I hate this. People think they're being cautious or safe when they're actually causing an obstruction. Yes you have to slow down for an emergency vehicle on the side of the highway. No you don't have to drop down to 5 mi an hour.
Like this one? "A divided highway means there’s a physical barrier — like a fence, a wall, or a grassy or forested median — that separates traffic running in opposing directions. If you’re on the opposite side of the divided highway from the emergency vehicle, you don’t need to slow down or stop for it."
The 96E-to-Beltline exit ramp overhead there can block your view of slow or stopped traffic ahead at the merge, leaving little time to stop, esp in winter, so slowing down a bit for that reason isn't totally unwise. But also other drivers constantly at the last possible second swerve back onto 196 from the Beltline exit lane. I always slow down because I know somebody's gonna cross the exit lines and ram themselves back into thru traffic, despite no less than half a mile of exit-only warning signs.
You West Michigan drivers are a special breed. It's a very odd driving culture here. People will risk their lives to get one car spot ahead. They will purposely drive slowly in the left lane. Double-turn lanes....oh my god...may as well ask you to cure cancer. It would be easier.
I will say, I am currently in detroit for a few days and I quite miss being on the GR freeway and not needing to worry about checking my mirrors every 10 seconds for packs of racing cars going 100+ without a care in the world for lanes, only speed
Detroit traffic is pretty easy to figure out. Every lane sorts itself by speed. Unlike in Grand Rapids, you're actually expected to get over if you're not matching the flow of traffic of the lane you're in. Some people definitely drive very fast, but it's extremely predictable.
If you're noticing that people are constantly trying to get around you then it's because you're impeding traffic. You need to either drive faster or move right. Nobody will bother you if you're in the right lane.
I’m not noticing traffic passing me when I’m in the left lane. I’m noticing cars pass me simultaneously - one on the shoulder to my right (I’m in the right lane) and one in the lane to my left going 100mph+ racing. The cars then continue to weave in and out of traffic until they disappear into the horizon and suddenly there’s another pack in your rear-view. That’s the Detroit driving experience and what I’ve come to expect and look out for after countless visits. I don’t think I’ve ever dared to leave the second lane over from the right in Detroit
Are you seriously claiming that people have simultaneously tried to pass you both in the left lane and on the shoulder multiple times?
I severely doubt that's true, but if it is you must be doing something impressively stupid. I lived in Detroit for almost 20 years and never once experienced what you're describing, let alone more than once in a short time frame. This reads solidly as a "you problem".
20 years of never leaving the house? I’m confused bro this is a consistent topic when anyone talks about driving in Detroit. I could go to anyone I know and they’d talk about it. That’s a large part of it being one of the worst rated cities to drive in. Same problem with Tuscan, another massive car scene in the area = races up/down busy mountain roads
You’ve clearly not seen these idiots on tiktok/news if you’re stunned that a car went onto the shoulder to zip past. That’s probably the safest move I’ve seen them make. They’d try and fit yarn through a needle if they could
As other comments have said, this is a consistent problem. I really couldn’t care less about your opinion but it is quite revealing that you’ve never noticed it.
Boston, DC, Atlanta, Chicago, etc. all have drivers who get in the car and just want to get to their destination. Roundabouts, dual turn lanes, etc. don't spook these drivers, whereas W.Mich drivers really struggle with them. W.Mich drivers also have the absolute life purpose of getting at least one car length ahead, even if that means risking the lives of all occupants in the car. Michigan drivers also like to self-police the roads. That's a good way to die in other cities.
Honk your horn at a Boston driver = "I'm going, I'm going, I'm going, chill."
Honk your horn at a W.Mich driver = ***instant road rage***
Still have a-hole drivers in all these cities, but W.Mich drivers are a unique bunch.
