<p>One thing I do not hear discussed about Williams is the two lane road going right down the middle of the campus. It is heavily travelled. Vehicles are supposed to drive slowly and stop at the crosswalks for students. Since I have never heard anyone mention this as a problem, I must assume Mass. drivers are better than those of the rest of the country (or at least while those Mass. drivers are driving through Williams.) Based on my observation of the traffic and how little attention the students pay to crossing the road, however, I think Williams students take their lives in their hands on a daily basis. To quote Alfred E. Newman, "What, me worry?"</p>
<p>thinkingoutloud--</p>
<p>I've never even thought of the two-lane road bisecting campus, much less thought of it as a problem. Cars will slow down if you're merely walking next to the road, and stop for students. It's only dangerous in that it conditions students to assume that all drivers are as curtious--every break at home I seem to have at least one scary experience caused by my carefree approach to roadways. The road is pretty much deserted in the night time, and the primary crosswalk flashes when students cross. You should basically ignore the fact that route 2 runs through Williamstown because it will be something you'll probably spend less than a minute total during your time at Williams thinking about.</p>
<p>thinkingoutloud, the two-lane road (rt. 2, or Main Street) isn't exactly a bustling highway. MA law dictates that cars must yield for pedestrians, and this is almost universally the case in Williamstown. It's good to look both ways, as we all learned in preschool, but student pedestrians getting hit by cars on their way to the science quad is not a concern for anyone here.</p>
<p>"I must assume Mass. drivers are better than those of the rest of the country"</p>
<p>Now, THAT is funny. Massachusetts' drivers are widely regarded as the absolute worst, most inconsiderate drivers in the United States. We even have our own maneuvers, such as the "Boston left turn". Rather than wait for traffic to clear, you just pull out, block the oncoming traffic, and stop until you can squeeze into the traffic as you turn left. You get extra points if you can successfully bring six lanes of traffic in at least two directions to a complete standstill while you wait.</p>
<p>interesteddad: have you been to southern california? our drivers are the most inconsiderate and rude... I dont think they cared if they ran you over.</p>
<p>hehe....peace....
At least, we all believe that LACs are better than some other snobby big research universities, right? :rolleyes: ;)</p>
<p>I agree with Alby sure Boston roads are crowded and the streets almost un-navigationable, but Boston drivers aren't as bad as LA drivers. Sure LA is built mostly on a grid system, but that doesn't mean traffic flows any better then in Boston. LA drivers pay little attention to driving laws and are RUDE. They rarely care who has the right-away; they just drive. If you are in their way they WILL run you over or stop two feet shy of you. =/</p>
<p>scary... austin drivers are really friendly and nice. They let you cut, and wait patiently if someone is crossing.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>interesteddad: have you been to southern california? our drivers are the most inconsiderate and rude... </p> </blockquote>
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<p>Yes. I've spent considerable time in So. Cal. </p>
<p>It's not even close. Boston drivers make So. Cal. drivers seem like Mahatma Gandhi.</p>
<p>And drivers are almost always courteous. I come from the Jersey suburbia, and it doesn't even compare. Boston drivers are horrendous, bt they're three and a half hours away.</p>
<p>I agree Route 2/Williamstown is a long way from Boston! I don't think Rt 2 really is an issue on the Williams campus. There's not all that much traffic, except in the fall during leaf-peeping season, when the tourists crawl along staring at the college students. </p>
<p>When I was at Williams, there was a movie filmed on campus; one of the scenes involved the stars walking across Rt 2. The scene was filmed over and over one morning. Even then, there wasn't much of a traffic backup.</p>