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Full disclosure, I moved to Brandon from Winnipeg two years ago, so this post is mostly regarding my observations since moving here. Additionally, please do not assume that I am just criticising Brandon drivers because Brandon is my home now and I hope to stay here.  
 
However, in my two years here I have observed two very strange things.  
 
1. When making a turn from one street to the next, it is extremely common in Brandon for drivers not to turn into their closest lane first, then change lanes to their desired lane. I find this strange, because it is illegal to cross over lanes while turning. If you are in the left lane and turning left, you are legally required to turn into the left-most lane, then signal and change lanes to the center or right lane. You cant just turn into whatever lane you want. It's illegal and dangerous.  
 
I brought this up with a friend who grew up in the area and he just shrugged and said "It's called a 'farmer turn'. It' just what people do here."  
 
Why? I am generally curious to see if there is a legitimate explanation.  
 
 
2. Brandon drivers seem to require a LOT more space when being passed on 18th or Richmond or really anywhere. Myself, my wife, and friends who come from Winnipeg have all experienced the same thing. We're on a street and we need to pass someone and get into their lane. We increase our speed and pass them at what at least in Winnipeg is a respectful distance (around two car lengths) and then the person behind us begins honking their horn like we cut them off. To be clear, this is not cutting someone off. In winnipeg, it's common to turn into a lane with about half a car-length of room. But in Brandon people seem to expect an extreme amount of room before passing.  
 
Again, why is this a requirement here? I brought this up with another friend of mine who moved here from school and he expressed the same confusion. What is considered a more than respectful distance anywhere else, is considered aggressive driving here.  
 
Now before anyone assumes that I'm exaggerating about how much room I leave when changing lanes, I should point out that I am in my mid 30's and have never been in an accident, received any kind of ticket, or even been pulled over. I consider myself a very considerate and safe driver. In fact, sometimes people tease me about the fact that I wont speed on the highway and that I require everyone to be buckled in before I pull out of the driveway.  
 
This is why I'm so confused. If I was reckless or impatient, I might say to myself "Maybe i'm not accurately assessing my actions here. Maybe I gave that person less room." But realistically, i'm not at all impatient. I like to remind people who get annoyed at pedestrians for not crossing the street fast enough, that drivers get to move way faster than they do, and they're really only losing a few seconds. So i'm fairly confident that I'm not the problem.

Maybe slightly off OP's topic but when a good friend of mine got promoted from his job in Brandon to a nice higher up position in Winnipeg at the company's head office when I talked to him for the first time in 6-7 months after he moved the first thing he said to me was "I cannot believe how nobody here acts as self entitled to everything like they do in Brandon." Could explain why people always seem to think they don't need to stop for stop signs, make turns in there own lanes, stop for pedestrians at cross walks and the amount of people who run the red light on left turns at intersections... or fail to use there turn signals... the list goes on and on and on. I had 2 people on Tuesday run stop signs, pull out in front of me and had I not stopped I probably would have been sitting in there laps... I love Brandon but its far from the perfect town people seem to think it is!

I don’t know if I’m just paying more attention to it lately or what, but it seems like drivers in this city are only getting worse. Even just driving home tonight from work, theres people going through red lights after they’ve been red for more than a few seconds, people making left hand turns on red lights and their not already in the intersection, people zipping in and out of traffic, people tailgating, people not using their signal lights, people on their phones, people pulling off side streets and out of parking lots and cutting other drivers off in the process, people changing lanes before an intersection on a solid line and changing lanes in the middle of an intersection. I even seen a car driving down 18th down the center of the road for a while. The list go on.  
 
I don’t know what the solution is. I always thought we needed more traffic enforcement, but I do see cops with vehicles pulled over frequently here in Brandon. I’ve even seen RCMP several times with vehicles pulled over here in Brandon, so theres definitely traffic enforcement being done.  
I guess Brandon just has a lot of bad drivers.  
 
Edited by The_Young_Man, 2018-03-14 18:38:56

Totally agree, Brandon drivers are getting worse and worse. The amount of drivers not paying attention to safe turn lights too, resulting in everyone missing the safe turn blows my mind. And drivers moving too slow. Driving too slow can be just as dangerous as driving too fast, there is a speed limit in place for a reason.  
I honestly dont understand why people are only tested once as teenagers or whenever they acquire theyre drivers license and then never really tested again after that. I think there should be mandatory retesting every few years to ensure people are still meeting and understanding the rules of the road, as well as making sure a person is still capable of driving safely. So many things can change over time that might deteriorate our ability to drive safely and appropriately that i dont know why this isnt already a thing.

