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Traffic is the great equalizer. Or it was, until the Express Lanes became the real-life version of Pay to Win DLC for video games. Helicopters are cheat codes.
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Aug 20, 2013 18:23
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WampaLord posted:Traffic is the great equalizer. Or it was, until the Express Lanes became the real-life version of Pay to Win DLC for video games. In a complete shock to nobody at all, Express Lanes are a dumb idea except for making money. My favorite part of this is they did the analysis after they made the change, instead of, you know, looking at any other place that did this.
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Aug 20, 2013 18:28
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Zeitgueist posted:In a complete shock to nobody at all, Express Lanes are a dumb idea except for making money. As someone who has paid nearly $10 for a single toll along the horrible horrible stretch of the 91 eastbound freeway, gently caress express lanes. It was a private road originally built with a clause that prohibited any freeway expansion or public transportation improvements to keep toll revenues high. quote:Opening in 1995, the 91 Express Lanes is the first privately funded tollway built in the United States since the 1940s, and the first fully automated tollway in the world. The 91 express is also expanding to I-15 north and south for more of that sweet toll money. They had also originally planned to add toll lanes and an additional regular lane in each direction on I-15 though Corona-Ontario but suprise, suprise the revised plans just have the toll lanes now. Also, does anyone else thing we should get rid of carpool lanes as well? When gas was cheap, the lanes served as a motivation to carpool. If you ride two or more, you get to ride in a special lane to "beat traffic". Now that gas isn't so cheap, the main motivation to carpool is to save money. Getting rid of the lanes won't have an impact on carpool rates as long as gas prices continue to increase. FCKGW fucked around with this message at 19:23 on Aug 20, 2013 |
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Aug 20, 2013 19:08
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I assume the point of the lanes ultimately was to make it easier for rich people to get to work at the expense of everyone else. The lanes themselves actually barely make a profit at all or actually increase and slow down traffic. Of course, being LA, usually the transit options are poor or non-existent, so the only option is to spend money or suffer.
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Aug 20, 2013 19:14
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FCKGW posted:Also, does anyone else thing we should get rid of carpool lanes as well? When gas was cheap, the lanes served as a motivation to carpool. If you ride two or more, you get to ride in a special lane to "beat traffic". Now that gas isn't so cheap, the main motivation to carpool is to save money. Getting rid of the lanes won't have an impact on carpool rates as long as gas prices continue to increase. Isn't that just a double motivation to carpool? I figured the carpool lanes would hang around until they filled up, at which point, mission accomplished.
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Aug 20, 2013 19:22
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Emissions too. Carpool stickers are a great way to incentivize hybrid/electric/high mpg ice engines.
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Aug 20, 2013 19:28
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Illumination posted:It's true I'm being a bit hyperbolic. I've definitely been around the state enough to see some real shitholes. Its just I've been here my entire life and I have seen enough different places to know this is not where I want to be, so I tend to exaggerate its negatives. I grew up in Riverside and felt the same way you did. I moved away for 5 years. I lived in Los Angeles, Irvine, Big Bear, and Morro Bay. Then I came back and bought a house in Riverside. Life might surprise you. Edit: Or it might not. Your hatred might be totally justified. Just sayin'. Megaman's Jockstrap fucked around with this message at 20:10 on Aug 20, 2013 |
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Aug 20, 2013 20:07
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I attended UC Riverside- it was a really nice campus with lots of newer buildings and an extremely low student:teacher ratio compared to other schools- most of my classes were 10:1 or 15:1. The botanic gardens were beautiful. I also hiked up to the C on the hill and could see the smoggy haze lingering over town, and I nearly was mugged twice on University Ave. Riverside is just like anywhere else, just with freeways that are being endlessly constructed. The carpool lanes on the 15 in San Diego are pretty decent- they use the lane switcher thing to open more lanes up in one direction or another if there's an issue on the main freeway. I can honestly say it's rare that there's traffic through the stretches where the carpool lanes exist- there's no proof that they are the cause, but there it is.
