[Cambium]

Heads up.

Three car accident at Merritt Parkway SB exit 37-- pushing delays back to x40-- cars are getting by on the left shoulder.

Coffee people.... COFFEE!!

[SubieB4]

Speaking of the parkway.. I mean comon really.. I watched a guy come out of the service station did about 5 mph right past the stop sign.. How hard is it to stop for like 3 seconds??

Then darted over to the left lane then darted back over to the right lane.. I was just waiting for them to hit someone.

[SubieB4]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Yeah commute has been clear sailing lately. It'll get heavy in April and May and subside in June. Then get heavy again in September.

At least they'll be done with the big Merritt construction project soon.

What are you talking about is that the one in I think it was in Fairfield with the center with all the dirt? I could never figure out what they were trying to do with that.

[Lincolnian]

There is little that can be done. Making roads wider just causes more congestion. The fact of the matter is that at some point people need to start using mass transit options and give up some of their personal driving freedom. As much as I hate the thought of higher gas prices they probably will move more people to mass transit and carpooling.

[Wilton2ParkAve]

How does mass transit help me with downtown Westport or getting to the Danbury mall? Also what % of the state lives close enough to walk to metro north? If i have to drive 5 miles to the train and then take a bus once i arrive at my destination city/town there is no environmental benefit. It's just not practical at a wholesale level. Fwiw, more lanes do reduce congestion. It's a fairly simple equation in terms of capactity vs volume. In more rapidly growing metros the benefit is quickly diminished with large population increases and new housing construction.

[Cambium]

I worked up in Stonington, New London and Niantic, CT today... Left Stonington at 12:30 I95 South. Man it felt so good to have a smooth ride back, then after Exit 60 you start to see the sea of cars on the road from a distance. Then by Exit 40 you're cursing someone out for not moving over up ahead doing 50 causing backup. No room to feel safe or elbow room.

Hopped on Merrit South then BANG, dead stop traffic in Fairfield.

Didnt last long and have no idea why (I think someone slowed to 20mph exiting)

You just dont get the standstill and congestion in New London County.. Roads seem wider and for sure less people around.

[mikelizard860]

Originally Posted by Cambium

You just dont get the standstill and congestion in New London County.. Roads seem wider and for sure less people around.

Roads are not wider in New london county. I-95 is two lanes in new london county and secondary east-west road like the merrit doesn't exist. There's less traffic because there's less population there compared to the nyc suburbs in fairfield county. If you want even less traffic take a trip up 395 north of norwich or route 8 north of waterbury.

[Cambium]

Originally Posted by mikelizard860

Roads are not wider in New london county. I-95 is two lanes in new london county and secondary east-west road like the merrit doesn't exist. There's less traffic because there's less population there compared to the nyc suburbs in fairfield county. If you want even less traffic take a trip up 395 north of norwich or route 8 north of waterbury.

Been up there. Love it. Going to Ansonia tomorrow. I love the Rt8 drive.

Maybe I should have worded it differently about the width. Why does it seem wider up that way? Are the "lanes" wider? Is it because there's more open land so you dont feel crunched in?(buildings,bridges,ect)

[mikelizard860]

Originally Posted by Cambium

Been up there. Love it. Going to Ansonia tomorrow. I love the Rt8 drive.

Maybe I should have worded it differently about the width. Why does it seem wider up that way? Are the "lanes" wider? Is it because there's more open land so you dont feel crunched in?(buildings,bridges,ect)

Well the shoulders might be wider in certain spots on -95 so you don't feel as packed in!

Lane width on the merrit and shoulder width are less than on I-95. The merrit is not built to interstate standards, thus it's a parkway and no trucks are allowed. The merrit is certainly not as wide.

And of course having way less cars is going to feel like it's "wider"/room to breathe.

[kidyankee764]

Originally Posted by mikelizard860

Roads are not wider in New london county. I-95 is two lanes in new london county and secondary east-west road like the merrit doesn't exist. There's less traffic because there's less population there compared to the nyc suburbs in fairfield county.

While it's true that there is less population, the roadways are most definitely better designed in south central/eastern CT. Wider, lots of shoulder room, better entrance and exit ramps; just overall more wiggle room even if there is heavy traffic. 95 in FFC is not only congested; it's poorly designed, there are far too many on-ramps, and the lack of a shoulder means that even a motorist with the slightest vehicle trouble will create a massive traffic jam.

I know I say this often, but I thank god everyday that I don't live in lower Fairfield County. The towns may be among the most affluent and "desirable" in the country, but the quality of life kills people off five years earlier than usual.