Local Driving

Discussion in 'Travel & Vacation' started by Peter Renfro, Nov 13, 2020.

  1. Peter Renfro

    Peter Renfro Veteran Member
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    Just out of curiosity, Do you use an interstate of freeway in your daily driving? When my daughter lived in Valdosta, she would use interstate to get across town.
    I am at least thirty miles from the nearest interstate and I may not be on one from year to year.
    Also how fast do you drive?
    On my rare excursions onto an interstate I keep up with traffic. Regular state highway with a 55 limit I will traval a max of 62 if there is other traffic, if not around 53. On town and local roads around 35 to 45. I adjust accordingly as not to bother other traffic.
    Pisses me off when people do not drive 55 on a clear open surface. 55 is not at all fast. Modern vehicles are designed to far surpass that speed under almost any circumstance. If your vehicle or yorself are not in good enough shape to maintain 55, I suggest you find a driver!
     
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  2. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    Since this pandemic started, we haven't driven on a freeway at all. We just don't go anywhere, right now, where we'd need to take a freeway.

    Where we live, where there are many Senior retirees. The young drivers here want to go as much as 15 mph over the speed limit and can get upset at the Seniors for driving the speed limit or 5 over. One young food delivery driver told me, last summer, "I just wish all of these old folks would just sell their homes and move out of my city. This is my generations city, not theirs!" Yes, we have some confliction in the Generations!
     
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  3. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    We are in town, and never go anywhere that we need to go out on the freeway to get to. The freeway does go from Huntsville to Madison, but it is shorter and just as quick to take the back road if we need to go to Madison, and we seldom ever go there anymore anyway. Everything we need seems to be close by, so it is just not an issue.
     
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  4. Nancy Hart

    Nancy Hart Veteran Member
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    There is a 4-lane loop around our town. I use part of it almost every time I go out. The newest section has a 65 mph limit. I also keep up with the speed limit, not to irritate people. It irritates people if you drive the limit on the 55 mph section, so I always keep up with those on the the right lane, stay out of the passing lane.

    If you drive the speed limit on the rural roads here it seems to make people crazy. They will pass on a yellow line if you drive 55 for very long. I try to keep it up to 60.

    This part of Georgia has rolling hills, most of the 2 lane roads have very little shoulder area. If you were forced off the road at high speed it would almost guarantee a roll over. I've seen several roll overs, just on a little 10 mile strip I drive only 2 or 3 times a week. I bet insurance rates are higher in this area.
     
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  5. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Unless I am in a hurry, which rarely happens anymore, or the interstate is the simplest way to get to where I am going, I will generally take the backroads. When my wife is along, I take the interstate or tollway, depending on where we are, because she'll drive a hundred miles out of her way to take the interstate, and if I opt for a local road while she's along, she'll complain about every bump and every construction zone, and it's not worth the quarrel to point out that there are construction zones on the interstate too.

    Otherwise, if on vacation, I'd like the trip to be part of the vacation too, and would rather not spend it bumper-to-bumper on the tollway.

    There is a twelve-mile stretch between Millinocket and East Millinocket where the speed limit is 55, yet invariably I will be behind someone going 40 miles an hour. Then, when we get to East Millinocket, where there is a 25 mph speed limit, they will continue driving 40 miles an hour, and anyone behind me will tailgate me if I do the speed limit.
     
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    Last edited: Nov 13, 2020
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  6. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    My house is about a mile north of I64, but there is no access point on that road...it merely passes over the highway.

    One entrance to I64 is 2 miles east of me, and the other entrance is 5 miles west of me. The vast majority of my driving is on the old legacy east/west highway, which is 55MPH. I64 is 70MPH, but many folks do 80MPH as traffic permits.

    About every 7-10 days I'll drive 20 miles west to Charlottesville, but even then it's a coin toss as to whether I take I64 or the legacy 55 MPH highway (their paths only diverge for 12 miles of the trip, then all other roads are the same.) Most of the time I prefer the casual drive of the legacy highway versus the frenetic idiots on the interstate. The interstate is only 2 lanes each direction, and you get jerks who come rushing up behind you, so you pull over to let them pass, and they come along side and match your speed, effectively blocking you in. As you said, Peter, there are those who insist on going well under the speed limit (you can feel the fear), then there are those who weave in and out at high speeds without even signaling. Neither of them is safe to be around.

