Traffic Calming (Houston, Austin: live in, assess, to move)

[Moonlady]

So I am curious, to keep with the OP's original question- what measures can be taken to improve these traffic conditions? Maybe if enough people write the DOT and ask for improvements, they might get a clue. Two things I think would help are Yield signs on the frontage roads for exiting traffic (they have them in other Texas cities) and signs alerting drivers that there is Merging Traffic. Any other ideas?

[achtungpv]

Originally Posted by craziness2

The center lane is speed limit according to my drivers ed book and instructor :/

All lanes are the speed limit according to the law.

Also, to get technical, when you pass another car you are still legally required to not exceed the speed limit.

[Mckellyb]

Improving traffic will rely on a few things.

More, better planned, better signaled roads. Not much has been built, where roads already existed, since 1970, or so. We've had some serious population growth in that time.

Honestly, 80% of people driving probably shouldn't be, at least not without some real driving education. I don't mean driver's ed. I don't mean the bad joke called state testing. I'm talking a couple of days, one classroom, one 'track', in a bona-fide driving school. Bob Bondurant comes to mind, but that's just 'cause I remember it being reference fairly often (I'm a car geek).

When we lived in Colorado, there was a dedicated two-day driving course emphasizing snow. I could not wait to attend! I mean, I'd driven in major snowstorms, but I wanted a controlled environment to get stupid, and see what is possible at-the-limit and what will guaranteed to be uncontrollable.

FWIW, I've been with a few people who speed up when they are being passed...they don't even realize they're doing it.

It's just, as least best I can figure, they're just trying to 'keep up' with traffic. It's really annoying to those of use who've driven people around for a living. It's key your passengers don't feel what your doing enough to have to react with body movement.

This topic got me thinking. So I did some math in the shower this AM. How many miles have I driven in my, um, 25 years of driving... Wow, 25 years.

It's around 700K miles...oh, not inculding probably 80K on motorcycles. Forgot about those. Driving a couple of hundred miles per day for a year, and that's likely a low number now that I think about it some more, can really rack it up.

Just in the past three years, in our diesel pusher motorhome, I've racked up 70K. Took 49 states and 10 provinces, but I did it!

Sorry to ramble...on subjects I like, I get going on the keyboard. Plus, I type at like 80 WPM. That high-school typing class came in handy. I'd never have figured.

[LookingtoLeave]

Originally Posted by achtungpv

All lanes are the speed limit according to the law.

Also, to get technical, when you pass another car you are still legally required to not exceed the speed limit.

I hear that and I am by no means a speed demon, but in the short amount of time I have been here, I have seen countless people afraid to even reach the speed limit. On roads where the speed limit is 40, I am stuck behind someone going 25 and on 183 there was someone going about 50 one day in the fast lane holding everyone up. Every city has its share of driving complaints, but I can't figure out why so many here are just afraid to move it. Just my 2 cents.

[love roses]

I don't think they are afraid to move it. Remember, before this place became Californicated it was just a laid back, small city. There were more native Texans here, and we just aren't in as much of a hurry to get everywhere as people in other cities are. It's just a Texas thing I think. I don't drive under the speed limit, but I'm also the sort who would rather not get myself all up in a lather to go 100 to get everywhere

[StressedoutMom]

Originally Posted by Jaipur

That is because in Texas it is only legal to use your car horn in an emergency but sometimes I get so fed up I just blast it!

Is this really true ? If so I guess I break the law all the time. I'm originally from New England and I have lived in numerous states and in Seoul, Korea and this is the only place I have lived where I am in fear for my life on the roads.

I think the law might actually read "No blinkers when turning or chaning lanes unless its an emergency". That at least would explain some of the driving here in Austin

[AustinTraveler]

Originally Posted by StressedoutMom

Is this really true ? If so I guess I break the law all the time. I'm originally from New England and I have lived in numerous states and in Seoul, Korea and this is the only place I have lived where I am in fear for my life on the roads.

I think the law might actually read "No blinkers when turning or chaning lanes unless its an emergency". That at least would explain some of the driving here in Austin

The law is as follows:

A motor vehicle operator shall use a horn to provide audible warning only when necessary to insure safe operation.

I think this is the case in most states, not just Texas.

I wish people wouldn't take this so literally. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a line of cars sitting in a turn lane with a green light but nobody is going anywhere because some guy isn't paying attention to the light, but nobody wants to honk their horn and wake up the driver! Sorry, but if it was me holding up traffic, I would want to be honked at.

[Moonlady]

Originally Posted by AustinTraveler

The law is as follows:

A motor vehicle operator shall use a horn to provide audible warning only when necessary to insure safe operation.

I think this is the case in most states, not just Texas.

I wish people wouldn't take this so literally. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a line of cars sitting in a turn lane with a green light but nobody is going anywhere because some guy isn't paying attention to the light, but nobody wants to honk their horn and wake up the driver! Sorry, but if it was me holding up traffic, I would want to be honked at.

Agree, I usually give them about 5 seconds and then I give them a friendly little beep. But what gives with people laying on their horns as soon as the light turns green lately?

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by Moonlady

So I am curious, to keep with the OP's original question- what measures can be taken to improve these traffic conditions? Maybe if enough people write the DOT and ask for improvements, they might get a clue. Two things I think would help are Yield signs on the frontage roads for exiting traffic (they have them in other Texas cities) and signs alerting drivers that there is Merging Traffic. Any other ideas?

Yield signs for traffic exiting the freeway? It seems to me that this could create a big, dangerous problem on the freeway itself, possibly backing up traffic and leading to high speed collisions. We have yield signs for traffic on the frontage road itself, to yield to traffic exiting the freeway.

As for signs alerting drivers that there is merging traffic, we already have these, I believe.

[Mckellyb]

Originally Posted by AustinTraveler

The law is as follows:

A motor vehicle operator shall use a horn to provide audible warning only when necessary to insure safe operation.

I think this is the case in most states, not just Texas.

To me, sitting at a green light, regardless of the amount of traffic behind you, is unsafe operation. All it takes is someone not paying attention to start moving...