Man I hate traffic jams

[Abominable]

On the other end are the freaked out people who go 20mph for 50miles and are too scared or brain dead to occasionally pull over and let traffic pass (ahem, the "me first" crowd?).

This is the worst. People are so conditioned to the rules they can't think logically outside of the box, so to speak. I drive slowly a lot of times, looking for a fishing spot, looking at wildlife, just unfamiliar with a place, and I will always throw a blinker on at a straightaway and let someone with local plates fly on by. Most people just have no situational awareness... and when I flash my lights to let them know I'm coming by all of a sudden I'm the asshole.

If you've ever driven in a less developed country (or more rural parts of our own?), you know that things are much more relaxed (regulation wise), and therefore somehow communication and understanding is so much better. Somehow some places can get keep traffic flowing just fine with farm machinery and old decrepit trucks sharing a one lane road with high performance sedans, but here people are just stupidly attached to the "rules".

(Having said that I'm well aware that accident rates are probably much higher in, say, Mexico.)

Billski, glad you had a good day at Bromley Sunday. We stuck around Magic for the flags but had to hit the road before you got there. Ended up overnighting in Brattleboro and hitting a half day at the mighty Sundown Monday. Sounds like a good call with all these traffic reports, although it wasn't quite the pow-fest I was expecting.

 

[SkiFanE]

This is the worst. People are so conditioned to the rules they can't think logically outside of the box, so to speak. I drive slowly a lot of times, looking for a fishing spot, looking at wildlife, just unfamiliar with a place, and I will always throw a blinker on at a straightaway and let someone with local plates fly on by. Most people just have no situational awareness... and when I flash my lights to let them know I'm coming by all of a sudden I'm the asshole.

If you've ever driven in a less developed country (or more rural parts of our own?), you know that things are much more relaxed (regulation wise), and therefore somehow communication and understanding is so much better. Somehow some places can get keep traffic flowing just fine with farm machinery and old decrepit trucks sharing a one lane road with high performance sedans, but here people are just stupidly attached to the "rules".

(Having said that I'm well aware that accident rates are probably much higher in, say, Mexico.)

Billski, glad you had a good day at Bromley Sunday. We stuck around Magic for the flags but had to hit the road before you got there. Ended up overnighting in Brattleboro and hitting a half day at the mighty Sundown Monday. Sounds like a good call with all these traffic reports, although it wasn't quite the pow-fest I was expecting.

I've taken a few trips to Colombia, SA - and us civilized folks would at first go "wtf"? There maybe street signs, but they are not enforced. it's almost like anarchy. But after a few trips...I realized they are much more civilized \. Because there are few "rules" - everyone is much more relaxed about things. Here, you "cut someone off", and you'll get a finger and a beep. There...well...yeah...there was an open spot in front of me, you took it and that's just fine. When there's a spot in front of you, I'll take it. There is no perceived "ownership" of your place on the road like there is in the US, so there is no anger and fuming. They also have lots of traffic (in Bogota you can only be on the road odd/even days depending on your license #)...but the calmness of the people made it so much more bearable...even while they are buzzing in/out of traffic lanes lol.

 

[Geoff]

I've taken a few trips to Colombia, SA - and us civilized folks would at first go "wtf"? There maybe street signs, but they are not enforced. it's almost like anarchy. But after a few trips...I realized they are much more civilized \. Because there are few "rules" - everyone is much more relaxed about things. Here, you "cut someone off", and you'll get a finger and a beep. There...well...yeah...there was an open spot in front of me, you took it and that's just fine. When there's a spot in front of you, I'll take it. There is no perceived "ownership" of your place on the road like there is in the US, so there is no anger and fuming. They also have lots of traffic (in Bogota you can only be on the road odd/even days depending on your license #)...but the calmness of the people made it so much more bearable...even while they are buzzing in/out of traffic lanes lol.

I've driven in southern Malaysia when I was working in Singapore. The roads in that part of the country are narrow and quite primitive. Their driving rules are basically the laws of physics. Small cars yield to big trucks & buses. Expensive cars yield to beaters. It was just like Boston so I felt quite at home.