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Aug 20, 2013 22:37
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The carpool lane is a strong, strong incentive for me to get a motorcycle. Jealous of those bastards as they fly along the 680.
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Aug 21, 2013 02:40
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Here in Colorado we voted in a substantial tax hike to improve a local highway and add HOV lanes to it... just to have them announce you now need three people instead of two to use it free. I figured California would lead the way with an idea that stupid but we got you beat! I always thought it was silly that motorcycles get to use the HOV lane too considering how much worse for the environment they are. Ah well at least the bus system is moderately efficient around here.
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Aug 21, 2013 19:47
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Pryor on Fire posted:Here in Colorado we voted in a substantial tax hike to improve a local highway and add HOV lanes to it... just to have them announce you now need three people instead of two to use it free. Actually there are several areas in both LA and the SF that have 3+ HOV lanes. The reason why the number is increased is because Federal funds require that the HOV lanes have average speeds a certain level higher than the average speed of the non-HOV lanes. If too many people use the HOV lane at 2+ and it gets too slow, eventually they'll move it to 3+. We also have express lanes too, which btw still charge you even if you carpool unless you physically hide your fastpass. Also, hybrids no longer get to use the HOV lane, only electrics.
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Aug 21, 2013 19:51
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cheese posted:The carpool lane is a strong, strong incentive for me to get a motorcycle. Jealous of those bastards as they fly along the 680. RIP CHEESE During my old Cupertino to SF or Oak commutes (or reverse because god loving forbid my job stay in the same drat place) I saw enough horrible stuff to make me want to buy an actual military vehicle to commute in, including the weapons packages. Keyser_Soze fucked around with this message at 20:03 on Aug 21, 2013 |
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Aug 21, 2013 20:01
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So wait with those toll lane things on the 110, can I just drive in it if I'm carpooling? Or do I have to buy some gizmo?
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Aug 21, 2013 20:09
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appropriatemetaphor posted:So wait with those toll lane things on the 110, can I just drive in it if I'm carpooling? Or do I have to buy some gizmo? You have to buy a gizmo that requires a deposit of like $40.
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Aug 21, 2013 20:20
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appropriatemetaphor posted:So wait with those toll lane things on the 110, can I just drive in it if I'm carpooling? Or do I have to buy some gizmo? You need a fasttrak. The la ones let you select the number of passengers and adjust the toll based on that.
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Aug 21, 2013 20:22
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I will continue to bike/metro it down to the marina for 5 bucks then.
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Aug 21, 2013 20:25
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Pryor on Fire posted:I always thought it was silly that motorcycles get to use the HOV lane too considering how much worse for the environment they are. Motorcycles don't have all the emissions controls cars do, so they put out a lot more NOx, SOx, unburnt carbon, soot, etc. However, they are far, far, far more fuel efficient than cars. So in terms of nasty stuff per passenger per mile, they're quite competitive. They also put a lot less wear on the road, and they tend not to slow down traffic because they can split lanes in some cases (although this is not always very safe for the rider). Also: for 3-passenger minimums, they usually allow 2-passengers in those lanes when the vehicle only has a 2-passenger capacity. Which means I can drive in them with my wife in my chevy s-10 pickup, and people in tiny sports cars with 1 passenger can use the lane as well. Kind of not really what they were going for with carpooling, though? It's weird.
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Aug 21, 2013 20:30
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Motorcycles also save the environment by killing off environmentally polluting humans quite efficiently.
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Aug 21, 2013 20:42
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I'm actually pretty surprised CARB hasn't taken a harder-line stance on catalytic converter installation for motorcycles- the emissions stuff that they require for cars is generally considered draconian in every other state. If there were a cat requirement for cycles along with inspection every couple of years, that might work to help curb the emissions for cycles. I still wouldn't get on a motorcycle on any SoCal freeway- too crowded and dangerous, even if you're not splitting lanes.
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Aug 21, 2013 21:51
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Anecdote isn't data, but I've known half a dozen people who rode motorcycles and every single one of them had a bad personal injury on them. Please don't ride a motorcycle in any sort of traffic.
