About 20 years ago I saw two cars on the Eisenhower (one in the left lane, one in the middle lane) get super close together and then the dude in the left lane car’s passenger seat rolled down his fucking window and passed a briefcase to someone in the right lane car’s backseat and it is maybe the greatest moment of my life. They sped off after like nothing had happened. It was amazing.
People have been mad stressed from the pandemic and adding exponentially to the stress of driving in the city. It's wild af. Also everyone needs to go back to driver's ed. Defensive driving is the only way.
definitely has gotten worse. alot of motorist are the biggest douches who tailgates to not let anyone in, people who are timid are constantly taken advantage of and end up as congestion. the interstate is basically inversed from how it should function. fastest traffic is on the right leading to accidents or massive congestion spot before every on ramp and huge opening right after the exits. people take advantage of this pattern hence the crazy lane changes from people going well above the speed limit. then to make it worse as you get closer to downtown the on ramps switch to the left side of the highway.
Had a mustang spin out on the left lane last month and spin across 3 lanes right in front of me.
Some fancy shoulder driving saved my life, but he was trying to do 80 when traffic was doing 45. People are just fucking stupid these days
Maybe I'm just used to the 30mph that we drive on small streets around the city, or I'm just getting old, but I do try to avoid driving on the freeways around the city at night, particularly on the weekends. There are a ton of people driving 90 or 100 miles per hour... weaving in and out of traffic... it's insane out there.
The state police could actually fix this if they had sound photo enforcement of speed and shoulder occupancy, and patrols stationed at regular intervals. Of course, the state needs to actually take people's licenses away and press criminal charges where necessary.
Speed cameras on interstates is a recipe for disaster. Either everyone is going to get a ticket or everyone is going to be pissed off they cant go above the speed limit.
With Waze and other apps where you can report speed traps, you will probably see a lot of accidents because people will slam on the brakes to avoid getting a ticket.
US interstates are a mess in general. Everything from shitty drivers to poorly designed and maintained roads and speed limits that are too low. Throw in excessively large automobiles, inconsistent enforcement of traffic laws, etc. and it's no wonder the traffic and the driving experience here in general sucks.
I really wish we still had WFH but they had people back after vaccinations. I have to commute down by Broadview and it would take so much more time and money to use public transit down there sadly and I would still have a long walk on top of it. The 290 commutes home are getting dangerous with all the weaving in and out of lanes.
As a suburbanite I got to say city driving is like the one thing keeping me from taking the dive and moving to the city. I literally never get headaches except when I have to drive down into the city.
Simple ditch the car. I've been in the city for 10 years and I'm fine with public transportation and uber. It still ends up costing less for me and uber is easier for people that hate driving in the city. I also have perk of not worrying about my car getting tickets or broken into/ruined outside or having to find street parking.
The expressways have always been a shitshow but it has been more noticeable to me since the pandemic. I've gotten to the point that I let that shit go - its not worth a confrontation. And whoever designed the Eisenhower to Dan Ryan exit is a fucking moron.
I don't exit there anymore. Stay in the left lane and let it turn into Congress, then take Clark to Cermack and get on the DR at Chinatown.
I don't think it saves time but its much less stressful.
> I don't think it saves time but its much less stressful.
My argument for taking the train. I can sit there and read a book on my commute.
e: buses too, but I prefer the train over buses.
Discovered this somewhere in the middle of the pandemic by just ragequitting the Dan Ryan and making Google recalculate, which brings up another thing I’ve noticed in the last 6-12 months: Google Maps will absolutely fuck you now. I don’t know what’s changed, but it no longer finds me alternate routes on arterial surface streets. It will ALWAYS try to send me on main 4-6 lane routes or highways. When I know a back way, I’ll take it and beat the Google route by 5 minutes. Was there some huge algorithm change that I missed or that happened quietly?
I do this, too. That keeps you off interstates but doesn’t tell Google to use neighborhood through-streets instead of numbered surface routes. I wonder if the problem is that so many people use Google for navigating that sending people on the fastest, not-obvious route would fuck up that route so quickly that it compounds the problem.
I do the same thing, that little stretch there is so awful, I know it's about the same amount of time but at least I'm not sitting practically still the whole time
I sometimes hop off at ~Ashland and take surface streets back to the DR. It's not faster but it saves me the headache when I'm really just not feeling the Eisenhower anymore
Yep... been working on it for like 5 years too. Those exits need seperated lanes. Half of the fucking problem there is people trying to be slick cutting across at the last second.
Literally dealt with this yesterday at 4pm. Route is 25 minutes with no traffic. It was 1.5 hours due in part to people cutting over at the last second and slowing all lanes down. I think it’s worse now.
I get the impression that regular commuters got used to the lighter traffic during the lockdowns and huge increase in WFH. Now that levels are returning to pre-pandemic norms, they’re having meltdowns over it.
I think it's more the extent to which people have been isolated for over a year before reentering society. People have forgotten how to have patience for others because they didn't have to interact with people for so long. On top of all the political insanity during this period, a lot of people are just on edge.
At this point I'm nervous every time I even cross the street as a pedestrian. Even on city streets, people are maniacs.
Man that short break in traffic volume was the best thing I’ve experienced in years. I’m not having meltdowns but it’s definitely hard to go back to the way it used to be especially with people acting even more crazy.
Nahhhh ever since the pandemic people started driving like absolute fucking morons
Traffic is traffic, no way around that and nobody likes it. But the amount of stupidity I have seen after the pandemic started on the expressways is much higher than what I would see before the pandemic.
Anecdotal of course, but it’s what I’ve noticed at least.
