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Towns you avoid?

Started by planxtymcgillicuddy, June 28, 2020, 06:36:29 PM

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Ashland, VA.

I haven't set foot in that town since about 2012 because of the cops. If there's even just a minor infraction with your vehicle, like something most other jurisdictions wouldn't even bother with, you WILL get pulled over. Add the fact that both the Ashland Police Department and Hanover County Sheriff Department patrol there...
Newark born, Richmond bred


Tonytone

Sorry to throw a wrench in the topic, but do we feel any of these towns that are extremely ticket happy or speed trap happy are very liberal or very conservative areas?

In cities I tend to notice less caring about headlights out, fullstop at stop signs, how your car looks & really the small things that would get you pulled over in more suburban rural areas.

In suburban/rural areas it seems police will try to find any reason to pull you over if they are "fishing" , they will pull you over for any lights out, rolling thru stop signs, how your car looks, so if you drive a beat up 98 Buick regal be prepared to be followed for a while, compared to driving a 2020 Benz.

It's interesting that we dont have more outcry on the aggressiveness in between areas. 


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TheHighwayMan3561

I'm sure some of that just comes down to workload. The city cops would probably love to stop you for that headlight and poke into whatever you're doing,  but have too much other stuff going on for it to be worth their time.
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

Thing 342

* Stafford, VA - Home to one of the worst-timed stoplights in the state at the intersection of US-1 and Courthouse Rd. The light, which lets roughly 10 cars on US-1 pass per cycle, almost totally rules out US-1 as an effective bypass for the frequently-congested I-95, as traffic on US-1 often backs up for miles on each side. [Illustrated by StreetView]
* McBee, SC - One-stoplight town whose city budget must be primarily funded by pulling over motorists heading from Charlotte to Darlington. Got stuck in town for nearly an hour trying to get through that single light while trying to drive home after the eclipse.
* Portsmouth, VA - I rarely venture off the freeways due to a combination of run-down roads, high crime rates, and huge meals taxes (over 11% last time I checked).
* Floyd, VA - I am still bitter about being pulled over for 63 in a 55 -- while passing on a two-lane road.

allniter89

#29
Shitcargoland. I've run into massive traffic jams in the wee hours of the morning many times. fun fact, spell check corrected to Chicago
3 times I've had someone going the wrong way on an expressway, once I saw in my mirror the actual collision, I was in an 18 wheeler so there was nothing I could do.
I called 911 all 3 times & was on 911 during the collision.
Just too many crazy drivers in this area. Sure there are many ways to miss trouble on the road IF u hear about it in time. Taking the Tri-StateTollway is usually my choice but its still a crapshoot as far as running into trouble.

Atlanta is also a city I avoid if possible for many of the same reasons. Rather than put up with rush hours I'd rather stop & eat or take a nap until 10 a.m. or 8p.m. then ride thru town non-stop.

Dishonorable mention to Smashville TN, NYC & Houston.
My choices of towns to avoid were when I drove a 18 wheeler in these towns.
BUY AMERICAN MADE.
SPEED SAFELY.

Tonytone

Quote from: allniter89 on June 29, 2020, 11:29:05 PM
Shitcargoland. I've run into massive traffic jams in the wee hours of the morning many times. fun fact, spell check corrected to Chicago
3 times I've had someone going the wrong way on an expressway, once I saw in my mirror the actual collision, I was in an 18 wheeler so there was nothing I could do.
I called 911 all 3 times & was on 911 during the collision.
Just too many crazy drivers in this area. Sure there are many ways to miss trouble on the road IF u hear about it in time. Taking the NW Tollway is usually my choice but its still a crapshoot as far as running into trouble.

Atlanta is also a city I avoid if possible for many of the same reasons. Rather than put up with rush hours I'd rather stop & eat or take a nap until 10 a.m. or 8p.m. then ride thru town non-stop.

Dishonorable mention to Smashville TN, NYC & Houston.
Funny enough NYC traffic wasn't that bad. For it being the biggest city traffic may slow down but it moves through the trouble zones very quickly.


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allniter89

The tolls for the NYC bridges for 18 wheelers are unbelievable! I hear the G Washington bridge is $100+. Plus there are hundreds of low underpasses, no truck parking & that NYC attitude.
BUY AMERICAN MADE.
SPEED SAFELY.

Tonytone

Quote from: allniter89 on June 29, 2020, 11:41:58 PM
The tolls for the NYC bridges for 18 wheelers are unbelievable! I hear the G Washington bridge is $100+. Plus there are hundreds of low underpasses, no truck parking & that NYC attitude.
Wait wait wait hold up stop the f***in presses. $100+ toll? Please tell me the load for the trip offsets that balance.

