|
kefkafloyd posted:Oh wow. I wonder how much you get whacked for getting a ticket during that time. Northern Virginia HOV Lane Fines: First offense: $125 Second offense: $250 plus 3 points on your driving record Third offense: $500 plus 3 points on your driving record Fourth offense: $1,000 plus 3 points on your driving record It's the same as everywhere else in the region's HOV violations, except they're super strict on the enforcement - the state police will on the regular force traffic to slow down in order to more easily count occupants in the cars. They don't do that on the regular one-lane-is-HOV sections.
|
#
?
Oct 31, 2015 18:33
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 16:31 |
|
|
That section of I-66 used to be HOV-3 back in the 90s. The people who were using it got really pissed when it got bumped down to HOV-2.
|
|
#
?
Nov 1, 2015 07:47
|
|
|
Javid posted:Here's another local clusterfuck I'd like to submit for discussion: Make M street a left-hand drive road. Edit: Well, that would work if it didn't continue on beyond the intersections...
|
|
#
?
Nov 1, 2015 08:28
|
|
|
Carbon dioxide posted:Do these rush hour lanes exist where you live and what do you think about the concept? They have become a reasonably frequent feature on UK motorways over the past decade in various forms. Originally known as Active Traffic Management, a trial started in 2006 on the congested M42 around Birmingham, which along with ramp metering and speed limits, introduced the concept of hard shoulder running during congested periods.  Shoulder running is only allowed when there is a drop in the normal speed limit (from 70mph), so you are allowed to use it as a lane if there is a speed limit above the lane. Emergency refuges were constructed every 500m, but if a vehicle does break down on the hard shoulder this should be detected and the lane will be closed. This is achieved through a network of CCTV camears along the length of the road, which in addition to induction loops can determine traffic flow and whether the shoulder should be opened or not. This is all done automatically by a computer (except for the broken down vehicle part). For this scheme the extra lane does not continue through junctions, so they are essentially exit lanes only, with the shoulder simply turning into a slip road. It was considered a success, and started appearing all over the UK in congested areas, now under the name of Managed Motorways. Later schemes put the refuges and overhead gantries further apart to save money (up to 1km apart), though they did introduce physical signs that could change and diagrammatic variable signs which I quite like. Also the shoulder was not necessarily only for exiting the motorway now. This continued to be considered a success, and so naturally it was decided that this didn't always need to be a part time congestion thing anymore, we could just do it permanently! Existing schemes are staying part time, but any new schemes (now called Smart Motorways) will usuallly feature all lane running: At this point it is just a cheap replacement for widening. This section of the M25 was originally slated to be widened traditionally, but now Smart Motorways have mostly replaced any upcoming widening schemes if the existing road has a continuous hard shoulder available. The left hand lane can still be closed if a vehicle breaks down (well, any lane really), but otherwise its just a 4th lane. Refuges are even further apart and overhead gantries are very far apart compared to earlier schemes. Eventually I imagine almost every remotely busy motorway in the UK will have the shoulder removed. With modern cars breaking down less I do think the shoulder is not as important as it used to be, and this is a hell of a lot cheaper than proper widening. We also seem to survive with all the non-motorway dual carriage way which has never had a hard shoulder (though admittedly there is usually a soft verge rather than a steel barrier). In an ideal world it wouldn't replace all future widening, but its better than nothing. And in some places (such as the [url=https://goo.gl/maps/Ts4aquTwPpL2M6 viaduct[/url] in Birmingham) widening would be stupid expensive.
|
|
#
?
Nov 1, 2015 18:49
|
|
|
Cichlidae posted:Thanks so much for your help, guys. I've sent it along to the project team and I'll discuss it with them tomorrow. These are the same guys I have to fight tooth and nail for every little thing (like 10-foot lanes instead of 11, or removing on-street parking). You're doing the lord's work. Hartford needs this sort of thing as much as anywhere else in the country. Growing up, my friends and I used to joke that it was like 28 days later after 5pm. And a bus line to New Britain isn't going to fix that.
|
|
#
?
