Madison traffic (Sun Prairie, Middleton, Waunakee: apartment complex, lease, home)

[FryGuy]

I moved here from Michigan and my issue is too many people driving at or below the speed limit here. I think drivers here are very friendly and I am loath to complain about it, but sometimes a little more aggression could be good. It's almost like everyone is on a perpetual Sunday drive.

I would be interested to hear what others thought of this or to see if I was just crazy.

Otherwise, I agree with the other posters. Traffic here is a breeze usually. Construction season can be annoying and sometimes it's annoying when a lake pops up in the way of someplace i want to go. Usually though it is pretty nice. Certainly better that Detroit (which was bad but not terrible) and LA or DC (7th Circle of Hell).

[Megan1967]

Originally Posted by FryGuy

I moved here from Michigan and my issue is too many people driving at or below the speed limit here. I think drivers here are very friendly and I am loath to complain about it, but sometimes a little more aggression could be good. It's almost like everyone is on a perpetual Sunday drive.

I would be interested to hear what others thought of this or to see if I was just crazy.

I think it depends on the time of day you travel (or whether you are running late). Sometimes I'm passing everyone going 60 on the beltline and other times it's like I'm not even moving going 70 - the other cars are passing me so quickly. For all of you from out of town, the speed limit for the beltline (hwys 12/18) is 55 mph.

Inevitably you get stuck behind the guy going 38 in a 40 zone when you are in a big hurry. They aren't going *that* much under the speed limit, but I usually go about 5 mph over, so going under kills me.

[Drover]

Well, I lived right in the middle of the isthmus in the mid-90s. Traffic sucked during rush hour then, I can only imagine it's worse now. If you don't have to get from one side of town to the other, it's not bad. If you do, all bets are off. The one saving grace is that they make good use of one-way thoroughfares through the isthmus and campus area, and using timed lights on the one-ways help quite a bit to maximize efficiency of traffic flow. But there comes a point where the sheer volume of traffic overwhelms any sense of "efficient" flow.

That ties into the "everyone drives the speed limit" argument. The way the lights are timed, especially on the one-way thoroughfares, it behooves you to drive the speed limit. Otherwise you end up just zooming right up to a waiting red light. Once you hit a green, you can set your cruise control at the speed limit and, traffic volume and flow permitting, not have to let off the cruise for a couple of miles. Know the system and you can cruise right through the campus area.

[Megan1967]

I just wanted to add that I don't go 70 through the beltline. I meant 65. I was thinking of the interstate when I wrote that. I've been sick and not thinking all that clearly.

[badger74]

Wisconsin is one of those states--like Washington, where people feel a moral right to sit on or under the speed limit while blocking cars in the fast lane of the Interstates. It makes other drivers crazy--especially those from states where people have things to do and money to spend-like Illinois.

[Chelito23]

Originally Posted by badger74

Wisconsin is one of those states--like Washington, where people feel a moral right to sit on or under the speed limit while blocking cars in the fast lane of the Interstates. It makes other drivers crazy--especially those from states where people have things to do and money to spend-like Illinois.

I would modify your post. People don't feel they have the RIGHT to do this rather the moral OBLIGATION to control others' driving and the general flow of traffic as they personally deem acceptable, regardless of the road rage it generates.

Another factor with frustrating drivers and speed is that the freeway system in Madison isn't conducive to it, the Beltline isn't wide enough, it is usually at capacity so you can't really get ahead of everyone easily, the exits are too close together, as are stop lights on city streets, so you speed up but you end up waiting at the red with the other cars you just passed. Maybe that is a good thing...but as the city grows, this will eventually start to become more of a liability.

Driving habits have changed in Madison over the years, but it is still pretty laid back overall.

[Milwaukee City]

On the beltline, do they still have sets of train tracks that cross the freeway? are they still in use if so. I would speed a lot more on the BL in madison but I don't know how aggressive the coppers are out there. In Milwaukee you can get away with 40 easily and 45 on side streets and usually 70 on freeways marked 55.

[mrs.cool]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

On the beltline, do they still have sets of train tracks that cross the freeway? are they still in use if so. I would speed a lot more on the BL in madison but I don't know how aggressive the coppers are out there. In Milwaukee you can get away with 40 easily and 45 on side streets and usually 70 on freeways marked 55.

Train tracks on the Beltline??? I've been here since the 70's, and don't remember there ever being tracks there. There's tracks on John Nolen, which is a MAJOR pain in the butt, in fact I got stuck sitting there today during rush hour.
I travel the beltline daily and can't remember EVER seeing a cop. And if you don't do 65 you'll be blocking traffic and get lots of middle finger salutes.
So...no worries.

[craptacular]

There were railroad tracks that crossed the beltline at-grade in-between Todd Dr and Fish Hatchery Rd until five or so years ago. They went from next to Culvers on the north side to the used car and truck lot portion of Kayser Ford on the south side. They might not have been active for some time before that, but the tracks were only recently ripped out. The right-of-way is now being converted to the Cannonball bike-ped trail, which will include a bridge over the beltline in the next year or two.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by craptacular

There were railroad tracks that crossed the beltline at-grade in-between Todd Dr and Fish Hatchery Rd until five or so years ago. They went from next to Culvers on the north side to the used car and truck lot portion of Kayser Ford on the south side. They might not have been active for some time before that, but the tracks were only recently ripped out. The right-of-way is now being converted to the Cannonball bike-ped trail, which will include a bridge over the beltline in the next year or two.

Yeah, i remember an at-grade crossing right near the Ford dealer but I couldn't find it on Street View or satellite view so I thought maybe I was losing my mind. I don't ever remember seeing a train on those tracks though.

I wonder how recent the satellite view pictures are if the right-of-way is being converted to trails because the tracks still appear active just north of the Beltline with freight cars parked on a spur next to Vita Plus.