NationStates Jolt Archive

Dosent modern day traffic congestion bug the crap out of you??

I live near Christchurch, NZ, and study in the centre of the city. I live about 50kms from work and it took me almost 45mins today :eek:

Are other cities around the world this bad??

I live in southern CA. Don't talk to ME about traffic issues - I have to watch out for maybe getting gunned down, in addition to the usual millions of idiots who don't know how to drive a car.

I live in southern CA. Don't talk to ME about traffic issues - I have to watch out for maybe getting gunned down, in addition to the usual millions of idiots who don't know how to drive a car.

The whole gun thing isnt that bad is it??

I thought it was just anti-american propaganda (sp?)

Hong Kong:

There is one road up to my school on a hill, where there are about 10 other schools. So every morning, there is a queue at the minibus station, and if you get on the bus after 7.30, you won't be able to get to school on time by 8.

Hong Kong is built on both banks of a harbour, and there are three cross-harbour tunnels. The centre one is most convenient and cheapest, so every morning it clogs up by 8, and doesn't clear by 9. Amazingly, little people arrive late - I think. But the congestion is crazy.

But I have to add that since Hong Kong people are already used to congestion, even traffic congestion has become a norm in everyday life.

No, it's not that bad. Still, it does happen, probably a bit more than in NZ. I'm not worried about it, people are far more deadly with their inept driving skills than with road rage gunplay.

<snip>.

So thats only taking u 30mins, not that bad

So thats only taking u 30mins, not that bad

No no. I discounted the time and the mass of people on the underground rail. Not on the Tokyo scale, but still awesome. If I leave early it takes me about 40 minutes to get to school. If I leave later it's an hour. And an hour is a LOONG time for travelling.

I live near Christchurch, NZ, and study in the centre of the city. I live about 50kms from work and it took me almost 45mins today :eek:

only 45 minutes to do what...30 miles?

thats pretty good going. doesnt sound particularly bad to me

when i went to school it was in city centre too, and it took usually 25/30 minutes to do the 5 miles, and that was on a bus with bus lanes and stuff.

and i imagine there are places much worse

Boston, Massachusetts. Perhaps you've heard of the Big Dig? Most expensive highway construction project in American history? Insanely behind schedule and over budget? You don't even know traffic congestion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Dig

only 45 minutes to do what...30 miles?

thats pretty good going. doesnt sound particularly bad to me

when i went to school it was in city centre too, and it took usually 25/30 minutes to do the 5 miles, and that was on a bus with bus lanes and stuff.

and i imagine there are places much worse

Mwahahahaha....

It apparently takes 40 minutes to cross Sydney's CBD in peak hour. And that's definitely less than 5 miles (Sydney's CBD is uber dense).

Oh, and if there's a crash on the bridge, you can expect massive delays from the north, as the only other way that feeds directly across the harbour is the tunnel, which usually isn't much better.

Oh and if you think the trains would be better, think again. Delays of 45 minutes aren't unheard of.

Maybe now you all understand why I bike commute, I can beat most people in cars during rush hour.

It's so much fun to see the looks on their faces when they get passed by a bicycle, they inevitably speed past you when they get the chance and then screech to a stop at the next light, where I pass them again.

It's like I can see their bloodpressure rise as I zip past on the right....

Maybe now you all understand why I bike commute, I can beat most people in cars during rush hour.

It's so much fun to see the looks on their faces when they get passed by a bicycle, they inevitably speed past you when they get the chance and then screech to a stop at the next light, where I pass them again.

It's like I can see their bloodpressure rise as I zip past on the right....

Careful there, buddy. We're the ones with two tons of steel that says we have right of way.

Seriously, though. Don't rub it in people's faces, we're all trying to get to work, too. Plus, I doubt you bike 50 or 60 km to work, not all of us live within easy biking distance of our jobs you know.

Maybe now you all understand why I bike commute, I can beat most people in cars during rush hour.

It's so much fun to see the looks on their faces when they get passed by a bicycle, they inevitably speed past you when they get the chance and then screech to a stop at the next light, where I pass them again.

It's like I can see their bloodpressure rise as I zip past on the right....
You live in Sac, though, right? How in the hell do you pull that off in the summer without collapsing into a puddle? Sac summers are one of the chief reasons I fled that place like it was crawling with disease...

I dug having my motorcycle (bay area) because traffic was moot. Even the smartass' who try and cinch up so I couldn't get by-really just makes me switch to the other side where there is now a bunch of room for me to get by.

Really, whats that about? I'm getting through faster, sure-but I'm also one less car out on the road holding everyone else up-you should be happy-wish more people would ride bikes or motorcycles and thin down the herd a little.

Careful there, buddy. We're the ones with two tons of steel that says we have right of way.

Seriously, though. Don't rub it in people's faces, we're all trying to get to work, too. Plus, I doubt you bike 50 or 60 km to work, not all of us live within easy biking distance of our jobs you know.I bike 12 miles to work or about 20 km (one way), way too many people who live far closer drive.

2 tons of steel doesn't give you the right of way, ask the guys who've hit me and I've collected settlements from (yeah I've been hit 4 times by impatient, inconsiderate or unattentive drivers).

I don't rub it in anyone's face, unless you consider just doing what I do rubbing it in their face.

