Freeway speeds lately?

[ZCrow]

"In the last couple months, I'm seeing speeds closer to 85-90mph. If I go slower than 80, I find myself being tailgated and passed on the right."

I like that you edited my post before the comma. That's an interesting way to manipulate a statement. The words " If I go slower than 80mph" imply that I don't do that with any frequency.

You'd do well to read my whole post. We're of like mind, and in agreement regarding lane discipline. I even mention my right lane only experiences while driving my glacially slow 4 wheel vehicle.
Kind of a douchebag move, unless you're looking for humour, which was apparently not easily grasped.

No manipulation intended, I just trying to get to the put. I updated the quote and removed the ellipses. Sure, I intended to tease a bit but I re-read your posts, my points still stand. So I guess, no I don't feel the increase in speed. In fact, after moving to a town along 680, I often complain about how slow lane 1 moves. To each their own.

 

[cheez]

So, I'm not a usual commuter, but I run errands occasionally and go to and from Treasure Island a few times a month. I've noticed lately that the off-commute freeway speeds have made a pretty serious jump. I used to be able to settle in to the #1 Lane and roll along at 75-80mph. That speed kept me in the faster group of traffic, but not blowing by everyone.
In the last couple months, I'm seeing speeds closer to 85-90mph. If I go slower than 80, I find myself being tailgated and passed on the right.
Relevant info: most of my time is spent on 680, 24, 580, and 880.

^ This.

So this is you?

Well, if you are getting tailgated and passed on the right you are failing to maintain good lane discipline. Lane 1 is for passing. You should always be moving over for faster traffic not camping.

Honestly, speed limits outside of city limits are just dumb.

As for those roads, my experience is different than yours.

• 680 is one of the slowest. One because it is always dead slow from San Ramon to Concord. The first part from Dublin to San Ramon is a bit fast but most of 680 is in the 70-75 range.
• 24 is definitely a 70-75 highway
• 580 is the best. Just love that road. You are right on this one.
• 880 is a cluster. Besides there is no where worth going to along 880. :teeth

Rather than complaining about speeds, which are mostly regulated for state funding rather than safety, I want to see enforcement of lane discipline. People driving to slow in the fast lane puts everyone in danger and clogs the arteries of the highways.:afm199

"In the last couple months, I'm seeing speeds closer to 85-90mph. If I go slower than 80, I find myself being tailgated and passed on the right."

I like that you edited my post before the comma. That's an interesting way to manipulate a statement. The words " If I go slower than 80mph" imply that I don't do that with any frequency.

You'd do well to read my whole post. We're of like mind, and in agreement regarding lane discipline. I even mention my right lane only experiences while driving my glacially slow 4 wheel vehicle.
Kind of a douchebag move, unless you're looking for humour, which was apparently not easily grasped.

No manipulation intended, I just trying to get to the put. I updated the quote and removed the ellipses. Sure, I intended to tease a bit but I re-read your posts, my points still stand. So I guess, no I don't feel the increase in speed. In fact, after moving to a town along 680, I often complain about how slow lane 1 moves. To each their own.

The gap in your comment's meaning vs. OP's:

Op's comment is an assertion that other drivers are going faster than they have in the past, and does not contain any assertion of poor driving on his part- only an assertion that if going slower than 80, in no specified lane, that he's passed on the right.

Yours is a snarky, egotistical accusation of poor driving on his part, that his being passed on the right demonstrates poor driving, and that the OP should change his habits to be a less poor driver.

Now, I know OP, and I know he's not an inconsiderate, inattentive, unfocused, or otherwise 'poor' driver. You probably don't, which is why you're ready to try and tar him for what you assert to be poor driving. When he says "being passed on the right at 80" I'm certain he means "in a bolus of traffic all doing 80, and someone comes past in the #4 or #5 lane at 100+" as I experience pretty much literally every day on my commutes.

Your comments come off as looking to pick a fight, when OP's comments are trying to generate a conversation about the observed increase in freeway speeds. Are you just here to fight, or are you here to chat about motorcycles? It seems like the former to me.

 

[cheez]

Why would you ban teslas?

Fish is a luddite, I think if you asked him 10 years ago, he'd have argued to ban fuel injection.

 

[KnifeySpoony]

I moved up here from LA a little over 10 years ago. I was shocked (and annoyed) by how slow people drove up here. In the last few years I have noticed freeway speeds have definitely increased up here and I'm happy to see it. My theory is that as traffic has gotten worse, people appreciate an open freeway much more and take advantage of it. Clear freeways are so rare in LA (some freeways have stop and go traffic at 2am), that when they do clear people go 90 just because it feels so good.

 

[Lowerside]

I don't see a problem with this. Weekends generally have less people and our highways are set up to support high speeds, potholes notwithstanding. The assholes who constantly swerve inside grouped up traffic will do so regardless of speed and you can generally see them a mile away. Either get out of their way (usually lane 1) before they reach you, or maintain your lane and speed and they'll get around you.

 

[budman]

Because we have more people who are lousy at reading signs. :laughing

"Officer the speed limit is 101... I won't go on 280 because my car cannot keep the pace"



For sure it seems traffic flows faster when the roads are open most of the time. That gets the people in the fast lane going 70 some happy time from folks behind.

 

[Izzy_C]

I will say, getting down to Woodside to hoon on the DRZ is always a treat on 280... I usually sit in the slow lane going 65 because more than that and it sounds like the single is gonna burst open in a huge fireball.

Plenty of folks going really fast, usually they just go round me. I just wish people wouldn't tailgate in the slow lane... like can at least the slow lane all the way to the right be 65?

