How Michigan wants to kills its drivers.

I lived in Michigan for a brief time. I commuted through Michigan for about 3 months, and then lived in Michigan for about 5. And while in Michigan I did a lot of interstate driving, and a little city driving. Here are the things that drove me nuts about how poorly the roads are set up.

Michigan Left. Noun. Verb. Adj. To drive 1/2 mile to the right, before you're allowed to make a u-turn to head in the direction you were wanting to go.
There are SEVERAL places in Ann Arbor and around Michigan that won't let you make a left hand turn. Either because there is a median in the way, or they just plane don't want you to turn left. The make you turn right, and then use one of their special u-turn only ramps. They've wasted so much money by printing and installing No Left Turn signs, and No U-Turn signs. Its so confusing. You look down a 1 mile length of road and all you see are those two signs. Its so cluttered that when you want to turn left you don't know where you can do it all. So you end up driving all the way down the road to a stop light, pulling into a parking lot, and turning around.

Non stopping traffic. Will freak you out the first time you come up on a section of road where the traffic doesn't stop. Ok, here's the scenario. I exit off the interstate and come up on a stop light. I want to turn left. I wait until I get a green light. The light turns green, and I begin to turn left. But I notice that the traffic going the direction that I want to go is not stopping. In fact, they don't need to. I have like a 20 footmerge ramp, and that's it. Keep in mind, this is a shopping area, and a 4 lane busy road. But I slam on my breaks before I even get to the merge ramp, because I think that people are blowing a red light. I almost cause an accident behind me, because those people have obviously encountered this intersection before, and knew what to expect.

Non stopping traffic 2. Ok, picture the same situation. I get off ramp, need to turn left and am stopped at a red light at night. Light turns green, and I can't see where the lanes are that I need to turn into because they are all faded. I notice that the traffic of the direction I will be turning is stopped, so I know they are supposed to be stopped. But whats this? A car is flying about 50mph and doesn't seem to be slowing down. I again slam on my breaks, and watch him as he gradually veers away.WTF ? Its a ramp to get onto the interstate. It's not a sharp turn from the stop light, no, its a 3rd lane that starts to veer towards the interstate where the stoplight is. And when coming up on that intersection from getting off the interstate, it completely looks like cars are blowing through the red light since they don't have to stop.

Construction zones. They must have run out of money for signs from spending it all on no turn signs, because they really don't like to warn you that a lane ends until you are right there. In Illinois, they give youplenty of warning. They give a sign at 2 miles, at 1 mile, and then several flashing arrow signs telling you that the lane will end soon. And then the gradual bucket line pushing you out of the lane. In Michigan, you pretty much have 200 feet to merge over before you hit the cones. Which then causes backed up traffic because everybody is trying to merge in such a small area. If only they would warn people a few miles in advance, andIm not just talking about the construction in general, I mean which lane will be closed, the flow of traffic would be much smoother.

Non construction zones. Same as above, just without the construction. There are several places where 3 lanes turn to 2. And 2 lanes turn to 1. They only give you about 100 feet notice, and 100 feet of merging room. The first time I came up on it, I was passing 3 cars and was next to the middle one, and came up on adisappearing lane. I was driving in the inside emergency lane for a little bit, because the arrogant Michigan drivers didn't want to give me room to merge in.

And speaking of arrogant Michigan drivers, they like to cruse in the left lane. And there is usually a train of them together. So I'll pass someone, and move back over to the right lane. I come up to the next slow car, and want to merge over, but I can't because I have to wait for the 7 slower cars that are right next to me innascar drafting formation to pass. So I end up at the back of the pack. I pass the slow car, and then move back to the right lane. I resume mycruising speed, and slowly pass the Nascar pack one by one. But then I run into the next slow car. And now I have to wait even longer because now the 7 drafting nascar pack is now 10 cars. So after doing this several times, I finally give in, and turn into a Michigan driver. About a full hour later, I am able to pass the Draft Pack. PLEASE, MOVE OVER! if you know you're going to be passing a car eventually, but are not to that car yet, please move over to the right lane. Its the law in Illinois. Even if I know I'll be passing a car again in 10 seconds I always move over just in case someone behind me can get around me. I may have to slow down for a few seconds to wait for them to get around, but at least I didn't hold up a faster driver. I'm no authority figure, so I can't control people who I feel are speeding.

Parking lots. Whoever designed shopping center parking lots much have been crazy. And its not just one area, it was all over Ann Arbor. One place there were only 2 one-wayinstances in, and only 1 1-way exit out of the lot. And all the lanes of parking are so narrow, that only one car can pass at a time. But there are several instances of roads into and out of lots that go from 2 lanes in, to 1, and there are no signs of such, until you realize that your now driving into oncoming traffic.

Stop lights. This isn't just a Michigan thing. I was in Toledo Ohio quite a bit. For some reason they like to put your direction of stop light directly above your car, and not across the other side of the intersection. Everybody I talked to that grew up in that area didn't get what the big deal was. But man, there were several times where I had to stick my head in the dash and look strait up to see what the light was doing. I finally started getting wise, and stopped further back. And there was a good size car-length between me and the 'stop behind this line' line.

So there are some things that piss me off about Michigan driving. If you don't believe me, I dare you to drive to Ann Arbor, and not encounter one of the things I mentioned above. Its not possible.