Who's responsible for these DFW freeways and who can I write a complaint to? (Dallas: how much, income tax)

[Texas Minded]

Originally Posted by Ralph_Kirk

DFW highways are fearsome, but I find navigating DFW much less aggravating than navigating Chicago. It's the drivers that unnerve me. Nowhere else have I ever so often had the experience of hearing a honk, glancing into my rear view mirror, and exclaiming "where the devil did he come from?"

Same experience here.

Folks around here are always testing their cars 0-60 time. Drive way too aggressively.

[bigdaddycool1111]

With the exception of the toll roads, most of our roads are in really bad shape. And of course, having some of the worst drivers in the country on those roads don't help with the driving experience either. Commuting is a complete pain in the butt in DFW area and that's probably the worst thing about this area. If it wasn't for the commuting experience, DFW would have been an a lot better place to live.

[Made_it_To_the_Metroplex]

Originally Posted by taroberts

I do not understand. What is the complaint? The drivers, the singe or the road?

Anyone who an complain about the road itself has obviously never lived on the east coast. TX roads are amazing...when I first got here I felt like I was driving on streets of gold.

Hear, hear. Poor Atlanta has far fewer major freeways per capita than this area does, most without even frontage roads. Here, you also have 2-3 alternate routes to close from when going most places.

[bigdaddycool1111]

Originally Posted by FivePercenter

The drivers are bad, but the people in charge can't really control that. Not unless of course they hire more police to enforce the law but that's discussion is for another thread. These freeways are incredibly inefficient to drive around on.

They can stop issuing driver's licenses to completely incompetent people for a good start. In DFW they give license to anyone and everyone. I know people that aren't even qualified to sit in a passenger seat, they shouldn't even come close to a car, yet they were given drivers license. I don't even know if they test people anymore. You could go to the local office and say "I've never seen a car in my life, I don't even know what a car looks like, neither do I know how to spell the word "car," can I get a license?" they will give you a license and tell you "just be careful."

The most ironic thing is that not only Dallas drivers don't know how to operate a vehicle, but they also insist on driving the biggest cars, trucks, SUVs they can afford because they want to impress their neighbors with how big their truck is. It would make more sense if people actually learned how to drive before getting on the road with those cars as big as military vehicles.

[bigdaddycool1111]

Originally Posted by Texas Minded

Same experience here.

Folks around here are always testing their cars 0-60 time. Drive way too aggressively.

My experience is the complete opposite. Every time I see an expensive sports car driving 55 mph on tollway during perfect weather conditions, it makes me wonder "why did he even buy that car if he's gonna drive it like a container truck." While there are exceptions here and there, people drive too slow in most of DFW. Of course it's easier to spot slow drivers than fast drivers, it only takes 3 slow people (one in each lane) to completely block the toll road. I see a lot of people texting, talking on the phone or eating while driving and they tend to be the slowest drivers. I don't even know why people want to use the tollway if they are going to drive 55 mph, they could just drive 45 and take the side road for free.

[TheotherMarie]

As a Californian, I have to agree with FivePercenter. The freeways here are ridiculous and very hard to navigate. It seems like new off ramps and interchanges are just added with no forethought. Many just don't make sense.
I'll take driving in downtown LA over Dallas anytime.

[Aceraceae]

I don't find navigating here very difficult. Better than Atlanta.

[Texas Minded]

Originally Posted by bigdaddycool1111

My experience is the complete opposite. Every time I see an expensive sports car driving 55 mph on tollway during perfect weather conditions, it makes me wonder "why did he even buy that car if he's gonna drive it like a container truck." While there are exceptions here and there, people drive too slow in most of DFW. Of course it's easier to spot slow drivers than fast drivers, it only takes 3 slow people (one in each lane) to completely block the toll road. I see a lot of people texting, talking on the phone or eating while driving and they tend to be the slowest drivers. I don't even know why people want to use the tollway if they are going to drive 55 mph, they could just drive 45 and take the side road for free.

There are definitely drivers that are too slow as well. I agree.

[rantanamo]

Originally Posted by TheotherMarie

As a Californian, I have to agree with FivePercenter. The freeways here are ridiculous and very hard to navigate. It seems like new off ramps and interchanges are just added with no forethought. Many just don't make sense.
I'll take driving in downtown LA over Dallas anytime.

seriously?

[Ralyks]

I don't like the tolls (I was used to none), but without astate income tax, there's not much else you can do. The signage is a major problem here in my opinion. Before Imoved (from the DC metro area), I was used to lots of signs – they'd tell you north, west, south east atevery entrance, every exit, and on the highway itself every couple of miles orso in case you missed it. You were warned *repeatedly* of upcoming exits or roads *miles* in advance. If an exit was beingclosed, you would be told by electronic bill board miles in advance – here, I'vesometimes come up on an exit and found it suddenly closed for construction.

I don't think drivers are actually BAD here, Ithink they're just CONFUSED. They just found out the exit is closed or they got on the highway the wrong direction orthey got on the wrong street because the signage was confusing or hard to reador nonexistent, or their GPS barely functions on these roads.

I'm actually used to much more aggressive drivers, so I don't find that to be a problem here. When there wasn't a traffic jam (rare enough), people routinely went 75 (in a 55) in the DC metro area. People do tend to want to drive slowly in the middle lane here for some reason.

The quality of the roads (pavement) is fine.