Austin finally importing LA's freeway shootings(road rage)? (El Paso, Howe: home, buy)

[hstfan82]

I grew up in Tulsa, OK, which is smaller than Austin, and these types of incidents happened a couple of times a year. Also, I live in Dallas now and have been to Austin 3 times this year. Perhaps one would take the view that traffic is bad in Austin if they had been living there for some time, but it doesn't seem to bad relatively speaking. FYI, I visited during ACL a month ago, and during the workweek over the summer. During ACL, the traffic was only bad around Zilker. 35 wasn't that bad at all compared to Dallas traffic half of the time.

[love roses]

Originally Posted by G Grasshopper

THL, You may be right. I wasn't living here 20 or 25 years ago, so I can't really make a judgement about the change you saw at that time. I have noticed that people are more likely to "drive friendly" in rural areas, no matter what state one is in, and that people are more likely to be aggressive drivers in cities. Perhaps it is because they live more fast-paced lives in the city, or crowding, or other things. Perhaps Austin started experiencing these problems as it became more of a city rather than a town. This is all pretty idle speculation on my part. But I do feel concerned whenever people start blaming all their troubles on "outsiders". It is easier to scapegoat someone we feel is the "other" than to accept that we could have done more to prevent or avoid the problems.

I think this is more likely, as around that time I lived in a small town near Houston and whenever we came up to visit friends my dad would always complain about how bad the drivers in Austin were.

[ATX Wahine]

I've always respected your opinions THL but I'm sorry - I do find your attitude toward "outsiders", particularly Californians, to be rather xenophobic. Perhaps I'm mistaken, but didn't you mention once that you are not a native Texan yourself, that you moved here at a young age? If I'm mistaken I apologize but if I'm correct, I surely hope your family received a better welcome upon your arrival than what is offered to so many of us 'outsiders' today. The blaming and fingerpointing is understandable to a certain degree because Austin grew very big very fast and like any city dealing with unmitigated growth, things DO change for natives of any city ... but honestly, why don't we hear more complaining here about Austin's city government's greed and lack of growth control ... and less complaining about innocent people who simply moved here to better provide for their families?

Surely as a real estate agent you've profitted over the years yourself from the influx of 'outsiders' ... unless of course you extend your prejudice of outsiders to a higher level and sell homes only to Texas natives.

[TexasHorseLady]

Nope, I'm a fourth generation Texan through all four grandparents, more through a couple. But that's irrelevant.

It's not Californians or New Yorkers in particular (note that I didn't just say Californians), nor is it all outsiders. It's the problems that arise when a lot of people with different driving patterns move into an area and continue driving in the way that was customary where they come from (which is reasonable at first, really, it is, because that's what they're used to thinking of as good driving). You get people from varying areas with different criteria for "good" driving all driving on the same roads at the same time, and you have a mess unless the ones from elsewhere study up on the rules of the road in their new location (whether it be Los Angeles or NYC or Austin or Boston or Tampa). Unfortunately, what really seems to happen is that the majority falls to the lowest common denominator of courtesy and safety and friendliness on the road, and that's what I'm talking about.

I've also mentioned many many many times that I have no problem with people who move here from elsewhere because they love Austin, I welcome them, in fact. The only ones I have issues with are those who move here from elsewhere and then proceed to complain about how we don't do things the way they did where they came from or we should change our laws to match the ones where they came from or we should have the stores they had where they came from instead of enjoying the ones we have here. And that applies whether it's someone moving to Austin or to Los Angeles or to Boston or anywhere, or for that matter, people moving from the city to the country or vice versa. Or, for that matter, people moving to Austin from Dallas or vice versa and complaining because Austin isn't Dallas or Dallas isn't Austin. (I moved to Austin from Dallas some decades ago, for college, and stayed, but I moved here because I loved what it was, and never expected it to turn into Dallas to suit my preferences.)

So it's not a prejudice against outsiders, but a dislike of people such as those I describe above.

