What is up with Denver's Traffic. (Arvada, Westminster: lawyers, houses, buses)

[Willy702]

I have lived in a number of cities which were drawing in a lot of transplants. It creates this sense that drivers are bad. I don't think its bad drivers as much as its drivers with different perceptions of what is and isn't good driving. People from most neighboring states around here tend to be slow and courteous drivers. People from Texas and California, plus most of the East are the opposite. So you get people who never drive the speed limit getting slowed down by people who rarely even reach it. Both react by changing lanes, but do it on their own sense of safety and timeliness. Both sides of the equation get frustrated and say people here are terrible drivers. Its a very predictable pattern.

The rush hour issues are actually a real observable pattern, but there isn't much you can do about it. What studies have shown is people come to an expectation there will be problems with traffic and tend to drive in an adjusted way to prepare for them. So even if the road is relatively open with no reasons for delay and traffic volumes are manageable you will see quite a few people still driving 40-50 on the freeway because they are just expecting traffic, even though its possible for them to drive at the speed limit safely. When there are no accidents or blockages this behavior is often what causes chronic congestion traffic. These drivers have no idea they are causing it because it happens minutes or even hours after they drive through a section of highway. But the cumulative effect of cars not clearing out of an area at an optimal level will eventually cause an issue.

[TigerLily24]

Originally Posted by Timmyy

I love when I turn my blinker on and then merge in front of someone, with plenty of room to spare, and they go out of their head thinking you did them a disservice. If you put your signal on I will slow down and let you in. No signal, no merge.

I completely agree with the phone problem. My phone does not come out of my pocket while driving. It is my biggest pet peeve.

I grew up in Southern California traffic and I think it is easier to drive in. Maybe it is the 5 lane freeways that make it easier for me. I drive C470 every morning around 6:15. Luckily I beat the traffic at that time. If I try to take it home around 4PM, forget about it. Pure insanity.

As bad as the people who pull up right next to you as soon as you turn on your blinker.
I never understand that response.

[mundele]

i grew up driving in chicago where the traffic is terrible and drivers are aggressive, but at least it's a general temperament and culture that you can get used to. i did, and was able to go and drive in other major cities without problem. i also lived in some third world countries and drove on a regular basis there, and didn't have too much of a problem with the drivers (pedestrians were another story). once to figure out the deal, it becomes second nature.

here in denver? probably the worst drivers i've ever experienced. i think it probably has to do with so many transplants and so many different driving styles ending up in one place. i felt like in chicago, the crazies or slowpokes were easy to spot and you could avoid them. here, they come out of left field, seemingly suddenly changing their driving style as the wind shifts direction.

fast drivers, slow drivers, lane hogs, tailgaters... none of these things really bother me. however, there are two things i see all the time here that drive me insane:

1. i swear people intentionally speed up to get in my blind spot, and then stay there. i can't tell you how many times i'll be driving in light traffic, minding my own business in my own lane, and when i go to change lanes as soon as i look over my shoulder there will be someone who's been sitting there for the past five minutes, never accelerating or decelerating enough to show up in my peripheral vision or mirrors. WHY DO YOU DO THAT.

2. blown stop signs/lights - it's frightening how many people here blow through stop signs and red lights. these aren't rolling stops, either. i honestly think they accelerate through them. and i can understand going through an extra stale yellow light, but i'm instead seeing drivers go through a light that's been red for a good long while.

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by TigerLily24

As bad as the people who pull up right next to you as soon as you turn on your blinker.
I never understand that response.

I don't either. Like it would kill them to take their foot off the accelerator for one second to let you in. People are self-centered drivers. OMG if I let that car gets in front of me, I will be one second late for work.

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by denverian

When freeway traffic slows for no apparent reason, it's just heavy volume (too many cars for the number of lanes).

Not necessarily. Sometimes it's just three clueless drivers, driving 5 miles under the speed limit side by side, with open road in front of them, totally oblivious to why those other mean drivers are tailgating the hell out of them and flashing their headlights.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by KaaBoom

Not necessarily. Sometimes it's just three clueless drivers, driving 5 miles under the speed limit side by side, with open road in front of them, totally oblivious to why those other mean drivers are tailgating the hell out of them and flashing their headlights.

I've never seen that happen.

[MissTerri]

Originally Posted by Timmyy

I love when I turn my blinker on and then merge in front of someone, with plenty of room to spare, and they go out of their head thinking you did them a disservice. If you put your signal on I will slow down and let you in. No signal, no merge.

I'm the same way. I hate it when I put my blinker on to change lanes and there is plenty of room to spare in the other lane and the person in the other lane suddenly speeds up so that they don't have to let me in. So ridiculous. I'm so sure that them being one car ahead of me is going to save them loads of time.

I avoid the highways at all costs.

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by denverian

I've never seen that happen.

I probably didn't explain it very well, but here is a better explanation for it.


The Phantom Traffic Jam - an explanation - YouTube

[Willy702]

Originally Posted by KaaBoom

I probably didn't explain it very well, but here is a better explanation for it.


The Phantom Traffic Jam - an explanation - YouTube

This is excellent. I took a university class decades ago over application of statistics and road traffic was a subject that took up a week. There are some good math formulas urban planners use which are way above the heads of most any poster, but the bottom line is this. If any cars or trucks are driving below the speed limit for no reason, which any of us can witness daily on all area freeways between 3-6pm, you can spot what may be the root cause a traffic jam. If all drivers drove right at the speed limit, jams would be quite rare unless there was an accident or blockage. Even with the high demand to get on the road, on ramp meters are set well below capacity to minimize slow downs and a well designed road gives drivers enough space to get up to the speed limit. Problems develop when drivers don't drive the same speed because it lowers the capacity for a lane, which cause other drivers to either brake and/or change lanes. Forcing a lane change overloads the next lane and so forth. To untangle a "phantom" traffic jam at the highest period of cars on the road can last nearly an hour after it begins even though there is no real reason for it.

[JohnnyDenver]

Originally Posted by Luvs2Trvl

I was just back to Denver last week (moved to SD 2 years ago) and I felt like I was sitting in CA traffic but with 2 lanes instead of 8 on C-470! I-25 was quite busy as well during the middle of the day on a weekday.

And I bet you observed just as many cars in Denver with California plates as you do in San Diego.