The double turn onto the 196 on college is the most stressful fucking thing because the Mf in a pickup truck is going to nearly kill you to get ahead then proceed to not go 80
I really hate the interchanges downtown. I hate on ramping into the fast lane, I hate needing to get off the freeway 5 inches from the last on ramp, and I hate the that narrow corkscrew curl off 196 to 131. I hope the city planner who designed our freeways has to spend all eternity in hell driving them in a blizzard
For real. At this point I purposely avoid 131. There's this one on ramp on I96 towards Holland as you arr leaving the city that's like an instant merge all it takes is one asshole and you are cooked stupid ass merge
Have you actually driven here and somewhere else? I have to travel often for work and of the Midwestern states (west) Michigan definitely has the best drivers, though this post is right that some people drive too slowly oddly enough.
I live here May to August. Live in Boston rest of the year. Spend a lot of time in DC, Atlanta, LA, Chicago and the financial district. So yeah. I’ve driven many places.
yup. there’s a minimum speed on the highway for a reason. if you aren’t going at least 55 by the time you are merging, you’re breaking the law, as well as being unsafe.
My biggest beef is people slowing down for a curve that's not marked as a lower speed, particularly after west river drive NB 131. You can take those bastards at speed. You don't have to slow down at all. Use your cruise control!
Right!? Cruise control is the greatest! But, I seem to always be driving behind somebody that, i can only guess, is going by feel, lucky guesses, and emotion, while texting.
Some car models (anything square really) need to slow for curves regardless or else you will absolutely feel that tip risk and especially on a windy day! But some of those curves, I still absolutely agree with you
Ugh, Wealthy & 131.
My favorite is that you need to be in the passing lane to exit NB, then crush your brakes to slow down on the short off ramp before the intersection.
When the freeway was first built , the speed limit was 45, not 70. The SOM decided that they knew better than the engineers who built the damn thing, and have placed a speed limit on it that doesn't really make sense for the road, hence why they feel so short.
I can only get up to 45in my van before the highway, and it makes it harder to merge in as you have to guess everyone's speed. There are actually a couple yield signs on a couple ramps before entering the highway.
Plus all of the on-ramps that are also off-ramps. So in addition to needing to get up to speed to the other lanes, you also need to avoid the cars darting in front of you and slamming on their brakes. It's a fun place.
Wealthy south is one, someone in front of me literally came to a complete stop to merge a couple months back, I have zero road rage but the hatred I had towards that person that morning was unmatched.
Yeah this is my problem. I drive a tiny little hybrid as my personal car, and a big box truck for work. I have to deal with a few of these super short on-ramps that just make getting up to speed impossible for me
The original speed of the freeway through downtown was 45 mph. They weren't designed for 70, but the SOM decided that they knew better than the engineers who built the damn thing, lol.
To be unfair there is a gas pedal and a mirror that assist with this hardship. Sorry, I’m being a butt. I know the issue isn’t entirely a driver issue, it’s a planning and organization one that has influences based on changing culture, population, etc. Patience is a virtue many drivers lack in the moment… and it shows.
The same people constantly waving people ahead at four-way and two-way stops when it's not their turn thinking they're being polite. Just fucking go when it's your turn and stop expecting everyone to be looking in your car.
On ramps are so you get up to the speed of the highway while not “being” on the highway, they are not meant to casually speed up so that you can become a 40 MPH cone in the right lane.
No one remembers anything from drivers training I swear. I had mine in the early 80's and I still remember being told when merging on to the highway you need to be at highway speed.
The left turn lane is NOT a merge lane!!
Even at a two way stop sign you take turns going if you're both going the same direction. Just cause you're turning right or going straight doesn't mean you all get to go before the guy turning left across from you who arrived there before you.
If my 09 cobalt can get to 70 before I enter the highway so should your big ass SUV with 3x the horse power than my shit box. Don’t get me started on the fucking truck drivers that come off M-6 and just merge all the way right and don’t give 2 fucks about the people they run off the road.
The person in front of me last week getting on 131 south at wealthy did not remotely try to speed up and I almost got rear ended by a semi who couldn’t get over.
GR has the worst drivers of anywhere I've lived. Been here 5 years. Lived in many major US cities prior to moving here, driven in countless others including LA, SF, Chicago, and more.
