What annoys you? (3 Viewers)

[BobO'Link]

Atlanta suburbs use them the correct way to warn of lane closures and accidents and giving drivetime ETAs. We use them like California where they just say “click it or ticket”. Drives me nuts.

Well... you know that here in AR most people have apparently never read the Driver's Manual and just lucked into passing the written test - and the driving part is mostly a joke (here, you drive around the block taking all right turns while never going over 30mph - no parallel parking or any other proof you've "mastered" the art of driving). They need those reminders of what they've never read or forgotten - reminders they'll also ignore.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Atlanta suburbs use them the correct way to warn of lane closures and accidents and giving drivetime ETAs. We use them like California where they just say “click it or ticket”. Drives me nuts.

I did not mean to give the impression that the signs were not used for lane closures or other traffic information, they are. I just wanted to say that using the signs to remind people of buckle up is a good idea. IMHO.

 

[Malcolm R]

I did not mean to give the impression that the signs were not used for lane closures or other traffic information, they are. I just wanted to say that using the signs to remind people of buckle up is a good idea. IMHO.

We have those, too. If they're not displaying some sort of warning about the weather or construction, they have all kinds of common sense cliches. For a state with an anti-billboard law, we have an awful lot of crap along our interstates.

 

[TJPC]

Basically I am complaining about the “be nice” unhelpful cliché variety. Most are similar to “don’t forget to breath!” I of course am not complaining about hazard signs etc.

 

[Clinton McClure]

I did not mean to give the impression that the signs were not used for lane closures or other traffic information, they are. I just wanted to say that using the signs to remind people of buckle up is a good idea. IMHO.

Usually what I see is the billboard displaying a “don’t text and drive” message and a portable sign trailer on the outside shoulder with lane closure info. I’ve also never seen ARDOT using the permanent lighted flashing signs warning drivers to listen to 1680 AM for urgent traffic info. The signs have been up for years but I’ve never once seen them turned on even though I’ve spent countless hours sitting in construction traffic along that same stretch of interstate between Conway and Little Rock.

 

[Steve_Pannell]

Basically I am complaining about the “be nice” unhelpful cliché variety. Most are similar to “don’t forget to breath!” I of course am not complaining about hazard signs etc.

Kind of reminds me of the movie "They Live" when Roddy Piper put on the sunglasses and saw all the messages on billboards and in magazines.

 

[MartinP.]

The worst is some clueless jerk parking his vehicle at an angle such that it partially occupies two spaces.

I have observed that sometimes it is not that person's fault, but the person who parked adjacent to them in the first place, and may have left by the time you noticed, forcing your "clueless jerk" to either park the way they did in that space, or not park there at all.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I have observed that sometimes it is not that person's fault, but the person who parked adjacent to them in the first place, and may have left by the time you noticed, forcing your "clueless jerk" to either park the way they did in that space, or not park there at all.

I think many of the “clueless jerks” are not clueless, but just jerks who want to park that way.

 

[bmasters9]

A couple of annoyances w/newscasts:

When a station's newscast is named News (channel number), like News 4, or News 8. With one exception, this kind of branding is pointless, because after all, what is News 4 or News 8 supposed to mean?

The exception is this: when the name is News 2 (to) a specific place, like on KPRC Channel 2 (NBC of Houston, TX), where the name at one time was News 2 Houston (until that Houston NBC station became Local 2 in 2004; it became Channel 2 News again in 2015)...

or News 4 (for) a specific place, like on WNBC of NYC, where the name is News 4 New York.

However, when that simple titling setup is not followed, then your title will run awry of what I said to start, which is to say this: it would be better if your station's news was called (channel number) News, (call letters/channel number) News, or one of the franchise titles (Eyewitness, Action, NewsCenter, etc.).

The other one concerns the talent billing segments that stations sometimes have, when the announcer bills the anchors, and often the specific capacities of those anchors. Usually, the main anchors would come first, then the weather and sports people (sometimes weather and sports would be in that order, sometimes reverse), and at times, other secondary people would be billed (like entertainment or consumer reports).

The peeve I have sometimes with this one is when all the anchors are billed, but the capacities of the weather and sports people are not mentioned; how is a viewer of your station's newscast supposed to know who does what, if all your announcer does is announce the names, without billing the capacities?