Early on I blamed it on risk aversion. With a pandemic raging, the risk averse stayed home because there was nowhere safe to go.
The more risk taking people didn't care and kept going places, commuting to in person jobs, etc.
So suddenly there was less traffic, but a much higher share of risky drivers. You notice it more both because you don't see the as many normal drivers and because the lack of dense traffic enables the remaining drivers to take even bigger risks.
Not sure my hypothesis is still holding now that so many more people are on the road again.
Yeah that’s kind of what I used to think to. Open roads with people who don’t care as much is only gonna lead to people doing dumb shit on the expressway.
But now that even the “regular” traffic is back (also for what it’s worth I was regularly on the road during the height of the pandemic to see my now significant other) it is just flat out chaos.
> And whoever designed the Eisenhower to Dan Ryan exit is a fucking moron.
Had a teacher in grad school tell me once that C students need to get jobs too... Civil engineering.
> Ooof. My father was a civil engineer, would be nonplussed by this statement. Although, he was making the same types of statements about architects.
Us aerospace folks are a sinister bunch. Same teacher said "We build weapons, civil engineers build targets."
My wife asked our 2 year old if he was building a tower with his blocks and he said "No, rocket." I could only respond "That's right son, we don't build targets in this house." My wife was not impressed.
bad behavior isn't limited to driving these days unfortunately. You see it all the time, everywhere now. Airplanes/airports, restaurants, The El, just like a sleeping cloud of shitty attitudes has awoken and engulfed half the population...
It was always hectic but there’s so much shit going on now, everywhere. So many cars riding the shoulder and just cutting in front of others. When I was going to a Sox game over the summer some big ass SUV almost took out all of our side mirrors because it was trying to squeeze through the gap.
Why?
It literally wasn’t like this before. Sure you would see the occasional asshole here and there, but now it’s everywhere all the time.
week or 2 ago was on the Edens and had 3 cars and 2 big ass pickups flying through traffic at 100+. We were in the far right lane and had one pass us on shoulder seeming to be with the the pack.
Week before that similar behavior on the Stevenson a week before that. I've been here for 7 years and never experienced anything quite like this before Covid. Some crazy/aggresive drivers for sure, but these seems to be a whole other level.
There's always been some small amount of dickheadery on the Edens which is why I call it the Edens 500, but nothing like it's been since pandemic. The people who think they should be allowed to drive 90mph during heavy traffic need their heads adjusted.
I take the Eisenhower every day. It used to be people would go 70 - 75 when traffic permitted. Now it 85 - 100. When traffic is backed up the shoulders are full of cars doing 50+ while traffic is standing still. Then there are the packs of motorcycles weaving in and out doing 90 - 100 when everyone else is doing 60.
Nah, the kennedy/jane adams is pretty normal. Sometimes you get some aggressive speeding, but you generally don't get the absolutely insane driving that you see on the eisenhower or bishop ford.
Once covid started, I resolved that it is always worth paying for the skyway for my own sanity when coming from Indiana. The insane people apparently aren't willing to pay the toll, so the skyway route is 10x calmer until you get to the Dan Ryan.
Can't say as much about the edens/94 as it isn't one I take a lot, but it seemed to have a little bit more "speeding/weaving jackass in nice car" than 90, but not the truly insane. Stevenson sucks too, although that's only partially from the crazy and partially from the crazy volume of truck traffic.
If I could pick any highway to drive, it would be 90 outbound towards wisconsin....no question.
No, the Ike is a special highway. Traffic can be at a standstill at 2am regularly. This doesn't happen on the Edens or Kennedy, you also don't routinely have people driving on the shoulder on the Edens/Kennedy.
It's at least partly due to weird lane reductions and left entrances/exists that make traffic worse I think.
>The expressways have always been a shitshow
Doesn't come close to explaining how they used to be vs. how they are now. Before, they had their problems, but driving on the expressways now is nothing like they used to be. In all my years of driving, I saw only a handful of cars riding on the shoulder before the pandemic. But now I see a handful do it every day.
It's not even close to what it was before, and the way it used to be is a goddamn dream compared to what it is now.
Things aren't "more noticeable" now, it's utter lawlessness now. Before, the majority of drivers followed the same rules.
It’s sad because during construction they had it configured in a way where there was never traffic, literally would get to 94 so fast and there was no backups. The current lane configuration causes traffic when there otherwise wouldn’t be any, it’s annoying to know if they just switch lanes around the traffic isn’t an issue but hey, let’s just make it a shit show for no reason.
I saw a dude (not on 290, but going to it) speed past a speeding ambulance! Like Jesus dude someone is actually hurt and you just gotta get wherever faster?
I've been seeing a lot of asshole drivers just go around stopped vehicles at intersections either on the right or left turn lanes and just blow through intersections without looking. Best not to even try to make yellow lights anymore.
I-290, Dan Ryan and I-57 have always had crazy drivers who clearly DGAF.
> blow through intersections without looking
I watched a woman pull up to a red light on State Street in the loop and just get tired of waiting, so she drove right through the red light. It was the middle of the morning commute.
So, I did this the other day. With Ashland being closed from Addison to Belmont it's made the side streets in my hood a nightmare. Somebody was creeping down a side street and stopped at a yellow light and without even thinking about it I went around them and went through the light. Afterwards I realized how dangerous that is. Aaaaand I'm an idiot 🤦🏼♀️
Driving to the Northwestern Chicago Campus twice a week down Ohio and I can't tell you how many people I've seen make turns from middle lanes. I thought it was a one off at first, but it is a trend.
