Why do people drive so slowly here? (San Jose, Sacramento: transplants, live in)

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by ragnarkar

Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino, San Jose (downtown), Milpitas, etc.. usually Highway 101, 85, or 87.

I've been here for about a week and stick out like a sore thumb weaving around everyone at 65 in non commute traffic.

You're not going to hit the speed limit anywhere in Milpitas or Cupertino, I can guarantee that. 237 in particular is purgatory for the impatient even when it's moving well.

[mdwstrnkid]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

You're not going to hit the speed limit anywhere in Milpitas or Cupertino, I can guarantee that. 237 in particular is purgatory for the impatient even when it's moving well.

Well, 237 westbound in the mornings west of Great America is wide-open. I could easily go 70, if not faster, during my morning commute all the way to El Camino.

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by mdwstrnkid

Well, 237 westbound in the mornings west of Great America is wide-open. I could easily go 70, if not faster, during my morning commute all the way to El Camino.

That's not in Milpitas, though. I'm mainly talking about the part of 237 that is Calaveras Blvd., and it stays sluggish out to about N 1st normally.

[Sunnnee]

I don't mind driving the speed limit, but if your in the fast lane and you can clearly see others passing your a-- by, have the courtsey to move your a-- over in the slow lane.

Enough said!

[Ludachris]

Originally Posted by ragnarkar

I regularly do the speed limit on the freeways (65) and set it on cruse control and find it difficult to maintain this speed even in the fast lane with no traffic. Even in non rush hour traffic I'd be weaving around everyone like a madman at this speed and regularly find people going 5 or 10 below in the leftmost lane.

In LA, you'd be tailgated like crazy if you did the speed limit on the freeways, except maybe in the rightmost lane. Are the cops here THAT strict? I've passed by a several of them on the sidelines going 5 over with no incident (so far.) In every other metro area I've lived in, people regularly go 5+ over the speed limit (LA, Sacramento, Detroit).. what's up with slow drivers in San Jose?

Funny, I'm from San Jose and describe Denver like this. Nobody seems to respect the "slower traffic to the right" law out here, and I read something about Denver being one of the top cities where you're likely to find people not speeding. It's rare you see people out here doing more than 5 mph over the limit, as where I was used to the 75-80 mph flow out there.

I sort of miss the speedy Bay Area drivers, if you can believe that.

[SteveCircum]

Its because Northern California has the worst drivers I have seen in this country! I just came back from a business trip to Metro-Detroit and I swear those people know how to drive like the Germans...it was great.

[bigdumbgod]

If you're running up on road boulders on the freeways, take a look when you pass them and witness the device they are paying rapt attention to.

That said, there are a whole lot of fast drivers out there as well. Some more skilled than others. If you really need to get your ya-yas out, hit N280. Our Autobahn.

[krudmonk]

People up here suck at driving in general. Go down to the southland and you'll see people actually signaling before changing lanes or turning. It's almost foreign.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Dear OP: Sorry 'bout that ... sometimes when I really get into texting, I completely forget I am in the fast lane, and start to slowwwwwwwwwww wayyyyyyyy down ... sarc/

[sonarrat]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

That said, there are a whole lot of fast drivers out there as well. Some more skilled than others. If you really need to get your ya-yas out, hit N280. Our Autobahn.

Or better yet, go hit Sears Point or Laguna Seca so you don't kill me while I'm minding my own business on 280.