Louisville traffic accident rate (gated, subsidized, taxes)

[charliecharlie]

Hell yes, Louisville has the worst drivers. It's eye opening, I only realized this after living elsewhere. Worse yet is the general attitude that this is normal. The local media is an accomplice. You will never see any sort of critical reporting of why it is that people keep dying on the same stretches of roads and intersections year after year. Accidents, shrug. Plain criminal.

But anyway, not to divert blame though, it really is the drivers first and foremost. Drivers here are aggressive, careless, inattentive, and just plain, well, unfit. Trailers and pick ups barreling down the left lane at inappropriate speeds, too fast, too slow, what have you, anything but a safe speed for a 6+ ton metal box. The riff-raff in their beat up coupes that are just one speed bump away of decapitating some bystander due to **** falling off that ****box on bald tires they never take care of (somehow still drives, somehow never get pulled over). Soccer moms and prep kids in SUVs texting and on the phone, never heard of a rearview mirror, isn't right turn on red in the first amendment somewhere, whatevs. Not a day goes by unless some drunk is not injuring himself, or, god forbid, others, by wrapping his car against a telephone pole.

It genuinely is the worst city for driving (let alone for being outside a car, like, ewww, poor people), and somebody please look this up, but probably one of the deadliest as well, I don't know the stats, but there's no way Louisville isn't in the bottom half.

The biggest culprit is that people here can't read traffic. Racing up&down residential streets, as if they don't realize that they're a split second away of causing a tragedy. And on the highway, driving like a grandma on the left lane, because, you know, can't ****ing spill their mcnuggets.

As if the bad drivers weren't enough, the roads are designed by idiots. Why have 2 lanes when you can have 4? And wider, make them wider!!! no, I said WIDER, so drivers don't need to pay attention. What is the expression, every nation gets the government it deserves, well, our benighted traffic engineers sure as hell made us get the drivers we deserve.

If there's one thing to be a negative nancy about, this is it. Louisville's a city made for cars. And the cars here are driven by irresponsible idiots.

[Crazee Cat Lady]

Originally Posted by ServoMiff

They SHOULD do both. Decent public transit will never be an option in a state as red as KY. We don't even have AMTRAK for cryin out loud.

I would not say that, five or six years back the people here in Lexington voted for a tax increase to help fund/subsidize Lextran (the bus system here).

[Crazee Cat Lady]

Originally Posted by eok

The problem with public transit is that it has to be subsidized. People aren't willing to pay enough fare to make it profitable. But people in Kentucky don't want to subsidize anything.

A bus ride in Louisville already costs $1.75, and that isn't enough for them to come out ahead without subsidies.

A long time ago I rode a ferry from Manhattan to Staten Island for 25 cents. I wonder how much subsidy that got, and what the fare is now.

The key issue is whether the people can be convinced a public transportation system is worth paying for out of taxes instead of fares. In theory the only reason any fare at all should be charged is to keep the bums off who just want to use it as a place to sleep or get out of the weather.

Like I said several years back Lexington voted to subsidize the transit system here (Lextran). I supported it, and was happy when everyone else did too.

But some people are endlessly complaining that the rest of us voted for the tax increase.

See here

[JaxRhapsody]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

It ranks near the worst of any area I've lived in without a doubt. Combining the many overly aggressive and slow drivers to go along with inadequate and antiquated infrastructure, cloverleaf highway design, roads that often completely lack shoulders, and 1950s era traffic control (stoplights)- you are asking for general misery even doing the most BASIC things when it comes to driving. Can you tell I didn't have a good driving experience yesterday? This was in southern Indiana by the way (New Albany, Clarksville, Jeffersonville).

Well duh!

Driving in Jeff, is all zig-zags. So the left lane ends in a left turn, then you think the right lane is safe, then the next interzection it's a right-turn lane. Makes no sense. The first time I went to New Albany, I almost got turned in to, not even 20min in to the city. That main drag that turns in to a...6lane one way street..seemingly
I was in one of the left lanes and this car to the right of me, just turned left, I thought we were gonna die. I undedstand why people get shot at.

[JaxRhapsody]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

I really hope Louisville DOESN'T fix its highway system and instead starts investing more in public transit. Wishful thinking, though, ey?

