Roads that changed your opinion on things

[index]

I have recently found that, for me, this is every road in the DC area. I drove there my first time the other week, and I was driving through the district to get to my father's house near the northern part of it. For quite a while, I was tailgated by this Honda Pilot despite the incessant speed cameras in DC. Clearly, they're not enough because I saw them flash and catch other drivers at least seven times. He flashed his brights at me >before< the light turned green on two occasions. I've noticed that some people up there time it to run every red light just before it turns green and get mad if people in front of them don't do the same, so long as there's no red light camera.

Previously, I have been against all forms of traffic enforcement cameras with no exceptions, but after driving in DC I can completely see why they are justified with the amount of pedestrians there plus the amount of homicidally stupid and aggressive drivers. Because the limit there is 25 I didn't really feel the need to slam on my brakes for the yellow lights in fear of getting a red light ticket. Red light cameras in higher speed areas will continue to be stupid because of that, and most speed cameras are still evil, but Christ, there needs to be something to put DC drivers in their place.

I have also become more patient with slower drivers on mountain roads. For me, NC 181  between Jonas Ridge and Morganton is awful now. There seem to be a lot of speed demons on this road who love the frequent, very sharp curves. Good for you, but it's not an excuse to tailgate me with more intimacy than you show Jesus and your significant other.

I drive a 2010 Ford Explorer. You drive a little  Miata designed to eat corners for breakfast. If I drove like you, I would roll this thing over, off the road, into a ditch, then down a cliff. Don't get mad that I'm not driving an SUV like a nimble sports car and flash your headlights at me. Keep a safe distance and wait for the next opportunity to pass me or for me to safely use a gravel pull-off like a normal human being. Actually being put in the position of having to be the slow one has made me more empathetic.

[JoePCool14]

Swapping places with someone is a great way to be more empathetic. That's why I think all prospective drivers should be made to stand alongside a busy highway for a few minutes with cars whizzing by so they realize they should slow down and/or move over to give workers space. Being out on the road surveying or for inspection work definitely makes you realize how sketchy it can be (not that I wasn't courteous before).

[Max Rockatansky]

Living in and working in about a dozen states during adulthood has absolved me of the notion that Michigan has "the worst roads"  in the United States.  I tend to think Pure Potholes was largely born from people who rarely leave the Midwest. 

[JayhawkCO]

Driving I-95 through NYC on a Saturday afternoon made me realize Denver's traffic isn't so bad.

[mgk920]

I have recently found that, for me, this is every road in the DC area. I drove there my first time the other week, and I was driving through the district to get to my father's house near the northern part of it. For quite a while, I was tailgated by this Honda Pilot despite the incessant speed cameras in DC. Clearly, they're not enough because I saw them flash and catch other drivers at least seven times. He flashed his brights at me >before< the light turned green on two occasions. I've noticed that some people up there time it to run every red light just before it turns green and get mad if people in front of them don't do the same, so long as there's no red light camera.

Previously, I have been against all forms of traffic enforcement cameras with no exceptions, but after driving in DC I can completely see why they are justified with the amount of pedestrians there plus the amount of homicidally stupid and aggressive drivers. Because the limit there is 25 I didn't really feel the need to slam on my brakes for the yellow lights in fear of getting a red light ticket. Red light cameras in higher speed areas will continue to be stupid because of that, and most speed cameras are still evil, but Christ, there needs to be something to put DC drivers in their place.

I have also become more patient with slower drivers on mountain roads. For me, NC 181  between Jonas Ridge and Morganton is awful now. There seem to be a lot of speed demons on this road who love the frequent, very sharp curves. Good for you, but it's not an excuse to tailgate me with more intimacy than you show Jesus and your significant other.

I drive a 2010 Ford Explorer. You drive a little  Miata designed to eat corners for breakfast. If I drove like you, I would roll this thing over, off the road, into a ditch, then down a cliff. Don't get mad that I'm not driving an SUV like a nimble sports car and flash your headlights at me. Keep a safe distance and wait for the next opportunity to pass me or for me to safely use a gravel pull-off like a normal human being. Actually being put in the position of having to be the slow one has made me more empathetic.