To think I thought the car tolls were already a kick in the ass.


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STLmapboy

Quote from: allniter89 on June 29, 2020, 11:29:05 PM
Shitcargoland. I've run into massive traffic jams in the wee hours of the morning many times. fun fact, spell check corrected to Chicago
3 times I've had someone going the wrong way on an expressway, once I saw in my mirror the actual collision, I was in an 18 wheeler so there was nothing I could do.
I called 911 all 3 times & was on 911 during the collision.
Just too many crazy drivers in this area. Sure there are many ways to miss trouble on the road IF u hear about it in time. Taking the Tri-StateTollway is usually my choice but its still a crapshoot as far as running into trouble.

Atlanta is also a city I avoid if possible for many of the same reasons. Rather than put up with rush hours I'd rather stop & eat or take a nap until 10 a.m. or 8p.m. then ride thru town non-stop.

Dishonorable mention to Smashville TN, NYC & Houston.
My choices of towns to avoid were when I drove a 18 wheeler in these towns.

So now that we've ruled out Chicago, NYC, Atlanta, Houston, and Nashville, where do you enjoy driving?
Teenage STL area roadgeek.
Missouri>>>>>Illinois

DandyDan

Quote from: hobsini2 on June 28, 2020, 09:42:18 PM
There used to be a rule of thumb for bad speed traps in the Chicago area. If Springs (Western Sprs, Willow Sprs) or Park (Oak Park, Villa Park, etc) was in the name, you got to go 1 under the speed limit.
I would try to make a way to fit Carol Stream into that rule. When I lived in the west suburbs back in the 90's, I got pulled over there twice and my brother got pulled over once when he finally brought his family to the area.

I would love to say anywhere the Iowa State Patrol operates, but being I live in Iowa, that will prove a challenge.
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CoreySamson

I avoid Timpson and Tenaha in east Texas.

I've heard bad things about officers in those towns, and there's a better route thru that area anyways.

Can't say I hate any towns, though.
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allniter89

Quote from: Tonytone on June 29, 2020, 11:51:59 PM
Quote from: allniter89 on June 29, 2020, 11:41:58 PM
The tolls for the NYC bridges for 18 wheelers are unbelievable! I hear the G Washington bridge is $100+. Plus there are hundreds of low underpasses, no truck parking & that NYC attitude.
Wait wait wait hold up stop the f***in presses. $100+ toll? Please tell me the load for the trip offsets that balance.

To think I thought the car tolls were already a kick in the ass.


iPhone
I drove a co truck so I was reinbursed, its just the gall of charging $100 to cross one short bridge. Then you likely will have to for another bridge before you get where your going.
Its almost impossible to avoid the tolls in a 18 wheeler.
STL map boy Anything west of the Miss River is good with me.
BUY AMERICAN MADE.
SPEED SAFELY.

Tonytone

Quote from: allniter89 on June 30, 2020, 11:16:14 PM
Quote from: Tonytone on June 29, 2020, 11:51:59 PM
Quote from: allniter89 on June 29, 2020, 11:41:58 PM
The tolls for the NYC bridges for 18 wheelers are unbelievable! I hear the G Washington bridge is $100+. Plus there are hundreds of low underpasses, no truck parking & that NYC attitude.
Wait wait wait hold up stop the f***in presses. $100+ toll? Please tell me the load for the trip offsets that balance.

To think I thought the car tolls were already a kick in the ass.


iPhone
I drove a co truck so I was reinbursed, its just the gall of charging $100 to cross one short bridge. Then you likely will have to for another bridge before you get where your going.
Its almost impossible to avoid the tolls in a 18 wheeler.
STL map boy Anything west of the Miss River is good with me.
Of course its crazy to charge that much, but its to pay for the wear & tear on the bridge from driving on it & for entering the biggest & "best city"  in the world.

Luckily once you're in NYC it isnt hard to get around. At least I think its not lmao.


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Bruce

Renton, because it's a cesspit of traffic and awful people.

sparker

When I was living and working in SoCal, the one place I tried (usually unsuccessfully) to avoid was Corona, which during that time (2003-11) was "traffic central" -- the worst of the worst.  But periodic company meetings at the Irvine HQ dragged me down there at least once every couple of weeks from my usual Ontario location -- so unless I wanted to either schlep the long way around through Brea or Carbon Canyons (CA 57 & 142 respectively), there was little choice in the matter.  Being the gateway to CA 91/Santa Ana Canyon didn't help much with Corona's status either! 