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Aug 21, 2013 21:54
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Megaman's Jockstrap posted:Anecdote isn't data, but I've known half a dozen people who rode motorcycles and every single one of them had a bad personal injury on them. Please don't ride a motorcycle in any sort of traffic. Yeah, one of my good friends died on a cycle last year and a bunch of other people I know have wiped out or gotten taken out in traffic. At least from a driver's perspective it's extremely hard to see a cyclist who's cutting lanes coming if you're lane changing as they are going 20 MPH faster than the rest of traffic and you're already paying attention to about 4 or 5 things going on. Bip Roberts fucked around with this message at 22:09 on Aug 21, 2013 |
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Aug 21, 2013 22:07
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Leperflesh posted:Motorcycles don't have all the emissions controls cars do, so they put out a lot more NOx, SOx, unburnt carbon, soot, etc. However, they are far, far, far more fuel efficient than cars. The gap in fuel mileage between modern 5-person cars and motorcycles (of all types and displacements) is actually fairly modest and closing quickly, since mid-size (500-800cc) motorcycles average 50 mpg or so. Cars are improving rapidly in anticipation of government mandates and in response to consumer pressure, but motorcycle mfg's have made no recent improvements of their own for the same reasons. If anything, engine sizes just keep getting larger. If auto mileage keeps improving, the only class of bikes that will continue to have a significant fuel advantage over cars are 250cc or less. This is before passenger miles are considered, and motorcycles carry passengers much more rarely than do cars. You'll certainly save gas riding anything but a Harley-Davidson (which is lucky to see 40 mpg), but not nearly so much as you think. And if you have a passenger in your car, the advantage is erased. To see excellent mileage in the range of 80-100mpg, you need a small moto (125-250cc) or a scooter (50-250cc). Superpowered gas mileage comes with an electric-assist bicycle, whose efficiency really cannot be beat. Zeitgueist posted:As a bicycle commuter, I'd actually wager that a lot more motorcycle accidents are car error than bikes cutting lanes. I think like half are all of the same type. Car turning left across traffic + I didn't see him! Same with bicycles. agarjogger fucked around with this message at 22:19 on Aug 21, 2013 |
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Aug 21, 2013 22:14
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Dusseldorf posted:Yeah, one of my good friends died on a cycle last year and a bunch of other people I know have wiped out or gotten taken out in traffic. As a bicycle commuter, I'd actually wager that a lot more motorcycle accidents are car error than bikes cutting lanes.
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Aug 21, 2013 22:16
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Zeitgueist posted:As a bicycle commuter, I'd actually wager that a lot more motorcycle accidents are car error than bikes cutting lanes. I didn't say it wasn't a car error to change lanes into a cyclist. It's just an extra extremely difficult task in the fast moving heavy traffic that we get in every city in California. I bicycle quite a bit and am extremely conscious to stay out of a position where someone will swerve into me. If it happens it doesn't axiomatically mean it was my fault or on the other hand that it's not my personal responsibility to avoid getting in that position. Bip Roberts fucked around with this message at 22:20 on Aug 21, 2013 |
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Aug 21, 2013 22:18
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My balls just about crawl up into my chest every time I see a motorcycle splitting lanes at 60mph through 40mph traffic. Cars changing lanes in traffic will never be able to see someone overtaking them that way.
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Aug 21, 2013 22:25
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withak posted:My balls just about crawl up into my chest every time I see a motorcycle splitting lanes at 60mph through 40mph traffic. As a motorcycle commuter, I'll say you really shouldn't be scared for us. There's a lot more space between the lanes than most cars realize. Motorcyclists sit higher, and so it's easier to see the cars ahead. And even though people don't use their turn signals nearly as often as they should, if you do a lot of lane splitting you tend to develop a sense for when someone wants to change lanes, based on their speed and lane position and things like that. The biggest problems I have are aggressive or oblivious drivers that hug the side of the lane and keep me from going past.
