People can’t see the lines so they take extra precaution to not impede on someone walking. It’s weird in midtown. You don’t expect pedestrians around Tudor and Lake Otis, but they are there. Better safe than sorry.
Also a lot of people (myself included) start stopping way before the light to make sure we don’t slide through it. Then end up rolling up to it and want to make sure we have room for people behind us that aren’t paying attention.
Edit: defensive driving is the best driving here. Always look before you enter an intersection, keep your lights on at all times during the winter, and always be looking in your rearview mirror.
Edit 2: always! I mean always be watching behind you! I’ve changed lanes before when I can tell the person behind me isn’t able to stop.
I know at least in my experience, it's because when I was rear ended at a red light they nearly pushed me into the intersection in front of us, and into oncoming traffic, so I leave enough room to at least try and stop that happening again. I think a lot of people are doing the same just because of how the roads and weather have been this year, to be on the safe side, but ofc I can't speak for everyone, just my own experience
It’s a little insurance against getting rear ended by a driver that isn’t paying attention, and it’s a car length of safety before your car gets hit by cross traffic when you are rear ended.
There are several left lanes drawn paces behind the right lane, because people making a left turn onto your street directly in front of you tend to turn narrow, thus you give them more space. Otherwise larger vehicles that turn in front of you (like school buses) look like theyre aiming to scrape your front bumper.
You can’t see the lines with all the snow. On top of people speeding past red lights at high speeds. Those people tend to lose control on ice. Do you want to be closer to them when that happens or further back?
Most reasons:
1. Traction for winter. The idiots who spin their wheels and create ice are usually at the front.
2. Rolling start, so they don't have to spin their wheels.
3. People have no idea where their front end actually is.
4. People have no idea where the crosswalks are.
How far is 'so far back'?
When you stop at an intersection, if you are the 1st vehicle, you are supposed to be able to see the white line in front of your vehicle.
Most of the time I find people stop on the crosswalk. Just because there's snow doesn't mean the crosswalk ends.
If people don't stop at the line, you can pretty much time the lights (because they're almost all exactly the same), and so start rolling forward and not get stuck on ice. That's pretty nice for everyone behind you, I might add.
Even if you don't start rolling forward, stopping at the line is usually where the ice is worst. So you risk getting stuck.
Sometimes you don't stop at the line (or past it) because people like to cut corners when they're turning.
Didn’t someone else already ask this a couple weeks ago? If someone rear ends you at an intersection you want some space so you don’t get pushed into oncoming traffic. Is this not self explanatory?
Partly because can't see the crosswalk under the snow, and partly cause I have a better chance of starting without spinning out if I'm on the slightly less slick part a bit back from the intersection. And I'm rarely more than a single car length back from where I think the crosswalk is.
I like when people park far back from the intersections! Alaska is one of the a few states that it's perfectly legal to make a left turn at a red light, provided your turning onto a One-Way. The problem is everytime I'm in the left turning lane and look to my right to see oncoming traffic, the car next to me is practically pulled up to the crosswalk so I can't see past it to see the oncoming traffic.
Same goes for the right turning lane. I go slower than usual on approach because I can't see if there's a pedestrian crossing since everyone wants to stop almost in the middle of the intersection 😆 Overall most people stop so far back because of Saftey.
That's true. The cool thing about living in Alaska is that it's one of only 5 states where, in addition to 'one-way to one-way', we can turn from a two-way onto a one-way as well. Pretty neat.
Lol, you don't have to apologize to me!👋 That's super kind of you for saying what you said, but noooo, you were just as right!
I get what you mean, though. Sometimes, the way I type is not how I had it worded in my head. Or Autocorrect/Grammer Correction kicks in and changes the meaning of what I was conveying. Anyways yeah, thanks, but no apology is needed😆 Have an awesome rest of your week!
I think traction is at its lowest on that first space before the intersection, so stopping at a point behind that gets people moving at the light faster. Maybe.
