88V8 wrote:The four-way stop.. where as said one has to determine who arrived first... the Intersection of Indecision.
My recollections of driving in the US are confined to CA and the Boston area in pre-satnav times:
= The very short interval between a freeway exit sign and the exit-
- the tight curves on the exits
- the lack of signposting once one is off the freeway
- the inability of the local police to give directions
- the squishy cars with their galleon-in-a-gale handling
- the gigantic 'where did I leave the car'... carparks
And the almost total lack of out-of-town pedestrians. In a party of Brits, Boston burbs, we decided to walk to a restaurant, about a mile, often no sidewalks, and people looked at us as if we were mad.
4-way stops work better than you'd think, once you get used to them. I imagine it is the same for Americans who drive in the UK and encounter roundabouts - scary at first but you learn.
I have only seen this in LA but sometimes the exit lane is the fast (i.e. leftmost) lane. If you do not know that and suddenly have to cross 5 lanes of traffic, it can be stressful. A couple of times I have instead proceeded to the next exit and then doubled-back.
Cops generally do not see themselves as giving out directions. They basically act like anyone who approaches them might shoot them. There will be a few nice ones who will oblige, especially on foot, but it is not a resource I would rely on.
Those huge car parks are usually posted with letters and numbers. As long as you remember when you leave your car that you are in "B7", it is fine. Many US cars have Onstar so you can always find your car, get directions at the press of a button, seek help if you break down etc:
https://www.onstar.com/us/en/home/And yes, many areas are devoid of pedestrians and the ones who are walking can be sketchy. Also pedestrian crossings can be few and far apart, and sidewalks come and go. It's just easier and safer to drive.
As an aside, one thing I miss about roundabouts is that if you are not sure which exit to take, you can just go round and round until you have figured it out. Can't do that with a 4-way stop.