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The one highway, interstate, or city street you HATE to drive

Started by Billy F 1988, April 22, 2023, 01:49:31 PM

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SkyPesos

Guess I'll be the first to mention I-75 here. Pretty sure there's some portion of it under major construction in Cincinnati during my entire life so far.


roadman65

I-4 for one. Congestion guaranteed.
US 1 from Washington to Baltimore. Development city. In the seventies it had a much different character and was more free flowing. Laurel even stood out from the rest as that was the only highly suburbanized part of that route outside of Hyattville and College Park.
US 58 in Virginia Beach as its poorly timed stoplights the entire 12 miles. I-264 is the way from Norfolk to the Oceanfront.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

hbelkins

I-75 anywhere from Knoxville to somewhere north of Dayton.

Also, I-64 through Louisville and between Huntington and Charleston.


Government would be tolerable if not for politicians and bureaucrats.

Gnutella

U.S. 78 from Stone Mountain to Loganville. It's 15 miles of strip malls and poorly-timed traffic signals.

vdeane

Quote from: sprjus4 on April 23, 2023, 05:33:16 PM
^ I'm not sure I understand why, given the enforcement (not that I agree with it either...) is only limited to active work zones, and 10 mph over.

Driving 5-10 mph over on a rural interstate with no active enforcement will not cause any problems, unless they authorize speed cameras on highways, which... yikes. It's New York though, I wouldn't hold it past them.
1. Like I said, I value consistency.  Having a different rule for an active zone with a "photo enforced" sign vs. an inactive zone vs. an area that isn't a work zone at all isn't how I roll.  It's bad enough I already have exceptions for Washington DC, Roosevelt Blvd, and the entire province of Québec (well, all of Canada, actually, because of Toronto and Edmonton).
2. I haven't seen anything official confirming 10 mph as a buffer; just speculation because that's the threshold for the NYC "school zone" cameras and because the state police are known to not give tickets out for less.  I do recall a source saying that the cameras will flash for anyone driving at or over the limit, even if they don't all get tickets, which reminds me of Québec's program too much for comfort (their cameras take a picture of everyone who speeds by even 1 kph over and it's up to the police reviewing it whether to send out a ticket, and they're known to be less tolerant than they are when personally pulling people over).
3. There's the question of calibration.  Not even all vehicle speedometers are alike, and not all radar "your speed" signs are either.  There's about a 3-4 mph difference between my Civic and the work Prius when both have exactly the same number.  In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if my Civic is calibrated faster than most other cars.  Assuming the 10 mph buffer is the actual (officially not publicized) buffer, my 7 mph over on freeways would only be 3 mph off, which doesn't leave a ton of wiggle room if my Civic's calibration and the speed camera's calibration don't match, especially since I'm not perfect on keeping an exactly constant speed (nor is my cruise control, for that matter).
4. In addition to these work zone speed cameras, the governor's budget proposal also included speed cameras on the MTA bridges and there's a bill in the legislature for speed cameras on the Southern State Parkway.  There's also a push to bring speed cameras to city streets upstate.  And they're expanding in other states too, and every state has different rules.

All in all, even if not strictly required, just driving the speed limit is easier and fits better with how I like to drive.  If the speed limit drops by 10 mph, I want to drop by 10 mph, not 12-17 mph.  I'm putting it up for this year, but will be reassessing for next year.  If that 70 mph bill passes, the change is very likely.  If not, I'll have to choose my poison - less consistency, or a longer drive to/from family gatherings (I estimate that driving the speed limit adds about a minute for every 10 miles traveled; hardly noticeable on my commute, but it adds up on longer trips).
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

sprjus4

Quote from: vdeane on April 23, 2023, 09:42:20 PM
1. Like I said, I value consistency.  Having a different rule for an active zone with a "photo enforced" sign vs. an inactive zone vs. an area that isn't a work zone at all isn't how I roll.  It's bad enough I already have exceptions for Washington DC, Roosevelt Blvd, and the entire province of Québec (well, all of Canada, actually, because of Toronto and Edmonton).
It's quite simple. When there is a work zone, regardless of photo enforced or not, abide by the posted speed limit. When there is no work zone at all, return to a higher speed.

