Roads Which Taught You How To Drive

[jemacedo9]

What are the 5 roads (or segments) in which you credit gaining your driving skills? It may be your first road, or something unique, or particularly challenging.  This can be any type of road, and you may decide your own criteria.

My top 5 are - in no particular order:
- I-76/Schuylkill Expwy:  short merge ramps, left on and off ramps, 0-60 quickly, then a traffic slam to a complete stop, then back to 70 again.
- Merritt Pkwy: for basically the same reasons as my first choice.
- US 1/Roosevelt Blvd in Philadelphia: all at-grade intersections, 3-lane inner drive where right turns are not allowed, 3-lane outer drive where left turns are not allowed; multiple cross-overs both ways, bus stops, pedestrians, a widely-ignored 45 MPH speed limit
(The three above force you to pay attention, and force you to pick your spots in when to be aggressive, or when to sit back and wait)
- NJ Turnpike, particularly the divided section; driving in the truck lanes really taught me how to navigate with/around heavy truck traffic
- I-95 eastern CT; my first long-distance Interstate segment

What are yours (with apologies to those who don't drive yet)?

[Buffaboy]

NY 198 Scajaquada Expressway, the WB ramp to I-190 can be misjudged if you take it at full speed.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.9291439,-78.8964146,3a,75y,215.18h,79.83t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sfPVnJXxM4rxHHmQYnaetHQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

[hbelkins]

I learned to drive on KY 52, KY 498, KY 11 and KY 1571. Got my freeway driving experience on the Mountain Parkway, I-75 and I-64.

[epzik8]

Maryland Route 152, Maryland Route 24, U.S. Route 1 north of Baltimore, and I-95 in the Carolinas.

[1995hoo]

The Capital Beltway, I-395 (VA/DC), and the Jersey Turnpike.

[Beltway]

Learned in drivers ed classes in high school in 1968 on local roads and streets, Melbourne, FL.  No freeway driving, I-95 was the only one in the area then, and it was 7 miles west of town, and I don't think any of the driving exercises went there.  US-1 was a 4-lane highway and was much more accessible from the school, and it opened up to a 65 mph speed limit about 3 miles south of town.

For some of the more advanced skills in my first year of driving, the I-495 Capital Beltway, and I-95 south of Washington.  That was after we moved to Alexandria in 1969.

[fillup420]

Drivers Ed took me on US 74, I-85, and I-277, as well as many surface roads in between

[Max Rockatansky]

I-94 between Benton Harbor and Chicago when I was high school.  I encountered every conceivable bad weather driving condition and the heavy traffic of Chicagoland which was basically a trial by fire.   

[Flint1979]

First road I ever drove on was I-75 and it was at the peak of the afternoon rush hour in Detroit. Pretty fun experience, I also drove on I-94 that same day so those are the first two Interstate highways I ever drove on. The first three digit Interstate I drove on was I-696 and that was an even better experience that was the first time I really learned how to drive in Detroit. The instructor told me to punch it and get up to around 80 mph as quick as you can. I've been driving in Detroit for 22 years now and have it mastered.

[US 89]

Drivers Ed took me on US 74, I-85, and I-277, as well as many surface roads in between

Your driver's ed went on the freeway? Mine only covered local roads, none of which were more than five lanes. I never drove on a road with a speed limit greater than 40 in driver's ed (and that was only one road).

[ftballfan]

US-31, especially the Manistee to Muskegon stretch. I could probably do that with my eyes closed

[jakeroot]

The road that taught me what real urban driving is like was 6th Ave in Seattle, between Seneca and Westlake. Very narrow lanes, lots of pedestrians, short light cycles, alleys and parking lots with drivers coming and going from them...it's quite fun now. Keeps me on my toes.

My first freeway drive was WA-512 between Puyallup and the CDP of Summit. It was at night. And it was raining. It was also my first real drive. I went straight to freeways. That concept was daunting to my DOL peers, but I knew freeways were safer, and had less obstacles. If something goes wrong, the crash could be worse because of the speed. But that didn't bother me at all.

