Roads/highways you feel unsafe driving on

[Alps]

How about Business US 41 in Tampa north of Downtown and south of US 92 where Florida Avenue is one way NB?  I did not feel comfortable there and was driving real fast and ready to run lights if I had to.

South Orange Avenue in Newark, NJ feels scary as I was the only whiite driver on the street.  What got me scared was that in South Orange to the west, its an upscale  community and has Seton Hall University.  At one point all the people you see driving with you disappear and all of a sudden you have African Americans.  No one bothered me, I have to say, but you figure people from the suburbs of Newark must go Downtown sometime and South Orange Avenue is the most direct route to the city from Livingston and South Orange.  So, there must be something that would cause people from the burbs to avoid that section of South Orange Avenue from Downtown to the City limit.

You forgot the standard "I am not a racist" disclaimer that goes along with all racist posts.

[mjb2002]

South Carolina 70 between Denmark and Orangeburg. There was a(nother) fatal accident on that highway just two and a half weeks ago.

Also, SC 3 between Springfield and Swansea for the same reason.

[Dr Frankenstein]

As of last Saturday, Anacostia takes the crown as the worst hood I've been through. We had to stop for gas late at night while clinching I-/DC/MD 295. No time was wasted.

[hbelkins]

As of last Saturday, Anacostia takes the crown as the worst hood I've been through. We had to stop for gas late at night while clinching I-/DC/MD 295. No time was wasted.

We were in part of Anacostia during the DC meet back in the spring. The part we were in didn't look particularly "hood-ish" to me. Yes, the majority of the population visible on the street had dark skin, but it looked as if the neighborhood had undergone a revitalization of sorts and was one of those quaint little areas you'll find in many cities with restaurants, shops, etc. It didn't appear unsafe to me at all.

[kphoger]

As of last Saturday, Anacostia takes the crown as the worst hood I've been through. We had to stop for gas late at night while clinching I-/DC/MD 295. No time was wasted.

My favorites are always the gas stations where you pay the attendant through a bullet-proof window.....

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

The Crater Lake West Rim Drive, and to a lesser extent the East Rim Drive. No guardrails or signs to warn you of the thousand foot dropoffs just inches from the edge of pavement. Take care while driving 'cause an errant move could mean being stuck in a ravine (at best) for quite a while.

[Special K]

As of last Saturday, Anacostia takes the crown as the worst hood I've been through. We had to stop for gas late at night while clinching I-/DC/MD 295. No time was wasted.

We were in part of Anacostia during the DC meet back in the spring. The part we were in didn't look particularly "hood-ish" to me. Yes, the majority of the population visible on the street had dark skin, but it looked as if the neighborhood had undergone a revitalization of sorts and was one of those quaint little areas you'll find in many cities with restaurants, shops, etc. It didn't appear unsafe to me at all.

That's amazing.  A predominantly black neighborhood that actually looked safe?  I'll have to think on that.

[NE2]

That's amazing.  A predominantly black neighborhood that actually looked safe?  I'll have to think on that.

Is Tiger Woods' house large enough to qualify as its own neighborhood?

[agentsteel53]

Is Tiger Woods' house large enough to qualify as its own neighborhood?

no way, the per-capita crime rates are through the roof.

[1995hoo]

As of last Saturday, Anacostia takes the crown as the worst hood I've been through. We had to stop for gas late at night while clinching I-/DC/MD 295. No time was wasted.

We were in part of Anacostia during the DC meet back in the spring. The part we were in didn't look particularly "hood-ish" to me. Yes, the majority of the population visible on the street had dark skin, but it looked as if the neighborhood had undergone a revitalization of sorts and was one of those quaint little areas you'll find in many cities with restaurants, shops, etc. It didn't appear unsafe to me at all.

That's amazing.  A predominantly black neighborhood that actually looked safe?  I'll have to think on that.

Anacostia is a bit of a crapshoot. Some areas look OK. Others qualify as, to borrow a phrase from Bruce Springsteen, "the part of town where when you hit a red light you don't stop." The real issue is when you're there. I don't worry about driving through pretty much any of Southeast DC during the day, but I'll drive 20 miles out of the way rather than go down some of those streets late at night.

I'm guessing the areas they saw on the DC meet are near the 11th Street Bridge project. That area's not too bad. The proximity to the Metrorail station helps.

[Dr Frankenstein]

As of last Saturday, Anacostia takes the crown as the worst hood I've been through. We had to stop for gas late at night while clinching I-/DC/MD 295. No time was wasted.