There is an exception to that one too: if your graphics include images for weather and sports (weather would include an image/video of a thunderstorm, for instance, and sports might include a football or basketball [or players in those sports]), and if these images/videos are placed beside/behind the likenesses of the anchors in those capacities, then that would indicate by graphics that those people are in those capacities, and would make up for a talent segment where the announcer simply read the names.

KNBC of L.A. in the late-80s and early-90s was one where it was done right, as in these screencaps from a 1991 evening edition opening as uploaded to YouTube by user "Cow Missing": not only does the announcer bill the names and the capacities, but the specific capacities are behind the likenesses of the anchors (each one prefaced by "Channel 4": News, Weather, Sports, and Money Matters).

 

[Johnny Angell]

This is not political but would somebody please tell CNN that not every peace of news is BREAKING! Jeez, I’m so sick of that.

 

[Kevin Hewell]

I haven't actually watched the news on TV in years. I just get it from what I consider reputable sources on the internet.

 

[TJPC]

The radio station I listen to has “breaking” news on the quarter hour. This is what they call the traffic report.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Basically I am complaining about the “be nice” unhelpful cliché variety. Most are similar to “don’t forget to breath!” I of course am not complaining about hazard signs etc.

Terry: You and I are def on the same page with this one.

In NYS, they use those programmable signs to say all sorts of dumbass things. And they often get cute with them by making them rhyme. Things like:

"Ice and Snow/Take it Slow"

My blood pressure shoots through the roof when I see that kind of stupidity and the signs make me want to engage in road rage rather than safe driving!!!

My first reaction is "No s$%t! What idiot who passed his road test wouldn't know that? And if they didn't, do they think their little rhyme is going to influence them?!?

I then start thinking about--who is the dimwit who actually gets paid to make up the little meaningless ditties that the state is spending our tax dollars on annoying us with.......and how much are they getting paid (with our tax dollars)......and then there is the committee of civil servants which needs to meet and pass judgment on the ditties......and then the politicos who need to meet (all on the public dime) to then pass judgment on whatever the civil servants decided......

 

[Chip_HT]

The dumbest thing I've ever seen involving road signs . . .

A "portable" electronic road sign on the side of the road reading "keep your eyes on the road". I'm sure all of you can see the irony there.

 

[Chip_HT]

This is not political but would somebody please tell CNN that not every peace of news is BREAKING! Jeez, I’m so sick of that.

I've got a local station that also uses "Breaking Weather" and "Breaking Traffic".

Sounds stupid every time.

 

[Jeffrey D]

This was probably already posted in this thread-

Drivers who refuse to turn on their headlights in the rain. If it’s pouring, there’s little chance of my seeing you behind me, so changing lanes becomes a risk (I drive a big rig). Surprising how many cars I see that run with no lights in limited visibility.

 

[Johnny Angell]

This was probably already posted in this thread-

Drivers who refuse to turn on their headlights in the rain. If it’s pouring, there’s little chance of my seeing you behind me, so changing lanes becomes a risk (I drive a big rig). Surprising how many cars I see that run with no lights in limited visibility.

Along this line, the drivers who act as if the weather makes no difference in their driving habits. If they were reckless, speeding assholes in dry weather, they are the same in wet.

Of course there are the drivers who slow to 30 mph in the freeway when a drop hits their windshields.

 

[Jeffrey D]

Along this line, the drivers who act as if the weather makes no difference in their driving habits. If they were reckless, speeding assholes in dry weather, they are the same in wet.

Of course there are the drivers who slow to 30 mph in the freeway when a drop hits their windshields.

Yes there was a big pileup in Mebane NC yesterday (I-40/I-85 corridor) that was blamed on hard rain. Following too closely and speeding on wet roads are a recipe for disaster.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Here’s something annoys me. The Price Drop thread for Amazon blu rays when it points out the JW2 3D now costs $12. I click on the link, Amazon informs me I’ve already bought it (I knew that) and I click on view order and I payed almost $30. Aaaaargh! I shoulda waited. I could a been a contendah!

 

[Malcolm R]

This was probably already posted in this thread-

Drivers who refuse to turn on their headlights in the rain. If it’s pouring, there’s little chance of my seeing you behind me, so changing lanes becomes a risk (I drive a big rig). Surprising how many cars I see that run with no lights in limited visibility.

Once upon a time I thought daytime running lights were becoming standard equipment on cars. I guess that went by the wayside. My current 2011 Honda has them, so my lights are always on when I'm driving.