Left lane on Loop 360 (Austin, Atlanta: home, place to live, dangerous)

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by CarnivalGal

There are plans to make it more like a freeway, bypassing all of the stop lights. So that would fix a large part of it. People would have to exit before making any turns.

I'm guessing we will have flying cars by then.

[Longhorn Al]

Once they get all of those planned overpasses built, it'll be more like a highway. But as of now, no way. Just jerk drivers.

[m1a1mg]

Originally Posted by steve9229

Thanks for all the replies! I agree with all of you. Glad to hear it's not just me. I had a dummy in a Txdot truck tailgate me a few weeks ago. Yeah, I reported the idiot to txdot. How dumb do you have to be to drive right on someone's bumper doing 55 in a truck where it's easy to report them for bad driving? So now I started driving the speed limit more. If they are going to tailgate me I may as well irritate them as well. Sure doesn't help my stress level though.

Or you could just move over and only get in the left lane when necessary. But no, passive-aggressive is your mantra.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Oh, Lord, more destruction of a beautiful area and more destruction of Austin in service to faster, faster, faster, FASTER!

100% yes

[steve9229]

Originally Posted by CarnivalGal

I think it goes both ways. Of course, some people will just be jerks no matter what. But if you are cruising in the left lane, blissfully unaware of the line of cars behind you, and don't need to turn left for another 3 miles, then that is being just as entitled, in my opinion. Bonus points if you are going 10 MPH below the speed limit.

I understand why you'd say that. It's kind of like when bicyclists take up a lane and hold up traffic just because it's legal. It just pisses everyone off. However I do at least go the speed limit and I am aware of who's around me when I drive. Now, if I was going the speed limit along with the person next to me and no one could get by at all. Well, I don't want to be that guy that holds up everyone just because I'm within my legal rights. I'd move over. But, I just don't see the point of moving over on a road that is not a freeway. Especially if there is room to pass on the right (or left in some cases). I try to be as courteous as I can to other drivers. But when I start the day off getting tailgated and ending the day getting tailgated no matter what lane I'm in or how fast I'm going. It gets old very quickly.

[PrimusPilus]

Originally Posted by Austin97

100% yes

Surely, you must not travel on that road much. No doubt, it's beautiful. I travel that route to and from office everyday. It takes me 50 minutes to travel the 9 miles from my office in the evening. And more like 30 minutes in the morning. Traffic is pretty much at a standstill for long stretches.

City has approved more office space along 360. Now tell me if more standstill traffic is good for the beauty and health of that road and the residents living along 360?

[AlterEgo42]

Originally Posted by PrimusPilus

Surely, you must not travel on that road much. No doubt, it's beautiful. I travel that route to and from office everyday. It takes me 50 minutes to travel the 9 miles from my office in the evening. And more like 30 minutes in the morning. Traffic is pretty much at a standstill for long stretches.

City has approved more office space along 360. Now tell me if more standstill traffic is good for the beauty and health of that road and the residents living along 360?

Yeah. Replacing a road with another road doesn’t ruin a thing.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by AlterEgo42

Yeah. Replacing a road with another road doesn’t ruin a thing.

Sure it does, if you expand the footprint of the road (I've been watching it happen to I35 for 20+ years now, cutting communities in half and eating up the green space, and it doesn't help the traffic at all, just encourages more of it).



It was a shame when 360 was built in the first place, frankly. But at the time we were told (yeah, I know, politicians' promises) that it would remain just as it is and not destroy a beautiful piece of the Hill Country close in. I wasn't foolish enough to believe them completely then, but I'm also not foolish enough not to point out the facts of what it will do in service to faster, faster, faster, faster.



Yes, I do drive it, not every day, but often enough to be familiar with the traffic.

[Trainwreck20]

I will say I remember cruising south down Hwy 360 in the early hours every weekday morning in the summer of 1983 - the skies over Austin were crystal blue without a hint of smog. From 183 (where 360 started) to the south side of the brand new Pennybacker bridge, there was one (maybe two?) stoplight and I would see maybe 5 or 10 cars total, both directions. It was hard to avoid listening to Michael Jackson in the summer of '83, since 'Thriller' was released one day after the Pennybacker bridge opened in November of 1982.

At the time, that was definitely one of the most beautiful drives in central Texas. It was almost like the road was built just to view the hill country to the west and Austin to the east.

[AlterEgo42]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Sure it does, if you expand the footprint of the road (I've been watching it happen to I35 for 20+ years now, cutting communities in half and eating up the green space, and it doesn't help the traffic at all, just encourages more of it).



It was a shame when 360 was built in the first place, frankly. But at the time we were told (yeah, I know, politicians' promises) that it would remain just as it is and not destroy a beautiful piece of the Hill Country close in. I wasn't foolish enough to believe them completely then, but I'm also not foolish enough not to point out the facts of what it will do in service to faster, faster, faster, faster.



Yes, I do drive it, not every day, but often enough to be familiar with the traffic.

Except the proposed plan doesn’t really expand the footprint of the road, aside from utilizing a bit of the weed-filled ditch that is the center median.

You’re arguing against change that would actually make the area look better and be less impactful to the environment.