We were in part of Anacostia during the DC meet back in the spring. The part we were in didn't look particularly "hood-ish" to me. Yes, the majority of the population visible on the street had dark skin, but it looked as if the neighborhood had undergone a revitalization of sorts and was one of those quaint little areas you'll find in many cities with restaurants, shops, etc. It didn't appear unsafe to me at all.

Probably not the same area.

[Laura]

As of last Saturday, Anacostia takes the crown as the worst hood I've been through. We had to stop for gas late at night while clinching I-/DC/MD 295. No time was wasted.

We were in part of Anacostia during the DC meet back in the spring. The part we were in didn't look particularly "hood-ish" to me. Yes, the majority of the population visible on the street had dark skin, but it looked as if the neighborhood had undergone a revitalization of sorts and was one of those quaint little areas you'll find in many cities with restaurants, shops, etc. It didn't appear unsafe to me at all.

Probably not the same area.

Definitely not the same area. This is where we (me, Carl, Mike) were with 1 mile's worth of gas left in the tank: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=4700+South+Capitol+Street+Southeast,+Washington,+DC&hl=en&ll=38.82186,-77.001323&spn=0.001567,0.003278&sll=38.822992,-77.00429&sspn=0.006269,0.013111&hnear=4700+South+Capitol+St+SE,+Washington,+District+of+Columbia+20032&t=m&z=18

(For the record, this was 100% my fault)

Living in Baltimore means that half of the roads are unsafe, especially at night. I mostly feel okay on major thoroughfares, but there are certain neighborhoods where I would never ever drive on the tertiary roads. It just screams suspicion.

Anyway, I've listed my top 5 sketchiest in Baltimore.


5. "The Block" - Baltimore Street. If it isn't closed off already that night.
4. MS 129 - Druid Hill Ave. Something about this street late at night gave me the heebie geebies.
3. Any of the North/South Streets in East Baltimore, north of US 40 (Broadway, Wolfe, Milton, etc.) An aquaintance friend of mine (who was admittingly up to no good) got robbed in this area. Long story short, he was with a friend, and in an effort to miss hitting people in the middle of the street, the friend swerved and hit a parked car instead. Then,  the group of people came over to the accident scene and robbed them. Unfortunately, his recollection of what happened and where was confusing, but that he remembered being near 40.
2. US 1 - West North Ave (west of Eutaw Place) lots of abandoned, boarded up buildings.
1. US 1 - Fulton and Monroe Aves. One night, Mike and I were driving and definitely saw police tape and a car blocked off. We think someone shot at the car. We didn't wait around to find out.


Bonus: Routes where I feel debatable at night:
MD 372 Wilkins Ave
US 1 - West North Ave (east of Eutaw Place), East North Ave, Belair road up to 25th street.
MD 140
Hilton Pkwy
Greenmount Ave below 29th Street

[Special K]

That's amazing.  A predominantly black neighborhood that actually looked safe?  I'll have to think on that.

Is Tiger Woods' house large enough to qualify as its own neighborhood?

Tiger isn't predominantly black.

[Duke87]

That's amazing.  A predominantly black neighborhood that actually looked safe?  I'll have to think on that.

Is Tiger Woods' house large enough to qualify as its own neighborhood?

Tiger isn't predominantly black.

True, he's also white and orange.

[hbelkins]

Definitely not the same area. This is where we (me, Carl, Mike) were with 1 mile's worth of gas left in the tank: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=4700+South+Capitol+Street+Southeast,+Washington,+DC&hl=en&ll=38.82186,-77.001323&spn=0.001567,0.003278&sll=38.822992,-77.00429&sspn=0.006269,0.013111&hnear=4700+South+Capitol+St+SE,+Washington,+District+of+Columbia+20032&t=m&z=18

That looks to be a bit south of where we were.

You spoke of Baltimore ... my wife had an interesting experience in Baltimore several years ago trying to find some landmark having to do with the inspiration behind your city's pro football team. She had a small video camera and was trying to shoot some video of the neighborhood when someone yelled at her and told her to quit shooting video. It shook her up pretty badly.

[bugo]

You guys are wussies.  I used to drive Prospect Avenue in Kansas City every day and nothing ever happened.  I also drive through the 61st and Peoria ghetto in Tulsa all the time, sometimes at night, and I've never felt scared.

[cpzilliacus]

As of last Saturday, Anacostia takes the crown as the worst hood I've been through. We had to stop for gas late at night while clinching I-/DC/MD 295. No time was wasted.