Nov 1, 2015 19:57
|
|
|
Couple of days ago some dude flipped his car and managed to launch  Pretty impressive height imho.
|
|
#
?
Nov 1, 2015 23:31
|
|
|
scandoslav posted:Couple of days ago some dude flipped his car and managed to launch Wear your seat belts, everyone. Also, I'm sure sure physics work that way.
|
|
#
?
Nov 1, 2015 23:52
|
|
|
So do the bonus points for distance go to his next of kin or what?
|
|
#
?
Nov 2, 2015 03:22
|
|
|
Well I had a frustrating drive to work today due to this intersection: https://www.google.com/maps/@46.8506301,-96.7983767,819m/data=!3m1!1e3 It's hard to see from the map, but University drive (the North/South Street) has three lanes of traffic in each direction and the Westbound I-94 off-ramp has two left turn lanes and one right turn lane. The issue occurs in the mornings, there's a hospital just north of the highway at 18th avenue so 40-50% of the traffic on University wants to turn right at 18th and is in the right hand lane while traversing the I-94 interchange. The right lane traffic also has an annoying habit of entering the ramp intersection and queuing up past the right turn lane when the light at 18th Ave is red. This is normally fine as cars can exploit gaps in the right hand lane traffic to get to the middle and left lanes and clear the ramp. This morning however there was a semi on the ramp. He was too big to exploit gaps and the northbound traffic in the right lane kept queuing in front of him even though the middle and left lanes were clear. It took a half hour for him to make the turn while backed up cars filled the ramp and spilled out onto the interstate. Can this be fixed through engineering somehow or is this a driver education issue?
|
|
#
?
Nov 3, 2015 15:41
|
|
|
Restraint Key posted:Well I had a frustrating drive to work today due to this intersection: Simple courtesy would fix this, and proper car zippering. Though the general human condition seems to be trending towards "I am more important than anyone else, so F them"
|
|
#
?
Nov 3, 2015 16:12
|
|
|
Carbon dioxide posted:Do these rush hour lanes exist where you live and what do you think about the concept? They've got them on GA-400 north of Atlanta.  When exits come up, the shoulder lanes serve as exit-only. 
|
|
#
?
Nov 3, 2015 18:57
|
|
|
kefkafloyd posted:Certain sections of I-93 and route 128 in Massachusetts allow travel on the shoulder during certain times of the day. It's really dumb in terms of safety because there's no margin for error on ramps. There are emergency pull off sections but god forbid you break down and you're not near one. And when people use them during the time that the shoulder lane is open for travel in the other direction when they are around 1/2 mile from their exit. I.E. Southbound I-93 has Breakdown Lane travel open from 6-10AM, for people heading to work towards Boston. Northbound I-93 has Breakdown Lane travel open from 3-7PM for people heading home from Boston. So if I'm heading south at 4:30PM I can't drive in the breakdown lane, yet people do so they can get to their exit faster. I wish we had one of those zipper median travel lanes that moves the barriers back and forth depending on the time of day.
|
|
#
?
Nov 3, 2015 19:07
|
|
|
drgnwr1 posted:Simple courtesy would fix this, and proper car zippering. Though the general human condition seems to be trending towards "I am more important than anyone else, so F them" People in cars treat others so much worse than they'd dare to in person. It's the same principle as anonymity on the internet. Take away the credible threat of social backlash and people will treat each other like garbage. It doesn't speak well of the human condition. Edit: Great thread by the way. I wish there was such a high quality thread devoted specifically to transit the way this one is to traffic.
|
|
#
?
Nov 3, 2015 20:41
|
|
|
Railroad is stalling on giving us a confirmation of when they're going to close one of their crossings which is on the main road into the city and I'm suppose to let everyone know a week in advance. That was yesterday and I'm still waiting on a god damned detour plan (that they're also supposed to provide) and god this is going to be such a clusterfuck next week is going to suuuuuuxk.
|
|
#
?
