Houston ER.org meeting 9/26/10

[RonBoyd]

Houston traffic is, to put it politely, insane.

Insane? How would you describe Honolulu's traffic then? You are lucky, then, not be driving in the worst of them all; DFW. Minneapolis, BTW, is also at the top of my list of worst traffic areas. Houston is (IMO) one of the easiest cities to get around in... even during Rush "Hour."

 

[Nords]

I'll cheerfully admit that I do my driving among the nation's worst. Hawaii driver behavior is worthy of an entire separate thread.

To be fair, I manage to avoid driving in NYC, LA, and Chicago. Haven't been to Boston since the 1980s. So Houston may compare favorably to its larger Mainland brethren.

The Houston differences that I see are:
- Speed limits-- a couple short stretches of Oahu highways are 60 MPH, and most highway drivers keep it below 65 MPH. Houston drivers seem to regard 65 MPH as the minimum starting point for subsequent negotiations. Maybe that's a Mainland thing.
- People seem to honk their horns a lot. I'm doing 60 MPH in the slow lane and the other driver presumably knows how to change lanes. So why the horn? But horn-honking in Hawaii is an egregious etiquette sin and maybe in Houston it's a compliment.
- 610 seems to have a lot of curves with limited sight distance, especially the ones where you whip around at high speed to encounter a multi-lane parking lot.
- Hawaii has a lot fewer jaywalkers than a couple years ago. In Houston they still seem to be breeding faster than they're getting run down by Darwin. But this research is based mainly on Rice Villages.
- Oahu uses a lot of cloverleafs, so the exiting cars leave the road before the merging cars get on. But Oahu also has some merging onramps combined with exit offramps, and these contribute to a lot of lane-changing accidents. Houston seems to have almost exclusively combined ramps... unusually exciting after cloverleafs.

I like the way the route numbers are painted on the road surface.

 

[LOL!]

Interesting about the horn honking. I've never heard a horn honked on the freeway. And the slow lane is usually 70 mph, not 60 mph.

Oh. here's a tip: Don't use your turn signal or you will throw off the timing of the guy behind you.

 

[ronocnikral]

my observation of houston traffic is everyone falls into two categories when it comes to interstate speed. 1) is going at least 10 mph over the speed limit. 2) is going at least 10 mph under the speed limit. This, to me, is the most dangerous of situations. i usually stick around 10 over, avoid the far left lane and let it roll. cops with radar guns seem to find this behavior acceptable.

using a turn signal will only assure the space you want to merge into will quickly disappear.

i only noticed the horn honking when i started riding my bike. people are annoyed by me riding my bike on the road. as if honking a horn will change my actions. i enjoy being able to point out the "share the road" signs if possible. there is only one way to experience houston traffic, and that's on a bike.

i use to complain about houston traffic until i started visiting Luanda. They have about as many people as the houston metro area (5-6 million) all shoved into something the size of the loop. it's better to measure your speed in traffic by hours per mile. i have never complained about the houston traffic since then.

glad to hear the daughter is doing well and enjoying school.

 

[Nords]

Oh. here's a tip: Don't use your turn signal or you will throw off the timing of the guy behind you.

Oops, that explains a lot. Using a lane-changing turn signal in Hawaii can inspire the guy in the other lane to slam on his brakes to let you in.

You wouldn't think that there'd be much of a difference in decision-making between 55 MPH and 65 MPH, but in a new environment it can get pretty exciting.

 

[Orchidflower]

THE capital of horn honking HAS to be innercity Chicago. The second--and I do mean the second--the light turns to green there is bound to be someone behind you honking the horn as if you didn't see it turn green. That's just typical innercity Chicago over-aggressiveness. I found Houston alot better than Chicago when it came to honking, frankly.

But I'm laughing at two things Nords noticed in Houston: yep, the rain comes down torrentially in Houston. You get used to the tropical nature of it all eventually and don't even notice after a few years there. Cools things off and sometimes is really welcome in that humid environ.
And driving 65? Houstonians consider driving that slow just a "suggestion."

When I moved to Houston a realtor I met told me that Houston was the only city in America that you could drive down the main street in town (Westheimer St.), go 55 and not get a ticket. I think she was right.

Did you notice there are no Police cars hardly around, too? Too much land, not enough Police to cover it all. Houston was the biggest city in America landwise last time I looked and something like 50 miles across either way you go (N-S, W-E).

Sometimes I actually miss the quirks of 'ole Houston...

 

[RonBoyd]

You wouldn't think that there'd be much of a difference in decision-making between 55 MPH and 65 MPH, but in a new environment it can get pretty exciting.