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Aug 21, 2013 23:13
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When I'm in heavy traffic I watch my mirrors a lot, and if I'm in motion I always open up the lane for bikers who are approaching from behind splitting a lane. I get the occasional wave, too. I don't think it's all that dangerous, either. Certainly it's less dangerous than overtaking on the right at speed on an open freeway, where someone might suddenly merge right without checking over-the-shoulder because the traffic is light and they don't see a car in the side mirror. The most dangerous thing (in my estimation) I see motorcyclists do is take a corner at speed excessive for the road surface condition. Debris on the road surface, wet, uneven surface, off-camber, or the need to make a sudden correction, can all cause a loss of traction or a sudden excess of traction (understeer/oversteer? Do they call it that with a bike?) and then a highside or lowside onto the shoulder (if there is one) or median barrier/oncoming traffic (on an 'inside' turn). When I've talked to bikers who have gone down (my stepdad, some of his buddies, guys at the track when my stepdad used to race AFM), most of the off-track accident stories have to do with going down in a corner. Occasionally it's someone backing into them while stopped at a light/intersection/whatever, and occasionally it's someone changing lanes without signaling or cutting into them on a left turn at an intersection. Not that any of that is a scientific survey, mind you, so maybe I'm way off, it's all anecdotal.
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Aug 21, 2013 23:23
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Keyser S0ze posted:RIP CHEESE
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Aug 22, 2013 00:13
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As long as we're talking anecdata, my hypothesis is that if you subtract out the stupid and the old, motorcycle commuting is not THAT dangerous. Start with the total number of accidents. Subtract the DUIs. Subtract the moron GSXRs riding the double yellow up Hwy 9 at 70mph. Subtract the old men (surprisingly, the MAJORITY of fatalities are to men over 40). Subtract out accidents where the motorcyclist hit a non-moving object. The big thing though is the consequence to the rider is so much greater than to a car driver. Wear protective gear, don't speed, don't be an idiot.
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Aug 22, 2013 00:51
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appropriatemetaphor posted:So wait with those toll lane things on the 110, can I just drive in it if I'm carpooling? Or do I have to buy some gizmo? nm posted:You need a fasttrak. The la ones let you select the number of passengers and adjust the toll based on that. Wrong! If you aren't carpooling you need a fasttrak. If you are carpooling, you need to remove any fasttrack that may on the windshield. They recommend a mylar bag, I've just hid mine beneath the seat. http://www.680expresslane.org/FAQ_&_Brochure.asp#35 posted:Why do I need to put my FasTrak toll tag in a Mylar bag when I’m carpooling?
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Aug 22, 2013 02:45
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Trabisnikof posted:Wrong! If you aren't carpooling you need a fasttrak. If you are carpooling, you need to remove any fasttrack that may on the windshield. They recommend a mylar bag, I've just hid mine beneath the seat. That isn't the case for the 110 and 10 express lanes in Socal. https://www.metroexpresslanes.net/en/faq/fastrak.shtml They look like this  You put 1 if you're alone, 2 if two (you get a discount or free depending on time of day) or 3 if three or more (always free).
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Aug 22, 2013 02:50
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nm posted:That isn't the case for the 110 and 10 express lanes in Socal. Yeah, I'm just saying that in the Bay Area its backwards.
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Aug 22, 2013 02:53
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Anyone else commute via Caltrain? I've done it for a couple years and I'm growing increasingly frustrated with the poor quality of the cars. It's not uncommon to board the "newer" model and be instantly assaulted with what appears to be the scent of the train's waste storage, or in some cases having to step over suspicious puddles that have leaked out of the onboard bathrooms  Sometimes they seem to be blowing it through the circulation systems too, which is just delightful! Also, no onboard Wi-Fi is a pain.
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Aug 22, 2013 03:06
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agarjogger posted:Which would put horrible congestion in both the asset and liability columns of the city's ledgers. Which is pretty loving depressing. Wouldn't the execs have something fancy like a daily helicopter commuting?