"Impatience with traffic on your part is NOT an emergency on my part."

Mike

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Driving I-95 through NYC on a Saturday afternoon made me realize Denver's traffic isn't so bad.

I had a similar experience after driving on I-5 from Seattle to Olympia in June 2020. I vowed never to criticize MSP traffic ever again, and I'm not lying that I still remind myself of that often. Yes, even at the peak of COVID traffic reduction, it really was that fucking bad.

[LilianaUwU]

Driving I-95 through NYC on a Saturday afternoon made me realize Denver's traffic isn't so bad.

Similarly, Toronto traffic made me realize Québec City traffic isn't that bad.

[jeffandnicole]

Driving I-95 through NYC on a Saturday afternoon made me realize Denver's traffic isn't so bad.

I mean, sure, it's congestion, and it sucks, but NYC and that area is just different.  Seeing what traffic congestion irritates people in areas not between the area between Richmond VA and Boston is often quite amusing.   I also tend to think when I post that I sit in 10 - 14 miles of stop-and-go congestion on my commute home every afternoon (especially pre-covid) I think people just figured I was hyperexaggerating and ignored my comment.  Nope, that's normal and expected. When it hits 17 miles, from Exit 43 to Exit 26 on I-295, that's unusual.

[JayhawkCO]

Driving I-95 through NYC on a Saturday afternoon made me realize Denver's traffic isn't so bad.

I mean, sure, it's congestion, and it sucks, but NYC and that area is just different.  Seeing what traffic congestion irritates people in areas not between the area between Richmond VA and Boston is often quite amusing.   I also tend to think when I post that I sit in 10 - 14 miles of stop-and-go congestion on my commute home every afternoon (especially pre-covid) I think people just figured I was hyperexaggerating and ignored my comment.  Nope, that's normal and expected. When it hits 17 miles, from Exit 43 to Exit 26 on I-295, that's unusual.

I don't doubt bad commutes. Saturday at 11:00 AM is different.

[amroad17]

Generally, it isn't the roads that make one change their opinion on things. It is the commuters who drive these roads that makes one change their opinion on others.

[HighwayStar]

I drive a 2010 Ford Explorer. You drive a little  Miata designed to eat corners for breakfast. If I drove like you, I would roll this thing over, off the road, into a ditch, then down a cliff. Don't get mad that I'm not driving an SUV like a nimble sports car and flash your headlights at me. Keep a safe distance and wait for the next opportunity to pass me or for me to safely use a gravel pull-off like a normal human being. Actually being put in the position of having to be the slow one has made me more empathetic.

People in top heavy SUVs slamming on the brakes at every curve because they are about to tip over is one of my greatest road peeves.
However, when I have driven an SUV on such roads the experience has not really changed my mind so much as reinforced my position that these things are poor road vehicles and certainly made me less apt to buy one.

Driving in DC did somewhat shape my opinion of their road network, namely that it is a disaster and should have been finished properly. It takes far too long to get from A to B.

[amroad17]

I drive a 2010 Ford Explorer. You drive a little  Miata designed to eat corners for breakfast. If I drove like you, I would roll this thing over, off the road, into a ditch, then down a cliff. Don't get mad that I'm not driving an SUV like a nimble sports car and flash your headlights at me. Keep a safe distance and wait for the next opportunity to pass me or for me to safely use a gravel pull-off like a normal human being. Actually being put in the position of having to be the slow one has made me more empathetic.

People in top heavy SUVs slamming on the brakes at every curve because they are about to tip over is one of my greatest road peeves.
However, when I have driven an SUV on such roads the experience has not really changed my mind so much as reinforced my position that these things are poor road vehicles and certainly made me less apt to buy one.

Driving in DC did somewhat shape my opinion of their road network, namely that it is a disaster and should have been finished properly. It takes far too long to get from A to B.

