The worst place to take a 'drivers car' is........

OHIO!!
[Rant]
Living in Michigan, well, on the eastern half at least, Ohio is our gateway to anywhere (except Ontario) so we are forced to drive through Ohio often. The first thing you notice when you hit the Oh-hi-oh border is the wall of brake lights in front of you, as everyone has to slow down to the pace my 5-year old keeps on her Big Wheel. Why the heck would you have such nice, smooth roads (of which Michigan has tens of feet state-wide) 3 lanes wide in each direction with a generous median and keep the speed limits down to blue hair levels? It's maddening I tell you. Just 2 miles ago the speed limit was 70 mph and traffic was moving along at 75, 80 not being out of the question at all. Now it's 60 at best, with traffic moving along at 5 under the speed limit. Yes I said 5 UNDER! Why! Again, I ask you why!?!?
So, I'm on the toll road, heading east and can't figure out why folks that live in Ohi-slow drive 5 UNDER the speed limit. If you don't have the stones to do 5 over, at least do the speed limit! Next thing, my GPS takes me onto surface roads. The kind that would be 50 around here. And the limit is........get ready........55? Ok, so I was on a major, 3 lane highway with a shoulder on each side, a median in the middle and an exit and entrance ramp about every mile and the limit was 55 or 60. Now, I'm on a winding, 2-lane country road with houses every few hundred feet, kids playing 15 feet from the road and Amos, Rebecca and the rest of the Amish community taking to the roads in their buggies and the limit is still 55?
Seriously, I don't get it. Some of the roads I drove were beautiful and could have been fun to drive if I wasn't driving like Grandpa leaving the Sizzler. I've driven most of the states and most of the provinces of Canada and this is the worst one I've ever seen. The roads are in great shape, the drivers aren't bad per se, but the speed limits are way low and the pigs (not the curly tail variety, but the radar holding kind) are everywhere making this the worst state I've driven in.

[/rant]

Thats okay. I've been to Michigan and didnt understand the whole "no left turn lane" thing. Instead I saw a place to make a U-turn to go back towards the intersection you wanted to turn left at...WTF. Those were by Holland, MI.

At lest we finally got rid of the 55mph speed limit for trucks...

Sucks, doesn't it?
The Ohio Turnpike has an entire fleet of State Troopers just dedicated to The Turnpike and they are ultra-effective at being a money maker for the state.

I used to have a 3 day a week commute from Toledo to Southfield. MI by way of the I-75 or I-275 raceway.
Summer trips up to Boyne used to be like CannonBall Runs.
Now I just work around Ohio. I tell you, the drive to Columbus, Ohio is like running the gauntlet. It is speed trap after speed trap.

RossD wrote: Thats okay. I've been to Michigan and didnt understand the whole "no left turn lane" thing. Instead I saw a place to make a U-turn to go back towards the intersection you wanted to turn left at...WTF. Those were by Holland, MI.

The 'Michigan Left" is quite effective once you understand it. Is surely keeps traffic moving.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_left

The 'Michigan Left" is quite effective once you understand it. Is surely keeps traffic moving. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_left

Ohhh my aching head!!!

The room won't quit spinning and all I tried to do was read that. I think I'd rather do a roundy round in England where I'm driving on the wrong side of the road. At least that makes a little bit of sense.

Actually, the potholes in Michigan took the cake for me (I lived in Ohio till 2004). I know someone who bent a control arm on an MR2 on one of the freeway potholes in Detroit.

I'm sorry.... NJ and stop signs at the bottom of the on ramp are pretty high on my Whiskey Tango Foxtrot meter. That and Indiana's 70mph for cars, 65mph for trucks rolling road block. They kept trucks slower to prevent accidents, when in reality they are likely causing more.....

Ohio is annoying to drive through.

Michigan lefts are actually kinda nice once you get used to them. I lived around Detroit for 3 years, and now live back in Indiana. There aren't many places in the town I live in where a Michigan left would help, but on US 52 it would be a godsend. Luckily U-turns aren't illegal in Indiana except where posted. So, I make my own Michigan left.

Yeah, New Jersey jug handles are a bit odd at times.

We can still make our "michigan left" turns faster than your frekin' e-way speeds.

jrw1621 wrote: Sucks, doesn't it? The Ohio Turnpike has an entire fleet of State Troopers just dedicated to The Turnpike and they are ultra-effective at being a money maker for the state. I used to have a 3 day a week commute from Toledo to Southfield. MI by way of the I-75 or I-275 raceway. Summer trips up to Boyne used to be like CannonBall Runs. Now I just work around Ohio. I tell you, the drive to Columbus, Ohio is like running the gauntlet. It is speed trap after speed trap.

I-90 in Illinois and Ohio were the worst parts of my cross-country road trip earlier this year. Illinois has all of those toll booths stopping us every twenty minutes, speed cameras EVEYWHERE, then we got stuck for two hours in Chicago fighting traffic that make M@$$holes seem tame by comparison.

We were going less than the speed limit through Ohio like DrBoost said because of all the speed traps, and also because the tool booths time you so if you get from point A to point B even a minute early, they give you a nice big souvenir ticket from the state of Ohio to remember them by.