[ATX Wahine]

Well, for what it's worth, my husband, a native Austinite of 51 years, moved five years ago to the Bay Area for work. It's interesting, because he used to come home from work while he lived there laughing at the meek and passive driving habits of Californians, and how he felt bad because he found himself inadvertantly bullying these timid drivers. He realized that his driving habits, developed over decades of driving in Austin, were responsible for his aggressive driving style in the Bay Area. Upon arriving back home to Austin he found that he had mellowed significantly over five years, and had to relearn aggressive driving habits in order to cope on Austin's freeways. I should note that my husband has a PhD in civil engineering from the University of Texas, and spent years in college studying traffic dynamics, and his conclusion is that drivers here are simply rats in a maze, and that the overcrowding and poor configuration of that maze is responsible for the hostile and dangerous driving patterns that we see today ... NOT a regional or cultural characteristic brought here by outsiders.

Your complaints about habits and behaviors of outsiders in Austin fall on deaf ears given that you have made your living profitting from helping in their relocation to Austin. In order to maintain some consistency between your actions and your words, you should probably administer both political and driving exams to your prospective clients before selling them homes and ultimately contributing to the problems you feel they bring.

[capcat]

The changes THL wrote about are real. I agree that driving attitudes have changed over the past 4 decades. However, the transplants I know wouldn't drive aggressively, and neither would the native Austinites I know. So, who are these people? And do they differ that much from city to city? Even on the west coast, I've found that they don't. I hate to drive in other cities due to a combination of not being entirely familiar with the route and the behavior of some people when they get behind the wheel.

[nomore07]

How about some other factors?

"King of the road": Apparently a large truck or luxury vehicle, combined with enough ego and attitude, allows one to pass through solid objects. Safety is not a concern, only social darwinism and status.

Racing youngsters: Gotta show off those wheels. Whether it's pimped out "urban" or the shiny new toy purchased with Daddy's money, they simply must be noticed at all costs.

Mobile phone booth: Being socially connected is more important than any of you. I've seen a busy housewife with three children in an older minivan maneuver through traffic with far more finesse and skill.

Horse blinders: These drivers will cut in front of another vehicle at highway speeds, with only 3-5 feet of space. It seems we really are falling behind in science education. (Since I'm the one who pays for brake repairs on my car, the next time this happens, I'm using the horn instead.)

[nomore07]

I noticed a big difference on the roads after the driver's education requirements were loosened a few years ago. It looks like that is about to change:

House Bill 339
Increases the total hours of behind-the-wheel driving instruction a teen receives from 14 to 34 and creates an adult driver’s education requirement for applicants older than 18 and younger than 21.


Senate Bill 1317
Creates a six-hour driver’s education course required for driver’s license applicants 18 years of age or older. It also mandates that applicants 25 or under must submit to an approved driver’s education course. (Goes into effect March 1, 2010.)

[capcat]

I used to believe in the King of the Road syndrome, until I took note of all of the small cars that were weaving in and out of traffic, cutting people off and acting aggressively on the road. I no longer believe it has so much to do with the vehicle as it does the driver. If status exists, then the status of driving a fuel-efficient car is also displayed on the road. An attitude of courtesy and consideration frequently doesn't seem to go along with the car.

[love roses]

Originally Posted by nomore07

How about some other factors?

"King of the road": Apparently a large truck or luxury vehicle, combined with enough ego and attitude, allows one to pass through solid objects. Safety is not a concern, only social darwinism and status.

Racing youngsters: Gotta show off those wheels. Whether it's pimped out "urban" or the shiny new toy purchased with Daddy's money, they simply must be noticed at all costs.

Mobile phone booth: Being socially connected is more important than any of you. I've seen a busy housewife with three children in an older minivan maneuver through traffic with far more finesse and skill.

Horse blinders: These drivers will cut in front of another vehicle at highway speeds, with only 3-5 feet of space. It seems we really are falling behind in science education. (Since I'm the one who pays for brake repairs on my car, the next time this happens, I'm using the horn instead.)

Hilarious!! As for what you posted below this, It's about time they increased the drive hours for drivers ed. The drunk dude behind me last night sure could have used it. Too bad I didn't have a phone on me so I could have turned him in. He brought tailgating to a whole new level. I was even in the slow lane going 60. He finally figured out that I wasn't going to speed up for him, so he moved to the fast lane and did the same thing to that person. They didn't speed up for him either and they were probably going 65 (this is on 79, which in many parts doesn't go above 55). Where is Williamson County when you REALLY need it?