I quite agree. I cannot imagine trying to drive in a large unfamiliar city without one of the upper echelon GPS units.

 

[W2R]

Houston traffic is, to put it politely, insane.

I don't like driving on the freeways in Houston either, Nords.

I used to be sent to conferences and meetings there every two months (or sometimes more often) by my work. I'd usually arrive there at dusk and would find myself hurtling down a strange freeway in downtown Houston in the dark, trying to dodge the crazies and simultaneously figure out where in the )(*&%$ I was with a map that I couldn't see in the fading daylight. This, while driving a tiny, rattling ultra-cheap "government rate" rental car with cryptic controls.

Eventually I wised up and started requesting a motel located right by the Westheimer exit from the Sam Houston Tollway, which I could access right near Hobby Field. That was MUCH better, when the meetings were in that part of town. When they were downtown, I started using an airport shuttle instead of driving.

Leonidas is right - - Houston traffic was much worse in the 80's, believe it or not.

One of the advantages of retirement is that I haven't had any reason to drive in Houston.

 

[Htown Harry]

- People seem to honk their horns a lot. I'm doing 60 MPH in the slow lane and the other driver presumably knows how to change lanes. So why the horn? But horn-honking in Hawaii is an egregious etiquette sin and maybe in Houston it's a compliment.

One other cultural difference to watch for - I suspect the Hawaiian driver occasionally sticks a hand out the window and waves appreciation with the Hang Loose sign.

There's an excellent chance of Honkin' Bubba not appreciating the subtle differences in digit placement.

 

[Nords]

One other cultural difference to watch for - I suspect the Hawaiian driver occasionally sticks a hand out the window and waves appreciation with the Hang Loose sign.
There's an excellent chance of Honkin' Bubba not appreciating the subtle differences in digit placement.

Hoo boy, I'm a marked man now.

I just hope they don't follow me into the restaurant...

I quite agree. I cannot imagine trying to drive in a large unfamiliar city without one of the upper echelon GPS units.

I'm a bit conflicted on this, having experienced two navigators in the last few days.

Old school: spouse reading a road map while I call off the intersections. She DRs our position, estimates number of blocks to the next turn, and generally ensures we're heading in the right direction while staying clear of shoal water.

New school: teenager who's never had to read a real map follows the bouncing blue ball on her iPhone with Google Maps. Calls out the street signs to me as I'm passing them but can't zoom/shift the map fast enough to look ahead. Says "Turn left, NOW!!" just as I finish crossing the intersection. Offers helpful advice like "I can't tell where we are, but we're not heading in the right direction", and "I'm not sure, but from the blue dot we're either on the highway or on the frontage road". Then the pressure really started to mount when we were informed that battery power was 20% and the charger was back at the dorm. Any naval vessel would have run aground while looking for a power supply or a new set of batteries.

The good new is that we saw many interesting Houston neighborhoods along La Branch street. Saw a lot of Houston PD vehicles, too.

I appreciate the potential in new school, but I'm still a big fan of the old...

 

[LOL!]

In order to avoid sudden turns, I've taught my kids that the turn-signal has to blink at least 3 times before any lane-change or any turn. You even have to turn it on before you take your foot off the accelerator pedal, so that folks around you are alerted BEFORE you start slowing down. It really helps to telegraph what your next move it going to be. Needless to say, there aren't many "Turn left, NOW!" possibilities with this system.

Of course, my kids now apply the same standard to my driving.

 

[RonBoyd]

The good new is that we saw many interesting Houston neighborhoods along La Branch street. Saw a lot of Houston PD vehicles, too.

Yeah, I do miss that -- serendipity... my favorite part of travel.

I appreciate the potential in new school, but I'm still a big fan of the old...

Let me start with directing you to a completely biased webpage:

Garmin nuvis are "best rated GPS" devices

Watch the video.

Then go to something like this Garmin nuvi 3790T Review (GPSmagazine.com) for a hands-on review by an expert in the field.

Anyway, bottom line is that I like to describe a GPS unit as "having a Native of the area sitting in the seat beside you." You know at all times when & where your next turn will be and in what lane you need to be. And, as you get closer the directions get more and more specific. On the highway, for instance, I have ours set up to say "Rest Area in two miles." And in town, "Red Light Camera in a block and a half." (Same with speed cameras.) The best, probably , is telling it to take you to the closest, cheapest gas station.

Yes, a Smart Phone can do all of that also but... they are too small and, like you noticed, they are not exactly in "real-time." Besides most State now have laws against cell phone use by the driver -- good luck trying to convince them you were not Texting.

