OT: Thread About Nothing (part # who cares)

[JimEIV]

The traffic seems to have tripled over the last 10 years. And at times that used to be relatively light or no traffic like 5:00am or 2 in the afternoon are even heavy now.

I don't what's going on but everything is so overcrowded and congested.

 

[None Shall Pass]

The traffic seems to have tripled over the last 10 years. And at times that used to be relatively light or no traffic like 5:00am or 2 in the afternoon are even heavy now.

I don't what's going on but everything is so overcrowded and congested.

I wonder if the increase in the size of the average car has anything to do with it.

Like I live in Brooklyn so I don't actually need a car to survive but we got one because it helps my wife with her work. It's a Honda Fit. It's the perfect city car - tiny so I can fit it parking anywhere, lots of room inside to fit stuff when necessary, 30+ MPG on a highway. They don't make it in America anymore (Mine is a 2017) because the market for small cars is apparently gone.

 

[JimEIV]

I wonder if the increase in the size of the average car has anything to do with it.

Like I live in Brooklyn so I don't actually need a car to survive but we got one because it helps my wife with her work. It's a Honda Fit. It's the perfect city car - tiny so I can fit it parking anywhere, lots of room inside to fit stuff when necessary, 30+ MPG on a highway. They don't make it in America anymore (Mine is a 2017) because the market for small cars is apparently gone.

From my point of view it looks like pure volume.

There's a country road that I like to drive. It's a short road maybe 3 miles long and pretty much all farm fields and preserved land. It's a cutover/connector between two major roads... I've lived here for 25 years this April and this road used to see no traffic at all, now if a car needs to make a left at either end of the road cars back up 20/30 deep waiting to make a left

I blame Google maps for some of this... they show the road as a short cut during busy times...but the sheer volume has led to traffic finding alternative routes.

 

[Mr Bojanglez]

From my point of view it looks like pure volume.

There's a country road that I like to drive. It's a short road maybe 3 miles long and pretty much all farm fields and preserved land. It's a cutover/connector between two major roads... I've lived here for 25 years this April and this road used to see no traffic at all, now if a car needs to make a left at the either end of the road cars back up 20/30 deep waiting to make a left

I blame Google maps for some of this... they show the road as a short cut during busy times...but the sheer volume has led to traffic finding alternative routes.

it's just jamming more homes into the state. i grew up in a fairly rural part of Monmouth County. Seemingly endless trees (not quite like Sussex count of course). They have just carved developments out of random areas of the woods I grew up with. When i was a kid they built a development... IDK maybe 1/2 a mile from my back fence. Like 10 years ago then managed to squeeze a single cul-de-sac in between that 1/2 mile of woods.

My Town's population as of 2020 was 7,000. Condos went up over at X - and now they're building over at Y. Let's say for every 4 new people added, that's 2 cars. the little increments add up.

And that doesn't account for the cross-traffic from other towns.

 

[JimEIV]

I think I'm going to drive down to the western part of Georgia and check out those mountains and trout streams.
Got nothing else to do.

Looks like it's a lot warmer down there already

 

[My3Sons]

it's just jamming more homes into the state. i grew up in a fairly rural part of Monmouth County. Seemingly endless trees (not quite like Sussex count of course). They have just carved developments out of random areas of the woods I grew up with. When i was a kid they built a development... IDK maybe 1/2 a mile from my back fence. Like 10 years ago then managed to squeeze a single cul-de-sac in between that 1/2 mile of woods.

My Town's population as of 2020 was 7,000. Condos went up over at X - and now they're building over at Y. Let's say for every 4 new people added, that's 2 cars. the little increments add up.

And that doesn't account for the cross-traffic from other towns.

I think it's a side effect of whatever population shifts have occurred coupled with people living longer. In years past it was unlikely you had three or four generations owing homes at once. At this point, my parents are both alive, and well Into their 80s and both are remarried. That's two separate homes. Then my wife's mother is still alive. That's three homes. Then you have the wife and me. That's another home. Then my oldest is getting ready to look for his first home purchase. That will be another home. A good friend of my wife has parents still living in their home in Westchester well into their 90s. They just took the dad's car away. They shouldn't be living unaided but I'm sure moving them at this point would be just as dangerous for them. Everybody wants their own home and nobody wants to die anymore.

 

[NjDevsRR]

I am thankful I work from home and live in an area surrounded by 25-35 mph zones. Plus, I rarely leave Belmar and walk everywhere. Only times I drive on a highway is when I go to Metropark when I do have to go to the city for work, or for Devils games of course.

I also park my ass in the right lane at 70 on the parkway. There is no reason to go any faster and thats me saying that and I have a Jag F Type. I am very cautious driving. I try to foresee every possible danger, especially at intersections. I have a dashcam and also have the window breaker/seat belt cutter in the center console. Everyone should have both and if you need a reason, look up that awful tunnel crash recently where people were trapped and burned to death.

Life is precious, always be aware and ready when traveling.