Driving in America

[JillA 2]

Amanda, since you do have experience in transportation, etc... maybe you'll know the answer to this. WHERE do all those dollars go from toll booths? They are ALL OVER the place, and isn't the $$ supposed to go to improving the roads, signage, etc? We don't pay tolls in Canada, yet our road systems seem better than the US. So where do all those toll dollars go?

[thetreble 19]

Amanda, since you do have experience in transportation, etc... maybe you'll know the answer to this. WHERE do all those dollars go from toll booths? They are ALL OVER the place, and isn't the $$ supposed to go to improving the roads, signage, etc? We don't pay tolls in Canada, yet our road systems seem better than the US. So where do all those toll dollars go?

tee-hee. interesting question.

A large portion of said tolls is SUPPOSED to be spent on road construction and maintenance, but we all know in the state of NJ that this is not true. When the tolls are increased , the state government often explain to us that the increase in tolls is due to state debt that must be paid off. This debt does not necessarily have to do with transportation.

Taxes in some states are very high and politicians don't want to raise property, gas, etc. taxes. Therefore, they raise the tolls because it is something people really have to agree with when they assume it's going towards road construction and maintenance.

Some of the monies collected do go to debts owed by the state to a private company running some roads in your state.

Most states do carry transportation debt, including New Jersey, which we have to pay off.

But a lot of cash is used to pay of state debt that is owed to a ton of stuff.

It's completely shady.

[JillA 2]

That does sound shady. If you think of how much $$ those tolls generate every day.... they're annoying too if you don't have an EZ pass, I don't always have change or cash on me. At least in Ontario, the toll highway is optional

[Krikit 1,165]

But I will tell you that I pay FAR more in taxes in New Jersey than I ever did in Ontario. Come to New Jersey and see how bad the roads are. Road work often takes years here to finish because of the pace and it causes mass congestion because they will work on major highways during the day instead of at night only. There are some roads still be slightly reconstructed at this point, that were already underway when I met my husband 5 years ago. When you see NJ DOT work on a major route for 5 years with little change, it often makes you wonder who is doing the work and where the cash is going.

I am shocked at the amount of time they take for road repairs here. It's literally years, as opposed to weeks or months. I was even more astounded when I read in the paper that the city was contemplating giving the construction company an "incentive" to get them to move along on the project. It boggles the mind. I constantly joke with my husband that I'm going to open a construction barricade rental business because it appears to be a no-lose situation. Bob's Barricades go up years before there is any actual roadwork done. Talk about easy money. My husband tells me he thinks it's a conspiracy for the city to double the fines for speeding in a "work zone". What work?

The only problem with Colorado is the Texan and California drivers who think they know how to drive in the snow. Guarenteed 90% of accidents here in the winter are one of the two who have their 4x4s thinking they can't get in an accident in rain or snow by driving the same speed.

The car rental guy tried to frighten the life out of me by insisting I get a 4x4 upgrade and insurance out the ying yang because of the dangers of the snow. I finally shut him down by telling him I was from Canada.

[nowhereman 1]

I think that people in Atlanta have all been driven insane by the rush-three-hour traffic that occurs twice daily. When they are not actually parked on the highway, they drive like bats out of hell.

Really? In our experience the traffic is heavy but people aren't aggressive.. it's fast.. but not really scary as in people doing dumb death seeking maneuvers with their cars. Hubby & I always enjoyed going to Atlanta as far as driving goes.. nice welcomed change from the chaos of the North East.

Most people in Atlanta are horrible drivers. The worst offenders are the morons driving 50 mph in the left hand lane while talking on a cell phone. However when it rains almost everyone on the highway succumbs to "idiot gas", which is created when the rain hits the hot pavement. This gas causes confusion, dizziness, drooling & the inability to apply one's foot on the gas pedal.

[Krikit 1,165]

Another thing that bothers many people from Canada who drive to the US is detours. My parents have gotten lost a hundred times in the state of Michigan because of poor signed detour routes. It's actually also dangerous because my parents have gotten lost on detours during the night in Detroit.

When my parents came to visit in December my husband was in Colorado so I went by myself to pick them up. Their flight came in around 9:30pm, so by the time we got their luggage and left the airport it was about 10:00pm. So I'm driving through a highway construction zone and take the unmarked hidden exit to the Turnpike, drive round the bend and..... BAM. On-ramp blocked off due to construction. With no warning, of course. I can't back up because the highway I just left is 500 ft behind me and it's a hairpin turn. So I back up a little and exit onto the road that I know to be full of prostitutes and drug addicts. I look for a detour sign. No sign. I make a guess as to which way to go. Wrong guess. I ended up driving for literally HOURS before finally arriving home at 2:00am. It wasn't the length of time that I was worried about. It was the fact that it was the middle of the night and I am a lone female with elderly parents totally lost in a dangerous area. I was not impressed.

