SAmadei

I always have to pay. Dearly. A few years ago it was about $17K... _after_ withholding. I was physically ill and shaking writing that check. This year is going to suck bad, but I haven't finished the tally yet.

There are a bunch of these in Brooklyn, but the one that really miffs me more is one I drive everyday that I'm in South Jersey... Of course, after three attempts to load this into Live have resulted in Windows core dumps, so I can only describe the location. On Live, look at Atlantic City, NJ. Just north of AC is Brigantine, NJ, and there is only one way in. If you look at the Atlantic City side of the Brigantine Bridge, headed towards Brigantine, the "Atlantic City Connector" which extends from the Atlantic City Expressway to the Brigantine Bridge becomes two lanes, merges down to one... right in front of Trump Marina... and then becomes two lanes, which split... the right goes under the bridge to Harrah's and the left lane goes up onto the Brigantine Bridge. The problem is that tourists slow down to a crawl to go to Harrah's, whereas the people going to Brigantine (who have done this hundreds of times) are attempting to go faster. IMHO, better signage and keeping two lanes would have allowed traffic to sort itself out without the high speed, downhill bunching up we get now. Of course, I would argue the AC Connector is a horrible design. It was build around 2000... and granted, it has a tough job to weave through areas with little available real estate, but it could be better. Tourists are totally lost, and eternally in the wrong lane. The speed limit is 35, but half the traffic is doing 55. The merges come up fast, and the left lane ends, but left lane people refuse to yield. I have had more close calls on this short piece of roadway than anywhere else in my driving years. And you are in danger regardless if you blow through like your ass is on fire or if you limp though like grandma. You have to just watch everyone like a hawk and keep your hand on the horn.

That's not my point. The point being is that, per person, airline travel per mile uses a LOT more gas than driving 20 over the limit. That's somewhat true. Have you seen the lights on the southern end of the Garden State Parkway? I swear the yellow seems a minute long. When I drive into Pennsy or New York, I have mentally adjust my "yellow" timing. ;-) Oh, and my automatic right turn on red when in NYC. Though I hear the NYPD gives people with NJ plates a pass on that.

We already have some fairly smart traffic lights. Some work good, some work, ah, not so good. I don't think you will see too much more intelligence unless all the lights are networked, so that traffic lights can predict approaching traffic. Of course, I know of some old fashioned timed lights out in the middle of nowhere (oh, yeah, and just about every light in Brooklyn) where you can sit for eternity waiting for a green... so even our "half-smart" lights are a major improvement.

I have two traffic gripes, both have to do with traffic engineers. 1. EVERY new traffic light that gets installed in my area has a full complement of 'No Turn On Red' signs... even when a Right Turn on Red would be so safe that grandma Moses could creep through one. 2. Unnecessary merges. I know of several new pieces of highway where two lanes are merged into one, just to split back into two 50 foot further on, and there was plenty of space to just have two lanes the whole way.

The company I worked for was using it, but sometimes the stats seemed skewed to me. I'm not sure if it was Google's doing or our people screwing up the results. I prefer using my own webstats. OTOH, it seems easy to use, and I'm going to try it out on one of my projects very soon to get some hands on.

Then we should ban airline travel. Put people in buses and boats doing 50 mph. If I'm burning gas I bought, I should determine the consumption rate. And thats what the statistics are showing... a huge increase in rear end accidents. However, the pro-red-light-camera side is hiding that statistic, because the accident technically does not happen in the intersection, so intersection accidents are lower. Rear end accidents are statistically calculated differently. Red light cameras are all about the revenue. That's why the companies controlling the cameras are now asking towns to shorten the yellow duration... to ratchet up more $$$. Personally, I don't see red light running as a major problem. In NJ, we said no to red light cameras (for now), and people are not running red lights anymore than before. Sure, people stretch the yellow... but the traffic light is timed to allow for that. I haven't seen anyone go through a red light more than 2 seconds after the light went red in a _LONG_ time. Keep in mind, you can be _in_ the intersection when the light is red... but you need to cross the line before it changes. There is some dude on Youtube with "Red Light Runners". Out of the ten or so people he caught on video, only one actually crossed the line on red. Get beyond the line on yellow and you have the right of way in the intersection. If you are going slow enough that others get the green while you are in the intersection, they cannot enter the intersection until you clear out. This is one of the two ways you can get a ticket at a green light.

