Having the opportunity to drive in and around the immediately surrounding areas of Philadelphia for about three hours over the past two days has made me realize how much city driving sucks.
Yes, this is Jenn, the proud-to-be-born-and-raised-in-Philadelphia-for-the-first-thirteen-years-of-her-life dissing Philly. But seriously, I was ready to kill somebody down there, if they didn’t take me out first with their sudden turns, no signaling, red light running, lane jumping. And let’s not forget the speeding! I admit to speeding along at five to ten miles over the limit – sometimes even fifteen to twenty miles over the limit when I’m on back roads that are surrounded by nothing more than farming fields and the occasional farm.
Today, while on Roosevelt Boulevard, I was going close to fifteen miles over the limit and people were still blowing by me.
And getting stuck in traffic on both the eastbound and westbound lanes of the “Surekill Expressway” just about put me over the edge, especially when I needed to get back home so Dan could go to work. And stop lights at every twenty feet, or so it seems. I’m very used to driving ten, fifteen, even twenty miles without encountering more than the occasional stop sign and perhaps a buggy or two to pass by.
And I like that. I like the pretty scenery, the lack of harsh, blaring street lights, being able to leave my car unlocked in my driveway, not having to drive aggressively, not having to avert my eyes from gangs and drug deals, and being able to drive ten miles in under fifteen minutes. In short, country driving is my preference.
Well I can barely handle driving in Indy. If anyone is familiar with the dave letterman expressway, I’m the one going slower than everyone else and fearing for my life.
So I bet I’d be really really bad in Philly!
Girl, I feel your pain!!!!!! Well, not pain but man, I can relate to that city driving thing!
It’s insane how aggressive the drivers are here! It’s not just the big truck drivers but other drivers too! Everyone is in a hurry to get from point A to point B, they ignore traffic signs, red lights, speed limits.. etc! I cannot count on my fingers, how many times I’ve been close to being struck by other drivers! What makes it ten times worse is most of them are also on their crapping cell phones!! Talk about road hazards!!
According to Men’s Health Magazine, my city has the worst drivers in the nation. Something to think about. It truly is that bad, but I don’t have much to compare it with. I wonder how they even came up with their findings.
The short of it is – I feel your pain.
I can’t drive, but the slowness or recklessness of drivers make me mad.
Ugh, I know what you mean. I LOATHE city driving. A few months back Joe and I went on a roadtrip with some friends to Gainesville and I got stuck driving home. I was on the interstate going about 15 over the speed limit and people were racing all the way up on my ass and flashing their lights. I’m thinking, where are you in so much of a hurry to get to at 9pm?
Glad that you got home in one piece!
When I visited Philly a few years ago, the driving was not so bad.
I’ve had worse experiences in Birmingham and Memphis. Rush hour in either city is TERRIBLE!
I grew up in Bucks County and am now over in Hunterdon County, NJ…what area are you in now? I hate city driving, because I’m a suburb girl!
I thought yall had 2 cars… why couldn’t your husband have used one and you used the most reliable one to “venture” off to Philly? I love city driving especially in good ol’ ‘Lanta. Rush hour sucks but ehhhhhhhh I’m used to it. I have had to deal with it whether its cuz of a job or just happening to be finishing my day long shopping excursions. Sure we have our fair share of moronic drivers… the ones that just outright park in the Fire Lanes piss me off the most. That makes me wish that either I drove an emergency vehicle just to have the right to plow them over or a cop so I can write every last one a god damned ticket for being so damn lazy to just park in an ACTUAL parking spot and WALK to the damn stores. Yeah…. it really IRKS me. Ahhh, gots to go do the weekly food shopping with the hubster. =)
I live in a medium sized city and I can tell you, I absolutely despise driving in the big cities. Kansas City, Omaha, Des Moines, you name it, I hate it. Too much traffic and too many crazy people driving!
Proud to live in the country, now :-D
Angela – we do have two vehicles. But I went to Philly without the kids, and Dan had to work at a certain time, so I had to hurry back.
Haha, I know exactly how you feel. I live right on City Avenue (literally) in West Philadelphia and the driving is HORRIBLE. People are crazy… I’m terrified to even walk near the street during rush hour.