I generally try to stick to the limit traveling through any work zone, within 5 mph, if it's reasonable.

Quote
2. I haven't seen anything official confirming 10 mph as a buffer; just speculation because that's the threshold for the NYC "school zone" cameras and because the state police are known to not give tickets out for less.  I do recall a source saying that the cameras will flash for anyone driving at or over the limit, even if they don't all get tickets, which reminds me of Québec's program too much for comfort (their cameras take a picture of everyone who speeds by even 1 kph over and it's up to the police reviewing it whether to send out a ticket, and they're known to be less tolerant than they are when personally pulling people over).
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/VAT/1180-E

QuoteAll in all, even if not strictly required, just driving the speed limit is easier and fits better with how I like to drive.  If the speed limit drops by 10 mph, I want to drop by 10 mph, not 12-17 mph.  I'm putting it up for this year, but will be reassessing for next year.  If that 70 mph bill passes, the change is very likely.  If not, I'll have to choose my poison - less consistency, or a longer drive to/from family gatherings (I estimate that driving the speed limit adds about a minute for every 10 miles traveled; hardly noticeable on my commute, but it adds up on longer trips).
At the end of day, it's ultimately your own choice on how you drive. As long as lane-discipline is maintained, by all means, there is no issue with driving the speed limit. This is merely my stance on it, and everyone has their own driving habits and preferences.

roadman65

Oh yes, I forgot about US 1 in Camden, SC. It's got a lengthy 40 mph zone north of the split with SC 34 on the north side of the city.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

achilles765

Oh there are several. I hated IH 81 through Virginia on my trips to New England. But if we are talking routes we have had to take frequently–for me it's

Interstate: IH 10 from Baton Rouge to Houston. Construction, varied speed limits (changes at least four times), that awful 20 mile basin bridge/speed trap/death trap.

Runner up: interstate 45 from Houston to Dallas. Nothing of note for over 200 miles–just rural and the flow of traffic is always between 85 and 90.

US Highway: US 96. Boring. Rural, bad numbering. Unnecessary concurrency.

State Highway: TX 225. Ugly, industrial, run down, badly maintained.
FM route: FM 1093. Also known as Westheimer road. Always congested, the stretch through  montrose has lost all charm and is now gentrification central. Galleria is my least favorite area of the city, the stretch from the galleria to SH 6 is getting more and more run down and crime ridden as well as being traffic heavy practically 24-7
I love freeways and roads in any state but Texas will always be first in my heart

sprjus4


SeriesE

I avoid going near East LA Interchange whenever possible. It's a mess no matter which route I'm on: US-101/I-5/I-10/CA-60

roadman65

US 85 in WY I hated driving on it due to seclusion as there are no trees, forests, or occupied farmland along most of it. It's open rangeland and no dwellings for many miles, if you breakdown the towing will not only cost you plenty, but the time it takes taking you to small town ( as Wyoming is very sparsely populated as a state in whole) and who can repair it in a short timely manner.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

pderocco

I-405 in California. Not too bad once you're down in Orange County, and going over the Sepulveda Pass is certainly interesting, but the rest is unremitting ugliness. What a dump.

Another is CA-185 in San Leandro and Oakland. A dystopian nightmare of grafitti and filth. I only drove it to clinch it. That's a wasted hour I'll never get back.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: pderocco on April 24, 2023, 02:53:55 AM
I-405 in California. Not too bad once you're down in Orange County, and going over the Sepulveda Pass is certainly interesting, but the rest is unremitting ugliness. What a dump.

Another is CA-185 in San Leandro and Oakland. A dystopian nightmare of grafitti and filth. I only drove it to clinch it. That's a wasted hour I'll never get back.

I'll never understand how I-405 got to such a lofty status in the larger road community.  It's one of the more boring freeways in the Los Angeles area and doesn't offer much unique to see.  At least stuff like the Harbor Freeway and Santa Ana Freeway have some kick ass views of downtown eventually.