Up here in San Jose, the one area I tended to avoid was anything in Contra Costa County along I-680 simply because of congestion, mostly stemming from traffic off CA 24.  But a couple of years ago a business associate -- who required regular visits with product prototypes -- relocated from Rancho Cordova down to Galt, so accessing the I-80 corridor was no longer a real option -- nor particularly necessary.  But it seems like unless off-peak travel can be arranged, it's been like trading the frying pan for the fire, particularly in regard to the Pleasanton/Livermore area along I-580, which is best to avoid early mornings and most late afternoons.  It's not one town in particular, given the CA idiom of one 'burb blending into another. 

hbelkins

Quote from: sparker on July 01, 2020, 08:11:06 AM
When I was living and working in SoCal, the one place I tried (usually unsuccessfully) to avoid was Corona

Man, were you ahead of your time!!!  :-D :rofl:


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dvferyance

Quote from: tdindy88 on June 28, 2020, 10:58:12 PM
Quote from: dvferyance on June 28, 2020, 08:40:20 PM
Used to avoid Waukesha but that is nearly impossible now. Given so many people I know live there and it is the only suburb in metro Milwaukee with a riverwalk. The city I can and will avoid now is Greenwood Indiana just south of Indianapolis. If I am ever passing through on I-65 and need to exit it won't be there. Learned about the speed trap that town is.

You must have passed through at the wrong time because locally Greenwood is not really known as a speed trap. While going the speed limit is generally done on the local roads along the interstate I do 70-80 on a regular basis and so does everyone else. Believe me, it isn't that much of a speed trap.

Now, up north in Carmel and Westfield along the new US 31 freeway, whole different story. It's one of the few highways you do want to watch your speed. Same with I-69 through Bloomington. For some reason if a highway is improved it brings the local police out a whole lot more. Carmel recently was mentioned as a city that like to pull over more people "who weren't from Carmel" more often.

As far as actual cities to avoid in Indiana, the number one spot goes to an obvious choice: Gary. It's run-down reputation is well earned. At least Detroit is a city that has some promise, Gary really isn't. And while many would say the whole of Lake County could be avoided, nearby cities such as Hammond, East Chicago and Whiting aren't all too bad, but Gary...yeah there's no reason to be there.
I got pulled over on Worthsville Rd just west of I-65. I wanted to check out the new DDI there the cop pulled me over for speeding in a school zone even though I saw no kids nearby. While he did miraculously let me off I see no reason why I even should have been pulled over. I was doing between 35-40 and that is by no means an unsafe speed for that road. It was just nuts all that just because I wanted to see a new interchange.

Takumi

Quote from: Thing 342 on June 29, 2020, 10:51:31 PM
* Stafford, VA - Home to one of the worst-timed stoplights in the state at the intersection of US-1 and Courthouse Rd. The light, which lets roughly 10 cars on US-1 pass per cycle, almost totally rules out US-1 as an effective bypass for the frequently-congested I-95, as traffic on US-1 often backs up for miles on each side.
Ugh, yes, this. Back in December I bought a car in the Garrisonville area, and while getting up there was a breeze, the return trip took 4 hours, most of which was going from Garrisonville to Fredericksburg. Accidents on both 95 and 1.
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WillWeaverRVA

Quote from: Thing 342 on June 29, 2020, 10:51:31 PM
* Stafford, VA - Home to one of the worst-timed stoplights in the state at the intersection of US-1 and Courthouse Rd. The light, which lets roughly 10 cars on US-1 pass per cycle, almost totally rules out US-1 as an effective bypass for the frequently-congested I-95, as traffic on US-1 often backs up for miles on each side. [Illustrated by StreetView]

That light absolutely sucks, especially when I-95 is congested and you basically have to use US 1. Traffic backs up into the area near the old Stafford Wayside on a regular basis. That intersection badly needs reconfiguring but there's insufficient ROW to do much with it.
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D-Dey65

Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on June 29, 2020, 09:46:18 PM
I'm sure some of that just comes down to workload. The city cops would probably love to stop you for that headlight and poke into whatever you're doing,  but have too much other stuff going on for it to be worth their time.
I've actually had a Hernando County Deputy Sheriff tell me one of my headlights was out while he was directing traffic one night. Luckily this was during a time when the Wal-Mart near me was open 24/7 and I could just go in an grab one from the automotive section anytime I wanted.

hobsini2

Quote from: DandyDan on June 30, 2020, 05:35:12 AM
Quote from: hobsini2 on June 28, 2020, 09:42:18 PM
There used to be a rule of thumb for bad speed traps in the Chicago area. If Springs (Western Sprs, Willow Sprs) or Park (Oak Park, Villa Park, etc) was in the name, you got to go 1 under the speed limit.
I would try to make a way to fit Carol Stream into that rule. When I lived in the west suburbs back in the 90's, I got pulled over there twice and my brother got pulled over once when he finally brought his family to the area.