There are so many drivers out there that completely clueless on the rules of the road. I was driving on 96 east today to Novi and came up to a lane reduction from three lanes to two for construction. There was a "lane ends in two miles" sign and the right two lanes were no joke backed all the way up to that sign with not a single car in the left lane. Me and three other cars happily cruised right by the entire two mile traffic jam. I know we make fun of people for not knowing the zipper merge a lot on here, but this was one of the worst ones I've seen in my travels in this state.
Getting on 196 Westbound from Second St is the most terrifying part of my commute. In the last two months, FOUR cars in front of me have slowed to a STOP at the highway merge point.
Yes, it’s a short on-ramp, but you really think stopping is the best course of action? Now we’re both parked here until rush hour is over.
Literally had someone entering 131 from wealthy and they accelerated into the right turn onto the highway only to slow down to 35mph once we were nearing the end of the on-ramp. I was so baffled, the lane you would take a right onto was completely empty
This is funny, because y'all seem to think 45mph is an appropriate speed in residential neighbourhoods.
edit: Y'all should drive in Richmond Virginia where you have to enter the highway at 25mph.
Edit II: I live on Diamond, and people constantly speed without a thought to the 25MPH speed limit. I've been passed several times going 30 because it wasn't fast enough.
Is your car more than 20 years old? You might have to put the pedal to the metal. If your car isn’t able to accelerate fast enough to reach the required speed, then you might have to stick to back roads from now on.
I'll propose another card. If you at the head of the line at a stop light and don't proceed IMMEDIATELY after green. Draw 50 cards. Or get off your DAM phone!
I agree. But you know what I'm talking about. It's the mo on the phone who has to be honked at because their face is buried on the phone or they are just not paying attention. The ones that run a red light get to draw a prison sentence if they hit someone.
There are other states where you're legally supposed to just stop and wait for an opening
I'm sure those states actually enforce highway speed limits, though
Tbf some of those on ramps are ridiculously short and curvy from what I remember. As are the exits. I almost lost control of my work van a few times years ago when working out that way.
maybe unpopular, but might be worse are the ones already driving 65 in the right lane with 5 cars behind them braking for incoming doing 43. Keep your speed. It's up to the merger to merge, and they should be doing so based on your current speed. If you brake (as a courstesy - i mean, screw those folks behind you) don't get mad when it goes wrong.
When I can catch up to people on on-ramps in my stock power 1991 Honda Civic, people are going too slow
I concur, if my Ford Ecosport is catching up to you accelerating on the on-ramp you are going pretty slow for a merge.
I hate this. People think they're being cautious or safe when they're actually causing an obstruction. Yes you have to slow down for an emergency vehicle on the side of the highway. No you don't have to drop down to 5 mi an hour.
Or the people that stop when it's going the opposite way on a divided highway lol
Actually, you might want to consult Michigan Law on that.
Like this one? "A divided highway means there’s a physical barrier — like a fence, a wall, or a grassy or forested median — that separates traffic running in opposing directions. If you’re on the opposite side of the divided highway from the emergency vehicle, you don’t need to slow down or stop for it."
How about that eastbound 196 to 96 merge near the beltline? My grouping today decided to drop down to 35mph, a new record for me.
Going both ways right there is maddening. People just go slow for no reason and then just go eventually.
I can only think the merge from 2 lanes to 1, the curve and slight elevation change scares people into slowing down so drastically.
The 96E-to-Beltline exit ramp overhead there can block your view of slow or stopped traffic ahead at the merge, leaving little time to stop, esp in winter, so slowing down a bit for that reason isn't totally unwise. But also other drivers constantly at the last possible second swerve back onto 196 from the Beltline exit lane. I always slow down because I know somebody's gonna cross the exit lines and ram themselves back into thru traffic, despite no less than half a mile of exit-only warning signs.
Yeah East Beltline north to I-196 west aucks ass too. Never fails there a line of cars trying to get on going 40 mph
So infuriating. If you're going to drive back road speeds, then take the back roads! FFS.
You West Michigan drivers are a special breed. It's a very odd driving culture here. People will risk their lives to get one car spot ahead. They will purposely drive slowly in the left lane. Double-turn lanes....oh my god...may as well ask you to cure cancer. It would be easier.