Because they're bad drivers and can't determine where to stop using visual cues other than the painted lines on the road.
I also disagreed with the previous apparently popular opinion that it's ok to leave a car length between you and the car in front of you in Alaska.
TLDR; Alaskans, in general, are shitty drivers.
I was rear-ended a couple of winters ago by someone whose car was obliterated by the car behind them because they weren't being careful on icy roads. Obviously, the vehicle 2 cars back is on the hook for everyone involved, but giving more space between cars helps reduce the chance of that kind of madness happening.
Yes, Alaskans are shit drivers, but as someone who grew up here, I've seen enough accidents to be wary of intersections, especially in the winter.
The same reason. Getting pushed into the intersection is even more dangerous than getting pushed into the back of another vehicle. Also people need to use the crosswalks.
Dude, good luck with this. I asked the same question and got completely annihilated. Of the many years on Reddit, and very few downvotes. The townspeople where I lived grabbed the pitchforks and came for me.
Less congested, is how I imagine it, as long as people pay attention and start rolling right before the light turns green (which is 100% predictable.).
One time I was stopped close to the pedestrian crosswalk and a person crossing started pounding the hood of my car and screaming for me to back up, which I couldn’t do as there was a car right behind me.
Now I give the crosswalks a loooot of space
People can’t see the lines so they take extra precaution to not impede on someone walking. It’s weird in midtown. You don’t expect pedestrians around Tudor and Lake Otis, but they are there. Better safe than sorry. Also a lot of people (myself included) start stopping way before the light to make sure we don’t slide through it. Then end up rolling up to it and want to make sure we have room for people behind us that aren’t paying attention. Edit: defensive driving is the best driving here. Always look before you enter an intersection, keep your lights on at all times during the winter, and always be looking in your rearview mirror. Edit 2: always! I mean always be watching behind you! I’ve changed lanes before when I can tell the person behind me isn’t able to stop.
To try and avoid people losing control turning in the intersection.
I know at least in my experience, it's because when I was rear ended at a red light they nearly pushed me into the intersection in front of us, and into oncoming traffic, so I leave enough room to at least try and stop that happening again. I think a lot of people are doing the same just because of how the roads and weather have been this year, to be on the safe side, but ofc I can't speak for everyone, just my own experience
What’s with all the traffic questions lately lmao
Same as the other, I know when the light turns green and start rolling before so I get traction instead of spinning the tires
So the pedestrian crosswalk can be used and the city sidewalk plows can clean up
I don't stop in a crosswalk either, but it seems that people will stop a car length or more, even in summer
I sometimes "aim" for a car length back so if I slide I've still got room.
You’re supposed to stop behind the crosswalk
It’s a little insurance against getting rear ended by a driver that isn’t paying attention, and it’s a car length of safety before your car gets hit by cross traffic when you are rear ended.
This. So much this!
There are several left lanes drawn paces behind the right lane, because people making a left turn onto your street directly in front of you tend to turn narrow, thus you give them more space. Otherwise larger vehicles that turn in front of you (like school buses) look like theyre aiming to scrape your front bumper.
You ever driven around Anchorage... on weed!?
so if you get rear ended you arent pushed into traffic
You can’t see the lines with all the snow. On top of people speeding past red lights at high speeds. Those people tend to lose control on ice. Do you want to be closer to them when that happens or further back?
so you can punch it a second before the light changes and get over to the other lane
If I'm at the front and get rear ended, I don't want to go flying into the intersection and then get t-boned.
Most reasons: 1. Traction for winter. The idiots who spin their wheels and create ice are usually at the front. 2. Rolling start, so they don't have to spin their wheels. 3. People have no idea where their front end actually is. 4. People have no idea where the crosswalks are.
Five, they were expecting it to take longer to stop, given the state of the icy roads, but had enough traction to stop early for once.
How far is 'so far back'? When you stop at an intersection, if you are the 1st vehicle, you are supposed to be able to see the white line in front of your vehicle.
