Comments | krasnoludek: driving

krasnoludek

driving

Sep 26, 2011 22:13

Having now driven regularly for more than a month, I have to say, I still don't see why people are so attached to their cars and insist on driving everywhere. It's had its conveniences. For instance, going to Shop Rite would be much more time consuming without the car and we hook it into a sequence of going to the fish store and the beer/wine store ( Read more... )

connecticut, crime, cars, strangers

Comments 10

once_a_banana September 27 2011, 16:55:48 UTC

Cop was too busy looking at your (car's?) big rear end. His anaconda didn't want none unless....

krasnoludek September 28 2011, 12:14:55 UTC

talking about my car's rear end? SPOILER ALERT.

once_a_banana September 29 2011, 05:07:08 UTC

I finally got this! (Uh, let's not count how many hours later...)

krasnoludek September 29 2011, 12:57:50 UTC

silly Mischa

easwaran September 27 2011, 19:39:27 UTC

I've felt basically exactly the same since moving to LA, except that I don't really get the pleasurable moments. Fortunately, I've been able to do most things here with the combination of bike and public transit - groceries are pretty much the main exception. (Matt unfortunately has to drive for his commute.)

krasnoludek September 28 2011, 12:16:37 UTC

having to drive so much every day for my commute forces me to keep positive about what I'm doing, otherwise I'd go crazy. So I take pleasures in the moments the traffic thins out and I can drive more comfortably without worrying about above-said drivers as much.

easwaran September 27 2011, 19:41:08 UTC

And I feel almost exactly that same list of problems when I'm on my bike - it's really annoying when someone zooms past me as if they were annoyed at me holding them up, and then I keep passing them because they're stuck in traffic while I can use the bike lane. And of course, the ones that pass me, then cut me off to turn right are even more annoying.

krasnoludek September 28 2011, 12:17:16 UTC

that's true. A lot of this bad behavior isn't just bad for other drivers but for operators of other vehicles and pedestrians as well.

rdore September 28 2011, 08:49:04 UTC

I agree with most of your complaints. I also feel generally Connecticut is the least pleasant state to drive in.

why on my route, when the speed limit is 65, everyone drives 75-80. Then the three times when the speed limit drops down to 55 -- with big yellow signs announcing the lower speed limit ahead of time -- everyone still drives 75-80.

Was there actually a good reason for the speed limit to drop to 55?

krasnoludek September 28 2011, 12:22:58 UTC

There are exactly four places where the speed limit is lower than 65.

1. I-91 in New Haven. Speed limit is 50. Lots of exits whose on/off ramps overlap. In order to get on/off I appreciate the lower limit and there's at least 4 (or 5?) lanes so people passing through can stay in the fast lanes.

2. I-91 junction with 691 around Middletown/Meriden. The main reason for this, I think, is the highway drops to two lanes from three so now trucks are forced to be in all lanes and so that they can maneuver safely, the overall speed limit drops to 55.

3. I-91 through Hartford. Drops to 55, then 50 briefly as you're passing directly through the city. Lots of interchanges with I-84 that clog up regularly, so this drop down makes total sense.

4. I-91 right before Springfield. There's a winding portion which narrows down to 2 lanes and has a few exits. If the speed limit were higher than 45 there, there would be lots of accidents. It grows to 55 through the city.