Unfortunately, we today have to live and make do with the decisions that were made 50-70 years ago.

[Rothman]

I drive a 2010 Ford Explorer. You drive a little  Miata designed to eat corners for breakfast. If I drove like you, I would roll this thing over, off the road, into a ditch, then down a cliff. Don't get mad that I'm not driving an SUV like a nimble sports car and flash your headlights at me. Keep a safe distance and wait for the next opportunity to pass me or for me to safely use a gravel pull-off like a normal human being. Actually being put in the position of having to be the slow one has made me more empathetic.

People in top heavy SUVs slamming on the brakes at every curve because they are about to tip over is one of my greatest road peeves.
However, when I have driven an SUV on such roads the experience has not really changed my mind so much as reinforced my position that these things are poor road vehicles and certainly made me less apt to buy one.

Why are you tailgating them?

[LilianaUwU]

People in top heavy SUVs slamming on the brakes at every curve because they are about to tip over is one of my greatest road peeves.

How dare people in SUVs drive safely.

[mgk920]

People in top heavy SUVs slamming on the brakes at every curve because they are about to tip over is one of my greatest road peeves.

How dare people in SUVs drive safely.

They are indestructible.

Mike

[abefroman329]

Driving I-95 through NYC on a Saturday afternoon made me realize Denver's traffic isn't so bad.

Driving through Manhattan on a Sunday morning at 6 am made me realize driving in NYC isn't as bad as everyone says it is.

[Ted$8roadFan]

I drive a 2010 Ford Explorer. You drive a little  Miata designed to eat corners for breakfast. If I drove like you, I would roll this thing over, off the road, into a ditch, then down a cliff. Don't get mad that I'm not driving an SUV like a nimble sports car and flash your headlights at me. Keep a safe distance and wait for the next opportunity to pass me or for me to safely use a gravel pull-off like a normal human being. Actually being put in the position of having to be the slow one has made me more empathetic.

People in top heavy SUVs slamming on the brakes at every curve because they are about to tip over is one of my greatest road peeves.
However, when I have driven an SUV on such roads the experience has not really changed my mind so much as reinforced my position that these things are poor road vehicles and certainly made me less apt to buy one.

I don't like it in winter when many SUV drivers have seen enough TV ads to think that they can tailgate anyone and expect to stop as normal, even with snow and ice on ther road.

[JayhawkCO]

Driving I-95 through NYC on a Saturday afternoon made me realize Denver's traffic isn't so bad.

Driving through Manhattan on a Sunday morning at 6 am made me realize driving in NYC isn't as bad as everyone says it is.

Next time I head out that way, that's my plan to do some clinching. Wake up at the buttcrack of dawn and get as much done as I can before the city that never sleeps wakes up.

[Scott5114]

Driving I-70 west of Salina KS (and to a lesser extent, I-40 west of Amarillo) changed my opinion on the appropriateness of smaller towns as control cities. (I don't want to say the L word, since that's been done to death, so let's just say I'm fine with Gallup NM and Kingman AZ being control cities now. Santa Rosa and Tucumcari are still sort of dumb, though.) 

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Driving I-70 west of Salina KS (and to a lesser extent, I-40 west of Amarillo) changed my opinion on the appropriateness of smaller towns as control cities. (I don't want to say the L word, since that's been done to death, so let's just say I'm fine with Gallup NM and Kingman AZ being control cities now. Santa Rosa and Tucumcari are still sort of dumb, though.) 

I was surprised when I saw Elko, NV had a Kohl's. That's legit control city size.

[NoGoodNamesAvailable]

Driving I-95 through NYC on a Saturday afternoon made me realize Denver's traffic isn't so bad.

I felt somewhat the opposite after living in DC for a summer that the traffic in the NYC area isn't that bad. It's actually pretty remarkable that 90% of expressways in NYC are 3 lanes or less yet the traffic isn't much worse than much smaller southern cities during peak times

Driving through Manhattan on a Sunday morning at 6 am made me realize driving in NYC isn't as bad as everyone says it is.