I don't go to Winnipeg very often, maybe 4 times a year. But I find things very very different then what the posters so far have described !!!  
Every time I find Winnipeg drivers very selfish and inconsiderate and plain obnoxious, honking their horns at you, giving you the finger and even rolling down there windows and shouting obscenities.  
You signal to make a lane change and the driver behind you and the next two will weasel their way past you just to be ahead. I have even slowly moved over into the next lane and I get drivers crowding me back over, one large truck actually scraped my mirror with their mirror.  
And about the left turn into the nearest left lane... forget that the drivers behind you are over into the right lane so fast that you don't have a chance to get there.  
I will make a second post as I type so slow that I get timed out.

in Winnipeg, or anywhere else signals and if they do it is to say I have turned not that i intend to turn up ahead.  
Same in parking lots in Winnipeg , A number of times i have seen a person start to back out of a spot, I wait far enough back so they can safely get out, with my signal on intending to park when they are out. And someone from the opposite direction turns into the spot right in front of them before they even go forward.  
Red lights are not recognized by drivers in Winnipeg. Often you will see five or six drivers follow each other thro a solid red light.  
Often I have seen drivers slow down look both ways and drive thro the red light between drivers moving across the intersections.  
I also drive many miles 75,000 to 85,000 a year.do not speed, stop at all stop signs even on country roads with no one around for miles, no tickets.  
Since mpic brought in the point system I have had maximum merit points allowable. If one could have more, a calculation indicates I would have 66 merits.  
So, the conclusion I come up with is that many times it is just what you want to see and then one comes up what evidence to suport that and ignore all other details.  
And I say if you don't like the drivers in other places, then just go back to where you think it is safer.

Whenever we go to Winnipeg we find it easier to get through traffic as they allow you to merge. Considering that they had to put a merge sign up on 18th st. That has to tell you something. I'm one of those who travels in the right hand lane then merges because threre is a line up all the way down 18th. Even when younger trying to enter traffic, the general rule is 2 cars then let one enter, it's common courtesy. Even when one is entering traffic from let say a parking lot. They do it in Winnipeg.  
 
I have full merits too.

It is all perspective. Having spent almost 20 years in Toronto I absolutely love the traffic in Brandon because there is none.  
My problem is with street lines. It is almost impossible to tell if you are in a lane especially after dark.  
Cars moving too slow is the biggest problem. Plus the fact you can’t hit 2 consecutive green lights aanywhere in the city. Basically have to stop at ALL the red lights, that is not thought out well at all.  
But as far as other drivers, just enjoy the space, because we have a lot of it.

My son gave me some AWESOME advice on driving... First - assume ALL other drivers are idiots (poor driving skills /habits). Of course, not nearly all of them are so those who are not will exceed your expectation of them, and those that actually are idiots will not disappoint you because you had them assessed correctly. Next, assume ALL other drivers think YOU are an idiot. Of course you are not, so by being a courteous driver you will exceed all of their expectations of you! It’s win-win dad! It’s true...and guaranteed to work in any city.

Yup you make some good points, after moving here from a bigger city I began to make farmer turns because I wouldn't be able to make my left lane change & turn left or right lane change & right turn because no one lets you in, people don't follow 4-way stop rules here but will quickly turn right at one even if they not first & they don't like keeping traffic at traffic circles flowing by using the traffic circle rules of yielding & signaling out, driving in bigger cities like Winnipeg, or Calgary is at least predictable as most ppl use the basic rules of the road, such as slow lane & passing lane

Yup you make some good points, after moving here from a bigger city I began to make farmer turns because I wouldn't be able to make my left lane change & turn left or right lane change & right turn because no one lets you in, people don't follow 4-way stop rules here but will quickly turn right at one even if they not first & they don't like keeping traffic at traffic circles flowing by using the traffic circle rules of yielding & signaling out, driving in bigger cities like Winnipeg, or Calgary is at least predictable as most ppl use the basic rules of the road, such as slow lane & passing lane

OP, one concern that you raised about Bdn drivers is the amount of space that they require when being passed. You stated that you give about 2 car lengths to move into the other lane.  
 
MPI states that there should be at least 2 seconds (maybe 3 or 4 seconds, I don't recall the number) between you and the vehicle in front of you, and more under poor conditions. 2 car lengths is less than 2 seconds at 50 km/h. Perhaps these drivers are just wanting to maintain their space.  
 
I also realize that the 2 second spacing isn't necessarily practical while driving in cities because of the larger quantity of traffic on the streets. If everyone maintained a 2 second or larger distance, there would be a lot more congestion.  
 
However, 2 car lengths of space between you and another vehicle on the TCH (#1) is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE, especially when there is no one else trying to pass. Yet, way too many people do it.  
 
All drivers should be retested every 5 or so years. This would refresh everyone on the rules of the road, and the ones that can't pass (a lot of Canada's Worst Driver's, for example) would have their license revoked.  
 
I certainly do agree though, a lot of Bdn drivers are not great drivers at all.

Is the guy who turns off a side street with zero regard for oncoming traffic. Even more so, the guy that sits there as if they're waiting for me to go by before turning onto the street....waits....waits...and then just when I'm about to pass, turns onto the street forcing me and everyone behind me to throw on the brakes as they casually drive down the street in front of us.

Brandon drivers are awful. Now that west of 26th has been developed, every morning there is line of cars on Maryland traveling east to 18th and they try to turn into the far right - seems they have to get to Timmies and can't use the two blocks to make their turn correctly.  
 
I was in Winnipeg this week and I was surprised to see three lanes of traffic get the heck out of the way of an ambulance. Not like Brandon where it seems they just stop like deer in the headlights and expect the ambulance to move around them.  
 