TARC is broke, they can't even fix the roads properly, and you want more heavy commercial vehicles on them? I hope these new electric busses pay for themselves, before fare goes to 5$. Last time i was in Lex, fare was 50¢, last time fare was 50¢ here, I was 13.

[JaxRhapsody]

Originally Posted by charliecharlie

Hell yes, Louisville has the worst drivers. It's eye opening, I only realized this after living elsewhere. Worse yet is the general attitude that this is normal. The local media is an accomplice. You will never see any sort of critical reporting of why it is that people keep dying on the same stretches of roads and intersections year after year. Accidents, shrug. Plain criminal.

But anyway, not to divert blame though, it really is the drivers first and foremost. Drivers here are aggressive, careless, inattentive, and just plain, well, unfit. Trailers and pick ups barreling down the left lane at inappropriate speeds, too fast, too slow, what have you, anything but a safe speed for a 6+ ton metal box. The riff-raff in their beat up coupes that are just one speed bump away of decapitating some bystander due to **** falling off that ****box on bald tires they never take care of (somehow still drives, somehow never get pulled over). Soccer moms and prep kids in SUVs texting and on the phone, never heard of a rearview mirror, isn't right turn on red in the first amendment somewhere, whatevs. Not a day goes by unless some drunk is not injuring himself, or, god forbid, others, by wrapping his car against a telephone pole.

It genuinely is the worst city for driving (let alone for being outside a car, like, ewww, poor people), and somebody please look this up, but probably one of the deadliest as well, I don't know the stats, but there's no way Louisville isn't in the bottom half.

The biggest culprit is that people here can't read traffic. Racing up&down residential streets, as if they don't realize that they're a split second away of causing a tragedy. And on the highway, driving like a grandma on the left lane, because, you know, can't ****ing spill their mcnuggets.

As if the bad drivers weren't enough, the roads are designed by idiots. Why have 2 lanes when you can have 4? And wider, make them wider!!! no, I said WIDER, so drivers don't need to pay attention. What is the expression, every nation gets the government it deserves, well, our benighted traffic engineers sure as hell made us get the drivers we deserve.

If there's one thing to be a negative nancy about, this is it. Louisville's a city made for cars. And the cars here are driven by irresponsible idiots.

I can't deny much of this, especially after being tboned on my scooter last Monday night. I am at the mercy of either tarc, or walking. Even if I was able to ride a bike, it got stolen. I think that's why it's a "no fault" state, because there's too many idtiots to play the blame game. Oh and you drivers need to start respecting these bikes out here on the road- motorized or not. I'm getting a set of paintball pistols, one with pepperballs for open windows, and tops. You think driving a car is a pain, sweet goddess jump on a scooter, and all of a sudden people got something to prove.

[censusdata]

The problem with Louisville is half the drivers are fast and aggressive and half are slow pokes, so you don't know what to expect. At least in Chicago the drivers are super aggressive but you know what to expect. In Lexington you know the drivers are slower, on New Circle someone driving 65 with the 55 speed limit stands out. Another thing about cities with good public transit is it seems fewer bad drivers are on the road, around here people have to drive even if they don't have insurance or a driver's license. Like most American cities Louisville had wonderful public transit until the street car lines were paved over in the 1950s. It would cost billions to rebuild what was lost.

[JaxRhapsody]

Nowadays, the streetcar would be in the way.

[MissingIndiana]

Every. Day. Just today at Grant Line and 265 in New Albany, I stopped at the red light and some dude in a pickup behind me goes around me on the right and goes through the red light I was already stopped at before he changed lanes to go around me. Yesterday I was behind a guy on the interstate riding halfway over the left and center lane and running under the limit. It's literally every day. Also this week at a 4 way stop all side were stopped. All other sides go and I am the last. As I start making my left turn, the girl across from me on her phone who came up after the original car starts coming on through and almost hit me. It's ridiculous.

[sportzfn]

I had to go to Louisville yesterday afternoon/evening. What in the world is the deal with all the downtown road construction and when will it be done? That coupled with what I think was the Gay Pride thing going on I couldn't get anywhere. It was as bad as a Colts game, lol. I was going to somebody's house up off Brownsboro Rd. Luckily I had a good GPS or it would have been worse. At any rate I sure hope it's done next time I go down there.