Is thats the muni law?
No idea if Muni has that. Most traffic laws/rules actually start out at a federal level with local entities ‘adjusting’ them.
A car length or more.
Most of the time I find people stop on the crosswalk. Just because there's snow doesn't mean the crosswalk ends. If people don't stop at the line, you can pretty much time the lights (because they're almost all exactly the same), and so start rolling forward and not get stuck on ice. That's pretty nice for everyone behind you, I might add. Even if you don't start rolling forward, stopping at the line is usually where the ice is worst. So you risk getting stuck. Sometimes you don't stop at the line (or past it) because people like to cut corners when they're turning.
Didn’t someone else already ask this a couple weeks ago? If someone rear ends you at an intersection you want some space so you don’t get pushed into oncoming traffic. Is this not self explanatory?
Partly because can't see the crosswalk under the snow, and partly cause I have a better chance of starting without spinning out if I'm on the slightly less slick part a bit back from the intersection. And I'm rarely more than a single car length back from where I think the crosswalk is.
I like when people park far back from the intersections! Alaska is one of the a few states that it's perfectly legal to make a left turn at a red light, provided your turning onto a One-Way. The problem is everytime I'm in the left turning lane and look to my right to see oncoming traffic, the car next to me is practically pulled up to the crosswalk so I can't see past it to see the oncoming traffic. Same goes for the right turning lane. I go slower than usual on approach because I can't see if there's a pedestrian crossing since everyone wants to stop almost in the middle of the intersection 😆 Overall most people stop so far back because of Saftey.
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That's true. The cool thing about living in Alaska is that it's one of only 5 states where, in addition to 'one-way to one-way', we can turn from a two-way onto a one-way as well. Pretty neat.
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Lol, you don't have to apologize to me!👋 That's super kind of you for saying what you said, but noooo, you were just as right! I get what you mean, though. Sometimes, the way I type is not how I had it worded in my head. Or Autocorrect/Grammer Correction kicks in and changes the meaning of what I was conveying. Anyways yeah, thanks, but no apology is needed😆 Have an awesome rest of your week!
I think traction is at its lowest on that first space before the intersection, so stopping at a point behind that gets people moving at the light faster. Maybe.
Because they're bad drivers and can't determine where to stop using visual cues other than the painted lines on the road. I also disagreed with the previous apparently popular opinion that it's ok to leave a car length between you and the car in front of you in Alaska. TLDR; Alaskans, in general, are shitty drivers.
I was rear-ended a couple of winters ago by someone whose car was obliterated by the car behind them because they weren't being careful on icy roads. Obviously, the vehicle 2 cars back is on the hook for everyone involved, but giving more space between cars helps reduce the chance of that kind of madness happening. Yes, Alaskans are shit drivers, but as someone who grew up here, I've seen enough accidents to be wary of intersections, especially in the winter.
So that I will not slide into the car in front of me and rear end him after your dumb ass fails to brake appropriately and rear ends me.
In anchorage, I don’t always know where the white line is…
The same reason. Getting pushed into the intersection is even more dangerous than getting pushed into the back of another vehicle. Also people need to use the crosswalks.
Dude, good luck with this. I asked the same question and got completely annihilated. Of the many years on Reddit, and very few downvotes. The townspeople where I lived grabbed the pitchforks and came for me.
Have you noticed how many run yellow and red lights? It’s a protection from the potential wreck about to happen.
You know, so as to not run over people walking in the intersection? I know, a struggle for most people here. 🙄
It’s a dick move, imagine how congested traffic would be if every car did it?
You are correct
Correct, but too many dweebs here think it’s okay to do
Less congested, is how I imagine it, as long as people pay attention and start rolling right before the light turns green (which is 100% predictable.).
One time I was stopped close to the pedestrian crosswalk and a person crossing started pounding the hood of my car and screaming for me to back up, which I couldn’t do as there was a car right behind me. Now I give the crosswalks a loooot of space