Discussions

We all know Brandon drivers are atrocious.. here are my top four rants right now.  
 
- If you are parking at a meter downtown, pull all the way up/back to the meter. Don't take up two spaces in a place that's already so hard to find parking. It's really hard to parallel park into small spaces.  
 
- Speaking of pulling up...do people not understand how light sensors work? If you stop 6 feet back from the stop line at a light the light probably won't change for you. Pull up. You are making everyone behind you wait.  
 
- ZIPPER MERGE on 18th!! South bound does not need to back up practically to the corral centre every day. Not everyone needs to pile into the right lane right at the Kirkcaldy lights.  
 
- Green means go. When the light turns green, go. When the turning light comes on. GO.  
 
What are yours??

Not a big deal , but when people don’t understand how the roundabouts work, most don’t signal at all or some signal to go into the circle. Just signal to leave the circle, please

Agree with the signal to leave the circle. It’s not for the people behind you, it’s for the people merging into the circle to know you’re exiting.  
 
The green light tho….I will always double check to make sure nobody is blowing past a red light before I enter the intersection. It only takes a few seconds tho, otherwise I agree, get moving! Haha

Lanes when turning a corner. You stay in your lane until the turn is completed. Then signal and change lanes. I have travelled and driven in other countries and never seen drivers as bad as Brandon.  
The fact that most of them don’t understand traffic circles is really going to complicate things when the traffic circle goes in at 18th and Braecrest.

To be fair, all you have to do is take a drive to portage and you will see it’s a MB thing, not just specific to Brandon drivers haha

I make no claims to be a good driver. But I do 2 daily circuits thar covers a fair amount of Brandon during the school year, and I will usually see some combination of these over the course of a week:  
 
- Wrong way down a one way. Or driving backwards down a wrong way, because that apparently makes it okay.  
 
- Making left turns from the right hand travel lane on the one-way portion of Princess. Occasionally Rosser, but usually Princess.  
 
- Not understanding what lane they should be in to turn/go straight.  
 
- How to merge, zipper or otherwise.  
 
- If the half traffic light at 20th and Viv is red, NO you don't get to go through the red light once the pedestrian has crossed. You still have to wait for a green light.  
 
- Please quit randomly stopping for pedestrians at random places to be "nice". I have seen so many near-misses with people doing that. Everyone's safety, including the pedestrians, depends on traffic moving in predictable ways. Stop mucking it up.  
 
- Sometimes speeding, but more often driving frustratingly slow.  
 
- As previously mentioned, not understanding how to use the roundabouts.  
 
- I frequently see stand-offs between drivers on Rosser where one person is trying to parallel park and the person behind them stopped too close and neither of them will yield. I'm never sure who started it. Occasionally on Princess, but usually on Rosser.  
 
- Everyone all together... flashing red is stop. Flashing yellow is caution but DON'T STOP. You have the right of way. You people with the flashing red must yield the right of way. Don't stop "to be nice". Again, Everyone's safety depends on traffic moving in predictable ways.

I couldn’t agree more!! If I am a pedestrian and a vehicle stops for me that shouldn’t I refuse to go. I know they do it with good intentions but it’s so dangerous.

- Please quit randomly stopping for pedestrians at random places to be "nice". I have seen so many near-misses with people doing that. Everyone's safety, including the pedestrians, depends on traffic moving in predictable ways. Stop mucking it up.  
ammysmum says this above.  
 
I want to add that by law you are to stop for any pedestrian trying to cross at any intersection. NOT just where there are painted lines, overhead lights, etc. Of course only when safe to do so, no slamming on your brakes and the pedestrian is supposed to wait till you stop before stepping off the curb.  
That being said i agree with so many of the statements on this discussion.  
A pet peeve i have is when turning left onto a divided hiway get into the right hand lane as soon as possible. So many times have had to pass people on the right because they are not getting up to speed limit and refuse to move over to the slower lane.

a lot of the problem with poor driving is the almost total lack of enforcement. Some people only learn when it costs them money and or shoe wear. Of course they will call it a cash grab, unfair, etc. Some traffic laws may of evolved over the years. But some have remained the same like that red sign with STOP printed on it, still means stop completely, not just slow down. STOP signs are not a suggestion, yet are often treated like a suggestion. I could go on but think I have got my point across.

Pedestrians may be more keen on using crosswalks if drivers actually stopped at them. It's horrible. I used to live up on the hill and if I was lucky 1/5 drivers stopped at the crosswalk on braecrest when I was trying to cross.

