I Will Not Stop!

[blas]

Many people do this around these parts to avoid stop signs and stop lights.

On the the roads where there are a lot of strip malls and mini-malls (like the main road a few blocks down from me), I see people on almost a daily basis turn into the parking lots of businesses, then turn onto the next street from the parking lots.

It only saves you from having to wait if there is no one coming. You still end up, at the very least, having to yield because it still is a parking lot, of course.

Idiots.

[Iris Kojiro]

I see people doing that in my town on occasion too. Wow, they might have shaved a whole five to ten seconds off their trip!

I think that's technically illegal, to boot.

[mikoyan29]

Many people do this around these parts to avoid stop signs and stop lights.

On the the roads where there are a lot of strip malls and mini-malls (like the main road a few blocks down from me), I see people on almost a daily basis turn into the parking lots of businesses, then turn onto the next street from the parking lots.

It only saves you from having to wait if there is no one coming. You still end up, at the very least, having to yield because it still is a parking lot, of course.

Idiots.

If the cops happen to see people doing that, they can write a ticket.

[Andara Bledin]

I see people doing that in my town on occasion too. Wow, they might have shaved a whole five to ten seconds off their trip!

I think that's technically illegal, to boot.

Well, that all depends.

In California (the last time I checked), it was legal to cut through a parking lot, but only if you came to a full stop before exiting.

I have, rarely, done that myself. But most of the time, it's just more trouble than it's worth.

^-.-^

[blas]

I'm not sure if it's illegal or not. I think it's just plain stupid and really doesn't save you much time.

[McGoddess09]

It is illegal. Very illegal.

[JLRodgers]

The only times I've seen someone do that one of things were true (almost all of the time):
1) They ended up spending more time in the "shortcut" than they would've spent if they had waited
2) They cut a few seconds off because the parking lot/etc was empty
3) They spent more time on the shortcut even though the parking lot was empty
- and once 0
4) they save a few seconds, until the police (who was in the parking lot) turns on the lights and pulls them over (and 20 minutes later they're still waiting )

[blas]

Around here, the only instance where they'd save ANY time (and that's if there are no cops around) is in the early morning, like when I'm coming home from work, when most of the businesses aren't open yet and the parking lots are empty.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

The only time I've cut across a parking lot was on a cold night when I could feel my battery slowly dying. So I pulled into a parking lot so at least my car wouldn't die on the busy main drag.

Which of course is totally different that cutting through a parking lot to save time. That's just dickish.

[Salted Grump]

In Ontario, at least, Parking Lot 'Cutting' Is usually retaliated with by a rather hefty fine, and, on occasion, some Demerit points tacked onto your ass.

I think the minimum Fine is 250$, more if you get nailed for other offenses at the same time (naturally)

[mattm04]

I saw someone try to cut thru an vacant corner lot. Just grass where a building was and some crumbling asphalt. The didn't look for the former driveway and curb cut and instead just tried to drive over the curb in a Civic sized car. They got stuck. About 30-45 minutes later I drive by again and the tow truck had just finished removing their car.

[BrenDAnn]

We have people cut across the c-store parking lot all the time. it scares me, because they whip through doing 45 mph plus, and there are often times people withe small children coming to and from their cars and/or the gas pumps! Someone's gonna get squashed one of these times, and I pray that I am NOT there to witness it!

[Talon]

Uh-oh, I'm guilty of lot-cutting. But only in one particular place. There's a traffic light on the main road just outside my residential area that takes bloody forever to change to green for left-turns. I'll only lot-cut if the traffic isn't heavy, and then only if the light has turned red just as I've hit the intersection, which happens quite often.

Didn't know I could get a ticket for that. There's a safer way, get out of the car and hit the pedestrian crossing button to speed up the light. Hopefully the cops won't mind.

On a side rant, one summer I was almost T-boned at that same intersection by a moron who ran the red light. During a police speed-blitz no less.

[protege]

We have people cut across the c-store parking lot all the time. it scares me, because they whip through doing 45 mph plus, and there are often times people withe small children coming to and from their cars and/or the gas pumps!

People do that shit near my place. There's a hobby shop on the corner, with exits on both the main road, and the cross street. Idiots will come flying into the lot, roar past the hobby shop, and usually not even look for traffic on the cross street I'm surprised nobody has been hit or killed there yet!