[Emancipation 2]

I think that people in Atlanta have all been driven insane by the rush-three-hour traffic that occurs twice daily. When they are not actually parked on the highway, they drive like bats out of hell.

Really? In our experience the traffic is heavy but people aren't aggressive.. it's fast.. but not really scary as in people doing dumb death seeking maneuvers with their cars. Hubby & I always enjoyed going to Atlanta as far as driving goes.. nice welcomed change from the chaos of the North East.

Most people in Atlanta are horrible drivers. The worst offenders are the morons driving 50 mph in the left hand lane while talking on a cell phone. However when it rains almost everyone on the highway succumbs to "idiot gas", which is created when the rain hits the hot pavement. This gas causes confusion, dizziness, drooling & the inability to apply one's foot on the gas pedal.

you really need to come to the North East... you'll learn that idiot gas is produced here in large quantities.. every single day

[Sprailenes 47]

My husband and I got lost in Detroit once because of a detour while on our way to Chicago from Canada. We used our time while lost to play spot the white person though. I won because I spotted 3... in a half hour.

[Krikit 1,165]

Ugh. I have heard some Detroit horror stories. Thankfully, I have never been lost there. Was lost in Boston once, though! That counts for something.

[nowhereman 1]

I think that people in Atlanta have all been driven insane by the rush-three-hour traffic that occurs twice daily. When they are not actually parked on the highway, they drive like bats out of hell.

Really? In our experience the traffic is heavy but people aren't aggressive.. it's fast.. but not really scary as in people doing dumb death seeking maneuvers with their cars. Hubby & I always enjoyed going to Atlanta as far as driving goes.. nice welcomed change from the chaos of the North East.

Most people in Atlanta are horrible drivers. The worst offenders are the morons driving 50 mph in the left hand lane while talking on a cell phone. However when it rains almost everyone on the highway succumbs to "idiot gas", which is created when the rain hits the hot pavement. This gas causes confusion, dizziness, drooling & the inability to apply one's foot on the gas pedal.

you really need to come to the North East... you'll learn that idiot gas is produced here in large quantities.. every single day

I grew up in upstate NY & lived in Long Island for 3 yrs, so I am very familiar with how people drive up there. I consider myself an aggressive driver, but not an obnoxious one (I try to emulate the Germans when I drive... they drive fast but are very predictable). NYC drivers are very obnoxious & unpredictable, which is not a good combination.

[Sprailenes 47]

My husband and I got lost in Boston too and he went to college up there! We were trying to find our way back on the Mass-turn pike and couldn't find it. We kept stopping and asking for directions and people were saying two more blocks and we'd drive 4 and they'd tell us a street but there was no signs and I just stopped and got out of my car, sat on a sidewalk and cried.

We were trying to make it to Kingston NY for a concert... luckily we made it but by the time I got there I was exhausted.

[Krikit 1,165]

My husband and I got lost in Boston too and he went to college up there! We were trying to find our way back on the Mass-turn pike and couldn't find it. We kept stopping and asking for directions and people were saying two more blocks and we'd drive 4 and they'd tell us a street but there was no signs and I just stopped and got out of my car, sat on a sidewalk and cried.

I'm glad you made it to the concert. We were in an area of Boston where the last thing you'd want to do is stop.... let alone get out of your car.

[thetreble 19]

You think THAT's bad!!!

Remember Nevada when I got lost in NEWARK the first time I was coming down to see you??

I was scared SHITELESS!

One of the WORST cities in the US for crime and I'm literally lost. I had to call my friend and he had to get me outta there. haha

That does sound shady. If you think of how much $$ those tolls generate every day.... they're annoying too if you don't have an EZ pass, I don't always have change or cash on me. At least in Ontario, the toll highway is optional

Gotta get your ez pass, girl! I don't even use it anymore on a daily basis because I moved close to a non-toll road. However, driving from here to Buffalo I use like 12 bucks or something in tolls so I use it then.

[Krikit 1,165]

Gotta get your ez pass, girl! I don't even use it anymore on a daily basis because I moved close to a non-toll road. However, driving from here to Buffalo I use like 12 bucks or something in tolls so I use it then.

I still use my EZ-Pass! LOL. I had to get a SunPass for Florida, but the EZ-Pass works from Virginia on up. It's too bad Florida doesn't use the same system.

[thetreble 19]

That's silly. The whole East Coast, in fact the entire US, should run on the same system.