” button, the doors will close right away as long as you keep the button pressed in.
Richard / 16 nov 2004 / 9:50 a.m.
At work if our customers can not access a site in 3 seconds or less they will complain of slow browsing.
The fastlane is what people want regardless off the price :(. As for elevator/walk button people I have always scratched my head.
I don’t own a car because you do not run your car it runs you.
Zen Novice.
Chris / 16 nov 2004 / 10:41 a.m.
I’m afraid patience is a virtue that not many of us possess, nowadays. Now, I’m gonna click this ‘post’ button like five or six times…HURRY UP AND POST!
(kidding)
Jeremy / 16 nov 2004 / 11:42 a.m.
There is also this misconception about needing to trip the sensor to cycle the light sequence.
(This was popular on the East Coast, some lights were “Smart lights” and would only cycle if the sensor was tripped to allow the cross traffic to move - if this wasn’t tripped, you could be sitting there for hours until another car came up behind you.)
Now a days, most lights are dumb, and often will cycle at the slightest perturbation (I’ve seen a bird trip a sensor)
Lizzie / 16 nov 2004 / 12:59 p.m.
Jeremy’s right. My grandparents live on a tiny side street off another major street, and the light only changes if there’s a car trying to turn off the side street. Several times we’ve driven up without tripping the light somehow, and had to back up andn “reapproach” the intersection. ANNOYING.
As for inching at non-sensored intersections: If I’m the first person at a light I often realize that I’m stopped several feet behind the “stop here” line (don’t know why I always do that), and I will definitely inch up to the right place. That’s because here in Boston at least, if you’re not 100 yards down the road two seconds after the light changes, the sixth car in line will start honking. It’s like the city law of obnoxiousness.
mare / 16 nov 2004 / 4:42 p.m.
I like it when you’re at the red light and people get confused by watching that turn left light go to green. They stop suddenly when they realize the green isn’t for them! As difficult as it is not to, I end up looking over at them and laughing.
JEA / 16 nov 2004 / 6:31 p.m.
In China, they have a countdown feature. I’m not sure if this would help the inchers, but I would love it.
wanda / 17 nov 2004 / 8:14 a.m.
Lol I have done that.But I find it was due to a lack of patience waiting for the light to change.It’s like saying “come come hurry it up”.Lol but that is so true it does not get the green to turn any faster.Other times it’s to give people more room if I think my butt is in the way.I find staring at the red light and saying green green green helps hahahaha,I wish.Hey changing the color button is kewl ow did you do it?
nicole / 18 nov 2004 / 7:39 p.m.
What I always find amusing is how those inchers will start actually going into the intersection when they see the cross traffic get a red light, completely forgetting the fact that the opposite traffic is going to get a left turn arrow first. How long do you have to be driving to get that?
vapidsquid / 15 nov 2004 / 10:29 p.m.
the elevator thing: the programming for elevators used to use a queue system, where whatever button was pressed last was where it went first, so i suppose that’s a leftover from way back…
the traffic light thing: slight movement to faster movement is more fuel efficient than stop to fast movement. friction and all that.