I would love to say anywhere the Iowa State Patrol operates, but being I live in Iowa, that will prove a challenge.
Yup. Carol Stream is another one especially along North Ave. Maybe towns that have double names?
I knew it. I'm surrounded by assholes. Keep firing, assholes! - Dark Helmet (Spaceballs)

kphoger

I usually try to avoid the downtown of any major city I pass through.

For example, I've used I-410 around the southeast side of San Antonio plenty of times.  The only time I've taken I-35 straight through was when I was following someone else.

Similarly, even though I've driven between San Antonio and Monterrey a dozen times in the last dozen years, I haven't crossed the border in Laredo itself since I was a kid on family vacation.  As an adult driver, I've always chosen to cross at Colombia instead to avoid the Laredos.

Notable exceptions:

*  Except close to rush hour, I go straight through downtown KC on I-35.  I used to take I-435 or I-635/29 as a bypass, but in recent years I've realized traffic is usually fine downtown.

*  When transitioning from SB I-35 to WB I-44 in Oklahoma City, I use I-40 instead of taking I-44 all the way.  Even though 40 goes closer to downtown, the one time I took 44 around the north side was a major headache.

*  Google Maps thinks I should take the eastern bypass around Monclova (Coahuila Mexico), but I've never used it once.  My friends have used it several times but, at the same time, have told me it's not worth it due to poor road conditions and lots of trucks.  Not sure why they've kept using it, then.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
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Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

kphoger

Quote from: hobsini2 on July 01, 2020, 04:30:47 PM

Quote from: DandyDan on June 30, 2020, 05:35:12 AM

Quote from: hobsini2 on June 28, 2020, 09:42:18 PM
There used to be a rule of thumb for bad speed traps in the Chicago area. If Springs (Western Sprs, Willow Sprs) or Park (Oak Park, Villa Park, etc) was in the name, you got to go 1 under the speed limit.

I would try to make a way to fit Carol Stream into that rule. When I lived in the west suburbs back in the 90's, I got pulled over there twice and my brother got pulled over once when he finally brought his family to the area.

I would love to say anywhere the Iowa State Patrol operates, but being I live in Iowa, that will prove a challenge.

Yup. Carol Stream is another one especially along North Ave. Maybe towns that have double names?

Hmm, I've never been pulled over* in Carol Stream, even though I used to live and work there.  Granted, I didn't have a car for a lot of that time, so it was only other people's cars I would be driving, but still... 

OTOH, I hardly ever used North Avenue.  I hardly ever went north of that line, and my usual routes east and west used other roads instead (especially St Charles Road).



*  However, I was once pulled over in my then-girlfriend's car just several yards outside the Carol Stream city limits.  I didn't come to a full stop at this red light because it had just turned red and cross-traffic hadn't started going yet.  Unfortunately for me, the first car in line getting the green was a police officer, so he ended up directly behind me and promptly pulled me over.  No ticket, though.  I don't remember which department the officer was with–Wheaton or Carol Stream.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

D-Dey65

#48
For me, anywhere in the Bronx east of Webster Avenue (or the Metro-North Harlem Line), south of Fordham Road and west of the Hutchinson River Parkway.

Why?

Because I don't want to have to drive along the Cross Bronx or Bruckner Expressways and have to look at the demolished Sheridan Expressway as I go by. And the same goes for riding any of the subway lines that pass near it. So aside from Metro-North I'll ride either the IND Concourse Line or IRT Jerome Avenue Line or nothing. And when I drive into NYC from Florida, I take the Major Deegan to the Triborough Bridge no matter what!


For the same reason, I won't take the Staten Island Expressway so I can avoid having to look at the demolished Todt Hill interchange.


sparker

Quote from: hbelkins on July 01, 2020, 12:02:04 PM
Quote from: sparker on July 01, 2020, 08:11:06 AM
When I was living and working in SoCal, the one place I tried (usually unsuccessfully) to avoid was Corona

Man, were you ahead of your time!!!  :-D :rofl:

Very punny!   That town's getting a lot of unwanted shit-talking these days, according to an industry colleague whose company is located there (he's a half-block off CA 91 in the west part of town) -- such as "...You're in Corona?  Could you disinfect the amp before you ship it out.....please?"  Says it gets a bit tiring after a while!



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