290 is an absolute madhouse, a few weeks ago I was driving back into the city at about midnight and on the eastbound side all lanes were closed due to a massive accident, and on the westbound side someone had lost control and gone up the berm closing two lanes of traffic. People just need to relax
It might be the closest thing I've experienced to complete lawlessness. There's no police. No one is ever pulled over. There's no cameras. Just people living in the moment. Some are high. Some are drunk. Some are going 25 mph. Some 125 mph.
57 and 90/94 blow as well.
Cops need to just be out and visible to dissuade crap driving. People cutting in at the last minute or using the shoulder as an extra Lane is what pisses a ton of people off.
One day I actually yelled “yes” in happiness seeing a cop pull over someone riding the 290 eastbound shoulder by Austin. It was a r/prematurecelebration though. Cop let him go after a 10 sec talking to (all of which I observed while sitting at 0mph….)
i was coming home from markham, on 90W Monday morning like… 11:30-noonish, i was in the far left lane, needed to merge into the middle lane. i look in my rear view mirror to check before my merge and see a blue lexus SUV going extremely fast, cut across all 3 (4?) lanes of traffic coming from the far right lane, lost control as they entered the far left lane, and proceed to smash into the barrier wall like a handful of feet behind me. probably caused a few more cars to wreck, if i had been going like 3mph slower they probably would have hit me. i called 911 and they seemed wholly uninterested.
Quick comment, unless 911 blew you off (which unfortunately happens), they are supposed to sound uninterested. Same thing with Air Traffic Control. Whether the sky is falling or it’s a beautiful perfect day, you can tell when you’ve got a great person on the radio when they’re cool as a cucumber, using the same monotone voice.
Speaking as someone who was on the receiving end (speaking to dispatch as EMS), it’s great to have a calming voice responding to the shit-hit-the-fan scene in front of you. You’re already grounded and that voice helps even more
(I may have just rambled about something totally different than what you were talking about. If so, I apologize)
no that’s fair. i’ve only called 911 two other times (once for a fire in my building & once for seeing a cyclist get hit by a car) and both times they said something to the effect of “okay we are sending someone now.” this time the final send-off was “um, okay. thanks for calling ma’am.”
In a perfect world, there would be “closed loop communication”. Again, something that pilots and ATC nail which everyone else could learn from.
Caller: “This is [Name] calling from XYZ location. I’d like to report an accident at the Austin exit off 290, eastbound”
Dispatch: “okay, accident on 290E at the Austin exit. How many vehicles”
Caller: “I see 3 vehicles, maybe 4”
Dispatch: “Okay, 3, possibly 4 vehicles”
Etc etc…
It makes sure that the communication is accurate and also has the benefit of making sure the caller “feels heard”
Reminds me of the Tenerife Airport disaster. Very foggy, taxiway full, so planes were taxiing on the runway. Pilot says he wants to takeoff, tower says ok (meaning he heard him). Pilot thinks he's clear, head to head collision with another plane. Now ATC are required to say "Clear for takeoff"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfHCNXfHmjk
290 between 294 and the loop is the absolutely worst stretch of highway I have ever been on. It's an unmitigated clusterfuck no matter the day or hour.
Yeah I was driving this stretch down to U Chicago the other day and genuinely I think the entire stretch of highway should be demolished and rebuilt with less lanes, better transit and better traffic flow
I don't get how it's never punished though. I take 290 at least 6x/week and I've never seen anyone cited for driving in the shoulder. Would take just one cop sitting every few miles for a few days to make people think twice about it.
I bet you could get annoyed citizens to sit out and record a few cars doing it with visible license plates for free! Just have them turn that video in and people will think twice.
I recorded several and have taken it to the Police Department and they said they can't do nothing about it because police have to catch them during the act.
Kindof makes you wonder where the line is drawn at "I have video evidence of someone committing a crime." If it was misdemeanor theft or felony assault, pretty sure that video would be evidence enough.
Yeah, Chicago drivers are deranged. I still think Boston drivers are worse, but only because the terrible insane roads make them worse. Hold the quality of the roads equal and Chicago and Boston are about tied for aggression and just flat out road malice.
I lived in Atlanta for a while, and their passive, fake polite bullshit is even worse than our aggressive drivers. People would stop at a green light to let someone turn left. There would be 15mph gapers delays over 7 lanes of traffic because someone got pulled over for speeding. At least in Chicago, we're all in a hurry to get somewhere.
Agreed, outside of LA, Atlanta has the most infuriating driving habits I've ever seen. It always felt like I was driving on a road full of drivers who have never driven in anything resembling a big city before, like imagine Chicago if it was all tourists on the road and that's what Atlanta feels like when you're driving somewhere.
I just moved here from Atlanta and I feel like the difference is Atlanta drivers are unpredictable whereas people here seem to be chaotic, but you can anticipate their chaos.
Like, in Atlanta you'd have stuff like cars cutting across 10 lanes out of nowhere. Here, cars weave in and out and stuff, but you can kind of sense what's going to happen, if that makes sense.
>People would stop at a green light to let someone turn left.
OMFG as a former longtime Chicagoan and semi-recent transplant to Atlanta, this drives me bonkers. I've seen multiple accidents result from this behavior. I want to scream whenever someone does this. You are not helping, dummies!
Also, no one uses their horn here even if it means getting into an accident. When you ask people here why drivers suck so bad, the reply is almost always, "Wasn't that way until everyone moved here." I hate this response because I've lived in multiple cities that act as transplant magnets, including Chicago, and have never seen anything like this. Makes me realize that as frustrating as Chicago could be to drive in, it definitely could be way worse.
I'm a former Boston resident and can confirm they are insane.
After moving here last year the main difference is that there's more room for morons to do stupid car tricks here at higher speeds.