-zipper merge where possible  
-stopping in the middle of an intersection (specifically around 18th and Princess).  
-driving so slow it’s unsafe  
-not signalling  
-not looking before backing up in a parking lot (I’m looking at you Walmart shoppers)

Put the phone down.... yes people are still are on their phones...  
 
Speeding in a parking lot, especially when vehicles are backing up.. not all of us have sensors or a back up camera we rely on our head movement mirrors and eyes so if you see vehicles backing up have the courtesy to stop and wait.  
 
Parking in handicapped parking.. yes a tale as old as time if you are not handicapped and don't have a sign don't park there please.  
 
I know this one might be a little touchy but blasting music.. in know younger kids love their music loud but they cannot hear police and emergency vehicles especially if I can hear it with my windows up. And I doubt they are focusing on their mirrors..  
 
Slow drivers yes! Going 40 or less down 18th street and another street I go down is very frustrating when youn are following them and this is on a sunnyndry road day

One thing that I find dangerous and happens a lot is when people are making a turn off a street and turn their signal light on way too soon. I came close to being hit a few times shortly after moving to Brandon, before I learned some of the "Brandon only" driving rules. For example, one time I was turning left into the McDonalds/Giant tiger lot off Victoria. I was stopped with my signal on waiting for traffic to go by. When it was clear other than one car heading east, nearing the next street ahead of me, I saw he had his left signal on. It looked like he was going to turn at that street, so I started making my turn. He drove passed that intersection and toward me. I stopped and, as he went by, he gave me the stink eye and a "what the hell are you doing" look. He then turned left at the following intersection, two intersection after he turned his signal on. Happens almost every day.

What is worse than signalling too early is you waiting and then they turn with no signal to indicate they are going to turn.  
Most drivers in Brandon signal that they have turned. You would almost think that they have to pay an electrical bill for excissive use of signals

How about the ones who follow so close that you can't see the hood of their car. Makes you want to test your brakes and their reaction times! Lol  
 
Or the idiots that are in such a rush to get to their brain surgeries that turn at an intersection after the light has already turned red!

Sycamore at Lyndale is terrible for people not stopping before turning onto Lyndale! STOP means STOP, not just roll through.

Oh my! How many times have cars zipped by me when I am trying to back out of a parking stall!?!?! It isn't a crime to stop and let the driver complete their exit from the stall before you continue on your journey! Particularly when I drive a sedan and when large trucks are parked beside me, I cannot see until I'm almost completely out of the spot!  
 
I also think that the yellow lines in parking stalls are "suggestions" as people clearly don't take them seriously.  
 
Parking lots are the worst!

Drivers literally taking into account the "am in the right of way".... just saying  
 
Have multiple misses like what u experienced  
 
Edited by nolivy, 2023-07-17 11:49:46

It's absolutely not just Brandon, go anywhere and you will find some traffic law violations to complain about. It's just easy to complain about Brandon because we live here.  
 
Something that bothers me is that vehicles often drive aggressively around cyclists, and fail to stop at crosswalks for pedestrians. Otherwise, I feel like people don't understand how left turns at intersections are supposed to work. Either people never establish themselves in the intersection, and then never complete their turn when the light goes yellow, or they're rushing to see how many people can fit through the turn before the light turns red. A yellow light means to stop if possible, not drive faster.

Was nearly clipped I the back. Was half way out of the parking stall and this tiny blue car came barreling through and then went across 3 parking lanes before she finally stopped.. Seriously... how did she get her license and why did she have to go down thar lane only to go 3 lanes over??

I would just like to add that reading this discussion thread is kind of refreshing!  
 
It's really nice to know that there are others out there with the awareness to stop for pedestrians, use signals while exiting a traffic circle, and use common sense in a parking lot.  
 
Too often people are the center of their own universe, or as my daughter will say "the main character in their own video game"  
 
Knowing that there are other people out there with good driving sense has restored my faith in humanity.  
 
Be kind out there!

When cars travel into the oncoming lane when they have a parked vehicle in their own lane or dont have the depth perception to pass it safely in their own lane. Do we think it hurts less to hit a moving oncoming vehicle than a parked one? Why cant you slow down and wait to go around the parked car safely? Not sure what the heck is so exciting in this place to warrant hurting another driver. Slow down and use your heads before someone gets killed bc you cant just slow down for 3 seconds.