Traffic confusions
Bear with me. This is not going to be your typical "I hate traffic" or "big traffic jam" post. At least I hope not.
I live about 20 miles from my office. I can commute there either via 2 different freeways (going east/west and north/south), or I can use a couple of side streets. It is equal distance each way.
The freeway route can get me to and from work quickly. Or it can get me to and from work very slowly. Since it seems to be somewhat of a crap shoot, I tend to avoid the freeway route.
The side street route is a consistent 40 minute drive. The speed limit on most of the route is 40 miles per hour. I can set my cruise control and just cruise on in. Or home. Whichever. You know what I mean. It's a nice drive, especially at the times of the day I commute - slightly post rush hour. Using the cruise control saves me gasoline as well. I set it and cruise. A red traffic light in the distance? Why, just tap the break and coast to the light, saving even more gas. Light changes? Accelerate to 30, then click resume. Car accelerates for me and stops at the set speed. And I don't have to worry about tickets. Driving the speed limit has lowered my stress level.
The thing that is confusing are the people going slightly slower than the speed limit. Now most people, and by most I mean a realistic estimate of 97.5% of the cars around me, are going well over the speed limit. Somewhere between 5 and 10 miles an hour over the speed limit. And I don't have a problem with people going slightly below the speed limit. If they want to do that, fine. Unless there is no room to go around them, but that is another story.
What is confusing about the people going slightly below the speed limit is the fact that they don't seem to realize it until I pass them. Literally 20 to 30 cars may fly right past them and they go plodding along. But when I slowly come up behind them, change lanes and pass them they seem to suddenly realize they are going below the speed limit while everyone else (but me) is exceeding it and now it's time to GO! GO! GO!
If this just happened once every few days, then I probably wouldn't give it a second thought. But it happens several times (2-5) per trip. Not per day. Per trip.
What is it about me or my driving that suddenly makes them hit the turbo boosters on their '76 Pinto and take off?
I live about 20 miles from my office. I can commute there either via 2 different freeways (going east/west and north/south), or I can use a couple of side streets. It is equal distance each way.
The freeway route can get me to and from work quickly. Or it can get me to and from work very slowly. Since it seems to be somewhat of a crap shoot, I tend to avoid the freeway route.
The side street route is a consistent 40 minute drive. The speed limit on most of the route is 40 miles per hour. I can set my cruise control and just cruise on in. Or home. Whichever. You know what I mean. It's a nice drive, especially at the times of the day I commute - slightly post rush hour. Using the cruise control saves me gasoline as well. I set it and cruise. A red traffic light in the distance? Why, just tap the break and coast to the light, saving even more gas. Light changes? Accelerate to 30, then click resume. Car accelerates for me and stops at the set speed. And I don't have to worry about tickets. Driving the speed limit has lowered my stress level.
The thing that is confusing are the people going slightly slower than the speed limit. Now most people, and by most I mean a realistic estimate of 97.5% of the cars around me, are going well over the speed limit. Somewhere between 5 and 10 miles an hour over the speed limit. And I don't have a problem with people going slightly below the speed limit. If they want to do that, fine. Unless there is no room to go around them, but that is another story.
What is confusing about the people going slightly below the speed limit is the fact that they don't seem to realize it until I pass them. Literally 20 to 30 cars may fly right past them and they go plodding along. But when I slowly come up behind them, change lanes and pass them they seem to suddenly realize they are going below the speed limit while everyone else (but me) is exceeding it and now it's time to GO! GO! GO!
If this just happened once every few days, then I probably wouldn't give it a second thought. But it happens several times (2-5) per trip. Not per day. Per trip.
What is it about me or my driving that suddenly makes them hit the turbo boosters on their '76 Pinto and take off?
posted by learningtowrite | 8:36 PM
1 Comments:
re Driving the speed limit has lowered my stress level
good one! I think I'll try it. I've tried nearly everything to reduce my stress levels while driving. Taking another route, leaving home in enough time to get to work. Maybe slowing down might be the key.
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