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50 worst bottlenecks, traffic jams, hoo-do, voo-do more money will fix it parking lot

Haven't looked at the link yet, but I'm confident that none are within 300-350 miles of our place. Maybe 600 if Spokane isn't on the list.
 
The author said Austin at #10 was one of the surprises.

Upper/lower deck of I-35 thru downtown...yeah, been a place to avoid for a long time. Drove a lot of city vehicles and down that stretch but avoided on bikes always as it is big rig heavy and narrow.

Go Interstate Highway system as most on the list seem to have an I in the name
 
To get to my sister-in-law's house in Chicago we go thru #1.

Traffic is one of the things I dislike the most. It can ruin what would otherwise be a good quality of life. When I rode to Vintage Days in Birmingham last month I passed thru KC, St. Louis and Nashville within 24 hours; two of them in rush hour traffic. I cannot understand how people who go through that twice a day every work day can put up with it.
 
I'm kinda rusty on the rest of the country. Boston.....for a city that thinks a lot of itself, it only takes a flat tire to paralyze it. OK, sometimes it's a truck too tall for it's GPS overpass :eek
It's really hard to get around. When they were thinking of holding the Olympics here I was thinking :scratch
OM
 
I hate the Chicago area, even when traffic is moving along okay. It just feels too kamikaze to me.

Harry
 
akbeemer said:
I cannot understand how people who go through that twice a day every work day can put up with it.
Click to expand...

In today's work world, you either live in an area with multiple employers to have some financial security or you take a risk on living in a less populated place with few employers. We tell ourselves that young people don't have any loyalty, but then we reward management for quickly right-sizing at any change in the stock market.

Yep, the young folks have to live in that world.
 
After living in Houston and commuting I-45 in my youth, I found alternates to the insanity of the clogged Interstate, which I crossed under with a smile everyday...and made time compared to the herd creeping along.

CA is just insane near the big cities and I plan trips thru them as off hours or direction as possible.The alternates are there, but not much better during the rush hours.

Are there no alternatives in the NE:scratch
 
I live in a beach tourist town, surface streets and highway 1 can be grid lock often during our summer season. During my works days I took a route 4 times longer to work than the highway route. How sad for me on my motorcycle, it was super twisty two lane Redwood tree lined delight that I looked forward to commuting on twice a day by motorcycle or bicycle.:dance. I miss my commute.


I get around town twice as fast as any car on one of my bicycles. I even cart around my two grandkids on my cargo bike with the 750w mid drive motor I put on it. I take it easy with them on it as I deliver them to and from school and to their after school sports and classes for that big orange beast will hit almost 30 mph on the flats !
 
henzilla said:
Are there no alternatives in the NE:scratch
Click to expand...

While we have high population densities in the cities, a 1-hr drive away (50~60 miles) from the city center usually puts you in the middle of nowhere. By the time you're in the middle of upstate NY or PA, it's pretty much Kansas. Happily, 1-hr outside of NYC, means you've escaped the whole state of NJ.

The issue is one of Suburban sprawl which has engulfed and overwhelmed the beltways, as demonstrated by Atlanta, Wash. DC (I-495), Philly & NYC (I-287).
 
Yes there are numerous good places to ride back east. The issue, in my opinion is that the islands of riding joy are all too often separated by areas of urban sprawl and traffic congestion. In this part of country one could easily ride 800-900 miles and not encounter anything other than small towns and sparse traffic.

I'm not an "East" hater. Grew-up largely on the VA coast and our family roots are from PA and NJ. We've also lived in AL and GA. Much I liked about living there in the past, but now I like the mountain west much more.
 
akbeemer said:
Yes there are numerous good places to ride back east. The issue, in my opinion is that the islands of riding joy are all too often separated by areas of urban sprawl and traffic congestion. In this part of country one could easily ride 800-900 miles and not encounter anything other than small towns and sparse traffic.

I'm not an "East" hater. Grew-up largely on the VA coast and our family roots are from PA and NJ. We've also lived in AL and GA. Much I liked about living there in the past, but now I like the mountain west much more.
Click to expand...

