Any other state does anything like this?

[AdRock]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Originally Posted By: river_rat

Iowa does this in the Des Moines metro area. In fact, they redesigned/rebuilt the I80/35 interchanges some years ago to make them as dangerous as they possibly could.


I-35 is all messed up anyway.

It splits into I-35W and I-35E in Minneapolis/St Paul rejoins, then becomes a hideously expensive turnpike in Kansas, has weird speed limits in Oklahoma City, (I swear I saw a 46mph Speed Limit sign...like OK DOT ran out of 5's) then splits into I-35E and I-35W again in Dallas/Ft Worth, then joins again and is a hideous mess in Austin all the way to San Antonio.



Personally I think the I35 split in Dallas really helps. Well, it's helped everytime I've been up there. If it didn't split it would be like the cluster F that Austin is. I35 in Austin is jammed from about 7am to 7pm. It's horrible. However, from south Austin to San Antonio has gotten much much better since they widened the highway. I live in Sa and drive up to Austin fairly regularly and usually don't want to kill anyone until I get into Austin just north of the river.

 

[crinkles]

Originally Posted By: Vikas


- If I can line up all the traffic engineers in one line, it will be lot more easier to shoot them.

- Vikas


but they'd curve around just like their roads!

 

[river_rat]

Originally Posted By: crinkles
but they'd curve around just like their roads!

 

[CivicFan]

Originally Posted By: andyd
I'm not even gonna try do defend MA highways. But I was in fear for my life driving through Hartford on I 84 You're putting along in the right lane and this bozo will merge at 75 mph , drift diagonally across the 4 lanes and disappear down a LH off ramp . All in a 10th mile.


I must be a mellow driver but the Hartford area you describe has not bothered me at all. Even driving in Boston has not bothered me. Yes, it's confusing but I think there is a system to the madness. The most dangerous drivers in these kind of places are the law-abiding types.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: andyd
I'm not even gonna try do defend MA highways. But I was in fear for my life driving through Hartford on I 84 You're putting along in the right lane and this bozo will merge at 75 mph , drift diagonally across the 4 lanes and disappear down a LH off ramp . All in a 10th mile.


Hartford is a riot. I like the 15 miles of curvy 50 MPH limit/70 driven roads west of the city limits to wake you up before getting into downtown proper. I take my carfull of kids into the diamond lane and go the speed limit sometimes.

And bridge-zilla is a nifty landmark.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: AdRock

Personally I think the I35 split in Dallas really helps. Well, it's helped everytime I've been up there. If it didn't split it would be like the cluster F that Austin is. I35 in Austin is jammed from about 7am to 7pm. It's horrible. However, from south Austin to San Antonio has gotten much much better since they widened the highway. I live in Sa and drive up to Austin fairly regularly and usually don't want to kill anyone until I get into Austin just north of the river.


It helps if you know how it works.

You'd be suprised how many people do not.

My FtWorth office is right off I-35W. I was trying to help a corporate employee find my office on the phone.
"I'm on 35 but I can't find your exit...
Me: Okay, what cross street are you at?
Ewing
Me: EWING?...

...............Look very closely at the freeway sign. Does it say I-35E?
Yeah,...so?
Me: You do know I'm in Ft Worth right?
But you told me you were on 35
Me: I told you I-35W.
yeah! That's what I said!!! I-35! I'm on [expletive deleted] I-35!
Me: You are on I-35E in Dallas. I'm on I-35W in FtWorth.

I'd like to tell you that this is an isolated event. It is not. Happens several times a year.

 

[brianl703]

Originally Posted By: river_rat

I think the people designed them should be held criminally responsible for each collision that has occured since.


They should have their PE license revoked.

 

[Vikas]

All kidding aside, for some insanity there is a rationale. For example, the suicidal merge interchange is cheaper to build but to put the fast lane randomly at every toll booth is just retarded.

 

[morris]

the police say" speed kills" NO NO NO. stupid kills. people get killed at 35-40 mph. i wish they would stop lieing to us.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
All kidding aside, for some insanity there is a rationale. For example, the suicidal merge interchange is cheaper to build but to put the fast lane randomly at every toll booth is just retarded.


Don't they put fast lane transponders in the manned lanes too? Just cruise on through!

Some places like you slowing to 10 mph for the tolls, maybe moving things around is their way of "traffic calming", like the QWERTY keyboard was invented to slow typists down.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
All kidding aside, for some insanity there is a rationale. For example, the suicidal merge interchange is cheaper to build but to put the fast lane randomly at every toll booth is just retarded.


Toll booth? What is that?

Nahhh, I know what they are. We just don't have them anymore. It's all either toll tag or photo-license plate ID now. No need to slow down at all.

Apparently they wait until you accumulate enough tolls to justify mailing out the bill. I used the George HW Bush Turnpike back in June and I still haven't seen that bill.

PITA because I could have expense reported that if they had billed me in a timely manner.

 

[river_rat]

Originally Posted By: morris
the police say" speed kills" NO NO NO. stupid kills. people get killed at 35-40 mph. i wish they would stop lieing to us.

+1
Ever seen anyone pulled over for tailgating while on the phone? Failure to signal? Aggressive driving? Me neither.
Speed only and only speed regardless of if there are light traffic conditions.
The German Autobahn is safer at any speed.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: river_rat
The German Autobahn is safer at any speed.


Nope, the German drivers are usually safer at any speed.

 

[LS2JSTS]

Originally Posted By: river_rat
Originally Posted By: morris
the police say" speed kills" NO NO NO. stupid kills. people get killed at 35-40 mph. i wish they would stop lieing to us.

+1
Ever seen anyone pulled over for tailgating while on the phone? Failure to signal? Aggressive driving? Me neither.
Speed only and only speed regardless of if there are light traffic conditions.
The German Autobahn is safer at any speed.


Agreed. They should spend more time writing up the guys with bald flat tires, the people who never signal their intent and the like. Around here a lot of those tickets are of the "fix-it" variety, so there might not be the revenue stream they see from speeding and other moving violations. It's all about the money!

 

[Surestick]

Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
Originally Posted By: river_rat
Originally Posted By: morris
the police say" speed kills" NO NO NO. stupid kills. people get killed at 35-40 mph. i wish they would stop lieing to us.

+1
Ever seen anyone pulled over for tailgating while on the phone? Failure to signal? Aggressive driving? Me neither.
Speed only and only speed regardless of if there are light traffic conditions.
The German Autobahn is safer at any speed.


Agreed. They should spend more time writing up the guys with bald flat tires, the people who never signal their intent and the like. Around here a lot of those tickets are of the "fix-it" variety, so there might not be the revenue stream they see from speeding and other moving violations. It's all about the money!


Also most of that is stuff an officer is probably more likely to see driving an unmarked car and there are a lot less of those than regular patrol cars. Everyone obeys the traffic laws when they are sharing the road with a patrol car.