You're waiting to make a left and the drivers behind you illegally pass you

[kphoger]

A half mile from my house is a road that "narrows" from four lanes to two lanes, but the actual pavement width hardly narrows at all (Edgemoor north of Kellogg, for you Wichitans). 

Google maps link to what you're talking about?

Don't understand why people are vague to visually show what's going on. I want to see!

Here you go!   http://goo.gl/maps/lnsUs

In the case of my example above, if I posted a Google image I'd be essentially showing what community my parents live in and I just don't like giving that sort of detail. Wouldn't help to post an image anyway because the turn lane has been slightly reconfigured since then—it now has a curb after they re-graded the road there, so I wouldn't be able to drive on the shoulder today.

Meh, I don't care.  I live at 720 S. Christine.  What are you going to do, send me unwanted magazines?

[jeffandnicole]

I had two people I have known who got told by law enforcement, that if the road is not striped for two lanes, then the road is one lane, despite plenty of room to go around.

If it's not stripped for 2 lanes, I would agree it's one lane.  However (and this is generally found in cities) if parking is banned in a parallel parking lane for a specific period of time (during rush hour), the parking lane is generally used as a travel lane.

Now, if you're at an intersection and someone is turning, if there is no shoulder line, then you're not passing on the shoulder and should be able to go around someone without a problem. 

Google maps link to what you're talking about?

Don't understand why people are vague to visually show what's going on. I want to see!

In the case of my example above, if I posted a Google image I'd be essentially showing what community my parents live in and I just don't like giving that sort of detail.

If I said I lived within a 1/2 mile of something and uploaded a map, you'd still have to figure out which house of the several hundred houses in that mile radius is mine.

[corco]

Meh, I don't care.  I live at 720 S. Christine.  What are you going to do, send me unwanted magazines?

Nope, I am deploying a brigade of unwanted magazine salesmen though

[empirestate]

....

Then again, I see people misuse a center turn lane as merging areas and that is not legal ....

When I'm leaving the bank near our neighborhood I usually want to turn left and I routinely have to turn into the center left turn lane and then stop with my right-turn blinker on to wait for a break in the traffic. Cops have seen me do it and I've never been hassled, I think because the cops recognize that if you don't do it that way, you'll never be able to turn because there's almost never a gap in traffic on both sides of the road at the same time. As long as you don't use the center left turn lane to accelerate, they seem not to mind.

Around here, not only is that not illegal, it's absolutely the correct way to use a center left turn lane.

[Brandon]

Meh, I don't care.  I live at 720 S. Christine.  What are you going to do, send me unwanted magazines?

Nope, I am deploying a brigade of unwanted magazine salesmen though

As well as missionaries, Jehovah's Witnesses, those annoying people who try to get you to lock in your natural gas rates, satellite TV salesmen, and Cub Scouts selling popcorn. 

[Alps]

Meh, I don't care.  I live at 720 S. Christine.  What are you going to do, send me unwanted magazines?

Nope, I am deploying a brigade of unwanted magazine salesmen though

As well as missionaries, Jehovah's Witnesses, those annoying people who try to get you to lock in your natural gas rates, satellite TV salesmen, and Cub Scouts selling popcorn. 

Is it that three-flavor popcorn with the caramel and the cheesy stuff? My address is...

[kphoger]

Is it that three-flavor popcorn with the caramel and the cheesy stuff? My address is...

Good thing you caught yourself, there.  He's probably unloading leftover tins from four years ago.

[Central Avenue]

In the case of my example above, if I posted a Google image I'd be essentially showing what community my parents live in and I just don't like giving that sort of detail.

But you could have just as easily omitted the part about going to your parents' house and none of us would be the wiser!

[Duke87]

I'm with you on that- if it's safe to do so I even typically get in the oncoming lane to brake and make my left turn, so the cars behind don't have to slow down. That seems to vary from state to state though- pretty  much everybody does it in Idaho and Montana, but pretty much nobody does it in Arizona or Nevada (surprisingly). Utah is hit or miss.

Such a maneuver would be illegal in Nevada, given that the approach to a side road along a 2-lane highway is usually striped as a no passing area.

I'm pretty sure it's illegal everywhere, since one is only permitted to drive in the oncoming lane when overtaking a vehicle.  But it's still a polite thing to do, and I do it on occasion.

I have never heard of anyone doing this.

But then, how often am I somewhere where there is both light enough traffic and long enough visibility for it to be practical? I live in the northeast and have only been west of the Mississippi twice in my life (soon to be three times).

It does make sense given the right combination of circumstances (left turn, someone behind you, clearly no one coming the other way or looking to turn out of the side street), though.