Unlike Robbie I can't say I've seen Winnipeg drivers flipping off people or cutting off other drivers. But I have noticed in Brandon that it is hard to change lanes because it seems as soon as you turn on your signal, the driver in the other lane speeds up.

When police actually gave out tickets for failure to signal,going thru yellow lights ,etc. Before everyone starts chirping about police have better things to do, let me remind everyone that people used to have respect for the law because of those tickets.. now it’s just disregard for things we all learned on our drivers test.

Pasquale said "When police actually gave out tickets for failure to signal,going thru yellow lights ,etc. Before everyone starts chirping about police have better things to do, let me remind everyone that people used to have respect for the law because of those tickets.. now it’s just disregard for things we all learned on our drivers test. "

police in Brandon do give tickets for running yellow lights. If you entered the intersection and it turns yellow, you will not. But if you choose to run a yellow light or enter the intersection on a yellow light (with police presence) you will receive a speeding ticket.

I have lived in many different cities and Brandon is by far the craziest place to drive! I also am a motorcyclist and makes me extra paranoid of other drivers not paying attention or not being respectful...not signalling and using the wrong lane on a turn and not watching for pedestrians.....I see this constantly...

this message brought to you by Trump...I''m great, everyone else is stupid  
 
Edited by WinstonChurchill, 2018-03-15 12:31:18

Not everyone in Brandon does the things on the list, just as not everyone in Winnipeg does the things claimed.  
 
Province of Manitoba verses Province of Winnipeg  
 
It could go on and on and on.......

I travel the number 10 highway into Brandon, and have been doing it five days a week and have for the last 18 years, and what always makes me shake my head are the people that turn onto the highway from a gravel road. Highway speeds are 100kmh, and these people turn onto the highway from a stop. A lot of times it is not safe to proceed but they do anyway. They are not able to get up to highway speeds in a timely fashion and people have to brake to avoid hitting them. These are probably the same people that drive on the roads in the city, and ignore those rules too.

And not just on #10, some idiot on #16 from Minnedosa to Neepawa did it to me the other day.  
But it's not just Brandon, you should see the number of people in Minnedosa who make illegal u-turns even though it's clearly marked and every second car pulls in at the post office from the wrong direction.

Are in Brandon...I can prove it as I was hit today....idiots!!!

It seems to me drivers in other LARGE north american citys have more respect for one another because they realize agood portion of the population is armed and dangerous!

Lol just wait until there is a flashing amber in one direction and a flashing red in the other. Common sense and the rules of the road do not compute. Lol

gmn said "It seems to me drivers in other LARGE north american citys have more respect for one another because they realize agood portion of the population is armed and dangerous! "

This is very true. I was in Montgomery, Alabama in the fall and commented, to my friends who live there, on how everyone drives so courteously. They said it's because everyone there carries guns. Obviously not everyone, but a great many do.

I'm confused - I looked on Google Maps Street View and couldn't find any no U-Turn signs anywhere near the post office in Minnedosa. Please tell me where they are.

This is the worst. Some people think they don't have to look where they are going. Was 3/4 the way out the other day and this guy decided to back out who was behind me. Didn't even look. I check my mirrors, and turn my head like a person is supposed to not just back back out.  
 
Not the first to either. Was almost struck down in the parking lot while walking (not crossing a cross walk) because driver decided to back out when I was half way past her vehicle.

It appears those pesky flashing yellow lights are on first street. For those that don't understand how they work avoid the area...

your son was right on.  
 
Bikers kinda have the same outlook. expect everyone on the road is out to kill you and drive accordingly.  
 
applies in a car as well unless you dont mind it being in the shop. just assume everyone out there is a poor driver, and assume that you are a good driver. Then ask your self if they are a bad driver, how would a good driver avoid a situation with them. Drive for the other person as well as your self.  
 
here is a simple solution to keeping yourself out of rage territory. rather than getting angry with other drivers poor driving habits or skills. just feel sorry for them that they do not know any better or are just a poor driver and likely can't get any better. It is an easy to keep your happy face on.  
 
I got to wonder about they are teaching in drivers ed, Is it classed as Defensive driving. Thats what it was years ago, but I understand the defensive driving course is something extra now.

Getty said "    Pasquale said "When police actually gave out tickets for failure to signal,going thru yellow lights ,etc. Before everyone starts chirping about police have better things to do, let me remind everyone that people used to have respect for the law because of those tickets.. now it’s just disregard for things we all learned on our drivers test. " police in Brandon do give tickets for running yellow lights. If you entered the intersection and it turns yellow, you will not. But if you choose to run a yellow light or enter the intersection on a yellow light (with police presence) you will receive a speeding ticket. "

There is no offence for going through a yellow traffic light in Manitoba, it doesn't exist. Where an offence occurs is when you enter an intersection on a yellow light but fail to get to the other side before the light turns red. That offence is going through a red light not speeding. Section 88(8)HTA.  
 
http://web2.gov.mb.ca/laws/statutes/ccsm/h060e.php