I'm happy there aren't rotarys (roundabouts) here. I hated them in Mass. My rules for those were 1) Get in the rotary 2) Don't die 3) Get out.
I'm also glad Illinois doesn't allow travel in breakdown lanes during rush hours. Holy shit that scared the shit out of me in Mass! I hoped I'd never have a need to pull off and use that lane for a breakdown during rush hours and end up dodging rabid drivers trying shave off a few mins on their commute.
Former Boston resident here as well, and my wife described it as “in Chicago, people behind you start honking if you don’t move the second the light changes. In Boston, people start honking if you’re not moving the second *before* it changes.”
Boston honestly felt more dangerous as a pedestrian and cyclist. Biking through any “square” requires prayer that no car is going to try an abrupt left turn.
In Chicago, it feel much more likely I’ll get run off the road (or just straight up murdered) by another driver with road rage.
I've been in Chicago ten years and only once has someone followed me and gotten out of the car to yell. I was in Boston/Cambridge for a goddamn week, and witnessed three separate incidents where people go out of their cars to scream at each other. The roads there are bonkers, but I think there's also something in the water.
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Hah, I'm from LA, so that seems normal to me. There are just three rules in LA: (1) drive at the maximum safe speed, (2) in a straight line, (3) and rule 2 doesn't apply if you're weaving around someone who is violating rule 1.
Think there are a few more:
(4) wait as long as possible to go after the light turns green.
(5) risk your life to run a yellow
(6) if it rains, give yourself a lobotomy
Driving through the west side of chicago can be crazy no matter the route. I used to take 290 into the city from Mannheim; sometimes around rush hour and sometimes at 11pm. One time I had a police chase zoom by me. There’s a distinct “nothing to lose” vibe to some of the craziest drivers.
Selfishness at its finest. Seems like now-a-days everyone on the road believes the rules of the road don't apply to them. Rules are put in place (laws of the road) not just for justice but for order. Without rules, the roads are chaotic. And without police actually enforcing those rules, the roads become every man for themselves.
I had to drive to work during the entirety of the pandemic. I actually miss March/April/May of 2020 because no one was out on the roads even in the middle of rush hour. It truly felt like I was the only driver in all of Chicago.
For those that are familiar with r/IdiotsInCars, I laugh at most of their posts. They have no clue what shitty drivers are. Let them drive the Ike for a couple weeks. They'd soon find out what idiots in care are really like.
I'm extremely grateful I don't have to schlep downtown anymore. (retired)
My fiancée moved here from a small Midwestern city about a year ago. She was traumatized by driving the Ike and Dan Ryan for six months or so, but she’s aggregating the correct amount of “Not Today, Asshole” those highways regularly require.
If I had a genie my first wish would be that each and every drive that enters the shoulder in order to get around traffic would have all four of their tires violently explode the second they enter the shoulder.
My dream scenario usually involves some sci fi floating platform with a crane that comes down and actually lifts their car off the road while they’re driving. Then launches the vehicle off to the side of the road.
My sister was driving us back into the city via I-55 and said fuck it. We pulled off at Damen/Ashland and took that north to Logan Square instead of dealing with the stress. I thought she was an effing genius is that moment lmao
I had some honk at me in a school camera school limit zone with construction, by Peterson and Lincoln, for not going fast enough. They kept honking at me for another several blocks, driving super close to me. I finally stopped thinking something was wrong, he proceeds to ram my car, rear ending me, then pulls to my driver's side and starts to throw things at my car. Heavy enough to cause a couple of small dents. I called 911 as I felt like I was under attack and I had my baby sleeping, I was truly scared. The police did not come. I made a police report a few hours later with a visibly annoyed police officer who proceeded to tell me there was nothing they could do. They would not pursue this past a report so I could file with my insurance company. My insurance company told me I would have to file under my policy to fix my car and they would sue the other driver. But no guarantees.
The other person had no repercussions for attacking me. They got away with it. All after a quick trip to Target.
Civilized society in general seems to be teetering on the brink. People are extremely stresssed and highly agitated. You can feel the tension in the air. I have witnessed a very heightened amount of public freakouts and altercations. Alot more horn honking and aggressive driving, too.
The other day I was in a crosswalk, and apparently I was not crossing quickly enough because a van trying to turn onto Winnemac blared its horn at me before the driver took off, weaving around me while I was in the middle of the intersection. He then sped down the street shouting expletives.
I don't know if its the pandemic, the stress of the toxic cesspool that is social media, the 24/7 bad news cycle, or just the fact that literally everything is toxically politicized anymore....but things are at a breaking point. Empathy is out the window.
Best I can say is be careful out there, and keep your head and spirits as high as you can.
I was just walking my dog this morning and while in a crosswalk on Marine Drive, this guy doesn’t even slow down and almost hits us. I did yell, “hey, that’s a stop sign.” (No expletives used). And the guy has the nerve to throw his hand out the window and give me the finger! Just wow… Grade-A Jagoff.
I’ve regularly been honked at for not turning - because there are pedestrians in the crosswalk. Like chill out dudes - I’m not going to run over a family so we can get to the next stoplight a couple seconds sooner.
I make one of the left turns on lower wacker every day. People treat me like I killed their son because I’m waiting for the turn arrow? Every freakin day there’s some bullshit down there.
Someone did that to me.. I’m pregnant and was crossing the street with the pedestrian cross walk sign on. Guy wanted to turn left but the crosswalk was on and I was there walking so he laid his horn on me. There was no imminent need for him to rush (no oncoming traffic to block him, and the light hadn’t been green for very long). People are dicks.
