Before diving into this topic, here's something I found rather revealing:

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/6271/world009.html

Now that we're warmed up, can anyone explain why it's so acceptable to pull your car up outside a bar/tabacchi, hit the hazard lights and have a jolly old chat while traffic grinds to a crawl in both directions?

Often there is a better place nearby, but it'd involve an extra three paces either direction. I mean, why don't people sound their horn at these inconsiderate c[CENSORED]oni?

Edited to remove and inded very appropriate profanity. A.T.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Alice Twain,

They DO sound their horn! I'm woken up by this many mornings. Some ignorant c[CENSORED]one double parks to go for a "quick coffee". Another person comes out of their apartment to go to work only to find that s/he is parked in by the c[CENSORED]one's car. Person who needs to get to work leans on car horn until c[CENSORED]one finishes coffee (or doing grocery shopping etc.) and moseys out to unblock the poor person who needs to get to work.

See above. A.T.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Alice Twain,

I thought things were a bit more civilised up north. Here people park where ever they like and block others in. I saw an episode the other day from my balcony. One man had been completely blocked in by someone. He was beeping the horn and the other person wasn’t coming out. So inconsiderate. He finally strolled on out after about 5 minutes. Another episode: A woman parked her car in front of the garage entrance, the garage closes 11-4pm so she thought that was ok. We turned up at 4 for the car and she turned up about 4:15.

To be honest I think there’s a more selfish attitude in many thing here. It explains why you have to ASK people to move out of your way so that you can get by in the street….Why people don’t let you off the metro before they get on…And as we are discussing, why some people park with no consideration for others.

My apartment block is on top of a bar, mechanics, hairdressers and an antique store.

Every single day, somebody is parked across my garage so I can't get out.

I used to sit and wait patiently, but now I beep the minute I see the car. Then I wait and wait and wait, whilst whomever is taking a coffee in the bar, having their hair done, catching up with their friends and they stroll very slowly back to their car, without so much as a glance and/or an apology.

£$%^&*()*&^$%$!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Delina:
To be honest I think there’s a more selfish attitude in many thing here. It explains why you have to ASK people to move out of your way so that you can get by in the street….Why people don’t let you off the metro before they get on…And as we are discussing, why some people park with no consideration for others.

I agree, Delina. It also explains why cars don't stop at zebra crossings for pedestrians. They are only thinking about themselves.

Such a shame - I think a lot of Italian parents fail to instill proper values (sharing, politeness, thinking of others first etc.) in their kids.

Gotta love the country where a traffic jam is having to drive behind someone's tractor.

Well, I am in San Diego for 2 weeks visiting my son and twice I have gone out to the garage to leave only to find it blocked by another car. It does happen on my street in Rome all the time though my favorite was when there was a line of cars honking because the street was blocked by an ambulance parked in the middle of the street and the driver was getting a gelato.

BrianB: it's even better in those cities where you watch the traffick passing it on foot. (Or on a tram riding its car-free lane!)

That was awesome.

When my parents came to visit me a couple years ago, they'd parked in a small parking lot around the corner from us where there are 2 parallel rows of about 10 spaces each. When they went to retrieve their car at about noon, the space between the two rows of ligitimate spaces had been entirely filled with two or three additional rows of cars, blocking in each other and everyone else. This mess was capped off by someone who had even parked in the exit/entryway. There were already several people sounding their horns, calling the police, knocking on nearby doors to locate the owner of this car with the "cork" effect. By the way, my parents had a plane to catch. Another of the blocked cars held a film crew of some sort who even attempted to lift and carry away the cork car. About AN HOUR later, two middle-aged women came strolling back from Piazza Duomo where they'd apparantly been shopping without a care in the world. No apology, no shame. They'd majorly inconvenienced dozens of people for at least an hour, but the important thing was that they be able to buy vegetables in the square without having to walk too far. I'm happy to say that the film crew shared some Personal Abuse with them.

quote:

Originally posted by Alice Twain:
(Or on a tram riding its car-free lane!)

Yet another concept that drivers in Naples do not understand. The tram lane there is used by everyone as a way of getting through the traffic. I've been in a taxi which has been driving along the tram lane with an oncoming tram heading in our direction. Just before the tram was about to hit us, the driver swerved into the other lane, clipping a moped then swerved back into the tram lane. I almost needed a change of underwear that day.

quote:

Edited to remove and inded very appropriate profanity. A.T.

Accidente! I keep forgetting this place is moderated.

Honestly, I thought swearing and traffic were inseperable.

quote:

Originally posted by BrianB:
Gotta love the country where a traffic jam is having to drive behind someone's tractor.

It also happens in cities.

quote:

Yet another concept that drivers in Naples do not understand. The tram lane there is used by everyone as a way of getting through the traffic.

I don't know about Napoli, but my Milano/Lombardia Disabled Badge also has a second 'green (faded yellow) and black' badge for the rear window. This entitles me to drive on taxi and tram lanes at any time. Though I must confess to avoiding the very busy tram lanes in 'centro citta'.

Maybe the same facilities are afforded to the disabled in Campania - who knows...

One thing I AM pretty sure about up here though is that all those 'pseudo' disabled who carry a 'sort of' disabled badge, and use it at every opportunity, don't seem to want to risk using it in a taxi/tram lane. Perhaps it's because the authorities do in fact stop a lot of drivers using these lanes to verify that their badges are genuine. Quite right too!

Oh...another nice facility for the badge holder is free parking in Milano on the Blue 'Paid Parking' places!

Mind you, I'd still sooner be fit and therefore NOT be entitled to all this!