Nov 3, 2015 20:55
|
|
|
PhilippAchtel posted:People in cars treat others so much worse than they'd dare to in person. It's the same principle as anonymity on the internet. Take away the credible threat of social backlash and people will treat each other like garbage. Yeah that's why getting people out of cars is so much healthier for everyone involved, even emotionally. When I was riding my bike around NL I noticed bike traffic flowed very good, there was no need for signals or even very strict rules among bikes because everyone communicated via eye contact and generally not being assholes to each other because it's an in-person face to face interaction. You can have some big busy intersections where it's just throngs of bikes coming from every direction and people for the most part just figure their poo poo out using some basic rules. It results in a much more chill commute. Also with good bike infra a bike commute usually takes about the same time as driving for many trips, in fact for most local trips it's way way faster. I could walk in 15 min, it's a pleasant walk but I'm impatient and have some shopping to bring home. I could drive, but it means taking a very non-direct route, dealing with the stress of driving, then driving around hoping to find parking, overall it would take about 20 min. Or I could hop on my bike, a trip just as safe and pleasant as walking, but it takes me 10min after factoring in lugging my bike out of the storage room and putting it back in. I can also put all my groceries in my back pack or maybe I have cargo space on my bike. I noticed every local trip became a bike trip. It's addicting and incredibly liberating. You're moving around fast almost like driving, but you feel as free as when walking. You've got right of way just about everywhere, there's almost always a place for you to ride where pedestrians and cars are not conflicting with you. No looking for parking at your destination, no road rage, no constant fear of death from the slightest lack of attention by your self or others.
|
|
#
?
Nov 3, 2015 21:21
|
|
|
I was stupid enough to not lock my bike on friday, it was stolen, and now every trip beyond 200m is pure agony.
|
|
#
?
Nov 3, 2015 21:25
|
|
|
If it's any consolation, locking a bike in no way guarantees that it won't get stolen 
|
|
#
?
Nov 3, 2015 22:00
|
|
|
Indoor, or at least covered, bike lockup facilities with security camera coverage should be mandated for any new or remodeled businesses. The common trend of "put one rack with space for MAYBE four bikes in some awful corner of the parking lot" isn't helping.
|
|
#
?
Nov 3, 2015 22:22
|
|
|
Javid posted:Indoor, or at least covered, bike lockup facilities with security camera coverage should be mandated for any new or remodeled businesses. The common trend of "put one rack with space for MAYBE four bikes in some awful corner of the parking lot" isn't helping. In Vancouver this is starting to be a thing - bike parking in a new building is basically mandatory, while for buildings on a major transit route, it's strongly encouraged to have fewer car parking spaces than units. On the university campus, new buildings are also required to have end of trip facilities (showers, lockers, changing rooms ). It'd be nice if this were more universal.
|
|
#
?
Nov 3, 2015 22:28
|
|
|
Koesj posted:I was stupid enough to not lock my bike on friday, it was stolen, and now every trip beyond 200m is pure agony. When you lock your bike do you just lock the wheel with the little key thing or actually chain it to something? That was something I had never seen before. In north america when people lock their bikes it's always with a chain/cord or U lock, bikes don't have built-in locks. I like those built-in locks but it doesn't prevent someone from just walking off with your bike.
|
|
#
?
Nov 3, 2015 22:31
|
|
|
I ride second-hand beaters and only lock them with the O-lock since they're outside 24/7 and last maybe two winters. Except for when I'm out and about during the night since cabs are expensive and 15 mins of walking is wayyy too much.
|
|
#
?
Nov 3, 2015 22:49
|
|
|
Lead out in cuffs posted:In Vancouver this is starting to be a thing - bike parking in a new building is basically mandatory, while for buildings on a major transit route, it's strongly encouraged to have fewer car parking spaces than units. On the university campus, new buildings are also required to have end of trip facilities (showers, lockers, changing rooms ). It'd be nice if this were more universal. Hahahaha, changing rooms, what? I guess they're making stuff for the lycra-clad racing cyclists now. That would never fly in the Netherlands. I don't know what's wrong with you if you can't even cycle in a suit without breaking a sweat. There's no reason to cycle at 50 mph you know.
|
|
#
?