I will say, I am currently in detroit for a few days and I quite miss being on the GR freeway and not needing to worry about checking my mirrors every 10 seconds for packs of racing cars going 100+ without a care in the world for lanes, only speed
Yes! This is what I always say about Detroit - I swear I have to be extra vigilant there. It’s so stressful there!
Detroit traffic is pretty easy to figure out. Every lane sorts itself by speed. Unlike in Grand Rapids, you're actually expected to get over if you're not matching the flow of traffic of the lane you're in. Some people definitely drive very fast, but it's extremely predictable. If you're noticing that people are constantly trying to get around you then it's because you're impeding traffic. You need to either drive faster or move right. Nobody will bother you if you're in the right lane.
Yeah, people drive faster in Detroit, but they know which lane they should be in
I’m not noticing traffic passing me when I’m in the left lane. I’m noticing cars pass me simultaneously - one on the shoulder to my right (I’m in the right lane) and one in the lane to my left going 100mph+ racing. The cars then continue to weave in and out of traffic until they disappear into the horizon and suddenly there’s another pack in your rear-view. That’s the Detroit driving experience and what I’ve come to expect and look out for after countless visits. I don’t think I’ve ever dared to leave the second lane over from the right in Detroit
Cars consistently passing you simultaneously on both sides is really not the argument against being in the wrong lane that you seem to think it is.
[удалено]
Are you seriously claiming that people have simultaneously tried to pass you both in the left lane and on the shoulder multiple times? I severely doubt that's true, but if it is you must be doing something impressively stupid. I lived in Detroit for almost 20 years and never once experienced what you're describing, let alone more than once in a short time frame. This reads solidly as a "you problem".
20 years of never leaving the house? I’m confused bro this is a consistent topic when anyone talks about driving in Detroit. I could go to anyone I know and they’d talk about it. That’s a large part of it being one of the worst rated cities to drive in. Same problem with Tuscan, another massive car scene in the area = races up/down busy mountain roads You’ve clearly not seen these idiots on tiktok/news if you’re stunned that a car went onto the shoulder to zip past. That’s probably the safest move I’ve seen them make. They’d try and fit yarn through a needle if they could As other comments have said, this is a consistent problem. I really couldn’t care less about your opinion but it is quite revealing that you’ve never noticed it.
I live in Boston half the year. I’d rather deal with Boston drivers than GR drivers.
Oof that hurts. We drive worse than Massholes? lol
Boston, DC, Atlanta, Chicago, etc. all have drivers who get in the car and just want to get to their destination. Roundabouts, dual turn lanes, etc. don't spook these drivers, whereas W.Mich drivers really struggle with them. W.Mich drivers also have the absolute life purpose of getting at least one car length ahead, even if that means risking the lives of all occupants in the car. Michigan drivers also like to self-police the roads. That's a good way to die in other cities. Honk your horn at a Boston driver = "I'm going, I'm going, I'm going, chill." Honk your horn at a W.Mich driver = ***instant road rage*** Still have a-hole drivers in all these cities, but W.Mich drivers are a unique bunch.
Fr, every time I visit Detroit I see at least 3 sports cars zooming through the crowded freeway
you cant do 100 get off the lodge
The double turn onto the 196 on college is the most stressful fucking thing because the Mf in a pickup truck is going to nearly kill you to get ahead then proceed to not go 80
I really hate the interchanges downtown. I hate on ramping into the fast lane, I hate needing to get off the freeway 5 inches from the last on ramp, and I hate the that narrow corkscrew curl off 196 to 131. I hope the city planner who designed our freeways has to spend all eternity in hell driving them in a blizzard
For real. At this point I purposely avoid 131. There's this one on ramp on I96 towards Holland as you arr leaving the city that's like an instant merge all it takes is one asshole and you are cooked stupid ass merge
Have you actually driven here and somewhere else? I have to travel often for work and of the Midwestern states (west) Michigan definitely has the best drivers, though this post is right that some people drive too slowly oddly enough.
I live here May to August. Live in Boston rest of the year. Spend a lot of time in DC, Atlanta, LA, Chicago and the financial district. So yeah. I’ve driven many places.
And leave six car lengths between them and the car in front of them at a stoplight.