CA 185 isn't helped given the entirety in Hayward is relinquished and doesn't have much/if any reassurance shields.  Strangely I found the 1970s-style atmosphere of 14th Street to resemble what I grew up around in some of the older parts of metro Detroit.  I can't put my find why but I've always found the dystopian aesthetic of late 20th century blight eye catching.

TheStranger

Quote from: SeriesE on April 24, 2023, 01:18:00 AM
I avoid going near East LA Interchange whenever possible. It's a mess no matter which route I'm on: US-101/I-5/I-10/CA-60

Heading north on 5, one bypass route that comes to mind is 5 (Santa Ana Freeway) -> 710 -> 10 west -> 5 again (Golden State Freeway)

No real immediate bypass routes for 60 or 10 though - if one wants to get towards Koreatown or Santa Monica, the choices become pretty slim for avoiding the East LA complex.   (The forever-cancelled 90 gap between 405 and Whittier would have been the relief route for this)
Chris Sampang

JayhawkCO

Locally: Colfax Avenue
Nationally: I-10 in Florida or I-95 in North Carolina

Flint1979

Quote from: SkyPesos on April 23, 2023, 07:12:23 PM
Guess I'll be the first to mention I-75 here. Pretty sure there's some portion of it under major construction in Cincinnati during my entire life so far.
I didn't pick I-75 because I hate I-94 more. Too much traffic on an undersized highway, I-75 at least has six lanes in most areas.

jmacswimmer

I'll nominate I-83 in the Harrisburg area - previously the whole way from the PA Turnpike to I-81, but the recently-widened stretch from Union Deposit Rd to I-81 is a vast improvement and quite nice to drive now. Hopefully the other projects still-to-come in that area match that initial project.

DC 295, especially the narrow shoulder-less portion north of East Capitol St, comes to mind as well - it's one of the rare instances where I actually don't mind the presence of speed cameras as it keeps traffic from flying thru there dangerously fast. (And that's only on the off-chance you're not crawling thru stop-and-go traffic southbound the whole way from US 50 to the lane drop at East Capitol St, which seems to be most of daylight hours these days.)
"Now, what if da Bearss were to enter the Indianapolis 5-hunnert?"
"How would they compete?"
"Let's say they rode together in a big buss."
"Is Ditka driving?"
"Of course!"
"Then I like da Bear buss."
"DA BEARSSS BUSSSS"

vdeane

Quote from: sprjus4 on April 23, 2023, 10:31:21 PM
Quote from: vdeane on April 23, 2023, 09:42:20 PM
1. Like I said, I value consistency.  Having a different rule for an active zone with a "photo enforced" sign vs. an inactive zone vs. an area that isn't a work zone at all isn't how I roll.  It's bad enough I already have exceptions for Washington DC, Roosevelt Blvd, and the entire province of Québec (well, all of Canada, actually, because of Toronto and Edmonton).
It's quite simple. When there is a work zone, regardless of photo enforced or not, abide by the posted speed limit. When there is no work zone at all, return to a higher speed.

I generally try to stick to the limit traveling through any work zone, within 5 mph, if it's reasonable.

Quote
2. I haven't seen anything official confirming 10 mph as a buffer; just speculation because that's the threshold for the NYC "school zone" cameras and because the state police are known to not give tickets out for less.  I do recall a source saying that the cameras will flash for anyone driving at or over the limit, even if they don't all get tickets, which reminds me of Québec's program too much for comfort (their cameras take a picture of everyone who speeds by even 1 kph over and it's up to the police reviewing it whether to send out a ticket, and they're known to be less tolerant than they are when personally pulling people over).
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/VAT/1180-E

QuoteAll in all, even if not strictly required, just driving the speed limit is easier and fits better with how I like to drive.  If the speed limit drops by 10 mph, I want to drop by 10 mph, not 12-17 mph.  I'm putting it up for this year, but will be reassessing for next year.  If that 70 mph bill passes, the change is very likely.  If not, I'll have to choose my poison - less consistency, or a longer drive to/from family gatherings (I estimate that driving the speed limit adds about a minute for every 10 miles traveled; hardly noticeable on my commute, but it adds up on longer trips).
At the end of day, it's ultimately your own choice on how you drive. As long as lane-discipline is maintained, by all means, there is no issue with driving the speed limit. This is merely my stance on it, and everyone has their own driving habits and preferences.
That's how I'm handling work zones this year.  Or I might revert to last year's plan of treating them the same as surface roads once things are more established.  That said, the idea of driving exactly the limit is an idea that's been cooking in my head for years as I've gotten annoyed with the inconsistencies.  The 70 mph speed limit bill being proposed in NY was a big part of making that planning more serious, as I've long held that I'd drive the speed limit if the northeast had more reasonable freeway limits in the first place.  The fact that it happened at the same time the governor proposed speed cameras on the MTA bridges only helped provide more momentum to the idea.