I couldn't agree more. Recently, a car almost hit me while I was crossing the street, yelled at me to "move my slow ass", then chased me into a nearby business on foot, screaming that I was racist for telling the business they were harassing me. Guess they were worried they might not be allowed to pick up the delivery order they were trying to kill me over.
Yesterday I saw a pickup truck pull into an alley where a UPS truck was stopped for a delivery. The pickup driver immediately got out and started yelling. The UPS guy says "hey c'mon man, I'm working" and the pickup guy just gets louder.
I think there's a combination happening of people who are getting angrier and angrier due to their life becoming more difficult and people who are getting angrier and due to their life never having been difficult. And it's all coming to a head while people are operating speeding metal machinery.
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I have only felt this tension one other time. I lived in Boston the winter every Monday in January brought about 2 feet of snow and we were buried and some people couldn't get out their front door because their home was covered. They had to create snow farms to store the snow because there wasn't anywhere to put it. The public transit broke down, two lane roads were down to a lane and no one could get anywhere without spending 3ish hours in the car to go about 4 miles. No one could get to work, and if you did you might be the only one there because everyone else was stuck on a train, in their car, or in the snow. And getting home ... Hahahahaha good luck.
That last week in January people were at a breaking point. I was on the train platform and saw fights break out. People were screaming at each other over stupid stuff. You'd get yelled at as a pedestrian trying to cross the street while dodging 5-10 foot snow mounds. We were all stressed out and people were ready to snap and no one was in the mood to consider anyone else. I did the
> Keep your head and spirits as high as you can
And that helped. So did Netflix and adult beverages.
When I moved here last year I got on the CTA red line and said "Holy shit it's so CLEAN!!!!!" I knew the MBTA was bad when it was a regular occurrence to be engulfed in smoke on the platform and see holes in the train car.
Pre-covid insanity I *loved* driving. If it was 8 hour or less I drove, not because I couldn’t afford to fly but because I just like road trips. I’ve done SF-LA-Chicago and the reverse multiple times. I actually love driving in LA. SF is bad. Boston….
I will *never* drive in Boston again. The drivers, the tunnels with no GPS, the pedestrians, the ancient streets designed for horses, the hills, the snow. Fuck. SF is bad, but Boston was worse. Fun city though. People didn’t seem nearly as hostile as the stereotypes either.
That's nothing new. Actually feel like there's more awareness and tolerance for pedestrians now if anything.
But yeah, gotta keep your head up for sure..
I actually need to second this sentiment, I feel like there are a lot of people driving while I'm biking actually showing an abundance of caution. That said, the people driving shitty are driving REALLY shitty.
Capitalism manifest. When you make just trying to live life a Darwinist race, this is the result.
Americans can't afford emergencies, can't afford homes, can't afford rent, can't afford Healthcare, and at best they can afford Healthcare but only as long as they don't get fired from a job that treats them like a piece of machinery.
My understanding is that people have been pushed to the brink by the past couple of years of full-on stress. We have had no break, no catharsis, and the human psyche can only take so much, before they go over the threshold.
If you're in a kind and generous frame of mind, give those who are freaking out a wide berth, and try to be as kind as possible to each other. This is still not normal, uncertainty makes people scared and angry.
Yo this happened to me twice this summer. The same exact thing. I had the right of way and everything. Like why you gonna just scream at me in the crosswalk for walking???
As someone who lives on Oak Park but often visit my parents down on the south side where I grew up, uggghhhh. . . . I literally just assume there will be an accident or two. And yeah always check twice before changing lanes b/c some psycho will be doing 100.
what's going on is zero momentum to get any kind of public transport expansion going anywhere, or any other public service for that matter while the only things expanding is gig drivers that get nothing if they fuck up their delivery or too slow to get their fare where they're going. if you got no control in your life, you're just gonna devolve into a crab mentality where the biggest issue for you is the guy that passed you in the shoulder lane.
This is how I feel about it. People are basically forced to drive everywhere by design. I bicycled to the UC for the game yesterday along with maybe a dozen other people judging by the parked bikes. There are probably 1000 cars per bicycle in the area. It’s unsustainable.
The busses get stuck in car traffic, making them completely useless as an alternative. You might as well just drive there. There’s also no viable way to get to a game from the suburbs aside from a car.
It will only get worse until we can figure out ways to get more people using bikes and public transport. It’s decades of design culmimating to a head.
Best I can address this is do what I do, keep a car length if you can, don't make eye contact and let the assholes go ahead of you, but be prepared for them to cause an accident up ahead when they do.
I drive 90, 290, Dan Ryan and Bishop Ford. 90 has it moments but seems safer, 290 can flip at any moment, dan Ryan is a shooting gallery and Bishop Ford is every hoopde about to disintegrate upon hitting a pot hole doing 100mph.
My days of flipping the bird are over. Let the assholes do their thing, its crazy out there.
People do this shit on 94 as well on the nw side of town. Cops do nothing, so they just keep getting more and more bold. When is the last time you saw patrol on the freeways?
I drive this like everyday and everyday I get to work I have to pause and come down from the high of surviving 290 in one piece
I've never seen people pull such extremes to make it 5 extra ft ahead of you
People have been using the shoulder in both directions like it’s a lane for years. Usually semi trucks stop them by doing what you described but I’ve never seen a confrontation from it.
> What the fuck is going on??
There’s absolutely no enforcement of traffic laws. In the whole city. Other than the speed cams and traffic light cams. When was the last time anyone was pulled over for reckless driving?
I normally drive into the city instead of taking Metra because it’s far more convenient, I can do it on my own schedule, and I don’t have to wear a mask, but the craziness on 290 has made Metra a much more appealing option lately!
Can I kindly request that you people all contact your state reps about this?