<----- Telecommuter: I don't miss those Friday night and Sunday night drives from hell. Now, if I have a business trip, I change the dates because I know my flights won't go. My snow driving is pretty much limited to the town of Killington.

The worst I ever remember was a Friday night where Vermont Route 4 was completely stopped for a couple of hours because the Sherburne Pass was closed with freezing rain. I was stopped on the speed trap section between Bridgewater and the Long Trail Brewery. From what I heard later from others stuck ahead of me, the traffic was backed up 8 miles all the way to the church at the bottom of the hill in Killington. I got out of the car and slid down to the guardrail on the Ottaquechee River side of the road. I had to crawl back to the car on hands & knees. It wasn't possible to walk on it. After an hour or so, a salt truck came by in the eastbound lane and the traffic started moving again. Like everybody else, I've had lots of long, slow drives but that's the only time I remember being completely stopped for more than an hour.

 

[4aprice]

Anyone else on 87 Sunday night? 6 1/2 hours to get home from Windham, should take 3 1/4 "normally." Tons of accidents.

Took us about 3 1/2 from exit 24(Albany, Northway) to 15 (287 NJ).

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[twinplanx]

There is one simple "rule" that would greatly reduce my frustration if enforced. STAY RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS. MoFo cloggers are a greater obstruction then a snow/slush covered roadway!

 

[billski]

There is one simple "rule" that would greatly reduce my frustration if enforced. STAY RIGHT EXPECT TO PASS. MoFo cloggers are a greater obstruction then snow/slush a covered roadway!

That is culturally incompatible around here. I come from away and feel your PO-ness. Remember the mantra, "me first".
On three lane highways, there is a protocol: right lane is for exits and entrances only. left lane is for those who drive like hell and want to be at least 20mph over the limit. Middle lane is for everyone else.

 

[hammer]

There is one simple "rule" that would greatly reduce my frustration if enforced. STAY RIGHT EXPECT TO PASS. MoFo cloggers are a greater obstruction then snow/slush a covered roadway!

Don't people in NJ get ticketed for not staying right except to pass? That's one thing I try to be careful about when going south to visit family.

 

[gmcunni]

Don't people in NJ get ticketed for not staying right except to pass? That's one thing I try to be careful about when going south to visit family.

mass has been cracking down on this but in a snow storm all bets are off

 

[ctenidae]

It took me an hour to drive 7.5 miles home last night. 4 of it was on 95, between Greenwich and Stamford. That sucked. Lots of slow driving. Granted, it was icy, but come on. I have a rear wheel drive twin turbo V-8, and I wa getting annoyed at how slow people were going.

Speed isn't so much the issue I concern myself with so much. Instead, I pay attention to gaps- obviously, when it's slick you need to leave a bigger gap. Unfortunately, when it snows I assume people's brains are turned off, because they'll wing into spaces they wouldn't when it's dry. So, I leave a bigger gap.

 

[bluebird]

It took me an hour to drive 7.5 miles home last night.

That sounds like traffic in Maryland/ Virginia when they get snow. Had the misfortune to have our flight out of BWI cancelled during one of the storms last month and it took 1.5 hrs to drive the 8-9 miles to a hotel (airport hotels were full).

93 from Concord to Manchester was slow going Sunday night.

 

[legalskier]

There is one simple "rule" that would greatly reduce my frustration if enforced. STAY RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS. MoFo cloggers are a greater obstruction then a snow/slush covered roadway!

+1
That thought kept looping through my head Sunday evening.

 

[Glenn]

Long rides up to VT and back...even without weather. Guess there's one small downside to having all this snow....

 

[legalskier]

 

[Edd]

Wow, that's horrifying.

 

[hammer]

Is there one that's played at normal speed?

 

[legalskier]

Is there one that's played at normal speed?

That's what I thought, until I saw this-
http://www.jrn.com/tmj4/news/Multiple-crash-scenes-reported-on-area-freeways-234963351.html