 

[Purron]

Dang, we need a live camera to broadcast this event on the internet

 

[heyduke]

i just gor back from Houston and was considering going back down tomorrow for the gathering... but after stop and go driving and a few stray torential downpours when I got home I decided that I would not go back tomorrow... have fun without me...

 

[Purron]

but after stop and go driving and a few stray torential downpours

What's with the torential downpours in Texas? First Nords, now you.

 

[Orchidflower]

Stay out of Houston if you can't handle torrential downpours.

If Nords saw lots of Houston PD either they have beefed up or it's just extra security around Rice University.
Anyone know if HPD has actually hired more folks? In the 20+ years I was there they were always always always trying to hire as they were so understaffed.

 

[Texas Proud]

First... I am surprised that you have heard a lot of honking... I do it at times, but make sure of who I am honking at... if you honk at the wrong Bubba you can get shot at...


The HPD is around Rice and the museum district... and the park... He is in a place that is patrolled... I also think there is a police station on LaBranch, but a farther north...

 

[freebird5825]

Have fun today!

 

[Martha]

Yeah, I do miss that -- serendipity... my favorite part of travel.



Let me start with directing you to a completely biased webpage:

Garmin nuvis are "best rated GPS" devices

Watch the video.

Then go to something like this Garmin nuvi 3790T Review (GPSmagazine.com) for a hands-on review by an expert in the field.

Anyway, bottom line is that I like to describe a GPS unit as "having a Native of the area sitting in the seat beside you." You know at all times when & where your next turn will be and in what lane you need to be. And, as you get closer the directions get more and more specific. On the highway, for instance, I have ours set up to say "Rest Area in two miles." And in town, "Red Light Camera in a block and a half." (Same with speed cameras.) The best, probably , is telling it to take you to the closest, cheapest gas station.

Yes, a Smart Phone can do all of that also but... they are too small and, like you noticed, they are not exactly in "real-time." Besides most State now have laws against cell phone use by the driver -- good luck trying to convince them you were not Texting.

I have an older Nuvi. I have found it invaluable for navigating across the country alone in a motorhome. Especially taking the freeways through the big cities.

That said, sometimes it makes stupid decisions. So, I figure out the general route ahead of time and plug in way points if it doesn't want me on that route. For example, the GPS would rather take me on a non-major highway down through kansas and oklahoma to Dallas, and it is no fun to drive a motorhome through Dallas, than to just take I35 all the way through to the outside of Fort Worth, which is easy driving and faster too.

I used it last year to navigate through the LA area and it worked fine but did not necessarily chose the best route, which is so traffic dependent. But only locals know the best route.

 

[RonBoyd]

That said, sometimes it makes stupid decisions. So, I figure out the general route ahead of time and plug in way points if it doesn't want me on that route. For example, the GPS would rather take me on a non-major highway down through kansas and oklahoma to Dallas, and it is no fun to drive a motorhome through Dallas, than to just take I35 all the way through to the outside of Fort Worth, which is easy driving and faster too.

Stupid? Its only a machine, thinking is not in the job description... nor is mind reading. My Nuvi gives me four choices to determine which route is chosen: Faster Time, Shorter Distance, Less Fuel, or Off Road. Although they are vastly different in most cases, they still are too broad to fit my real preferences. One of the major drawbacks to a GPS device is that it is like looking at a map through a Straw but since I have found no alternative, I have, for the most part, given up arguing with it.

Nevertheless, I, too, use Way Points to manipulate the instructions -- I prefer to avoid Interstate Highways, for instance.

In writing this, I remembered what is probably the most valuable feature of a GPS unit -- the rapid recalculation if you miss your turn. This is particularly so at 65 miles per hour on a mid-city (think Dallas or Chicago) freeway... consulting a paper map doesn't quite get the job done if you are solo (or with someone who doesn't understand how a map works).

 

[Rustic23]

Pictures, Sure, we got picture. Who are they. Beats me, just some people that showed up ant the Armadillo. Clicking should get you to a larger picture.

 

[Purron]

Love the pictures!!!

 

[Nords]

Love the pictures!!!

I was enjoying the decor, and it's been a loooooong time since I've seen a bar with $2 frosty beverages...

 

[LOL!]

What a nice bunch of folks! I'm glad I drove into Houston for the conversation and cheap beers. BTW, everybody looks much better in person that in the photos!

 

[Sue J]

Thanks for the pics. But you've got to tell us who everyone is, except for Nords. He's easy to ID.