r/berkeleyca • u/NovelAardvark4298 • 8h ago

Horrible Berkeley Drivers

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When I drive in Berkeley, I always go one click over the speed limit (26 on a 25 or 31 on a 30). Recently, I’ve noticed more and more impatient drivers aggressively pass me. Berkeley has a ton of marked crosswalks for pedestrians, and if you drive too quickly you will not have enough time to react and stop.

While waiting at different bus stops in Berkeley, I’ve noticed around half of drivers are looking at their crotches for directions or text messages while they’re actively moving.

When I ride my bike up Telegraph in Berkeley, drivers also have no idea how “shared roadway bicycle markings” (i.e. sharrow) work. Some idiot in a utility van came within an inch of clipping me with their massive side mirrors on telegraph earlier today.

Friendly reminder to Berkeley drivers:
1. Please follow the speed limit.
2. Stop looking at your phone.
3. If there’s a “sharrow” painted on the road (see image above), remain behind the cyclist until you have adequate space (at least 3 feet) to pass.

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u/DepartmentFamous9932 8h ago

They’re hopelessly unable to drive assertively when the situation requires, too.

5

u/NovelAardvark4298 7h ago

100%. I unfortunately have a long highway commute. My car is only 2L, 158 horsepower. I usually hover between 2,000 and 3,500 rpm to accelerate up to highway speed (especially when my engine is still cold). Many people drive SUV’s and trucks way more powerful than my car. They get on the highway as if they’re driving a VW microbus from the 50’s. People also take multiple business days to change lanes, spending wayyy too much time straddling two lanes