Business Crowded Expressways.

[Alex]

Well, hmmm, I guess I am the only one. But I do like being stuck in traffic too. So, I guess I'm just different.

Why do you like being stuck in traffic BigMatt?

I don't know. I just like sitting and looking. I know I'm A LOT different than other people on here, but hey, who wants to be like everyone else?? Not me.
BigMatt

Remember this thread?

[allniter89]

Well, I live in a town of about 100,000 (count Goodfellow AFB, Angelo State University, and illegals) then we have a total of near 100,000. So the only traffic we have is if we have a huge wreck. But I do figure my opinion on traffic will change. I still like seeing the businesses, I'll drive during a work time so I don't have to go through traffic, until I'm used to driving in traffic. Heh heh, I start drivers ed or whatever, in December
BigMatt

How many hours or days is your drivers ed course BigMatt? Is it thru your school or does TX require it to get your dl?
If whoever teaches the course teaches as it should be taught the drivers ed course will help you ALOT in understanding the way to drive safely and defensively, driving defensly, ie atticipating what the other drivers might do will take you a long way staying out of accidents! From my driv ed course waaaay back in 1969 (darn thats a lon time ago, lol) I to this day anticipate that a driver on a side road is going to pull out in front of me. In 41 yrs of driving (daaarn thats a long time ago) I've never had an accident where someone hit me. I have screwedd up a few times and wrecked my own car but thats another story.

[bugo]

One of the more poorly-designed ones I've seen is along the US 67 freeway north of Little Rock up to Jacksonville. I'm not sure whether it's still this way, but in the 90s the frontage roads along the freeway were two-way. This meant that traffic exiting and entering the freeway had to cross traffic going the other direction.

They were converted to one-way about 10 years or so ago.  Same with the frontage roads on I-30 west from LR to Benton.

[BigMattFromTexas]

Well, I live in a town of about 100,000 (count Goodfellow AFB, Angelo State University, and illegals) then we have a total of near 100,000. So the only traffic we have is if we have a huge wreck. But I do figure my opinion on traffic will change. I still like seeing the businesses, I'll drive during a work time so I don't have to go through traffic, until I'm used to driving in traffic. Heh heh, I start drivers ed or whatever, in December
BigMatt

How many hours or days is your drivers ed course BigMatt? Is it thru your school or does TX require it to get your dl?
If whoever teaches the course teaches as it should be taught the drivers ed course will help you ALOT in understanding the way to drive safely and defensively, driving defensly, ie atticipating what the other drivers might do will take you a long way staying out of accidents! From my driv ed course waaaay back in 1969 (darn thats a lon time ago, lol) I to this day anticipate that a driver on a side road is going to pull out in front of me. In 41 yrs of driving (daaarn thats a long time ago) I've never had an accident where someone hit me. I have screwedd up a few times and wrecked my own car but thats another story.

I don't know how long it is, but my parents are doing my drivers ed stuff. So I'm sure I'll learn good? That didn't make sense did it? Haha, but I'm at least gonna have freeway experience cause of Houston Harte Expressway here.
BigMatt

[huskeroadgeek]

One of the more poorly-designed ones I've seen is along the US 67 freeway north of Little Rock up to Jacksonville. I'm not sure whether it's still this way, but in the 90s the frontage roads along the freeway were two-way. This meant that traffic exiting and entering the freeway had to cross traffic going the other direction.

They were converted to one-way about 10 years or so ago.  Same with the frontage roads on I-30 west from LR to Benton.

Good. I thought I remembered hearing something back then about changing the configuration, but I've only been through there a few times since then and hadn't had a chance to check it out myself.

[BigMattFromTexas]

The access roads for Houston Harte Expressway, are one way. I'm not a big fan of two way access roads.
BigMatt

[corco]

Well, I live in a town of about 100,000 (count Goodfellow AFB, Angelo State University, and illegals) then we have a total of near 100,000. So the only traffic we have is if we have a huge wreck. But I do figure my opinion on traffic will change. I still like seeing the businesses, I'll drive during a work time so I don't have to go through traffic, until I'm used to driving in traffic. Heh heh, I start drivers ed or whatever, in December

100,000? That's plenty traffic for you to get used to driving in real traffic. I learned to drive 100 miles from a four lane road, and had driven on one a grand total of twice before it was time for me to go to school in Seattle (at which point I got in the car, drove to Seattle, and figured it out).

[BigMattFromTexas]

Well, I think the busiest road in San Angelo is Sherwood Way (Business US 67), so if I drive on that with no problem I think I'll be fine on the expressway, I'll just have to know all the things like exiting, entering, merging, but I already know all of that, so. I think I'll do fine. \

Now back on topic, even though San Angelo doesn't have sound walls on any of our highways (yet), I don't like seeing them, I just like to see everything that's not on the highway. Because if I'm new to a city, I like to look around, but when I'm driving I'm sure I won't be looking around like I have been as a teenager.
BigMatt

[TheStranger]

Now back on topic, even though San Angelo doesn't have sound walls on any of our highways (yet), I don't like seeing them, I just like to see everything that's not on the highway. Because if I'm new to a city, I like to look around, but when I'm driving I'm sure I won't be looking around like I have been as a teenager.
BigMatt

Yeah, I think soundwalls sometimes make you feel like you're in a concrete canyon where you can't see anything.

Garish massive signs (i.e. the infamous Gemco sign in Pleasant Hill off of 680 that was around years ago) are one thing, but being able just to have an idea of where you are by visual cues is nice.

And sometimes soundwalls serve to prevent you from realizing how unappealing the area is, which is true in parts of metro Sacramento.