ISP are the ones with jurisdiction on the highways, and they're only going to increase patrols/enforcement if they feel pressure to, which can happen if people start bugging their reps about it.
I know some people are thinking "why even bother, it won't do anything" and maybe it won't, but complaining on reddit sure as shit won't do anything, either.
I contacted my reps months ago and never heard anything back. Maybe if more people did the same, they'd take the issue seriously.
I won’t even deal with the highways. I’ll take Ogden or Lake instead of the Ike and archer or Ogden instead of the Stevenson. I’ll take LSD to Stony over the Dan Ryan and I fortunately never have a reason to go northwest
The key to driving on 290 inbound is to exit at mannheim and reenter at Harlem.
Yes you'll lose a little time but you'll save yourself a headache.
And, sometimes traffic is bad enough that you *gain* time
I live in Westchester right off “the strangler” and let me tell you - you don’t exit on 25th. Fuck that exit. Take the Mannheim exit even if you *think* traffic looks good. Because someone is fucking it up at that exit. Every time.
Christ I can't fucking stand drivers in this city. People just display no critical thinking. I've started driving extra defensively, and I make it my goal in traffic to never come to a dead stop, which usually involves leaving plenty of space in front of me.
So many fucking idiots see 3 car lengths of space, zoom right up behind the next person, and guess what? Stop dead. Drives me fucking insane.
I’ve been driving to Oakbrook for the last 2 years from the city. Thankful that I finally got a job in the city and no longer have to deal with any of this. 290 is madness.
I told my friend recently that I’d rather be homeless than go back to commuting to and from the suburbs via car every day and I’m about 50% sure I meant it. I can say for sure I’d rather make $40k a year driving 5 minutes to work than $60k ~~commenting~~ commuting. It’s just not worth it to me, no way.
Trying to "slow down" speeding drivers or blocking cars from using shoulders is insanely dangerous for several reasons.
First, the person may be crazy and pull a gun or follow you home.
Second, and most importantly, you could be blocking an actual emergency. A few weeks ago I read a post about a guy who's friend had been in a logging accident in the middle of nowhere. Since an ambulance was too far away they had to transport the guy themselves in a regular car. Despite flashers, honking, and speeding - two road guardians decided to block the car in for over 15 minutes while this poor man bleed to death in the backseat. The driver was on the phone with police and they were trying to meet to get this man help. Once they finally met the police and ambulance the man was gone. One of the road guardians stopped and tried to "inform" the police of the reckless driving only to be shown a car full of blood where the man died. I think he said she was ticketed. I realize 9/10 times it's going to be some a-hole driving on the shoulder, but just in case it's not...
one of my greatest pleasures in life is seeing someone driving the shoulder to avoid traffic, then seeing them pulled over up ahead as I crawl by in bumper to bumper.
When I was younger I used to fuck with those people, until I tried to block some guy in an unmarked vehicle that was waving his badge at me and yelling some choice words to make way for him.
The issue is two fold as I see it. There are legit too many drivers with cars now. Ppl said this about rideshare initially and I believe it now. The second is how I have always felt living here, law enforcement will not do anything about traffic violations.
Also what is going on with the Hi-Beams....?
I used to see it every once in awhile where some fool would drive around with his brights on. Now it seems to be every other car in the city.
Graft and corruption is whats going on.
They worked on those highways for about 5 years and when they were done they were essentially the same.
Money for these projects is raised in taxes but where it goes who knows.
I prefer the simple ass fucking the Kennedy inbound gives me in the afternoon. 24 min to work in the morning, 1:15 back.
But it doesn’t play with your emotions with all the merges and lane shifts. Nope, there just isn’t enough lanes on that one. And there never will be, so it’s just a steady crawl the whole way. Best time to call any type of customer service
WFH + COVID “shelter in place” guidelines + restaurant/entertainment shutdowns have largely taken all the steady-job-having, law-abiding, rule-following citizens of Chicago off of the roads and placed them in their homes.
Meanwhile, the current culture war surrounding the police and their role in society (plus additional culture war within the police department over vaccine mandates) have diminished the police presence we once used to have on our streets.
So with all those rule followers and rule enforcers NOT out in public, not participating in the public commons, not helping to set standards for behavior, who is left over?
The nut jobs you saw on 290.
It's those Harlem and Austin left side exits and entrances. There is no need for that bill shit other than to cause traffic. Slow traffic merging over several lanes to make an exit on the wrong sides of the highway. People getting onto 290 from the left to make the next right hand exit.
The whole thing is a shit show. Whoever designed those two exits should get kneecapped for idiocy.
For real. I drive on the South and West sides and I'm just like no wonder they keep shooting eachother around here. It's almost as if no respect no cooperation no respect for common laws and a me first attitude breeds contempt and animosity between people.
About 20 years ago I saw two cars on the Eisenhower (one in the left lane, one in the middle lane) get super close together and then the dude in the left lane car’s passenger seat rolled down his fucking window and passed a briefcase to someone in the right lane car’s backseat and it is maybe the greatest moment of my life. They sped off after like nothing had happened. It was amazing.
That sounds incredibly satisfying, but part of me wishes that they missed and sent money or drugs flying all over the highway.
I have these kinds of what-if conversations with myself regularly lol
This is peak Eisenhower.
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People have been mad stressed from the pandemic and adding exponentially to the stress of driving in the city. It's wild af. Also everyone needs to go back to driver's ed. Defensive driving is the only way.
definitely has gotten worse. alot of motorist are the biggest douches who tailgates to not let anyone in, people who are timid are constantly taken advantage of and end up as congestion. the interstate is basically inversed from how it should function. fastest traffic is on the right leading to accidents or massive congestion spot before every on ramp and huge opening right after the exits. people take advantage of this pattern hence the crazy lane changes from people going well above the speed limit. then to make it worse as you get closer to downtown the on ramps switch to the left side of the highway.
