Yet Another Driving Rant

[Radbird]

this happens all the time on 70 betwen KC and StL on trips to the Lou

What is it about that stretch of road anyway?

http://gatewayredbirds.com/forum/viewto ... =9&t=40520

ooohhhh....forgot you already ranted about "LLO". oh, well. it's worth ranting about in multiple threads.

No argument there.

[New Pagodi]

....and when merging onto the highway, for God's sake!, accelerate to the speed limit before jerking your car into traffic. there's a reason a 100 yd merge lane was paved. DO NOT enter traffic doing 30 mph in a 65 mph zone.

You've never taken the on ramp from Cherokee St to Hwy 55 south. It's physically impossible to get you're car above 50 mph before the merging space ends. At that point you either merge or bust through the cement side wall and fall 60-70 ft to your death. I can't believe no one has shut that ramp down for safety reasons.

[Molly]

....and when merging onto the highway, for God's sake!, accelerate to the speed limit before jerking your car into traffic. there's a reason a 100 yd merge lane was paved. DO NOT enter traffic doing 30 mph in a 65 mph zone.

You've never taken the on ramp from Cherokee St to Hwy 55 south. It's physically impossible to get you're car above 50 mph before the merging space ends. At that point you either merge or bust through the cement side wall and fall 60-70 ft to your death. I can't believe no one has shut that ramp down for safety reasons.

Worst entrance ramp I've ever seen.

FYI if you go just a little farther south on Broadway, turn left at President (the old Brick bar is on the northeast corner) there is another entrance ramp to 55 that allows you much more time than the Cherokee entrance ramp.

[StL Dan]

....and when merging onto the highway, for God's sake!, accelerate to the speed limit before jerking your car into traffic. there's a reason a 100 yd merge lane was paved. DO NOT enter traffic doing 30 mph in a 65 mph zone.

You've never taken the on ramp from Cherokee St to Hwy 55 south. It's physically impossible to get you're car above 50 mph before the merging space ends. At that point you either merge or bust through the cement side wall and fall 60-70 ft to your death. I can't believe no one has shut that ramp down for safety reasons.

50 is better than 35

love the hair pin, zero distance off ramps from 70 down at the zoo exits and stuff

[New Pagodi]

The only people I absolutely REFUSE to let merge in front of me are the douches who know that up ahead the left/right/whatever lane in closed; yet they will drive in that lane until it ends and expect those of us who have patiently waited in traffic to let them merge in. FU!!!!!!

Ahem... driving until the end of the lane increases highway "bandwidth" and would lower everyone's total traffic time if you allowed them to merge effortlessly.

Traffic is caused by human error.

I've had a number of arguments about this issue. I agree that it would be a better system if everyone drove right up to the lane closure and then merged because it makes more efficient use of the road, and it would eliminate the conflict with "cheaters" (though it doesn't actually increase bandwidth which is still limited by the narrow spot). The problem is the American driving convention which says you are supposed get out of a closing lane as soon as you can. As long as that is the (badly chosen) convention, not merging is just like cutting in line. You can try to justify it to yourself as some kind of altruistic act, but really it's just taking personal advantage at the cost of others, hence cheating.

I understand that some other countries use a "zipper" system where when a lane closes, you drive up to the end and then alternating cars from each lane move on. That would make a lot more sense.

MoDOT is starting a campaign to get people to do this.