Nov 3, 2015 23:45
|
|
|
It never gets hot in the netherlands?
|
|
|
#
?
Nov 3, 2015 23:47
|
|
|
Carbon dioxide posted:Hahahaha, changing rooms, what? You're aware that other places get significantly hotter than the Netherlands right? The hottest it's ever been in Amsterdam is only a few degrees above the normal summer average temp in most North American cities. For many of them, the hottest it's ever been there is a cool day for the summer months.
|
|
#
?
Nov 3, 2015 23:54
|
|
|
Yeah, holy poo poo I just looked and apparently the average August temperature is 63 degrees F. It's hotter than that right now in Texas!
|
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2015 00:01
|
|
|
Nintendo Kid posted:You're aware that other places get significantly hotter than the Netherlands right? The hottest it's ever been in Amsterdam is only a few degrees above the normal summer average temp in most North American cities. For many of them, the hottest it's ever been there is a cool day for the summer months. To be fair to the specific example, Vancouver has a pretty similar climate to Netherlands. Also yeah, in netherlands 99% of people on a bike are just people going from A to B in a chill lazy way like a person strolling down the street. In North America because biking is such a huge pain in the rear end and stressful a lot of the people you see on bikes are some degree of "identity cyclists" and need a change room and even shower after their hour long x-treme mixed traffic tour-de-suburbia. You shouldn't get any more sweaty riding a bike than you do walking down the street. If you are you're peddlin' too hard dude. If you live in a warmer climate that just walking gets you all sweaty you don't see every office having a shower for every employee walking in off the street. Or do people just never move about outdoors in climates where it regularly goes over 30? Just hop in an air conditioned car between air conditioned buildings? What an existence...
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2015 00:10
|
|
|
Baronjutter posted:To be fair to the specific example, Vancouver has a pretty similar climate to Netherlands. Also yeah, in netherlands 99% of people on a bike are just people going from A to B in a chill lazy way like a person strolling down the street. In North America because biking is such a huge pain in the rear end and stressful a lot of the people you see on bikes are some degree of "identity cyclists" and need a change room and even shower after their hour long x-treme mixed traffic tour-de-suburbia. If you live close enough to walk, you're only walking for a few minutes. If you live farther away then of course you're going to drive. But very few people live close enough to walk, especially in the sorts of places where the temperature is above 85 during the day for like 5 months straight. But it's weird how you pretend like hills don't exist? It doesn't matter how slow you bike, if there's a lot of elevation change you need to deal with, it's a lot of effort and you're probably gonna get sweaty.
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2015 00:15
|
|
|
Carbon dioxide posted:Hahahaha, changing rooms, what? An average August day down here in San Antonio is ~36-37 C with high humidity. You will break a sweat biking to work. Baronjutter posted:Or do people just never move about outdoors in climates where it regularly goes over 30? Just hop in an air conditioned car between air conditioned buildings? What an existence... That's pretty much how it works here, yeah.
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2015 00:27
|
|
|
Javid posted:Indoor, or at least covered, bike lockup facilities with security camera coverage should be mandated for any new or remodeled businesses. The common trend of "put one rack with space for MAYBE four bikes in some awful corner of the parking lot" isn't helping. We often have this in the Netherlands, but there's a 90% chance that the camera is not working and bikes get stolen anyway. At least that's how it was when I lived in the dorms. We don't have any "end of trip" facilities though, this isn't necessary when you're a normal cyclist and not a lycra spandex warrior gimp. I've only ever seen it in Germany at an university there, and probably that was because the building used to be a dormitory. I agree that in most climates, if you're sweating so much then you're out of shape or biking too fast. I also commuted by bike in a hilly part of Germany, and did not feel the need for full sports facilities there either. Just use your deodorant and maybe walk if it really gets too tough on the inclines. It should not be that much harder than walking, biking at a normal pace can be done for hours on end just like walking. And while the Netherlands doesn't get very warm on average, it does get pretty humid, so I guess it is comparable to hotter temps in a drier area. Entropist fucked around with this message at 00:39 on Nov 4, 2015 |
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2015 00:33
|
|
|
Hi I'm from Oregon and it rains a ton and "end of trip" facilities are nice for a whole host of different reasons, whether or not you're using a bike. Stop being goony and weird about showering.