    The upside to the legacy "one lane each direction" highway is that it is a much more casual pace. The scenery is nicer because it passes houses, farms, and the businesses that sprung up along side it. But best of all, if I want to go faster than the guy in front of me, I can always get around him at the next passing zone. No such option exists on interstates...you're pretty much stuck doing what everyone around you is doing. But since it's such a nice drive, I really don't care if I'm going 5MPH below the limit. And my mileage is significantly better at 55MPH than at 70MPH/80MPH. Regarding travel time, I just did the math. I save less than 3 minutes by using the interstate versus the legacy highway for that 12 mile stretch. Doing 80MPH on the interstate the entire stretch (not really possible) saves 4 minutes.

    I have always chosen the old legacy highways when I could. I grew up near DC and lived 100 miles south in Richmond for a few years in my late teens/early 20s. Even at that age I took legacy Route 1 back north (and south) to visit my friends rather than the insane I95. When you get on I95, you can be doing 85MPH and have cars following so closely you cannot see their front bumper in your rear view mirror. (I recall my brother once driving the 100 miles door-to-door in just over an hour, and that includes some side streets.) The extra travel time has always been well worth increasing my safety and reducing my stress level.
     
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    Last edited: Nov 13, 2020
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  7. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    I live in the Houston metro area, so freeways are a dime a dozen... and you had better be moving at least the speed limit. People drive fast and furious around here.

    Is that Valdosta GA? (I'm originally from that area.) It's not exactly a huge metropolis but I-75 runs along the edge of the town.
     
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  8. Al Amoling

    Al Amoling Veteran Member
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    When I worked in Boston, I left the house about 5am and the traffic going in to Boston was running usually 70-75MPH. ON the was home the traffic on the interstate was 90-95mph
    I only occasionally use the interstate now byuy the speed limit is 70 and I'm comfortable at that speed.
     
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  9. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    When driving long distances on the freeway or tollway, I generally stick to the middle lane at nine miles over the posted speed limit. In the right lane, I have to contend with everyone entering the freeway and exit-only lanes sneaking up on me. In the fast lane, people want to go faster than I do. In places where everyone is driving twenty miles over the speed limit, I'll do that. I'm not afraid of driving fast. We have 75 mph speed limits here and I usually drive 84 mph.
     
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  10. Hedi Mitchell

    Hedi Mitchell Supreme Member
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    Nope .Don't do highways. I take service roads next to highway. Easier and safer to me. My hubby has done most of the driving for years. He uses highway only when necessary or take toll road and avoid much traffic.
    We go speed limit.
     
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  11. Cody Fousnaugh

    Cody Fousnaugh Supreme Member
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    Do the speed limit here and you will be either: tail-gated by a young person, that young person will go around you at a high speed or you will create a traffic accident. Young people here have even complained to local newspaper about Senior drivers here.
     
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  12. Von Jones

    Von Jones Supreme Member
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    I avoid highways but I don't mind driving the state routes. I usually drive the speed limits plus 5 miles over. There is always patrol cars lurking because people around here just drive fast.

    I behooves me that when I'm in the right lane someone wants to tailgate me so I started putting on my emergency lights so they will either back off or go around me.:rolleyes:
     
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  13. Terry Coywin

    Terry Coywin Veteran Member
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    It is almost impossible to avoid highways in my state unless one sticks to ones own town.
     
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  14. Trevalius Guyus

    Trevalius Guyus Veteran Member
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    I'm in Austin, a town that's acknowledged to have some of the worst traffic in the world. I have to use the expressways, for work, and now, many of the formerly free roads have turned into tollroads.

    In truth, I don't understand how this could happen, legally, as my taxes paid to build the non-toll roads. Were I a younger guy, I'd organize a huge protest movement to dismantle the converted roads, but that's not going to happen.

    I have satellite radio, so when I'm stuck in traffic, a daily Austin experience, I just turn on something interesting, and take it easy. My four years of driving Yellow Cab, in Chicago, prepared me well for horrible traffic. Don't sweat, you'll get there, eventually.
     
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