Eastern PA south of I-80 and East of I-81 is the only growing part of PA. The rest of the state is forecast to have declining population for 2010 and beyond. Jersey is still growing with the commuters to NYC.

The Mountain states are great, if you have a job.
 
I guess my comments were more wondering if you HAVE to run the Interstate System in the majority of bottlenecks listed...knowing that tunnel thing issue is hard to avoid it seems there should be options for the drone of the Interstate. Do you have to run I-95 to get everywhere in the NE?

We have been in most of the states, but split around the big cities unless a have to destination presents itself. Chuckling about the run from CA2 running the twisties down into Redondo Beach around sunset earlier this year. Trying that maps only in traffic would be a navigators meltdown...thank you you sweet Garmin Prompt as we changed freeway numbers at least 6 times in fairly fast pace as everyone else was going the other way sitting still. Take the 2, The 10, The 95, , 105, The 91, the The 405 ....or just get on Sepulveda:laugh:laugh:laugh
Went thru downtown Chicago driving a rental years ago...reminded me of Houston ...old Interstate elevateds and too many folks.

Wherever they are located, they are torn up and behind the upgrade curve just a tad.
 
henzilla said:
I guess my comments were more wondering if you HAVE to run the Interstate System in the majority of bottlenecks listed...knowing that tunnel thing issue is hard to avoid it seems there should be options for the drone of the Interstate. Do you have to run I-95 to get everywhere in the NE?
Click to expand...

In SE New York, Eastern Conn. and Mass, the towns run into each other and it's a slow crawl when on the two lane roads.
If you stay clear of this area it's great riding with little traffic.
 
henzilla said:
Wherever they are located, they are torn up and behind the upgrade curve just a tad.
Click to expand...

From the perspective of a Civil Engineer (which, I isn't), you've just identified most of the roads, bridges and water/sewage works in the country.
 
Surely I don't come on threads to, in a very subtle manner of course, blow my horn as to how wonderful I am and that the decisions and actions that have made /make me better than most..........but, God has blessed me with having careers and a life that allowed me to pretty much see a very large part of this world. That said, to me it's the durn population growth of certain areas that are totally unprepared for the influx of these people.
From what I learned long ago in civil planning/engineering 101 it takes at least 20 years of pre-planning and construction to take care of today's growth. Thus, currently, we should be planning 20 years from now. Atlanta, the metro area that I have become familiar with over the last 25 or so years is in the mode of planning for the now and just trying to survive that.

The other day, I had to go into Atlanta to pick up a fertilizer spreader at Northern Tool in Marietta, Ga. That is a northern suburb of Atlanta. It is where I lived and traveled for perhaps 5 years after I moved to this area. I know all the little cut-throughs, short-cuts, rush hour areas to avoid, and basically get around.

Ok, so I hear on the radio that traffic is backed up 15 miles before the exit I need to get off on. No big deal I will get off on Wade Green and take the short cut through down town Kennesaw. WRONG..........Within 10 minutes of my exit I was totally lost. Every now and then I would see a street I recognized; but mainly I just followed the way the GPS, thank goodness I had that, told me to go..............NEW ROADS, SHOOOOPPPPPPPING CENTERS, CONDOS, NEIGHBORHOODS....on and on.....Once the way I went was perhaps 10 minutes by my shortcuts and ways that I knew how to go......NOW....even with the GPS it took 45 minutes on surface streets...............

So, ask me if I go into Atlanta for anything. Do I leave my place to go into town, Calhoun, 9 miles away and perhaps encounter 4 or 5 other cars????.....Do I watch all of the mayhem on the traffic reports out of Atlanta and Chattanooga on the TV and radio news shows and thanks myself and God for being where I am?????......Do , laugh every time I go over to the truck stop on I-75 and see the 12 people pile out of a 7 passenger van..........on and on.........Just glad I am where I am and don't have to go through Boston, L.A., Houston, San Antonio, OKC, Dallas, and more that I once had to on a daily basis...........God is so good........Dennis
 
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