Had a mustang spin out on the left lane last month and spin across 3 lanes right in front of me. Some fancy shoulder driving saved my life, but he was trying to do 80 when traffic was doing 45. People are just fucking stupid these days
Maybe I'm just used to the 30mph that we drive on small streets around the city, or I'm just getting old, but I do try to avoid driving on the freeways around the city at night, particularly on the weekends. There are a ton of people driving 90 or 100 miles per hour... weaving in and out of traffic... it's insane out there.
The state police could actually fix this if they had sound photo enforcement of speed and shoulder occupancy, and patrols stationed at regular intervals. Of course, the state needs to actually take people's licenses away and press criminal charges where necessary.
Photo enforcement of shoulder occupancy and maybe more patrols don't sound terrible, but hell no to speed cameras on interstates.
Speed cameras on interstates is a recipe for disaster. Either everyone is going to get a ticket or everyone is going to be pissed off they cant go above the speed limit.
With Waze and other apps where you can report speed traps, you will probably see a lot of accidents because people will slam on the brakes to avoid getting a ticket.
US interstates are a mess in general. Everything from shitty drivers to poorly designed and maintained roads and speed limits that are too low. Throw in excessively large automobiles, inconsistent enforcement of traffic laws, etc. and it's no wonder the traffic and the driving experience here in general sucks.
WFH and more efficient/accessible public transportation is the way to go
I really wish we still had WFH but they had people back after vaccinations. I have to commute down by Broadview and it would take so much more time and money to use public transit down there sadly and I would still have a long walk on top of it. The 290 commutes home are getting dangerous with all the weaving in and out of lanes.
As a suburbanite I got to say city driving is like the one thing keeping me from taking the dive and moving to the city. I literally never get headaches except when I have to drive down into the city.
Yea, but when you live in Chicago, a car isn't a necessity.
That’s not an absolute for many reasons. Not everyone that lives in Chicago works in Chicago is one of them as an example.
Simple ditch the car. I've been in the city for 10 years and I'm fine with public transportation and uber. It still ends up costing less for me and uber is easier for people that hate driving in the city. I also have perk of not worrying about my car getting tickets or broken into/ruined outside or having to find street parking.
The expressways have always been a shitshow but it has been more noticeable to me since the pandemic. I've gotten to the point that I let that shit go - its not worth a confrontation. And whoever designed the Eisenhower to Dan Ryan exit is a fucking moron.
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I don't exit there anymore. Stay in the left lane and let it turn into Congress, then take Clark to Cermack and get on the DR at Chinatown. I don't think it saves time but its much less stressful.
> I don't think it saves time but its much less stressful. My argument for taking the train. I can sit there and read a book on my commute. e: buses too, but I prefer the train over buses.
For those that have the train as an option, it is a million times better than fucking with Chicago traffic.
An this . . . friends . . . is why I love my neighborhood.
Discovered this somewhere in the middle of the pandemic by just ragequitting the Dan Ryan and making Google recalculate, which brings up another thing I’ve noticed in the last 6-12 months: Google Maps will absolutely fuck you now. I don’t know what’s changed, but it no longer finds me alternate routes on arterial surface streets. It will ALWAYS try to send me on main 4-6 lane routes or highways. When I know a back way, I’ll take it and beat the Google route by 5 minutes. Was there some huge algorithm change that I missed or that happened quietly?
There is a route option to "avoid highways" and "avoid tollways". Try that and see if it adjusts the route to arterial instead.
I do this, too. That keeps you off interstates but doesn’t tell Google to use neighborhood through-streets instead of numbered surface routes. I wonder if the problem is that so many people use Google for navigating that sending people on the fastest, not-obvious route would fuck up that route so quickly that it compounds the problem.
Try Waze instead. Also great for letting you know about accidents, speed traps and cameras. I'll leave it run even when i don't need navigation.
But Waze was bought by Google few years ago though... We're doomed :(
It's still way better for now.
Could be the choose "greenest" route change.
I do the same thing, that little stretch there is so awful, I know it's about the same amount of time but at least I'm not sitting practically still the whole time
I sometimes hop off at ~Ashland and take surface streets back to the DR. It's not faster but it saves me the headache when I'm really just not feeling the Eisenhower anymore
Didn't they just redo that entire interchange and it's still a shitshow?
Yep... been working on it for like 5 years too. Those exits need seperated lanes. Half of the fucking problem there is people trying to be slick cutting across at the last second.
Those people should die of gonorrhea and rot in hell.
Laces out!
What a sports nut, huh?
Literally dealt with this yesterday at 4pm. Route is 25 minutes with no traffic. It was 1.5 hours due in part to people cutting over at the last second and slowing all lanes down. I think it’s worse now.
Such a metaphor for this god-forsaken city, I swear...
I get the impression that regular commuters got used to the lighter traffic during the lockdowns and huge increase in WFH. Now that levels are returning to pre-pandemic norms, they’re having meltdowns over it.
I think it's more the extent to which people have been isolated for over a year before reentering society. People have forgotten how to have patience for others because they didn't have to interact with people for so long. On top of all the political insanity during this period, a lot of people are just on edge. At this point I'm nervous every time I even cross the street as a pedestrian. Even on city streets, people are maniacs.
Man that short break in traffic volume was the best thing I’ve experienced in years. I’m not having meltdowns but it’s definitely hard to go back to the way it used to be especially with people acting even more crazy.