The avenues in Manhattan are actually pretty easy and enjoyable to drive down thanks to the signal timing. It's like controlled chaos but there is a flow and order to it. And when the traffic is light it's a breeze.

[CoreySamson]

I'll name two things from the past year that have changed my opinion...

1. Before this last year, I did not really care about walking infrastructure because SE Texas generally does not have much of it, but after living in an actual city for once, I now see the importance of sidewalks and walking infrastructure everywhere.

2. I was opposed to roundabouts and dumbbell interchanges, but after driving the new dumbbell interchange at US 75 @ Allen Parkway in Allen, TX, I was impressed by how safe and efficient it worked.

[SkyPesos]

Driving I-70 west of Salina KS (and to a lesser extent, I-40 west of Amarillo) changed my opinion on the appropriateness of smaller towns as control cities. (I don't want to say the L word, since that's been done to death, so let's just say I'm fine with Gallup NM and Kingman AZ being control cities now. Santa Rosa and Tucumcari are still sort of dumb, though.) 

It's the other way for me. Seeing I-80 EB in Youngstown using NYC as a control city (and driving its route through Middle of Nowhere, PA) led me to believe that control cities can be further away than I initially thought, and a few smaller cities I previously thought they were fine are no longer control city eligible in my mind.

[HighwayStar]

I drive a 2010 Ford Explorer. You drive a little  Miata designed to eat corners for breakfast. If I drove like you, I would roll this thing over, off the road, into a ditch, then down a cliff. Don't get mad that I'm not driving an SUV like a nimble sports car and flash your headlights at me. Keep a safe distance and wait for the next opportunity to pass me or for me to safely use a gravel pull-off like a normal human being. Actually being put in the position of having to be the slow one has made me more empathetic.

People in top heavy SUVs slamming on the brakes at every curve because they are about to tip over is one of my greatest road peeves.
However, when I have driven an SUV on such roads the experience has not really changed my mind so much as reinforced my position that these things are poor road vehicles and certainly made me less apt to buy one.

Why are you tailgating them?

I'm not. It does not matter what your following distance is, when they slam on the brakes to go around corners it means I have to slow down even though my vehicle is appropriate for the roadway and would otherwise be unencumbered.

[index]

I drive a 2010 Ford Explorer. You drive a little  Miata designed to eat corners for breakfast. If I drove like you, I would roll this thing over, off the road, into a ditch, then down a cliff. Don't get mad that I'm not driving an SUV like a nimble sports car and flash your headlights at me. Keep a safe distance and wait for the next opportunity to pass me or for me to safely use a gravel pull-off like a normal human being. Actually being put in the position of having to be the slow one has made me more empathetic.

People in top heavy SUVs slamming on the brakes at every curve because they are about to tip over is one of my greatest road peeves.
However, when I have driven an SUV on such roads the experience has not really changed my mind so much as reinforced my position that these things are poor road vehicles and certainly made me less apt to buy one.

Why are you tailgating them?

I'm not. It does not matter what your following distance is, when they slam on the brakes to go around corners it means I have to slow down even though my vehicle is appropriate for the roadway and would otherwise be unencumbered.

You know, not everyone who drives a car like that is slamming on their brakes at every single corner to get around on roads like that. (I'm still faster than plenty of the drivers up here when it comes to mountain roads.) And even if some people are, everyone is entitled to drive the vehicle that they want, can afford, and can get a license for. It helps if they have a good reason for getting it, but it's not required. Everyone is entitled to other motorists keeping a minimum reasonable speed, such as an advisory speed for a curve. Nobody is entitled to the road.

If you don't like that you can't go as fast as you please on a twisty little mountain road, and other people prefer not to speed through curves, that's your problem, not anyone else's. Maybe you prefer to drive a car that's better at cornering than larger vehicles, and doesn't need to slow down very much, but don't impose your preferences on other people and suggest that they're wrong and inappropriate for not getting a vehicle that can do the same.