I sat in the parking garage on Tuesday for ten minutes while the truck four cars ahead of me waited with their left blinker on. I was about to put my car in park and turn the engine off when they were finally able to turn. The next two cars were smart enough to turn right and each took a matter of seconds to exit the garage. The car in front of me, failing to learn the lesson, took another five minutes to turn left. The fifteen minute wait gave me plenty of time to contemplate the stupidity of turning left out of the garage during heavy traffic.
When I exit the parking garage adjacent to the University Center, I almost always have a destination to the north; for those who have trouble with cardinal directions, that’s to the left. Yet, with rare exception, I always turn right. Why? Because it’s common sense.
When exiting the garage around 7 p.m., there probably isn’t enough traffic on 12th Street to make a left turn problematic. At such a time, there also probably isn’t a line of cars also trying to get out of the garage. Aside from those magical moments, it’s a time-consuming effort with complete disregard for fellow motorists to make the left turn.
‘But I need to go north,’ the determined motorist may say adamantly while their turn signal clicks defiantly for twenty minutes. That’s fine. Turn right anyway.
We have a steering wheel precisely because it allows us to change the direction of travel. This may astound some individuals, but it’s quite easy to turn around and head north once out of the garage. Kennedy Avenue and Bunting Avenue serve as convenient locations to do just that, and it really only takes a few seconds to a minute to accomplish that task.
In fact, it’s so easy to turn right, turn onto Bunting Avenue and flip around, that it boggles the mind to contemplate how many drivers haven’t figured it out. Most individuals parking in the garage are students of a higher learning institution, so basic problem solving shouldn’t be such an accomplishment.
Perhaps the driver refusing to be inconvenienced into going south for a block has all the time in the world. Maybe it doesn’t bother them to wait a ridiculously long time for both lanes to clear long enough to make the left turn. While that’s just swell for them, it doesn’t take other drivers’ needs into account.
The stockpiling line of vehicles behind that driver probably don’t have all day. Most of us have tight schedules with limited windows for traveling. Happily waiting for the perfect left-turn opportunity is a big middle finger cast toward all those eagerly waiting for their chance to exit.
Such behavior is a rude disregard for anybody else’s needs. I don’t believe most drivers even realize how much they inconvenience their fellow Mavericks. However, self-centered rude behavior is still self-centered rude behavior even when it’s unintentional.
On exceptionally rare occasions, there actually are perfect moments during the middle of the day when one is able to pull up, see the opening, and make an immediate left turn. Then, and only then, is it a good idea to hit the left turn signal and go. Otherwise, exercise some common sense and a little courtesy to fellow drivers and just turn right. I promise the singular block of driving south won’t ruin the day.
