Freways

[lodessa]

Having started to commute once again, this time through Sacramento, I was thinking once again about freeways and how they are different in different areas and the different kind of frustrations that causes. So here are reasons to hate many of the areas of freeway in California:

The North Bay Area
1. "Freeway Ends" So you are driving down 101, minding your own business and suddenly there is CROSS TRAFFIC. And "ends" is really a lie because it starts being one again in a few miles... so really it's more like "Freeway Takes a Break".

The East Bay Area
1. 580 West is 80 East. Enough said.
2. Crazy merges. Yes they know you are (best case scenario) 4 lanes over but you'd better get across equally merging traffic or you will end up on the Bay Bridge or lost in Alameda.

Central California
1. The high possibility that you might actually die of boredom (or potholes) on 5 or 99.

Southern California
1. There are a billion lanes and a billion freeways and people drive very fast on them and the freeways change their names depending on your location.

Sacramento
1. When one of the main interstates in the area is 80, why would you call your business loop (which is more aligned with 50 than 80) Business 80? What was wrong with 70 or 45 or 31? Why make your freeway interchanges more confusing?
2. If you are getting on the freeway in Sacramento, you must always be prepared for the lane you are in to exit 500 yards from where you got on, not just end... exit. Because heaven knows, when I get on the freeway the first thing I want to do is get off it again.
3. On and off ramps: whoever did the engineering on these was on drugs. They are at stressful angles.

Plus one thing I actually do like:
Freeway entrance metering lights during commute hours. This has two advantages:
a. The obvious, it makes merging onto the freeway smoother to help you deal with the fact that you are in an exit only lane.
b. Since you have to slow/stop it is totally helpful with the awful on ramps and keeps the jerk behind you from rear ending you because you are not going 70 on them.


So how do you feel about the ones in your area?

Comments

[sainfoin-fields.livejournal.com]

North Bay number 2!
The ongoing work of art that is 101 through Santa Rosa. Besides the constant congestion and the insanity of the northbound Downtown SR exit, and besides the Richmond-bridge-like need for cement walls with no shoulder whatsoever, they have currently blockaded various exits in new exciting ways to make it even more miserable. Why.

Thing I like!
COUNTRY HIGHWAYS! 116 is totally boss and almost never trafficky, I love it.

Agreed

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

Seriously, what is with the damned lack of shoulder?



Also on the plus side to country roads: Baby mini ponies.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

If you are getting on the freeway in Sacramento, you must always be prepared for the lane you are in to exit 500 yards from where you got on, not just end... exit. Because heaven knows, when I get on the freeway the first thing I want to do is get off it again.

So much WORD to this statement. One of my biggest pet peeves is getting on the freeway and then having to change lanes quickly so I don't automatically exit, and it makes it even harder if there's heavy traffic and nobody is courteous or is driving stupidly to not let you through. Or y'know, there's a bigass truck and I'm always nervous when those monstrous things are going fast on the freeway. Makes it stressful for me. Grrr.

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

Yes. It makes things ridiculously stressful and seriously is just a stupid design that I have no idea why is so prevalent in the area. And I seriously hate driving with the giant trucks, you cannot see or escape at all, the worst of course is on 5 when they decide to pass each other and insist on getting in your lane to do it. Also I hate how traffic slows on the causeway for no good reason and I hate how mapquest always tells you to take the J St exit from Business 80 East even though it only exists on Business 80 West. And I hate trying to get to the K St Mall and that it's sort of hidden between buildings... and possibly I have ranted enough about driving in Sacramento for one comment.

[caitiedidit.livejournal.com]

It's funny, I always heard that Californians put an article before highway and interstate names. Like "the 70" and "the 101," etc.

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

Only in Southern California. Up here it's 5 but past the grapevine it becomes "The 5" and then "the Santa Ana" and 1 becomes "the PCH"

[sophia-helix.livejournal.com]

She's right, it's a north/south thing, but if you're like me and grow up in the Bay Area and then go to SoCal for college and then come back up again, your friends and family make fun of you for not being able to stop calling it "the 80" even though it's freeway that doesn't even go south, so there's no excuse.

[sophia-helix.livejournal.com]

BUSINESS 80, WTF.

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

See icon.

They were all on crack.

[shakanaman.livejournal.com]

Oh, The Maze. How I adore that stretch of freeway in which five different freeways and highways bash and split to different corners of the earth within a mile of one another... and the paradise of merging across it! Sweet, sweet MacArthur Maze.

Re: They were all on crack.

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

Yes, that is pretty much my favorite thing ever. Trying to get from 530 East (80 West) to 24 has always been a highlight.

Re: They were all on crack.

[shakanaman.livejournal.com]

Oh gawd, the 24/580 exchange! I love that ANY direction you're trying to go it's gonna be a ridiculous merge.

(For years I got lost and found myself either on the Bay Bridge by accident or in South Oakland... by the shipyards...)

Re: They were all on crack.

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

For me it was always the Bay Bridge or the skeezy part of Alameda.

Re: They were all on crack.

[shakanaman.livejournal.com]

It's those damn nuuklear wessels.

Re: They were all on crack.

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

totally.

[marinshellstone.livejournal.com]

when I first moved here, the freeways terrified me. I hadn't driven a car on a regular basis for six years, and all of a sudden I needed to deal with seven lanes of intense traffic/people who drive like inconsiderate, impatient, senseless idiots???? Oh my. I'm used to it now after two years. My favorite freeways are the 170, the 134 and the 101.

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

I can imagine that would be really stressful. Honestly, I am finding commuting on a daily basis to work again after mostly just driving in town or to social things for the last 2 1/2 years to be pretty anxiety provoking. I know that people have not actually become worse drivers in that time... but it sure seems like it.

[hella-em.livejournal.com]

You forgot two for southern California:

1. the fact that junctions add lanes to the intersecting freeway and immediately after said lanes are added there is usually a busy/popular exit that everyone has to cross merge for and the new lane traffic is usually moving a good 20-40 mph faster than those trying to merge as traffic, if not going violently fast is usually stopped and/or crawling.

2. the lack of decent sineage for the carpool lanes. sure, they'll tell you the fines a hundred times, but they can't quite make it loud enough when you should exit for rosecrans (or whatever street you may be looking for). And of course, then you have to fly over 4 lanes if your exit is first on the list hiding under the fine 2 seconds before the line breaks.

i do so not miss driving in LA.

[lodessa.livejournal.com]

Yeah. My so cal ones were really vague.