On my way to work today, I realized that I am proud of the fact that I can drive to work in Boston. Boston is unique. There are certain unwritten traffic rules that you need to know. I feel sorry for folks who rent cars when they visit Boston. You might as well learn to swim in a shark tank.
For instance, there are a number of rotarys on my way to work. These are circular intersections, where the streets branch out in all directions, and each driver must yield to all others who are already in the rotary, then cautiously enter the rotary, and then move very quickly into their correct lane to either stay in the rotary or exit on one of the streets. There is a rhythm to this motion in the rotary and you have to match your speed with the other drivers or the rhythm gets all messed up and there is a veritable chorus of honking. Make a mistake and the only way to correct it is to stay in the rotary and go round and round at the right speed until you figure out where you are going. First-timers do this all the time. There are thousands of rotarys in Masssachusetts, so no matter how long you have lived here, sometimes you are a "first-timer".
One intersection on my way in to work has its own special rule that only the regulars know. Three lanes approach the intersection. But the left lane is not really for going straight, it is only for turning left. But that is not marked. In order to make everyone happy, the left turners stay to the left, the straights in the left lane and the center lane jog a bit to the right and go straight, and the right turners stay way to the right. This creates four lanes, when the white lines clearly state that there are only three, and by ignoring all rules of traffic, everyone gets to breeze right through. It sounds complicated. It is. From the right-center lane, you have to veer quickly to the right as you go through, trusting that the guy squeezed in next to you is going to make a right turn. If he went straight too, there would be a pile-up. God forbid the neophyte Boston driver who might want to stay in their own lane. That is not permitted at this corner. Try, and guess what, yep, the chorus of honking, or worse.
But that does not mean that all Boston drivers are jerks. At least not every day. Yesterday I had to stop all the traffic in a rotary to let a gaggle of geese cross the road. Lucky for them they were abiding the pedestrian rules and were crossing in the crosswalk. If there is one thing you must do in Boston, it is abide by the pedestrian cross walks and signals. Trust me, when they say "don't walk", they mean it. Boston drivers will run you down. But they do brake for ducks.
I am proud of my ability to drive in Boston. It is a skill that does not come easily. Only in Boston do left turners have the right of way. This is an informal "Boston thing". It means that if the car coming toward you at an intersection is signaling to turn left, you let him turn in front of you, and then you go. This is Boston etiquette. It means that the people behind the left turner get to go much sooner. It is polite, in a very weird way. I have seen that in no other city.
Another thing, all Boston roads are circular, winding around following the paths of the old Pilgrim carts. There is no rhyme or reason, or anything like Chicago's vast grid system. Boston roads circle around in a maze and meander through hills and vales. Cross streets do not have street signs that show which road you are on, so you never really know if the road has changed names, which happens often. Oh, and streets all have the same names. They name the streets after towns, so you have Arlington Road in Cambridge, and Cambridge Street in Arlington. Then there is Waltham Road and Waltham Street, neither in the town of Waltham, both in Lexington. The key road is Massachusetts Avenue, which is the only straight road around, and will cross through all those towns. I know. I didn't get off Massachusetts Avenue for the first three years I lived here.
So, if you visit Boston, do yourself a favor: take a cab.
Have a great day.
*Postscript: Allstate Insurance has pulled out of Massachusetts. They don't even sell insurance here anymore. That should tell you something.