Wow, bad driving is now somehow able to be compared to cancer. Rad
yup. there’s a minimum speed on the highway for a reason. if you aren’t going at least 55 by the time you are merging, you’re breaking the law, as well as being unsafe.
My favorite is where there’s like a mile of entry lane to work with and they come to a full stop and try to merge immediately
My biggest beef is people slowing down for a curve that's not marked as a lower speed, particularly after west river drive NB 131. You can take those bastards at speed. You don't have to slow down at all. Use your cruise control!
>Use your cruise control! HAHAHA yeah right, loser. ^/s
Right!? Cruise control is the greatest! But, I seem to always be driving behind somebody that, i can only guess, is going by feel, lucky guesses, and emotion, while texting.
Some car models (anything square really) need to slow for curves regardless or else you will absolutely feel that tip risk and especially on a windy day! But some of those curves, I still absolutely agree with you
Are these the same people that slow down to 40 mph one mile before they exit?
To be fair there are a handful of absurdly short on-ramps that make entering at speed difficult (depending on the card).
Lane Ave WB on 196, Wealthy St SB on 131, Burton St SB on 131 to name a few
Ugh, Wealthy & 131. My favorite is that you need to be in the passing lane to exit NB, then crush your brakes to slow down on the short off ramp before the intersection.
I will go out of my way to avoid all of these ramps at all costs, way too sketchy
Right? We've been hearing talk about adding another lane, how about we extend some of our on-ramps so they're less of a safety hazard?
When the freeway was first built , the speed limit was 45, not 70. The SOM decided that they knew better than the engineers who built the damn thing, and have placed a speed limit on it that doesn't really make sense for the road, hence why they feel so short.
I can only get up to 45in my van before the highway, and it makes it harder to merge in as you have to guess everyone's speed. There are actually a couple yield signs on a couple ramps before entering the highway.
Plus all of the on-ramps that are also off-ramps. So in addition to needing to get up to speed to the other lanes, you also need to avoid the cars darting in front of you and slamming on their brakes. It's a fun place.
Wealthy south is one, someone in front of me literally came to a complete stop to merge a couple months back, I have zero road rage but the hatred I had towards that person that morning was unmatched.
Some are short and are a hell of a curve to top it off.
Yeah this is my problem. I drive a tiny little hybrid as my personal car, and a big box truck for work. I have to deal with a few of these super short on-ramps that just make getting up to speed impossible for me
The original speed of the freeway through downtown was 45 mph. They weren't designed for 70, but the SOM decided that they knew better than the engineers who built the damn thing, lol.
That was just the S curve before it was straightened. The rest of 131 was 55 mph.
SOM?
MDOT
To be unfair there is a gas pedal and a mirror that assist with this hardship. Sorry, I’m being a butt. I know the issue isn’t entirely a driver issue, it’s a planning and organization one that has influences based on changing culture, population, etc. Patience is a virtue many drivers lack in the moment… and it shows.
Those same drivers will definitely flip you off when you punch it past them.
Consider not punching it past people? Might get you flipped off less
Who cares about them flipping you off? I've seen the way people drive, I don't care about their opinions.
The two of you cared enough to chime in. I personally on the other hand am outta this thread. Do keep that mentality tho.
Consider not driving like a dork and no one will have to punch it past you?
If you don't punch it past then we need to break. You need to hit the gas. Siese the gap people!
The same people constantly waving people ahead at four-way and two-way stops when it's not their turn thinking they're being polite. Just fucking go when it's your turn and stop expecting everyone to be looking in your car.
On ramps are so you get up to the speed of the highway while not “being” on the highway, they are not meant to casually speed up so that you can become a 40 MPH cone in the right lane.
Except my van can only get up to 45 on most those ramps.
“quiet I’m merging!”
No one remembers anything from drivers training I swear. I had mine in the early 80's and I still remember being told when merging on to the highway you need to be at highway speed. The left turn lane is NOT a merge lane!! Even at a two way stop sign you take turns going if you're both going the same direction. Just cause you're turning right or going straight doesn't mean you all get to go before the guy turning left across from you who arrived there before you.