Can I help it if I find their self induced plight amusing?

You live in Sac, though, right? How in the hell do you pull that off in the summer without collapsing into a puddle? Sac summers are one of the chief reasons I fled that place like it was crawling with disease...

I dug having my motorcycle (bay area) because traffic was moot. Even the smartass' who try and cinch up so I couldn't get by-really just makes me switch to the other side where there is now a bunch of room for me to get by.

Really, whats that about? I'm getting through faster, sure-but I'm also one less car out on the road holding everyone else up-you should be happy-wish more people would ride bikes or motorcycles and thin down the herd a little.
Of all the things I'm going to miss about the Bay Area, Muni/BART/Caltrain is probably the biggest. I'm going to have to own a fucking car again just to exist in south Florida, because mass transit is an ugly joke down there.

You live in Sac, though, right? How in the hell do you pull that off in the summer without collapsing into a puddle? Sac summers are one of the chief reasons I fled that place like it was crawling with disease...

I dug having my motorcycle (bay area) because traffic was moot. Even the smartass' who try and cinch up so I couldn't get by-really just makes me switch to the other side where there is now a bunch of room for me to get by.

Really, whats that about? I'm getting through faster, sure-but I'm also one less car out on the road holding everyone else up-you should be happy-wish more people would ride bikes or motorcycles and thin down the herd a little.
I like hot weather, I just carry more water, 3 liters on a day really hot day. But I ride in all weather, the most common question people ask me is "what do you do when it rains?"

My answer is "Get wet. It's only water."

Of all the things I'm going to miss about the Bay Area, Muni/BART/Caltrain is probably the biggest. I'm going to have to own a fucking car again just to exist in south Florida, because mass transit is an ugly joke down there.
Public transit here in Santa Cruz is possitively dreamy. Every bus stop has the schedule on it, there are three hubs and if you're not sure how to get where you really can just grab the next bus you see, get to a hub and figure it out. They run on biodesiel. I can ride for free. Well, until June. It's fantastic. The only reason I went and got my VW is because it's still to hard to drag equipment like cameras, tripods, lighting, etc around and make quick trips. But if I don't have to drive when I could ride the bus I always chose ride the bus.

I like hot weather, I just carry more water, 3 liters on a day really hot day. But I ride in all weather, the most common question people ask me is "what do you do when it rains?"

My answer is "Get wet. It's only water."
The rain doesn't bother me so much either. Once I got over my crippling fear of doing it, I'd ride my motorcycle in the rain.

But the heat...you're a crazy person ;)

...you're a crazy person ;)
Yeah.

So?

:D

Anyone live in Phoenix, Arizona!?

I love the place...but...

Phoenix's traffic congestions suck! Its almost as bad as LA! Gah! Oh well, that's what you get for living in the Sunbelt. ;)

But the heat...you're a crazy person ;)

Lol, thats the difference between Arizonans and other ppl in the US, we can stand heat.

Lol, thats the difference between Arizonans and other ppl in the US, we can stand heat.
Heh--think you're a badass huh? Come to New Orleans in August--95 degrees plus 95% humidity. The air knocks you on your ass from the sheer weight of it.

I've spent some serious time hiking in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah in the summertime, and as long as I stayed hydrated, it was all good. But the humidity just does things to you that ain't right. :)

In the Tornto area, and Southern Ontario in general, we don't have the traffic problems I've seen in other countries (and Vancouver) In Toronto the problem is that they have two seasons: Winter and Construction. Its like this where I live, too ( Waterloo, a strange but pleasant city with 2 universities, pop. 80,000) For some reason the morons in the Public Woks Dept. can't get their act together and we end up with things like 4 of the majore arterial roads in the city blocked of with construction at sevral intersections. A trip that would otherwise take 15 minutes can take up to an hour or more during rush hour in Construction Season.

People complain about our highways around Toronto, but only if they haven't travelled to other major cities in North America, icluding several in Canada. We actually have a pretty sensibly laid out highway system and things move much smoother than elsewhere. Slowly at times, but they at least move. I've driven fairly extensively in and around LA, Claifornia. It was a nightmare. The drivers were actualy better than in most American cities, but that doesn't mean jack when the traffic doesn't move for over an hour. I found negotiating the streets of Frankfurt and Cologne to be a similarly frustrating experience.

Heh--think you're a badass huh? Come to New Orleans in August--95 degrees plus 95% humidity. The air knocks you on your ass from the sheer weight of it.

I've spent some serious time hiking in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah in the summertime, and as long as I stayed hydrated, it was all good. But the humidity just does things to you that ain't right. :)


Up from at least 1000 miles north or New Orleans, but I can relate. The corner of southern Ontario I'm in is notorious for the humidity it gets all year round. When its -20 C. (-4 F.) the high humidity couples with the windchill to make it feel like -35 (same in C. or F.). The humidity makes the cold capable of penetrating anything you wear. In the summer it gets to be about 32 (90 F) and higher because of the humidity factor. Even at 15 C (59 F.) the humidty can get so bad its impossible to move. You can be wearing a t-shirt and both chilly from the weather, and sweating from the humidity. I'll be going out west to Winipeg for a month, in July, and I can't wait.