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2015 00:42
|
|
|
You can also get hella sweaty if your only winter jacket is rated for -25C and it's -15C and sunny. 
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2015 01:21
|
|
|
Kaal posted:Hi I'm from Oregon and it rains a ton and "end of trip" facilities are nice for a whole host of different reasons, whether or not you're using a bike. Stop being goony and weird about showering. For me it is just like helmets, something that makes cyclists look special and like "others", putting the uninitiated off from cycling. It's nice to have for those few people who like it to be exercise rather than just a more efficient form of walking, but it should not be seen as necessary.
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2015 01:22
|
|
|
Entropist posted:Hi, it rains in the Netherlands too! When homicidal lunatics stop swarming me, I'll stop wearing a helmet. I think the real reason we need showers and the like (well except the 100F+ days we get here) is that the distances traveled are much greater. I know a fair number of people who commute a good 15mi each way on a bike -- our cities aren't as compact, our jobs not as close, and our public transit is a joke. The extra distance encourages going "too fast" and means that we get soaked on the way there. I only have a couple miles so even riding 20 mph I don't really sweat (unless it is 100), but if I was going longer distances, it would matter. This si also why I don't think dutch solutions are always ideal in the US, because the longer distances necessitate higher speed biking and farting around at 10mph isn't a great option (and people will just drive if it takes more time).
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2015 01:33
|
|
|
Entropist posted:I agree that in most climates, if you're sweating so much then you're out of shape or biking too fast. I also commuted by bike in a hilly part of Germany, and did not feel the need for full sports facilities there either. Just use your deodorant and maybe walk if it really gets too tough on the inclines. It should not be that much harder than walking, biking at a normal pace can be done for hours on end just like walking. edit: quotes from a Dutch dude in the D&D California thread: uncertainty posted:Speed vs. casual bikers - I agree, bikers are much slower and more chill in the Netherlands compared to here. That said, as soon as I got here I felt stressed in traffic when I did not go fast trying to keep up with cars. "Pretending to be a car" seems to be the safest strategy because unfortunately a lot of drivers do not take bikers into account. uncertainty posted:I think the expectations thing is a big problem, especially combined with bikers being (having to be) more obnoxious in the US. When I just arrived, I was shocked with how much all the bikers broke the rules (skipped lights, biked on the curbs etc.) and just were general assholes in traffic. Two weeks later I was one of them. Cicero fucked around with this message at 01:40 on Nov 4, 2015 |
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2015 01:33
|
|
|
And you know, just saying but, I've had no need to bike here in Boston since I've moved here. Most things short distance, you can just walk. You go longer, public transit takes care of that. And then I drive when I need to transport bulky items. I'd always rather have public transit improvements then more bike infrastructure, it's far more useful to far more people.