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Aug 22, 2013 03:37
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Super Space Jam 64 posted:Anyone else commute via Caltrain? I've done it for a couple years and I'm growing increasingly frustrated with the poor quality of the cars. It's not uncommon to board the "newer" model and be instantly assaulted with what appears to be the scent of the train's waste storage, or in some cases having to step over suspicious puddles that have leaked out of the onboard bathrooms
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Aug 22, 2013 03:46
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Enilev posted:As a motorcycle commuter, I'll say you really shouldn't be scared for us. As a doctor at a socal level 1 trauma center, I have to disagree.
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Aug 22, 2013 04:42
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Der Meister posted:As a doctor at a socal level 1 trauma center, I have to disagree. There are two large-scale reports on motorcycle safety, HURT and MAIDS. Most riders who are on the fence about their hobby have read them and decided whether or not they're comfortable with the risk. And honestly someone who has to look at the actual exposed guts of a traffic accident is probably the worst person to ask about whether driving/riding is safe.
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Aug 22, 2013 04:50
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cheese posted:Interesting to note that the two most common serious accidents involving motorcycles (as multiple vehicle accidents go) are a car rear ending a motorcycle sitting at a stoplight and a car making a left turn in front of a motorcycle. Lane splitting is fine and as far as accidents go, at least both vehicles are moving in the same direction which makes the relative speed difference less than you might think - a rider has more time to react that if hes going 60mph on a 2 lane highway and a car turns in front of him. With commuting motorcyclists I saw more problems with giant potholes/ruts, the trash/car parts/mattresses/burning corpses laying on 880/101 or the worst - something falling off of trucks in front of the biker. I watched one poor guy have to basically hit the median to avoid a ladder bouncing down the fast lane one morning. They don't call 880 "the road to Fallujah" for nothing. Super Space Jam 64 posted:Anyone else commute via Caltrain? I've done it for a couple years and I'm growing increasingly frustrated with the poor quality of the cars. It's not uncommon to board the "newer" model and be instantly assaulted with what appears to be the scent of the train's waste storage, or in some cases having to step over suspicious puddles that have leaked out of the onboard bathrooms Ugh, I did it from the Sunnyvale station to SF to muni to 1 Market for a year and ended up driving and parking at the old lot by Red's Java House a lot more often when I had to work late at night, which was all the time. I remember one time after a night Giants game the train was delayed, was completely stuffed, the air was shut down and then someone barfed garlic fries and wiped out two cars worth of people with the stench. Fun times! Everyone should buy a Fastrak, they rock, the Socal one with the buttons is weird though. Keyser_Soze fucked around with this message at 05:41 on Aug 22, 2013 |
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Aug 22, 2013 05:20
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Keyser S0ze posted:Ugh, I did it from the Sunnyvale station to SF to muni to 1 Market for a year and ended up driving and parking at the old lot by Red's Java House a lot more often when I had to work late at night, which was all the time. I remember one time after a night Giants game the train was delayed, was completely stuffed, the air was shut down and then someone barfed garlic fries and wiped out two cars worth of people with the stench. Fun times! Oh my god, it is the worst on Giants game nights (which seem to be like 3-4 days a week, ughhh). It's always full of drunkards hollering at the top of their lungs and making a scene, and the bathrooms are always stopped up. I'm not a fan of sports in the first place but the fans have filled me with nothing but contempt for the team.
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Aug 22, 2013 07:17
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Super Space Jam 64 posted:Oh my god, it is the worst on Giants game nights (which seem to be like 3-4 days a week, ughhh). It's always full of drunkards hollering at the top of their lungs and making a scene, and the bathrooms are always stopped up. I'm not a fan of sports in the first place but the fans have filled me with nothing but contempt for the team. The only worthwhile part is when you're at a station and a bunch of out-of-towners or super insulated suburbanites are loudly freaking out about how expensive tickets are because they think trains are for poors. But yeah, I hope the Giants eventually move to the south bay so I can ride my public transportation in peace (on top of drinking everybody's tears as an As fan).
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Aug 22, 2013 07:54
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