I consider it a small miracle that on our trip we only got pulled over once. It was by an Indiana state trooper because the license plate lamps on my sister's ZX2 burned out, and he was nice enough to let us go with a warning only. I was hustling that car too, esp. on the Pacific Coast Highway.

RexSeven wrote: and also because the tool booths time you so if you get from point A to point B even a minute early, they give you a nice big souvenir ticket from the state of Ohio to remember them by.

not true, as far as i have experienced anyway. last year i did a 12 mile stretch of turnpike (got on at I-71 got off at I-77) in just under 8 minutes. i got on, got left, and hit it. they scanned my ticket and i gave them my 50 cents.

FYI the ohio turnpike fees all just doubled. i need to go up to michigan tomorrow for work, i'm avoiding as much turnpike as possible - class 2 pulling trailer sucks for pike fees.

I think the worst place I ever drove in was Washington, DC. For every convoluted street, there's probably at least ten lost tourists.

Ohio: The nation's speed trap.

I did have fun driving on the Ohio Bull-dyke going to Cleavland, though.

patgizz wrote: FYI the ohio turnpike fees all just doubled. i need to go up to michigan tomorrow for work, i'm avoiding as much turnpike as possible - class 2 pulling trailer sucks for pike fees.

If you go with the "new to Ohio" EZ Pass system, Ohio will continue to charge you at the old rates.
Personally, I found it cheaper to sign up for the Indiana EZ Pass which is equally accepted in Ohio at the lower rates.

Can we kick Ohio out of the union?

I grew up in Ohio -- had 4 speeding tickets by the time I left in my mid 20's. Those 4 speeding tickets did not include the two "friendly warnings" I got. I had a 1985 Olds Calais Indy Edition with red exterior and silver leather interior.......not sure which attracted the revenue gett, er, police. That tuned me out of owning a red car. In Ohio it really DID attract unwanted attention.

Fast forward to this summer -- flew into Chicago for work and decided to take the rental car to Ohio to visit Dad for a few days. This was on July 4th weekend. I was doing 70 - 80 in Indiana, got to the Ohio Tpk and tried to slow down. There was a State Patrol car at almost every gravel spot in the median. I think it took me 35 or 50 miles before I couldn't take it, was passing someone and got pulled over. No wonder my Dad always drives 5 MPH under. Always. Everywhere.

Contrast that with driving in Texas. I was commuting a few years ago and happened to look down at the speedo as I was being passed..........I was going along with most of the traffic and doing 85, posted speed was 65.

Here in TX, speed limit signs are a guideline, a recommendation. In Ohio they are a warning of impending doom.

RexSeven wrote: I-90 in Illinois and Ohio were the worst parts of my cross-country road trip earlier this year. Illinois has all of those toll booths stopping us every twenty minutes, speed cameras EVEYWHERE, then we got stuck for two hours in Chicago fighting traffic that make M@$$holes seem tame by comparison.

You don't go in rush-hour in Chicago. I live in the suburbs and anytime I have to drive, and I might be in rushhour, I don't. I get off, go get something to eat, one time caught a blackhawks game.

My family recently came down to visit me (going around Chicago) and my 16 year old brother came into a lane, sort of almost but not really cutting a guy off. My dad, not having to drive, turns around and flips him the bird with both hands. Gotta love that Chicago blood.

FWIW, I've been "speeding" for 4 years, and never gotten a ticket by one of those speed cameras.

Also, for those toll booths, get an IPass, if you drive there enough. Otherwise, they don't pursue you until your third time through the open road tolling*.

*this is not legal fact/whatever, just what my friends have experienced.

The only time I drove through Detroit I looked over on I-75 and a guy was finishing off his beer in rush hour traffic. I got the hell outa there and haven't been back.

As long as you are in the city limits (Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus) they cops have bigger issues than speeding. They are still pricks compared with any other state, but they can't hold a candle to Ohio State Highway Patrol. If they get you in their sights its too late! And their fines SUCK! $180 for a speeding ticket?!

FYI Generations of YaNi's have fingered out that 71mph is the safe maximum on the turnpike. Just set the cruise for 71 until you clear the border.

YaNi wrote: As long as you are in the city limits (Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus) they cops have bigger issues than speeding. They are still pricks compared with any other state, but they can't hold a candle to Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The biggest pricks I have ever encountered are Virginia cops.

I opened this thread with the intention of posting

"Ohio /thread" Imagine my surprise

In reply to mtn:

I live in MA and we were only passing through on our way home from L.A. We had no idea Chicago traffic would be so hellish; otherwise we would have taken another route. Not that I'll be going through IL anytime soon anyways.

There is no other route. All hell leads to Chicago.

JetMech wrote: I think the worst place I ever drove in was Washington, DC. For every convoluted street, there's probably at least ten lost tourists.

Yep, the first trip to DC after I moved to this area introduced me to the concept of triangular blocks.

Went to DC with a friend who was also new to the area. We missed a turn and decided we would "just go around the block". Took us 30 minutes to get back to where we wanted to go.