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2015 01:54
|
|
|
http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2011/12/are-your-travel-distances-and-times-too.htmlquote:"On average Dutch people spend one and a half hours en route each day. That is 15 minutes longer than the average time on the road for citizens of 16 EU countries, and it is also the longest." Yes, you read that right. The Dutch travel for more time every day than people of other European nations. quote:[...] that 40% of journeys in the USA are under 2 miles (3.2 km) in length. This is one of the pages linked from this large list of excuses: http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2011/02/all-those-myths-and-excuses-in-one-post.html I do agree with the posters above me that cycling in America is much more stressful, which makes a chill ride a lot harder. Actually, that last link is a very good starting point for Cichlidae and anyone else in case you need to explain why reasons to not build cycling infrastructure are usually bad excuses, based on statements that are simply false. Nintendo Kid posted:And you know, just saying but, I've had no need to bike here in Boston since I've moved here. Most things short distance, you can just walk. You go longer, public transit takes care of that. And then I drive when I need to transport bulky items. Public transit doesn't go everywhere. It might not have a 24/7 schedule. It costs a lot of money to use. And it can take a long time getting anywhere. Sometimes it's a good alternative, for instance if you're not in your home town or if you have to travel more than 10 miles or so. Proper cycling infrastructure connects every single street, every house. You can go wherever you want, whenever you want. It can be used by children (kids younger than 10 yo cycle to school by themselves in the Netherlands, after having cycled there together with their parents for some years), by the elderly, by people with disabilities (although specialist bicycles such as the hand-driven ones are very expensive and might not be covered by insurance where you live), by everyone. It's easy enough to load your groceries in the cargo bags on your bike. Handy people can keep a bicycle in shape for ages without having to spend any money. And once there's enough infrastructure to increase the amount of cyclists, these handy people will be able to start making a neat profit because there will be high demand for cheap and quick city bike repairs. It might cause a few race cycle shops to go bankrupt for asking crazy high prices but that's just capitalism in action. Carbon dioxide fucked around with this message at 02:25 on Nov 4, 2015 |
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2015 02:23
|
|
|
Carbon dioxide posted:
Biking between 2 and 5 am isn't exactly ideal though, and it doesn't cost a lot of money to use public transit. Places with great public transit do in fact exist, and it essentially obsoletes bikes a need. Walking and the public transit can do just about anything, and you end up biking just of the fun of it rather than need. And frankly, biking is just unpleasant when you have a lot of elevation change to deal with. And in really great cities, public transit is just straight up 24 hours, as it should be.
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2015 02:33
|
|
|
Nintendo Kid posted:And you know, just saying but, I've had no need to bike here in Boston since I've moved here. Most things short distance, you can just walk. You go longer, public transit takes care of that. And then I drive when I need to transport bulky items. There's little point in saying, "well we should have more of X than Y" as a general statement, because each mode has its strengths and weaknesses, and how much you should have of each mode in an area is context-dependent. For example, if you have a super-dense area in the middle of a city like Times Square, then outright banning anything other than walking may be appropriate. Conversely, you probably don't need to invest a lot of money into walking and biking support for freeway routes between cities, because they're generally impractical there. And if you have a route into the city center that a ton of people need to use that's several miles long, then transit makes the most sense. quote:I'd always rather have public transit improvements then more bike infrastructure, it's far more useful to far more people. Second, these comparisons are generally extra dumb because people will compare a new bike trail/protected bike lane to a new rail line when the rail line costs as least 20x as much. Dollar for dollar, you can accommodate way more people with protected bike lanes and bike trails than with transit. The value of Portland's entire bike network before the recently-opened Orange line was only $60 million, and that's the most bike-friendly major city (> 500,000) in the states. Total cost of the Orange Line project? ~$1.3 billion (that does include some pedestrian and bike facilities but transit dominates the cost). A single new separated grade rail line could get you an entire city's worth of protected bike lanes on arterials with money leftover. Even if you do super high quality separated cycle paths it's much cheaper. The VTA's proposal for an entire network of separated bike highways in Santa Clara County is $350 million. Cicero fucked around with this message at 02:43 on Nov 4, 2015 |
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2015 02:37
|
|
|
quote:Biking between 2 and 5 am isn't exactly ideal though Of course, that was cheating a little bit because of how far north Copenhagen is, it wasn't that dark in the summer. But still, it goes to show that with the right infrastructure, a lot of things that sound impractical for biking aren't impractical at all.
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2015 02:41
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 25, 2024 16:31 |
|
|
And the city's worth of protected bike lanes on arterials is going to be much less useful to getting people out of cars then a public transit line or two. Especially, as it is so often, when the city has decent amounts of elevation changes. Also if you're so impatient you can't handle having to spend a whole 18 minutes walking a mile, you're probably not the kind of person who will accept actual bike travel either. It's nice addition when you already have a worthwhile public transit system, sure.
|
|
#
?
Nov 4, 2015 02:42
|
|