It ain't the trucks holding up interstate traffic

[fdcg27]

Took a round trip of about 460 miles this weekend and just got home.
Some months ago, a member posted a topic about trucks clogging up interstate traffic.
Now that I-71 between Cincinnati and Cleveland has been opened up to three lanes each way for most of the route, I figured that being held up by slower traffic would be a thing of the past. I figured wrong.
Even worse, most of those clogging up the left lane were people driving cars, apparently fearful of exceeding 75 mph in a 70 mph zone. Lord knows what might happen if one exceeded 80 mph. His engine would probably blow up in a cloud of 0W-20.
Despite signs reading things like "Slower Traffic Keep Right" and "Keep Right Except to Pass" people continue to clog the "fast" lane, with the center lane about as clogged and the right lane devoid of traffic other than the occasional truck or motorhome.
This made the right lane a good place to drive, since there aren't all that many exits on rural interstates where any conflict with merging traffic might be a problem.
I wonder how much congestion could be reduced if people would drive in the lane that suits their intended speed and not simply move to the farthest left lane on the road?
Given people's driving habits, I-71 effectively remains a two lanes each way road, since few will use the right lane.

 

[gman2304]

UH-OH, 'you know who' is going to be all over this!

 

[aquariuscsm]

Seems around here you'll get the creepers hogging the left hand lane and the ones wanting to break the sound barrier in the right hand lane.

 

[bullwinkle]

I-71 isn't three lanes between Cincinnati & Columbus, except for downtown Cincy to South Lebanon (OH 48), a small piece by Jeffersonville, & I-270 to downtown Columbus. It's under construction here in the city of Cincinnati too. I usually have no trouble between Columbus & Cleveland, it's the southern part I have trouble with. Trucks definitely aren't the problem, it's (as OP said) the right lane road hogs.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Pop will give some hard time.

I agree with you here. Why don't drivers obey the clearly stated signs that say "Slower Traffic Keep Right" and "Keep Right Except to Pass" ?

The similar thing is happening in So Cal. On the busy I5 between Orange County and San Diego the number 1 lane is almost always crowded, much less traffic in the number 3 lane.

I found myself in number 3 lane most of the drive to and from San Diego on weekend.

Now, compare driving in most interstate highways in America with Autobahn in Germany, you will see drivers there is much more discipline in "Slower Traffic Keep Right" and "Keep Right Except to Pass".

I like many things in USA better than Germany, but I had to accept that their drivers are much better than us.

PS I do not always drive as fast or faster than traffic, when I drive at traffic speed I always stay either on the right most lane of next to it, depends on how busy the on/off ramps are.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
I wonder how much congestion could be reduced if people would drive in the lane that suits their intended speed and not simply move to the farthest left lane on the road?

A lot.

And emergency vehicles would have an easier time getting through.

And because the corollary of keeping right is respecting people who want to merge from the left, highway exits and emergency vehicles would cause less chaos, and accidents would be marginally less frequent.

And there'd be less road rage.

Until autonomous cars become the norm, lane discipline is probably the biggest single thing we could do to make highway travel better.

 

[The_Jeff]

Jefe's rules for 3-lane use. Feel free to clarify. But please remeber your audience is driving enthusiasts, and not the morons we encounter.

Right Lane: Anything goes.* 18 wheelers, geezers, student drivers, mileage seeking cheapskates. *But not hypermilers that pulse and glide. Flake off.

Center Lane for those fans of cruise control. But, if someone is coming up on your rear faster than you're coming up on that right laner "you're gonna pass eventually", you're doing it wrong. Slide right. If you have a congo line of vehicles off to the right, that you keep passing each two seconds off each others' bumpers, you're in the clear. However, if you have a gap to your right and there's someone on your rear bumper, guess what? They're sending you a polite message. Slide over. Note, I haven't seen such congo lines all that often, saving trucks struggling up a hill.

Is it okay to camp in this lane at the speed limit? No. But what about those unlawful speeders? Let 'em go. Is it okay to pass these chumps on the right? I would even encourage it, with a dart-y return to center, to wake 'em up a little. But what about the left lane? What about it? Why hog the middle when the right is right there?

Left lane middle lane's buddy for those who want attention, speeding tickets, and tire wear from being on the wrong side of the crown. Same rules except for the yet more cardinal sin of lane blocking.

There is no cruise control EVER MADE that will break if you override its speed by touching the gas pedal. Most of the jams here are from a middle laner matching a right laner, and a left laner going 1/2 MPH faster. The upset middle laners further back in traffic try to eke their way into the left lane, which means that left laners defend their "earned" position by tailgating. This leads to over-reaction "accordian" braking and chain accidents.

I would go so far to posit, in this scenario, that it would be defensible to hop in the breakdown lane and pass this whole mess quickly. Watch for gators.

 

[GiveMeAVowel]

Common sense goes a LOOOONG way....oops, we don't have to many people in the USA anymore with it...that is what causes so many of our problems in general.

 

[GrtArtiste]

I don't play the game anymore. My comfort zone is cruise/65 and you'll find me in the far right lane. I'll slow as needed if traffic ahead of me slows and I'll temporarily increase if needed rather than have someone taildraggin' my [censored]. I'll wave as all ya'all pass by.

 

[The motor guy]

So it's legal to go over the speed limit in the left lane? I understand the right lane is for people going slower

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
I would go so far to posit, in this scenario, that it would be defensible to hop in the breakdown lane and pass this whole mess quickly. Watch for gators.

It's never ok to use the breakdown lane unless you've broken down. Instead of doing something about the traffic, the cops stop those using the breakdown lane.