My first windy (curvy) road was WA-410 between Greenwater and Yakima (aka Chinook Pass). I was driving an SUV so it was no fun. But it taught me how to negotiate short passing areas, and how to deal with limited visibility. I most recently drive it a year ago in my Golf (and did not find it difficult at all, unlike every other car -- I passed everyone). One of the most fun roads I've ever driven.

[sparker]

I did my drivers' ed during the summer of '65 through my H.S.; our instructor was one of the school's guidance counselors (and substitute history teacher as well).  Had 5 sessions, each about 2 1/2 hours long, that took us all around the northern end of metro L.A.  3 students + instructor per car (IIRC, it was a '64 Chevy Bel Air).  We always started out heading up to Foothill Blvd (instructor lived in Sunland, so I suppose that area was familiar to her), stopped in the aforementioned Sunland to get snacks; by that time the first student driver's "shift" was over.  I always tried to be in the #2 spot -- since I could suggest where to go from there if it wasn't too outrageous (my suggestion of up into the mountains didn't go over too well), so once we ended up in Newhall, and another time cruising Van Nuys Blvd. (a popular activity in the '60's; not recommended today!).  However, we always ended up heading back into Glendale on either I-5 or the CA 134/Ventura Freeway (which ended at I-5 before 1967) and stopping at the original Bob's Big Boy on Colorado Blvd. (on the site of founder Bob Wian's first hamburger stand); the instructor's boyfriend was a manager there, and we got free food!  The best part of the whole experience was driving on the freeways -- even though the car had a governor that limited top speed to 70!  I would have to say that of the streets & roads driven on during that experience Foothill Blvd. certainly taught me about negotiating traffic, and the 5 and 134 freeways were the site of my learning to make decisions at speed!     

[theroadwayone]

Some of the major San Diego area freeways--I-5, I-15, I-8, CA-52, CA-125, and many of the surface streets, including the network in Tierrasanta (where I grew up,) and those in El Cajon (where I first tried for my license) and Clairemont (where I got it.)

[roadman]

Apart from my neighborhood streets, the main roads in Lynn, MA I learned to drive on were Route 107 (Western Avenue) and Route 129 (Eastern Avenue, Chestnut Street, and Lynnfield Street) - all two lane 30 mph streets.

After I got my license (early 1979), I developed my highway driving skills on I-95/Route 128 between Lynnfield and Burlington, on the then recently opened section of I-95 southbound between Ferncroft Rotary in Danvers and the slip-ramp to US 1 south at the Danvers/Peabody line, and on I-93 between Wilmington and Manchester NH on family trips to visit my grandmother.

One of my first long highway trips behind the wheel was coming back from New York City in 1981.  After leaving Manhattan, my father pulled over on I-684 and had me take over the driving.  I drove from there all the way back to Lynn.

[jeffandnicole]

Drivers Ed took me on US 74, I-85, and I-277, as well as many surface roads in between

Your driver's ed went on the freeway? Mine only covered local roads, none of which were more than five lanes. I never drove on a road with a speed limit greater than 40 in driver's ed (and that was only one road).

I would think highway driving is a very important part of driver's education.  Stopping and turning at a stop sign on a 30 mph roadway is way, way different than trying to merge into traffic whizzing by at 65 mph.  And based on what we see on the highway on a normal basis, this should be imbedded into people's heads how to merge, pass, and stay out of the fricken left lane!

[roadman]

Drivers Ed took me on US 74, I-85, and I-277, as well as many surface roads in between

Your driver's ed went on the freeway? Mine only covered local roads, none of which were more than five lanes. I never drove on a road with a speed limit greater than 40 in driver's ed (and that was only one road).

I would think highway driving is a very important part of driver's education.  Stopping and turning at a stop sign on a 30 mph roadway is way, way different than trying to merge into traffic whizzing by at 65 mph.  And based on what we see on the highway on a normal basis, this should be imbedded into people's heads how to merge, pass, and stay out of the fricken left lane!

Formal teaching of freeway driving in driver's ed courses, at least in the Northeast part of the country, is a fairly recent thing.  And, based on the experience of my older nieces and nephews, it still has not yet been embraced by many driving schools.