I don't think anyone here is condoning 130 mph in a 65. OTOH, 80 in a 65 is a everyday occurrence. You can argue all day that 130, 80, 66 in a 65 is a tragedy waiting to happen, but that is a separate issue from hogging the left lane. Properly trained drivers in Germany are doing 130+ as we type. If you block the left lane, at _any_ speed, you are forcing drivers to pass on the right, disrupting proper traffic flow, and creating a hazard. You are also leaving yourself to be involved in a incident that goes beyond the normal scope of traffic law... being shot at. The highways were created to transport people and goods safely and _QUICKLY_. I drive fairly fast... in the 97th percentile. However, I move over quickly when someone is barreling down the left lane. It's not my responsibility to hold them up. I don't know their situation. Are they late for work? A flight? Is a relative dying in the hospital? I don't know if they are just an ass, or a psycho who forgot to take their meds. If one is so concerned about stopping impatient speeders, you should become a police officer. They are properly trained and armed to deal with the unexpected, and you can pull over assholes all day long.

There is no obligation to go faster the further left your lane is, but you DO have the obligation to move over. "Keep Right, Pass Left" is basic traffic law in almost all states, and most have laws spelling out penalties for impeding traffic. If you are in the left most lane, and someone passes you on the right, you are breaking the law. "Slow Traffic keep right" is merely a reminder. A lot of people get spiteful at having someone tailgate them in the left lane, or start a "rolling blockade" thinking they are vigilantes who are enforcing the speed limit or going "fast enough". This is not the case. If you are doing the 170 mph in the left lane, and someone comes up behind you going 190, you are still the breaking the law to not move over when there is a safe opportunity. The biggest problem here causing left lane road rage is that people simply NEVER look behind them. I'm stunned how long it takes some people to move over for police with the flashing lights and siren. With the police cameras running, these violators should get invitations mailed to them for a required safety course for not moving over for the police within, say ten seconds.

This has been argued for years... but it's always been this way. In 1957 you had the fantastic fuel injected Bonneville. But for every one, ten plain Chieftains In 1969 the Judge ruled the roads. GM sold a mostly LeManses, Tempests and Catalinas. In 1978/9 the Trans Am hits crazy heights. GM was selling 6 cyl Firebirds, Phoenixes and Sunbirds. We look back at the old Chieftains, LeMans, Tempest, Firebirds with endearment. But back then, people considered them $h! piles. You need the $h! piles, so that people who come in intending to buy a halo car don't leave empty handed when turned down for financing. When President Obama Jr takes over in 2037, and you are assigned your personal electric transportation unit, you will think back fondly of the revving engine of the G3 you passed up. Then you will put in your trip application, and will hope you are allowed to drive to the supermarket this week. ;-) JK.

You're right, Pontiacs need to be cut rate compared to BMWs. But they can still have swagger... like the G8 GT... a bargain in the high 20K range (with incentives). I only want the $38K GXP to have something special. Speaking of affordable... there are NO affordable new cars when they lose half their value driving off the lot. Used cars are the affordable ones. Is a 38K Pontiac affordable? Perhaps not, but I want something special. I hold on to cars for a long time, I don't get stung by resale problems three years later, so I'd get my dollar's worth. Plus, in my case, I will likely pop for the $8K Magunson supercharger and intercooler... so I likely will be looking at a nearly $50K Pontiac. Of course, everything is relative. My friend was thinking about replacing his F150. Problem is, in order to get all the options on his current truck, he is creeping into the higher 40K range... for a pickup truck! One other note, one of the reasons I still have stayed away from the BMW and Mercedes cars is that I really hate the smug snobby stereotype that follows with them. Suddenly, you neighbors think you hit the lottery... eh, its BS. I'll need a bumper sticker for any potential future BMW (assuming PCS doesn't force FWD on the lineup) that says "I actually prefer my 40 year old, rusty American car." ;-) I was at the dealer today. They were not even slightly interested in selling me a car. Stunning. Claimed he had some G8 GXPs... showed me some buck-toothed G6 GXPs, with a take-it-or-leave-it attitude. There was a G3 there, it was cute in it's too-tiny-to-drive size.

Ugh! Another badge-engineered Chevy Cruze.

Chevrolet needs to go DOWN market. Selling a high quality Malibu with few options for $13K. THATS how you get sales back.