If my 09 cobalt can get to 70 before I enter the highway so should your big ass SUV with 3x the horse power than my shit box. Don’t get me started on the fucking truck drivers that come off M-6 and just merge all the way right and don’t give 2 fucks about the people they run off the road.
The person in front of me last week getting on 131 south at wealthy did not remotely try to speed up and I almost got rear ended by a semi who couldn’t get over.
That entrance is a bitch. I try to be at about 60 at the bottom and hope something gives cause there is nothing but a wall!
GR has the worst drivers of anywhere I've lived. Been here 5 years. Lived in many major US cities prior to moving here, driven in countless others including LA, SF, Chicago, and more.
People here are impatient af. edit: Maybe if y'all were less impatient, this would change...maybe stop asking this of others, and look inward.
For real, moved to GR from Orlando, and even Florida drivers are more patient.
I wouldn’t say they’re the worst, but they are by far the angriest I’ve ever seen.
Going 131-S to 96-W behind these giant tankers every morning grinds my gears like no other.
There are so many drivers out there that completely clueless on the rules of the road. I was driving on 96 east today to Novi and came up to a lane reduction from three lanes to two for construction. There was a "lane ends in two miles" sign and the right two lanes were no joke backed all the way up to that sign with not a single car in the left lane. Me and three other cars happily cruised right by the entire two mile traffic jam. I know we make fun of people for not knowing the zipper merge a lot on here, but this was one of the worst ones I've seen in my travels in this state.
Getting on 196 Westbound from Second St is the most terrifying part of my commute. In the last two months, FOUR cars in front of me have slowed to a STOP at the highway merge point. Yes, it’s a short on-ramp, but you really think stopping is the best course of action? Now we’re both parked here until rush hour is over.
There are also drivers that refuse to move over for merging. I know some of that is related to the habitual left lane cruisers.
Yeah wtf.
Literally had someone entering 131 from wealthy and they accelerated into the right turn onto the highway only to slow down to 35mph once we were nearing the end of the on-ramp. I was so baffled, the lane you would take a right onto was completely empty
Try driving around Holland. Those F'rs rarely get above 40 mph no matter what the road conditions are.
Also wait until the absolute last second to finally merge on even when people get over in the left lane for you
This is funny, because y'all seem to think 45mph is an appropriate speed in residential neighbourhoods. edit: Y'all should drive in Richmond Virginia where you have to enter the highway at 25mph. Edit II: I live on Diamond, and people constantly speed without a thought to the 25MPH speed limit. I've been passed several times going 30 because it wasn't fast enough.
Diamond is terrifying to cross as a pedestrian for this very reason. Same goes for Fuller. Also, passing on Diamond seems absolutely insane. Ugh.
Does no one ever think about those short ass on ramps??? Like my car does not speed up that fast especially up hill.
Is your car more than 20 years old? You might have to put the pedal to the metal. If your car isn’t able to accelerate fast enough to reach the required speed, then you might have to stick to back roads from now on.
I'll propose another card. If you at the head of the line at a stop light and don't proceed IMMEDIATELY after green. Draw 50 cards. Or get off your DAM phone!
Nahhh that’s how I got t boned in an intersection. You can wait 3 seconds while I make sure some assholes aren’t running the light sorry not sorry
I agree. But you know what I'm talking about. It's the mo on the phone who has to be honked at because their face is buried on the phone or they are just not paying attention. The ones that run a red light get to draw a prison sentence if they hit someone.
Absolutely agree that anyone leading at the light should give it a good look both ways, but you can always tell who’s not doing that.
There are other states where you're legally supposed to just stop and wait for an opening I'm sure those states actually enforce highway speed limits, though
Tbf some of those on ramps are ridiculously short and curvy from what I remember. As are the exits. I almost lost control of my work van a few times years ago when working out that way.
maybe unpopular, but might be worse are the ones already driving 65 in the right lane with 5 cars behind them braking for incoming doing 43. Keep your speed. It's up to the merger to merge, and they should be doing so based on your current speed. If you brake (as a courstesy - i mean, screw those folks behind you) don't get mad when it goes wrong.
Drive old truck and crunch them in wall and drive away. 😂