[kkt]

The mean streets of Palo Alto, CA.  Middlefield Road, Alma Road, Channing and Homer Avenues, University Ave.
I-280 (US 101 was scary back then, now it's just annoying.) 
Up into the hills, Skyline, Highway 9, and Page Mill Road.  CA 1 along the coast.

[US 89]

Drivers Ed took me on US 74, I-85, and I-277, as well as many surface roads in between

Your driver's ed went on the freeway? Mine only covered local roads, none of which were more than five lanes. I never drove on a road with a speed limit greater than 40 in driver's ed (and that was only one road).

I would think highway driving is a very important part of driver's education.  Stopping and turning at a stop sign on a 30 mph roadway is way, way different than trying to merge into traffic whizzing by at 65 mph.  And based on what we see on the highway on a normal basis, this should be imbedded into people's heads how to merge, pass, and stay out of the fricken left lane!

Formal teaching of freeway driving in driver's ed courses, at least in the Northeast part of the country, is a fairly recent thing.  And, based on the experience of my older nieces and nephews, it still has not yet been embraced by many driving schools.

I did learn freeway driving, but only from the textbook. I got my freeway driving practice with my mom on the busy SLC freeways. Maybe it's not done as much here because our freeways are too busy for inexperienced drivers most of the time.

[slorydn1]

I took drivers ed in summer school in 1986. Schaumburg Rd took care of the 4 lane with stop lights and turning bays training. Salem Drive and Weathersfield Way did the honors for 2 lane with yellow stripes down the middle, and various side streets like Andrew Lane, Hinkle Lane (etc) took care of residential training.
I-290/IL-53 was where I cut my teeth on the freeway (yeah I know, they're expressways in Chicagoland), though my first long stint on an Interstate as a driver was I-75 from just south of Atlanta GA to somewhere in the first 20 miles or so of the FL Turnpike during a family vacation that following Christmas break. Dad was tired of driving and my mom really didn't really like to so now that I had my licence I had relief driver duty.

[LM117]

I was living in Fremont, NC when I took Driver's Ed in 2004 when I was in 9th grade. The classroom part was in March on every Saturday, which was held in the cafeteria at Charles B. Aycock High School in Pikeville where I attended and the driving part was in June, which consisted of driving a bunch of 2-lane country roads throughout the upper half of Wayne County. Once I got my learner's permit, I drove US-117 between Goldsboro and Wilson (both the current 2-lane alignment and it's former freeway alignment that eventually became I-795) and US-70.

TLDR; Half of Wayne County in NC.

[KeithE4Phx]

Driver training in Bloomington IN (1971) took me on not only the narrow Bloomington streets, but old, winding IN 46 between Bloomington and Nashville, and old, even more winding IN 45 to Unionville.  Most of the driving I did with my dad on weekends was around the IU football stadium, although we did some in-town driving as well, as long as the roads weren't icy.

The 4-lane IN 37 (currently being converted to I-69) was under construction, and wouldn't open until early 1972, so no local expressway driving for us.  We had to drive IN 46 to Columbus, then drive I-65 south almost to Louisville for our "freeway training."

That summer, when I was in northern Wisconsin, I practiced on local roads, including WI 70 and 155, which were just as winding and hilly as those in Bloomington.  By the time I got my real license in March 1972, what few hairs my dad still had were all gray. 

[dgolub]

In terms of driving at all, for me it would be Port Washington Boulevard (NY 101) and West Shore Road (Nassau CR 15).  In terms of driving on highway, the Long Island Expressway (I-495).

[Henry]

For me, it was Ogden Avenue/Old Route 66. As for limited-access driving, it was I-290 (Eisenhower Expressway).

[doorknob60]

Drivers Ed took me on US 74, I-85, and I-277, as well as many surface roads in between

Your driver's ed went on the freeway? Mine only covered local roads, none of which were more than five lanes. I never drove on a road with a speed limit greater than 40 in driver's ed (and that was only one road).

Driver's ed in Bend took us on the Bend Parkway (US-97). 45 MPH speed limit (they actually instructed us to go closer to 50 IIRC, to not be too out of place with traffic speeds) but it's mostly a freeway. Also rural 2 lane roads out to Alfalfa (unsigned 55 MPH, though they told us to try to go 50).