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10:42AM ON
09/03/2008
BY
Beth Comery
Welcome to this year’s freshman class… Brown, RISD, J & W… everyone. You will find Providence is a wondrous but sometimes mystifying place. If you are reading this then you have already discovered that the Providence Daily Dose is the go-to blog for ‘what to do’ and how to think. We try to keep you posted on what bands are playing in what clubs, how to watch television, where to buy vegetables, who to vote for, and all things Muppet.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:17PM
Marc Says:
Also, please remember that you are now in a non-crunchy city in New England. Cars will not stop for you if you stand on the sidewalk, even at a crosswalk, you have to take a few steps out into traffic and make it clear that you don’t -want- to cross, but that you -are crossing-.
Also, to students who brought your cars, please be aware that in Rhode Island proper road etiquette follows:
1. Count slowly to five on a green light before proceeding. This prevents traffic by limiting the number of cars that can pass during a green light to three.
2. You must come to a full-stop when making any turn, even if you are on a busy thoroughfare and there are cars behind you.
3. Share the Road! If you are behind a biker, you should follow them closely without passing for as long as possible, even if there’s plenty of room for you to get by. Also, you should keep revving your engine to let them know that you are safely behind them.
4. Stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks is prohibited unless they are making eye contact and at least three steps into the street already. The exception is on Hope Street, where cars are expected to stop for all people, even those not in crosswalks.
5. Please try to stay between lanes. In Rhode Island, the proper handling of side-by-side lanes is to drive directly over the dotted white line, it is not safe to drive cars ’side-by-each’.
6. Cars turning across your lane to reach a driveway or side street and cars coming to your lane from a driveway or side street always have right of way. This rule is strictly enforced on the East Side where it is more important to ‘be polite’ to the oncoming traffic than the people behind you.
7. If you see someone you know on the road, the proper way to let them know is to stop the car, put it in park, roll down the window and call them over. This city is more like a small town, just passing-by or merely waving could hurt your reputation.
8. Drunk driving is permitted by the Providence Police between 1am and 4am every night if you are attractive, able to speak English, and properly licensed and insured. It should say so on the back of your license. This rule only applies in the city proper. Do not attempt to drive drunk outside the jurisdiction of the Providence Police.
9. Driving over bumps in the road, manhole covers, potholes, small bits of trash, and any construction site should be avoided at all costs. Make sure to swerve wildly to avoid the small obstacles, and slow down to 3-5mph for larger ones. Just because you have an SUV with three feet of clearance does not mean you’ll be able to go over that manhole cover at 25mph. Safety first.
10. Stop signs, red lights, and no-turn-on-red signs are optional in most areas. If someone catches you opting-out of one of these ridiculous restrictions, you should either glare at them, gun your engine, or call/text your friend to let them know.
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September 4th, 2008 at 7:53AM
Annie Says:
Marc, if you wrote that list off the top of your head, I might be a tiny bit in love with you.
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September 4th, 2008 at 8:09AM
Marc Says:
Oh Annie, I did. I was waiting for a file copy at work. I was originally going to just warn pedestrians about how crosswalks -really- work in Providence, but I decided to do a top-ten RI driving peeves instead.
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September 9th, 2008 at 1:35PM
Lucy Says:
I think there’s a corollary between number 1 and number 10. Wait 5 seconds at a green light so you won’t be creamed by the person who thinks red lights are optional.
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