 

[GiveMeAVowel]

Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: eljefino
I would go so far to posit, in this scenario, that it would be defensible to hop in the breakdown lane and pass this whole mess quickly. Watch for gators.

It's never ok to use the breakdown lane unless you've broken down. Instead of doing something about the traffic, the cops stop those using the breakdown lane.


Just imagine you're using that shoulder to pass the mess you know about when a broken down semi is on that shoulder that you DON'T know about...
you're going to be one dead slickster when you suddenly hit it because you can't stop fast enough.

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
So it's legal to go over the speed limit in the left lane? I understand the right lane is for people going slower


It's about as legal as it is for people to sit in the left lane and obstruct traffic.
This is the attitude of many infrequent users of our interstates who think it's okay to sit in the left lane holding up a half a mile of faster traffic because, after all, there is a posted limit.

 

[goodtimes]

Supposedly one of the main reasons for traffic fast lane slowdowns is tailgaters putting their brakes on in the fast lane. I have been watching that, and it seems to be true. They want to speed but slow the whole thing down. hen people see brake lights the reaction is to slow. The worst are gawkers, seems someone yawning in their car on the side of the road slows everything down, as people must look at everything going on.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Jefe's rules for 3-lane use. Feel free to clarify. But please remeber your audience is driving enthusiasts, and not the morons we encounter.

Right Lane: Anything goes.* 18 wheelers, geezers, student drivers, mileage seeking cheapskates. *But not hypermilers that pulse and glide. Flake off.

Center Lane for those fans of cruise control. But, if someone is coming up on your rear faster than you're coming up on that right laner "you're gonna pass eventually", you're doing it wrong. Slide right. If you have a congo line of vehicles off to the right, that you keep passing each two seconds off each others' bumpers, you're in the clear. However, if you have a gap to your right and there's someone on your rear bumper, guess what? They're sending you a polite message. Slide over. Note, I haven't seen such congo lines all that often, saving trucks struggling up a hill.

Is it okay to camp in this lane at the speed limit? No. But what about those unlawful speeders? Let 'em go. Is it okay to pass these chumps on the right? I would even encourage it, with a dart-y return to center, to wake 'em up a little. But what about the left lane? What about it? Why hog the middle when the right is right there?

Left lane middle lane's buddy for those who want attention, speeding tickets, and tire wear from being on the wrong side of the crown. Same rules except for the yet more cardinal sin of lane blocking.

There is no cruise control EVER MADE that will break if you override its speed by touching the gas pedal. Most of the jams here are from a middle laner matching a right laner, and a left laner going 1/2 MPH faster. The upset middle laners further back in traffic try to eke their way into the left lane, which means that left laners defend their "earned" position by tailgating. This leads to over-reaction "accordian" braking and chain accidents.

I would go so far to posit, in this scenario, that it would be defensible to hop in the breakdown lane and pass this whole mess quickly. Watch for gators.

 

[RF Overlord]

Where I live, there is only one real highway...it's 2 lanes in each direction most of the way, but then turns into 1 for the last 13 miles. When I'm heading west from the single lane section into the double lane, there's always some nitwit driving 3 miles an hour under the speed limit the entire way, and has 35 cars backed up behind him. They invariably move into the left lane and continue at the same speed, forcing everyone to pass on the right. I can't believe they don't notice the large number of cars roaring past them on the right, honking their horns and giving them the finger...

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Originally Posted By: eljefino
I would go so far to posit, in this scenario, that it would be defensible to hop in the breakdown lane and pass this whole mess quickly. Watch for gators.

It's never ok to use the breakdown lane unless you've broken down. Instead of doing something about the traffic, the cops stop those using the breakdown lane.


It's legal on I93, at least in some stretches. One of my small joys in life. And sometimes it is the fast lane too.

Too bad they don't do the same on 495, that road could use another lane. Luckily I've been able to avoid the mess lately, as I found the backroads to be faster to the one place that I need to go in MA (and even thankfully I rarely have to go).

 

[OneEyeJack]

The general rule is slower traffic keep to the right unless you're more important than others around you. One other exception, if you're a self appointed "regulator" then it's your job to get into that left lane and make sure that everyone around you does not have the chance to exceed the speed limit. Some people know what the pace should be and it's up to them to show us the way.

 

[skyactiv]

Ohio is one of the more relaxed states when it comes to enforcing speeding on it's freeways. But I imagine they rarely cite anyone for impeding traffic in the left lane. Ohio also has entrapment laws that favors drivers. The Ohio State Highway Patrol mentioned in the media the reality is that there will be people exceeding the speed limit in the lefthand lane and to stay out of it if you are impeding the flow of traffic behind you.
A lot of Ohio laws are gray laws, laws worded saying one thing when it means another.

 

[bullwinkle]

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Ohio is one of the more relaxed states when it comes to enforcing speeding on it's freeways. But I imagine they rarely cite anyone for impeding traffic in the left lane. Ohio also has entrapment laws that favors drivers. The Ohio State Highway Patrol mentioned in the media the reality is that there will be people exceeding the speed limit in the lefthand lane and to stay out of it if you are impeding the flow of traffic behind you.
A lot of Ohio laws are gray laws, laws worded saying one thing when it means another.
The Ohio law is actually "speed unreasonable for conditions"-but if they time you going 11 MPH or faster over-you're "unreasonable"! Actually, the OSHP is one of the WORST for running radar & aircraft, if it's a holiday weekend it's possible to see 3 or 4 running radar inside of 10 miles! I let the crazies run out front, you won't see me over 74 in a 65 unless I have a speeder out front.