Scariest after moving to Dallas from a small city has to be driving here! (Houston: rental car, fit in)

[Spree]

Chicago & DC = Scary.

[second_pancake]

Whoa...wait...really??? My husband has been working out there for months and I visited for 10 days, driving everywhere between Fort Worth and Dallas, north and south, east and west, down every interstate and back road you can think of and we did not experience "fast" drivers at all! In fact, our biggest complaint is the fact that traffic is almost always slowed or stopped on i-30 at any given time of the day for no apparant reason whatsoever. When traffic does move, people insist on driving in the left lane doing at or below the speed limit and periodically tapping their brakes. People just don't drive!

I'm from Jacksonville, FL and we have traffic issues out the wazoo here, but encountering slow drivers is very rarely one of them. You take your life into your hands if you go anywhere below the speed limit here or try and slow down while merging into traffic.

[TXboomerang]

I lived in Plano for 6 years, moved to Knoxville, TN, and then moved back to Irving. While the traffic was a little easier in Knoxville, it wasn't that much better. Less congestion, but driving habits were pretty terrible there too. I think most people simply don't take the fact they aren't invincible seriously.

But all in all, I drive 60-65 on the freeways and if someone gets too close to the old bumper, I just quickly tap the brakes so they stain their shorts and back off.

[mutigers]

Someone earlier mentioned the HOV lane on 75. My husband and I are moving to DFW area and will be commuting together from Murphy to UTSW and were planning on using the HOV lane on 75. IS it really that much of a challenge to get off and on. I was wonderimg if it would be when we were there for a visit last week.

[lpepping]

What route will you be taking to UTSW?

[Korel]

From Murphy to US75 you might wind up taking Renner Road to the Bush (US190), then to SB US75 and there is no inlet to the HOV lane anywhere near there. My Street Altas program says it's a 24.5 mile trip one way, varies depending on where in Murphy you actual start from. I wonder if DART has any travel to work options for you? The Green Line, which will have a stop at UTSW is currently under construction. You can catch the Red Line in Plano to downtown Dallas, jump to the Green Line to UTSW. My daughter-in-law rode the Red Line to Mockingbird Station everyday and she loved the convenience. Then her company moved her to Valleyview where there is no DART. Myself, I would ride the DART long before I drove a car the route you'll be taking.

[Korel]

Originally Posted by thureen

For example, just today driving down I-35E north of I-635 there were accidents blocking the left lanes. Well, everyone just rush and cut in trying to get to right lanes. A truck almost hit car and created accident on the right lanes. Then cars from behind decide go drive on shoulders and cut in front. There was ramp merging into the highway. Some guys in shoulders deciding cutting through grass to back to the frontage road was a great idea. Then there this guy who was on ramp about merge. After he just the jam he Reversed BACK down the one-way on ramp to the frontage road! I swear these guys were asking for another accident to happen. I never seen anything like this back in my small home town in Missouri.

That's just another day at the office. I have to travel from Plano, via US190, NB on I-35E to Denton about once a month. There are times I will take the long way around, north to US380 then west into Denton from Plano just to avoid that mayhem. JK

[PlanoGirl]

Originally Posted by nsumner

If you drive in Egypt particularly Cairo, the rule of thumb is "the only time you push on the brakes is to park".

Seriously that is true. On my visit there a number of years ago, my dad told me that the rule is "If my bumper is in front of your bumper, than I have right of way." We had two fender-benders on the way to our hotel. My dad, who had driven in Cairo many times, and the other local driver just stuck their head out of their respective car windows to see if there was any significant damage, and finding nothing but a minor dent or two, merely waved to each other and carried on their way.
Driving on the wrong side of the road to go around someone who was in your way was an everyday norm.

[PlanoGirl]

Jazz Under the Stars at the DMA is always awesome too....but I think that is in the spring.

[new28moon]

Originally Posted by thureen

I moved from small city, Columbia, MO, about 1 year ago to the NE Dallas area.

I moved here three months ago from a town that had 130,000 people. I get around pretty well in the traffic here except for the LBJ Expressway. I try to avoid that road whenever possible. People drive so fast and then it's difficult to change lanes. Plus I'm trying to read the signs and figure out which exit to take too.