Written by Jeff


When we first arrived in Phoenix, we had no direct means of transportation. Our cars were being shipped and it would be several days before they would arrive. We relied on friends for the occasional ride during those first hectic days, but most of our needs could be met by taking a short walk to one of the nearby malls.

We made it a point to secure an apartment near shopping centers and services we would need while we house hunted. The day we received the call that our cars would be arriving was an exciting one, but also one of some anxiety. Now we would have to learn our way around and learn about the nuances of Phoenix driving.

Although driving in the US is basically the same, many areas have their unique idiosyncrasies related to motoring. Phoenix is no different.

Driving is Driving, right?

The first lesson we learned is that shade is a commodity. Our apartment had one uncovered parking space and one covered space, i.e. shade. After a couple of days, we developed a strategy regarding which car should be parked in which spot. We also learned how to “play” the free parking space game by jockeying our cars around to maintain a premium spot close to our apartment.

If you need to be convinced that shade is a commodity, go to a mall in July or August. There are usually a few token trees bordering parking areas—and there you will find cars parked beneath their sparse branches even if they are located far from the stores.

Lesson two was actually a corollary of lesson one. Buy a padded steering wheel cover so you can touch the steering wheel on those hot days. The only other option would be to wear oven mitts and this might be distracting to other drivers who see you as you pass.

A Positive Change

Most of the roads in the area have a center lane reserved for turning and that is a good thing. There is so much traffic that without these lanes, there would be great difficulty navigating turns onto and off the main roads. When making a left out of shopping centers on heavily traveled streets, these become safety zones- pull out into the turn lane and wait for an opening. It certainly eases the transition from mall to road.

Turns for the Worse

There are two types of turns that drivers in the Phoenix area make, which took a bit of adjustment on my part. The first one is the stop light u-turn. At almost any traffic light, when it turn green or presents a green left arrow, drivers make u-turns. In my experience u-turns were prohibited under those circumstances while in this area it seems to be the rule of thumb. This can be very disconcerting to drivers new to the scene. It is more necessary than ever to keep those eyes on the road at all times.

Another driving surprise is the arced simultaneous left turns made coming off some of the major highways. At the apex of the arc, it appears as though the approaching cars are going to collide even though the painted lanes indicate otherwise. It can catch a person off-guard the first couple of times!

The Phoenix Driving Experience – Part II

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post


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