Dear Fellow Hudson Valley Drivers,

I'm not sure if I missed some sort of memo, or if I'm just not up to date with the new rules of the road, or maybe I'm just being whiny and critical, but what is actually going on around here lately?

Is it me, or has traveling on Hudson Valley roadways become quite difficult lately?  I'm not talking about construction or congestion, I'm specifically talking about Hudson Valley motorists and their insane driving habits.  Sometimes I feel as though traveling on Route 9 is a real-life Mario Kart game with people weaving in and out of lanes, slamming on their brakes, throw in a horn and a flip of the ol' bird and it's another Tuesday morning commute.  Can we discuss?

Rules of the Road Don't Apply to Some?

At one time or another, we've all been guilty of doing something we really aren't supposed to when driving - maybe you pulled a right on red when you know you shouldn't, or made a quick lane switch without using your blinker, overestimated that light turning red, it all happens to the best of us.  Lately though, I've seen some pretty bold maneuvers during my local travels, and it seems like rules don't necessarily apply to everyone.

U-Turns and Cut Throughs

Driving to the radio station this week, I encountered the following situation and was pretty shocked to see it happen.  I was driving on Rt. 9 North and needed to bear right onto 9G/Marist Drive so I yielded to see if anyone was coming across 9. When I saw that it was clear and began accelerating, I saw that the car in front of me (on that small stretch of road between Rite Aid and the plaza with the bank and liquor store) was making a u-turn OVER the raised sidewalk.  What?  There's a fairly big median/sidewalk splitting the road there, and this person was in such a rush they drove over the top of it, while traffic was moving in both directions, and then got back onto Rt. 9 and went on their way.

GoogleMaps, djvstock for Canva, Atstockproductions for Canva
GoogleMaps, djvstock for Canva, Atstockproductions for Canva
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But wait, there's more.

I was stopped at a red light the other day on New Hackensack Rd. and was the second car in line waiting for the light to change.  Guess the car in front of me was in a big rush because they kept inching up to the point where they were underneath the light. It still wasn't changing so they made a quick right into the gas station next to us, zipped through the parking lot, and made a right back onto the road. That is a weird intersection and light placement to begin with, so as you could probably imagine, there was lots of honking from others traveling in that area after this move.  The best part was I ended up right behind them again at the next light... #karma.

GoogleMaps, djvstock for Canva, Atstockproductions for Canva
GoogleMaps, djvstock for Canva, Atstockproductions for Canva
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Just Pay Attention

Yes, we all have things to do, places to be, and sometimes we're running late, but just be aware of others on the roads, not everybody wants to join a race or swerve out of the way for your bonehead maneuver.

Meanwhile, while you're sitting in traffic on Rt. 9, let's think about what chains we could use to spice up the area...

17 Chains Rte 9 in Poughkeepsie Needs Right Now

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