drive thru windows

[glenn]

Once my van arrives from Japan I suspect I will figure this out on my own - but, how do you deal with drive through windows, border crossings, etc from the right side when you don't have a passenger? Lean, move over, get out, back through the drivethrough, mechanical arm extensions?

just curious
glenn

[Delicanagan]

Toll booths - lean over.
Border crossings - lean over
Drive through windows - get out...turn off the vehicle...save your fuel and a small but not insignificant part of the environment and walk into the building. Generally you'll be back in your car sooner than going through the drive through...and as an added bonus you'll be "leading by example".

I've made this my practice since owning a RHD, and am glad I did. Much like quitting smoking, it only took a short time to recognize how much I used to stink and offend others who gave a crap about healthy choices. Now I'm all for banning drive through windows completely. Yeah...kick me for caring. ;)

[Miloki]

Drive through windows - get out...turn off the vehicle...save your fuel and a small but not insignificant part of the environment and walk into the building. Generally you'll be back in your car sooner than going through the drive through...and as an added bonus you'll be "leading by example".

LOL!! Thanks, I got a kick out of that.

I agree to a certain extent - perhaps particularly as I'm female, I think the best thing the banks have done since the invention of ATMs is to build drive-through ATMs. If I have to use an ATM at night, I'm sticking to the drive-through. But it does drive me a little buggy to drive past the Tim's every morning and there are a least a dozen vehicles idling in the drive-through lane while there's virtually nobody inside the place.(they say there's nothing worse than a reformed smoker, but my friends are discovering there is - and that's a reformed global warming denier! LOL)

Lean over for toll booths? I was thinking about this as I contemplated driving a Deli from Vancouver back to NS. Fastest way is through the States, but anybody who takes that route knows what I mean when I say the interstates are TollBooth Central - and I don't think my arms are long enough to just lean and reach across!

Valerie

[Green1]

don't think my arms are long enough to just lean and reach across!

There are a few things that help here, first of all, unlike a car, the Delica is at almost precisely "toll booth height", second the delica is actually amazingly narrow (follow one on the road to see what I mean!), and third, you don't have to reach the whole way, the toll booth operator has arms too...

I'm pretty tall, but I generally barely have to reach at all... the worst one I've had to deal with was the automated parking device at the Calgary Airport, (slightly below window height and you have to push the button on it) and even that was accomplished without getting out (though I did have to remove my seatbelt)

Biggest thing is to get to know the size of the vehicle so you can safely pull up as close as possible to the booth.

[marsgal42]

My experience so far:

B.C. Ferries and the border folks (both directions) will reach in.

The parking at Vancouver International Airport is useless. Be prepared to jump out, both to get your ticket on the way in, and to pay to get out.

Haven't tried any restaurant drive-thrus yet...

...laura

[Green1]

both to get your ticket on the way in, and to pay to get out.

odd... when I go to the airport I'm either picking someone up, or dropping them off... so at least one way I have someone in the passenger seat to handle it! :)

[coaxial]

So far simply leaning over is just fine in most situations. Parking attendant booths, ferrys, tolls, drive-thrus, police check stops (twice now my girlfriend, as front passenger, has been asked if she had been drinking, to which she replies yes, yes I have, but why don't you ask him over there he is driving!)

Only thing I can't do from the drivers seat is push the button to get into an automated parkade. I have to do this a few times a week. I pop my seatbelt off just prior to arriving, park on the sensor to wake up the machine, hop out and run around, push button, take ticket, run back in and drive off. Only takes a few seconds and I'm sure it amuses other drivers. So far I've always made it through the gate and haven't yet had anyone behind me impatient enough to even honk. I think they are too perplexed :)

It makes me really appreciate having a passenger when I'm using parkades.

buy the ticket, take the ride

[Green1]

checkstops are the one place that leaning over hasn't worked... both times the cop has walked around to my side, they want to be close to you to see if they smell anything on your breath...

[maxpowers]

the key is to take passengers and force them to deal with drive through things, it is awesome.!
and if shes/he is good looking its even more awesome.

[EricN]

I back through.

[i(heart)delis]

I back through.

too funny :)


i am super short and have had no problem leaning over at toll booths, parkades, ferries.

have fun in your deli!

jen

[Erebus]

drive-through ATMs. If I have to use an ATM at night, I'm sticking to the drive-through.

If you are good, backing through works for this. If you don't back through and if you have passenger, and you don't trust passenger with your PIN, THEY have to take the money out of their account. They price they pay for riding in a Delica!

Lean over for toll booths? I was thinking about this as I contemplated driving a Deli from Vancouver back to NS. Fastest way is through the States, but anybody who takes that route knows what I mean when I say the interstates are TollBooth Central - and I don't think my arms are long enough to just lean and reach across!

May not be as fast as the Interstates, but from Lethbridge, Alberta, you can drop down into Montana and take Highway 2 all the way from Shelby to the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan. Not tolls at all.

Speaking of Hwy 2 ... on one of my trips back east, I took Hwy 2 south from Calgary to Lethbridge, then another Hwy 2 from Shelby Montana to Michigan, then at Detroit crossed into Ontario and took Hwy 2 from Windsor all the way to Montreal. Figured over 95% of the run was on a Hwy 2.

[Adam]

Drive through windows - get out...turn off the vehicle...save your fuel and a small but not insignificant part of the environment and walk into the building. Generally you'll be back in your car sooner than going through the drive through...and as an added bonus you'll be "leading by example".

I've made this my practice since owning a RHD, and am glad I did. Much like quitting smoking, it only took a short time to recognize how much I used to stink and offend others who gave a crap about healthy choices. Now I'm all for banning drive through windows completely. Yeah...kick me for caring. ;)

I'm guessing you don't have 3 kids to get in/out of car seats everytime you stop But I agree, all fossil fuel burning vehicles sold be banned from the drive-thrus, that should reduce the line up for the WVO and electric vehicles. Instead of quiting smoking, I just switched the substance I burn to a healthier choice.

[konadog]

Instead of quiting smoking, I just switched the substance I burn to a healthier choice.

Even healthier, er, less UN-healthy, try vapourizing that healthier substance - VaporGenie.com You'll never go back to open combustion!

[Adam]

Yeah, how could vapourizing that small amount of BC tobacco be bad for you. The only thing that worries me are the instructions. Sounds like it might be complicated to get right, you know how absent minded one can get when smoking.