Two things that Texans don't get: driving intelligently and stoplights. First, picture if you will three lanes of traffic, surface streets, 40 mph speed limit. One would think that cars would spread out on these three lanes. But no, not here. If there are ten cars in a space of a block or so, eight of those ten cars will be in one lane. No reason, just following along like sheep. Even at a red stop light, there can be two lanes with no cars and one lane with all ten cars. It isn't that the lanes end or merge or exit, it is just that Texans (and yes, I am generalizing here) seem never to look around, they just follow what is in front of them. So odd.
And can we talk about stop lights? You know how most lights, especially in Northern California, have some sort of sensor that tells the light if there are cars in the lane. That sensor will trigger the light to turn from red to green, or trigger the left-turn light to come on. In this part of Texas that does not occur. Ever. In fact, the lights really have nothing to do with the flow of traffic. I have sat at countless stoplights, waiting for the lights to take their sweet time progressing through their approved cycle, no traffic in sight anywhere. Will the light change early because I have stopped? No. Will the left turn light come on so I can make a left turn? Not unless it is part of the cycle. It is quite frustrating, just sitting at an intersection, no cars anywhere, watching the traffic lights letting the non-existent cross traffic have the green light. So stupid.
They also have a law that every seven years you have to physically get a new license plate with a new plate number. Why? According to the Texas DMV site, it is because the reflective tape on the plate wears out by then. Really? And it wouldn't be a lot less cheaper to just get better reflective tape than issue all new plates and hire bureaucrats to deal with that whole issue?
And finally, there are many freeways between Dallas and Ft. Worth, which is where Grand Prairie is, where I am serving my sentence. Some freeways say North and South and some say East and West, but some that say East and West actually run North and South.
Those goofy Texans!
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I just wanted to point out that the highways that run North and South but say East and West actually are on the East and West sides of the DFW area. It took me over a year to understand this concept and it really still is mind boggling that they just don't rename one of the highways to a new number, but yes, this is Texas. Ugh.
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