Driving in the Triangle - Experiences and Observations. (Raleigh, Durham: fit in, chapel)

[RaleighLass]

As we have so many people looking to move here I thought we could post some first hand experience about driving here. As well as some tongue-in-cheek stuff. I know we've talked about this before but it is ever changing with new roads, many, many new residents, etc..

Some thoughts I have are:

• What irks you about driving here?

• What do you think of the speed of drivers? Is it safe, crazy or otherwise
• What surprised you when you started driving here
• Rate the condition of our roads compared to your home state/country
• Which roads are the most congested
• Which roads do you hate/love to drive on

I'll kick it off by saying I love, love 540! My 40 minute commute to Durham is rarely slow, often moves nicely and the road is in good condition. And, when it rains and is dark, you can actually see the road makers Not true for many of our older roads. I also love driving in Durham compared to Raleigh. Way less congested, drivers are less aggressive, and folks use turn signals - compared to Raleigh area. It drives me batty when you are waiting to pull out of a side road and someone plans to make a turn but has no turn signal on and appears to be going straight. Meanwhile you wait and wait for them to pass you yet they turn in to the street you are on. What is with this? How inconsiderate is it? When did people stop using their turn signals? Can you tell I am home sick today and going stir crazy

[lovebrentwood]

If, as you drive, you assume that no one will:

- use turn signals (which I noticed was the case when I moved here in 1993)
- stop at stop signs
- stop at places that say STOP written on the parking lot (where one should stop anyway)
- go a safe speed on the beltline (440)
- assume every driver is insane, so don't beep at them, even if you are fully justified in doing so to keep them from hitting you, because they may get out of the car, at a busy intersection, and scream at you for no apparent reason except they didn't like to be beeped at.

...then you'll be okay.

[Poggly Woggly]

Originally Posted by RaleighLass

Can you tell I am home sick today and going stir crazy

I was wondering why the tarnation you started such a thread

I'm retired, so the traffic doesn't bother me much anymore. I can pick and choose the times I need to be out on the roads....plus I know all the short cuts and back ways which really help in a pinch.

People who are distracted while driving for whatever reason really irk me.

My nighttime driving really irks me too...especially when it's raining!

[MikeJaquish]

I just drove from Cary to Holly Springs, back to Cary, and then to Raleigh and back to Cary.

No irks. No issues. No problem.

[twingles]

I am pretty sure this is taught in NC, but I hate the way no one pulls into the intersection on a left turn. Luckily the traffic is not so bad that you have to sit through several light changes to make a turn, but that day will be come soon.

Lack of turn signals...annoying.

Speed traps....annoying.

Road conditions soooo much better here than the northeast.

Hate having to keep it under 35 mph on Maynard by Lake Pine. That's a really ridiculous speed limit for a 4 lane road like that.

Tailgaters. The only reason I haven't gone crazy over this is that it's not done out of aggression 90% of the time....I used to move over for tailgaters when I first moved here, expecting them to go whizzing by. Nope. They just maintain their speed and continue cluelessly on.

All in all, though, no real problems. It's a pleasure to go out during the day and be one of the few cars on the road. Where I come from, regular middle of the day traffic is the equivalent of rush hour here, while regular traffic here is like driving in the middle of the night up there.

[aldamon]

The Triangle is not unique with its traffic situation. Everyone is just trying to get from point A to point B with varying levels of urgency. It is likely with so many interactions in a normal driving day that you're going to catch drivers at their worst possible moment several times per day. It's just a tiny sliver of time for each interaction, but cumulatively, those annoyances add up in our minds until everyone else becomes the idiot horde. When/if this turning point happens, just take a moment to consider what everyone else thinks of you. You might not be as good of a driver as you think you are and you probably have done something that has annoyed or endangered someone without you knowing it. Even the most conservative drivers can do pretty stupid stuff on the road and when/if it happens I'm sure someone will be around to see it happen and call you an idiot.

About the only tip I'd have for a new driver here is to try to fit in with the flow of traffic or traffic patterns. Being overly stubborn or trying to be book smart, or worse trying to be "nice" and make up rules and invisible signs as you go, will just make everyone around you angry and cause problems. Nobody likes the idiot horde when it's angry.

[WeLuvNC]

If you are the 4th or 5th car in line at a red light, you'll be LUCKY to make it through the light in one green...especially if those are ahead of you are turning. <wink>

[Herd33]

I dislike the morning cars who barrel down the inside lane on New Falls of Neuse heading onto FON and then expect everyone to let them in when it goes back to two lanes. But someone always lets them over. Not me.

But when FON goes to two lanes, there are people trying to leave their subdivisions with wall to wall traffic............and I do like the way that cars on the road let them out. A totally different situation. I try to let at least one car out on that stretch of road each day but most of the mornings someone beats me to it.

There ya go--some bad traffic behavior and some good behavior.

[CHTransplant]

• What irks you about driving here? In Chapel Hill, speed limits are 10 mph less than they should be on many roads.
• What do you think of the speed of drivers? Is it safe, crazy or otherwise I've lived in places where people drove (much) faster, and places where people (had to) drove slower. It doesn't really stand out to me here either way.
• What surprised you when you started driving here That there are so few major secondary routes that provide an alternative to I-40. If I-40 has a problem and you have to get from one end to the other, you're hosed.
• Rate the condition of our roads compared to your home state/country Much better! I grew up in the midwest - we had two seasons: winter, and road repair.

[Herd33]

Originally Posted by CHTransplant

• Much better! I grew up in the midwest - we had two seasons: winter, and road repair.

God, I agree. I don't see nearly as meany orange barrels here as I did in Ohio. Rep points to you!