Something Colorado has over Arizona (Denver, Colorado Springs: closing, quality of life, live) - (CO) - City-Data Forum

CareFreeAZ · 06-28-2007, 09:59 PM

In coming back to Phoenix from our recent trip to Colorado Springs/Denver, it made me smile to see the signs posted on the freeway that read something like move traffic/vehicles to side of road for accident. I wanted to take a picture and give it to our govenor in Arizona letting them know that this is what you do with major accidents. Here in phoenix metro when you have a fatal/major accident, they have an uncanny nack for closing off the entire freeway for hours while they investigate. A couple of years ago during a summer holiday , people were coming back to Phoenix from Flagstaff and other cooler mountain city's when they stopped all traffic for a fatal accident. People were outside of their cars 4-5 hours in above 100 degree temperatures before they reopened the road.

ColoWeb · 06-28-2007, 10:15 PM

The "move traffic/vehicles to side of road " is for minor accidents. Even in CO for fatal/major accident, a road or a highway may be closed.

But, there are many other ways why CO may be better

CareFreeAZ · 06-28-2007, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColoWeb

But, there are many other ways why CO may be better

Agreed, either way, it's all better. With minor accidents it always ties up both sides of the freeway from everyone slowing down to take a look. I usually give the car in front of me the horn when they slow down to look at an accident or something on the side of the road, and the car in front has move about 100 feet ahead of them.

McGowdog · 06-28-2007, 11:02 PM

Something Colorado has over Arizona , I can think of two things; latitude and me.

I was born in Arizona, so they tell me. Since we've moved to Colorado, we've found it unnecessary to move. Thank goodness that not everybody feels the same way. Could you imagine Colorado if it's population doubled or tripled? It would be like LA without an ocean

jazzlover · 06-29-2007, 08:47 AM

McGowdog,

Well, the population of Colorado has close to tripled in my lifetime, and--if the developers have their way--it'll double again before we know it. Unless--of course, we run out of water or fuel. I just trying to figure out which is going to happen first . . . we're going through both as fast as we can, with no regard to the wellbeing of the people who will inherit this place from us.

Todd TCE · 06-29-2007, 08:02 PM

Yea, a bit hard to drag the bloody corpse and twisted metal out of the road at times....

I think you're over applying the rules a bit!

vegaspilgrim · 06-29-2007, 11:18 PM

As someone who has lived in both places, I would say both states have a lot in common, a lot of the same problems. The scenario you talked about, with the traffic backups on I-17 is not unique to AZ; Colorado has the same exact problem with I-70 with city-dwellers wanting to get into the mountains for the weekend. I-70 gets all-out shut down many times every winter and spring due to blizzards, avalanches, rock slides, truck accidents, etc. I still give CO the edge on overall quality of life, but not for the reasons you talked about.

McGowdog · 06-30-2007, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jazzlover

McGowdog,

Well, the population of Colorado has close to tripled in my lifetime, and--if the developers have their way--it'll double again before we know it. Unless--of course, we run out of water or fuel. I just trying to figure out which is going to happen first . . . we're going through both as fast as we can, with no regard to the wellbeing of the people who will inherit this place from us.

Jazzlover, please don't make me get technical and give you the exact statistics, but Colorado has not seen growth like Nevada, Washington, Idaho, Arizona, and maybe Texas. Now, compared to Wyoming, Colorado is densely populated. Here in southern Colorado, the sprawl isn't too bad. Take a look at the sprawl around Phoenix the next time you fly into their airport.

God Bless the folks in GB and Scottland, including my family.

CareFreeAZ · 06-30-2007, 06:59 PM

By no means am I judging this as a better quality of Life issue. In seeing these signs, I thought Arizona could follow suit as it is a good reminder. In the short 14 years I've spent in Phoenix Metro, the population has gone from 1.7 million to almost 4 million. As your city grows to be a major metropolitan area, you should not be closing down freeways/entrance and exit points without having viable opitons for re-routing traffic - aka causing bigger traffic back-ups and the potential for more problems.

jazzlover · 07-01-2007, 10:31 AM

McGowdog,

I would agree that growth rates in Colorado have not been as explosive as in other places. To quote a poster on the Montana forum, however, that is about like a rapist telling his victim he is only going to rape her for 10 minutes instead of 30. Somehow, the statistic isn't much comfort.