 

[295566]

As mentioned it's the cars nowadays that will comfortably sit at 80+ mph. Raise the limit to 100 and people will still do 120. Speed limit isn't the problem, it's the vehicles.

How many people who have literbikes haven't hit the limiter in second or third gear on a public road? So long as vehicles can do it, people will too.

 

[Izzy_C]

As mentioned it's the cars nowadays that will comfortably sit at 80+ mph. Raise the limit to 100 and people will still do 120. Speed limit isn't the problem, it's the vehicles.

Yup I completely agree.. modern econobox cars are very comfortable at high speeds, new ones even more so because of the reasons I mentioned.

I drove a friends '18 Civic base model, felt like a little race car. He routinely cruises (when doing the long drive from SF to Arcata at 80+. Older economy cars are not nearly as comfortable at higher speeds.

 

[NSR500]

When driving or riding I'm not really a fan of the higher speeds. Our roads aren't Autobahn quality and there are too many morons with too much car.

 

[sniper1rfa]

Yup I completely agree.. modern econobox cars are very comfortable at high speeds, new ones even more so because of the reasons I mentioned.

Definitely. My regular-car car cruises really happily at 87mph, and that seems to be tacitly allowed on 280. I don't think this is really anything to do with the drivers, and everything to do with powerful modern engines coupled to 57-speed gearboxes with really tall cruising gears.

 

[Marcoose]

Following the trend of ‘observation, not complaining’ ... lately I’ve been driving a mere 12 miles twice a week to an office in South City, and noticed fewer and fewer driving put on their indicators. That’s disturbing. Vote Bernie!

 

[moto-rama]

Funny you should ask

Just yesterday, I had a lunch date in San Jose, so I thought, "Oh, good day to take the Beige Valdez (J100 Land Cruiser) out for a drive to blow out the cobwebs, charge battery. We left around 1230 and headed down 280 from SF.

I stuck in it cruise at exactly 70 mph and settled in to the #3 lane.

No question about it, we passed exactly 3 cars, so we were the 4th slowest vehicle over the 60 or so miles on the drive South. Every other car/truck passed us like we were parked, some traveling in mid-90s, with the usual right-lane speeders just flying past.

I don't think that speeds are the primary cause of wrecks, unless they are clearly ridiculous, but shit driving and speed combined is a bad thing. My pet complaint are idiots who pass on the right, using exit lanes to speed past "Slow lane" traffic. I've had a few close calls with this type of thing and I wish they had some type of enforcement focus on that.

In Europe speed cameras seem to work pretty well keeping people at close to the limit, but even there cell-phone yakkers are a menace.


As usual we saw Zero Law enforcement on 280.

 

[Izzy_C]

Just yesterday, I had a lunch date in San Jose, so I thought, "Oh, good day to take the Beige Valdez (J100 Land Cruiser) out for a drive to blow out the cobwebs, charge battery. We left around 1230 and headed down 280 from SF.

I stuck in it cruise at exactly 70 mph and settled in to the #3 lane.

No question about it, we passed exactly 3 cars, so we were the 4th slowest vehicle over the 60 or so miles on the drive South. Every other car/truck passed us like we were parked, some traveling in mid-90s, with the usual right-lane speeders just flying past.

I don't think that speeds are the primary cause of wrecks, unless they are clearly ridiculous, but shit driving and speed combined is a bad thing. My pet complaint are idiots who pass on the right, using exit lanes to speed past "Slow lane" traffic. I've had a few close calls with this type of thing and I wish they had some type of enforcement focus on that.

In Europe speed cameras seem to work pretty well keeping people at close to the limit, but even there cell-phone yakkers are a menace.


As usual we saw Zero Law enforcement on 280.

You say that, but in the last 2 weeks of commuting to the South Bay to hike with the dog I've seen 3 CHP speed traps on 280 SB and 1 NB where the officer actually got someone. I do think there could use to be a little bit more enforcement (I know, as a motorcyclist)...

I feel the same way you do in your LandCruiser in my Hilux. The truck really likes to go 65, over that and the motor is just making a bunch of noise and the MPG falls below 30... even just now after a hike round Pulgas Ridge with the dog.. I was headed back up 101 NB and right before the 3rd street exit someone was tailgating me for at least a few miles and then decided to pass me on the right (an exit only lane)... I flashed my high beams and 110w of bumper mounted lamps at them, jackass..

 

[davidji]

I feel the same way you do in your LandCruiser in my Hilux. The truck really likes to go 65, over that and the motor is just making a bunch of noise and the MPG falls below 30

Wait, you get less than 30MPG from your pickup truck!!?

 

[Izzy_C]

Wait, you get less than 30MPG from your pickup truck!!?

Did you mean more? I get ~30 highway @ 65 in my 2wd Toyota Pickup. In the city I get ~20-25. I'm sure it dips below 30 pretty quick when my speed goes over 65 on the highway.

 

[295566]

Did you mean more? I get ~30 highway @ 65 in my 2wd Toyota Pickup. In the city I get ~20-25. I'm sure it dips below 30 pretty quick when my speed goes over 65 on the highway.

Must be a 4 banger. My 3.0 Ranger averages 17-18

 

[MysterYvil]

I once saw speeders defined as "narcissistic assholes who are bad at math."

Sounds about right.

.

 

[OnFire]

Slower traffic move right! :ride

 

[Izzy_C]

Must be a 4 banger. My 3.0 Ranger averages 17-18

Yeah it's the classic 22RE... great motor.