That's not true. I like Pontiacs because of history and value. I would prefer to not spend $50K+ for a car, however, I want something compelling... and, after all, I'm in the market for a $40K Pontiac. Yikes! In Pontiac's absence, I likely would buy a BMW or, less likely, a Mercedes. Hence, my vote. Chrysler would also be on the short list, but I'm not sure the Challenger will be around for long. GM would be close to dead last. Sure, I'd consider the Camaro... however, GM has burned its bridges with me, after eating, breathing, living GM my entire life. No Olds. No Firebird. Hardly any RWD. No roomy cars. Hardly any coupes. The demise of Pontiac would be the final straw, and would earn GM an automota non grata status. I'll live my GM enthusiasm in the classics. To be honest, as the GM news has gotten bleaker, I've been putting a lot more time into my existing "classics", as I think they might be the last of the breed. I'm seriously saddened. Its like a funeral that won't end.

Can you send me his info? I'd like to hear more about those GXPs... especially a blue or black one.

I'd kill for that. One of the things I hate about new car shopping, is that most people seem to have an idea what they want, but get pigeonholed into something completely different based on the persuasiveness of the salesman, the incentives and what happens to be on a given car lot. Then we wonder why people are not satisfied with the sales process or the car the settled for. My experience is that dealers will swap out a car with another dealer (_IF_ its in a emissions compatible state), but special ordering a car nowadays is rare, because you have to pay top dollar and wait 6 months. In a world where Just In Time techniques have made it possible for Dell to churn out 1500 unique computer setups a day, and Doritos can change the flavors being made on the fly, we seem to get cookie cutter cars, in ratios designed by an out of touch committee. I want a G8 GXP in Stryker Blue with a 6 speed and no sunroof. I might as well be asking to find a unicorn. I haven't even seen a Black GXP 6 speed with no roof pop up yet (my second favorite color).

There was rumor the Firebird was going to lose the pop-ups, anyway. This is almost what the last Firebird looked like. I don't care for it, but it's only a headlight mod, easily fixed.

1999. L36, but the L26 is similar. Of course there is also the 2004 Grand Prix in front of the house, so I've poked at the supercharged version, as well.

Thinking a bit more about this, I think this code is one that will come on and off as the problem gets worse, and is likely not directly related to a single tank of gas. I'm fairly sure your Bonne is like mine... and has the EGR right on top, so replacing it or cleaning it out is relatively easy. I mention cleaning, since the tubing can get full of soot, or the valve can get fouled with soot... EGRs are a little pricy and cleaning it out with carb cleaner could save you 50-100 bucks. I've been lucky. EGR is about the _only_ thing on my Bonne I didn't change at the 193K refresh.

Ever since we started getting Super Wawas, which have gas stations, I go there 95% of the time. It has the best price and consistent quality. Plus the attendants are better and they have free air for your tires. For the rest of the country, a Wawa is like a clean, high quality 7-11.

Reading my mind. Of course, I think the Aztek looked better. In fact, after seeing this, I think we were better off with the Torrent. For some reason, this reminds me of the H2... as if this would have made a good Hummer.

I can imagine Craps are cheap, but we seldom handled them, if at all. More dogwoods, maples, arborvitae, etc. Grew up in the real Green Industry, circa 1976, but didn't start working in it seriously until 1982 or so, I guess. That's why I defected to IT. Still have a greenhouse and half a dozen big landscaping tools around. Don't own a tree spade, though. I can't figure out if one would hook up to the track loader. I have about 200 spare trees in the yard that need to relocate.

LOL... I live in a VAN down by the RIVER! ;-)

Call a tree mover. They will come into your backyard with a tree spade and scoop it up and put it wherever you want it. Its about $150-200 an hour. Pricey, but what is your labor worth to dig it manually? It also tends to smooth things over with dad... just keep the tree well watered the first year, as it _will_ lose 75% of its roots. IIRC, Crapapple trees are fairly weedy trees, and will take well to transplanting... unlike, say, White Oaks... which are tough to move, taproot and all. Camino, cutting down the tree is an easy solution, but keep in mind that trees are more expensive than one thinks... especially as they get larger... 6 foot is not large for an Oak, but it might be for a Crapapple with a larger crown (I'll admit, I don't know Crapapple trees very well). I've seen people offer Redcedars (a tree growing wild in every field near me like a weed) for $150-$300 a piece (you dig). That means I have about $80K of trees in my backyard. Then there is Cherry wood. Ugh... I recently cut down and gave away some big Cherry wood as firewood... then found out some mills would have paid quite well for it. Oh well. Another solution... advertise it on Craigslist for free, they dig. Someone might show up and take it away. Then you don't have a stump to worry about, and dad will rest assured than the tree lives on somewhere else.

It did... once... in 1996. There are a lot of Caprice fans now. Also, I don't have a gripe with this selling alongside the current Impala... then Chevy has RWD and FWD covered... This Caprice would be a step up to the Impala.