We were in part of Anacostia during the DC meet back in the spring. The part we were in didn't look particularly "hood-ish" to me. Yes, the majority of the population visible on the street had dark skin, but it looked as if the neighborhood had undergone a revitalization of sorts and was one of those quaint little areas you'll find in many cities with restaurants, shops, etc. It didn't appear unsafe to me at all.

And it's interesting to note that Anacostia is where the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is building its new headquarters complex.

[kphoger]

You guys are wussies.  I used to drive Prospect Avenue in Kansas City every day and nothing ever happened.  I also drive through the 61st and Peoria ghetto in Tulsa all the time, sometimes at night, and I've never felt scared.

I work for a cable contractor.  As far as I know, Tulsa is the only city in which one of our cable technicians got shot.  It was a brand-new house in a nice neighborhood, and the folks hadn't even really moved in yet–the house was pretty much empty except for the car in the garage.  Masked men armed with assault weapons stormed in the door, and our cable guy got winged by a bullet while he was trying to escape the line of fire in the half bathroom.  He's fine, but it's a heck of a story to tell new hires. 

Another one of our techs was carjacked in Tulsa, with a supervisor parked right behind him on the street.  He says he actually prefers Tulsa's rough neighborhoods over the nicer ones:  when you're the cable guy, you're everyone's hero because all the neighbors will get to watch the game.  That was before we started doing disconnects there, though....  Those are a little dicier, especially after dark.

Definitely not the same area. This is where we (me, Carl, Mike) were with 1 mile's worth of gas left in the tank: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=4700+South+Capitol+Street+Southeast,+Washington,+DC&hl=en&ll=38.82186,-77.001323&spn=0.001567,0.003278&sll=38.822992,-77.00429&sspn=0.006269,0.013111&hnear=4700+South+Capitol+St+SE,+Washington,+District+of+Columbia+20032&t=m&z=18

That looks to be a bit south of where we were.

You spoke of Baltimore ... my wife had an interesting experience in Baltimore several years ago trying to find some landmark having to do with the inspiration behind your city's pro football team. She had a small video camera and was trying to shoot some video of the neighborhood when someone yelled at her and told her to quit shooting video. It shook her up pretty badly.

Statistically, Baltimore is a fairly violent city.  It averages around 40 homicides per 100,000 population; Compton (CA) averages around 42, and Tijuana (BC) posted 53 in 2010.

[agentsteel53]

I work for a cable contractor.  As far as I know, Tulsa is the only city in which one of our cable technicians got shot.  It was a brand-new house in a nice neighborhood, and the folks hadn't even really moved in yet–the house was pretty much empty except for the car in the garage.  Masked men armed with assault weapons stormed in the door, and our cable guy got winged by a bullet while he was trying to escape the line of fire in the half bathroom.  He's fine, but it's a heck of a story to tell new hires. 

I wonder what the motive was behind that break-in... something weird involving drugs, I'll bet.

thanks, Richard Nixon!

[kphoger]

I work for a cable contractor.  As far as I know, Tulsa is the only city in which one of our cable technicians got shot.  It was a brand-new house in a nice neighborhood, and the folks hadn't even really moved in yet—the house was pretty much empty except for the car in the garage.  Masked men armed with assault weapons stormed in the door, and our cable guy got winged by a bullet while he was trying to escape the line of fire in the half bathroom.  He's fine, but it's a heck of a story to tell new hires. 

I wonder what the motive was behind that break-in... something weird involving drugs, I'll bet.

thanks, Richard Nixon!

I'm not sure, exactly.  It was a large, nice house, with an expensive car in the lit-up garage.  They might have expected there to be more loot to steal, and not to find a near-totally empty house.  The customer decided to cancel their cable subscription, and ended up not moving into the house.

[achilles765]

FM 1093 between Chimney Rock and Highway 99.

You mean Westheimer?  What Makes you feel unsafe driving down Westheimer through that area?  Is it that it looks seedy and sketchy?

[roadman65]

I-4 and its infamous Fairbanks Curves.  I think FDOT is doing something about making it safer as many accidents have occured there, however several miles to the east on I-4 the ramp to I-95 north has had its share of overturned vehicles due to not slowing down around its very tight curve.  FDOT has narrowed it down to single lane, and have not heard many road closeures on traffic reports since that has been done, so I assume it has helped that situation there.

I really have no concern for myself driving the Fairbanks Curve, but I feel unsafe at times when other people put it to the test and hope that no one hits me or causes me to crash there.

[LA_MetroMan]

The worst ones are the ones where ALL the drivers but me are going the wrong way.  I HATE those highways.