I have to admit, it does seem like my desire to be flexible has been going down over the years.  I used to have an exception of the opposite kind for the NJ Turnpike since speed enforcement is known to be so lax there, but I got rid of it sometime within the last few years.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

SeriesE

Quote from: TheStranger on April 24, 2023, 11:14:52 AM
Quote from: SeriesE on April 24, 2023, 01:18:00 AM
I avoid going near East LA Interchange whenever possible. It's a mess no matter which route I'm on: US-101/I-5/I-10/CA-60

Heading north on 5, one bypass route that comes to mind is 5 (Santa Ana Freeway) -> 710 -> 10 west -> 5 again (Golden State Freeway)

No real immediate bypass routes for 60 or 10 though - if one wants to get towards Koreatown or Santa Monica, the choices become pretty slim for avoiding the East LA complex.   (The forever-cancelled 90 gap between 405 and Whittier would have been the relief route for this)

If I'm going from Orange County/San diego to norcal (and vice versa), I just take I-405 all the way to bypass the whole mess

Max Rockatansky

As of late I go the counter intuitive way and force myself down the Hollywood Freeway to the Santa Ana Freeway (and vice versa).  Oddly enough it worked this last pass through downtown on a Monday morning, traffic slowed but never stopped.

TheStranger

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on April 24, 2023, 04:41:02 PM
As of late I go the counter intuitive way and force myself down the Hollywood Freeway to the Santa Ana Freeway (and vice versa).  Oddly enough it worked this last pass through downtown on a Monday morning, traffic slowed but never stopped.

Nearly a decade ago, me and a friend headed down in separate cars from Palmdale to Long Beach on a Sunday (so not the highest traffic day ever to be fair); he did 405 while I myself took 170/101/110 just to see more scenery in downtown instead of passing by Griffith Park along 5.  I think we ended up at Long Beach Airport around the same time

I oft wonder if for folks who live in Sylmar or areas further north (Palmdale, Bakersfield), whether doing 138-15 or 210-57-71-15 serves as the better routing to San Diego, rather than dealing with 405 near LAX or 5 or 101 approaching East LA (and 5 in Norwalk).
Chris Sampang

zachary_amaryllis

Quote from: JayhawkCO on April 24, 2023, 12:11:53 PM
Locally: Colfax Avenue
Nationally: I-10 in Florida or I-95 in North Carolina
There's only two things locally that bug me:

1: The 85/34 nutjobbery in Evans/Garden City whatever it is.
2: I think it's exit 213, off I-25 SB, first one south of I-70. I occasionally have to go to downtown, and that's the exit. The .. is it braiding? that it does is a little weird if you're not ready for it.
clinched:
I-64, I-80, I-76 (west), *64s in hampton roads, 225,270,180 (co, wy)

GaryA

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on April 24, 2023, 07:56:43 AM
I'll never understand how I-405 got to such a lofty status in the larger road community.  It's one of the more boring freeways in the Los Angeles area and doesn't offer much unique to see.  At least stuff like the Harbor Freeway and Santa Ana Freeway have some kick ass views of downtown eventually.

I-405 is admittedly bad.  But I end up taking it because the alternatives (which almost the same by mileage) are even worse.  US 101 between Hollywood and downtown LA is one of my worst, but it can be bypassed using CA 134 and I-5.  But I-5 south of the East LA interchange is bad enough that I still stick to I-405 as a rule (depending on the destination, of course).

mgk920

Getting back to Indiana, I've never liked driving across the state on US 30, STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP the whole way.

Mike

algorerhythms




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