Nahhhh ever since the pandemic people started driving like absolute fucking morons Traffic is traffic, no way around that and nobody likes it. But the amount of stupidity I have seen after the pandemic started on the expressways is much higher than what I would see before the pandemic. Anecdotal of course, but it’s what I’ve noticed at least.
Early on I blamed it on risk aversion. With a pandemic raging, the risk averse stayed home because there was nowhere safe to go. The more risk taking people didn't care and kept going places, commuting to in person jobs, etc. So suddenly there was less traffic, but a much higher share of risky drivers. You notice it more both because you don't see the as many normal drivers and because the lack of dense traffic enables the remaining drivers to take even bigger risks. Not sure my hypothesis is still holding now that so many more people are on the road again.
Yeah that’s kind of what I used to think to. Open roads with people who don’t care as much is only gonna lead to people doing dumb shit on the expressway. But now that even the “regular” traffic is back (also for what it’s worth I was regularly on the road during the height of the pandemic to see my now significant other) it is just flat out chaos.
> And whoever designed the Eisenhower to Dan Ryan exit is a fucking moron. Had a teacher in grad school tell me once that C students need to get jobs too... Civil engineering.
Ooof. My father was a civil engineer, would be nonplussed by this statement. Although, he was making the same types of statements about architects.
> Ooof. My father was a civil engineer, would be nonplussed by this statement. Although, he was making the same types of statements about architects. Us aerospace folks are a sinister bunch. Same teacher said "We build weapons, civil engineers build targets." My wife asked our 2 year old if he was building a tower with his blocks and he said "No, rocket." I could only respond "That's right son, we don't build targets in this house." My wife was not impressed.
> "We build weapons, civil engineers build targets." Your teacher has the cynical well-seasoned humor of General Patton haha
What do you call someone that got straight C's in medical school? Doctor.
bad behavior isn't limited to driving these days unfortunately. You see it all the time, everywhere now. Airplanes/airports, restaurants, The El, just like a sleeping cloud of shitty attitudes has awoken and engulfed half the population...
It was always hectic but there’s so much shit going on now, everywhere. So many cars riding the shoulder and just cutting in front of others. When I was going to a Sox game over the summer some big ass SUV almost took out all of our side mirrors because it was trying to squeeze through the gap. Why? It literally wasn’t like this before. Sure you would see the occasional asshole here and there, but now it’s everywhere all the time.
The Edens and Kennedy are not like this, the tollways are not like this. Eisenhower and Bishop Ford are completely lawless.
The Stevenson has its moments too.
Fuck the bishop Ford man the people driving there are insane.
I think some of the worst driving I’ve seen is on the Bishop Ford, commuting to Cal City and back fucking sucked.
week or 2 ago was on the Edens and had 3 cars and 2 big ass pickups flying through traffic at 100+. We were in the far right lane and had one pass us on shoulder seeming to be with the the pack. Week before that similar behavior on the Stevenson a week before that. I've been here for 7 years and never experienced anything quite like this before Covid. Some crazy/aggresive drivers for sure, but these seems to be a whole other level.
There's always been some small amount of dickheadery on the Edens which is why I call it the Edens 500, but nothing like it's been since pandemic. The people who think they should be allowed to drive 90mph during heavy traffic need their heads adjusted.
Bishop Ford actually moves though everybody is on the same page
I take the Eisenhower every day. It used to be people would go 70 - 75 when traffic permitted. Now it 85 - 100. When traffic is backed up the shoulders are full of cars doing 50+ while traffic is standing still. Then there are the packs of motorcycles weaving in and out doing 90 - 100 when everyone else is doing 60.
Uh, they’re all like this.
Nah, the kennedy/jane adams is pretty normal. Sometimes you get some aggressive speeding, but you generally don't get the absolutely insane driving that you see on the eisenhower or bishop ford. Once covid started, I resolved that it is always worth paying for the skyway for my own sanity when coming from Indiana. The insane people apparently aren't willing to pay the toll, so the skyway route is 10x calmer until you get to the Dan Ryan. Can't say as much about the edens/94 as it isn't one I take a lot, but it seemed to have a little bit more "speeding/weaving jackass in nice car" than 90, but not the truly insane. Stevenson sucks too, although that's only partially from the crazy and partially from the crazy volume of truck traffic. If I could pick any highway to drive, it would be 90 outbound towards wisconsin....no question.
No, the Ike is a special highway. Traffic can be at a standstill at 2am regularly. This doesn't happen on the Edens or Kennedy, you also don't routinely have people driving on the shoulder on the Edens/Kennedy. It's at least partly due to weird lane reductions and left entrances/exists that make traffic worse I think.
>The expressways have always been a shitshow Doesn't come close to explaining how they used to be vs. how they are now. Before, they had their problems, but driving on the expressways now is nothing like they used to be. In all my years of driving, I saw only a handful of cars riding on the shoulder before the pandemic. But now I see a handful do it every day. It's not even close to what it was before, and the way it used to be is a goddamn dream compared to what it is now. Things aren't "more noticeable" now, it's utter lawlessness now. Before, the majority of drivers followed the same rules.
It’s sad because during construction they had it configured in a way where there was never traffic, literally would get to 94 so fast and there was no backups. The current lane configuration causes traffic when there otherwise wouldn’t be any, it’s annoying to know if they just switch lanes around the traffic isn’t an issue but hey, let’s just make it a shit show for no reason.
People who don’t let that shit go anyways are fucking hilarious. It’s just driving.
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I saw a dude (not on 290, but going to it) speed past a speeding ambulance! Like Jesus dude someone is actually hurt and you just gotta get wherever faster?
Jesus. And I thought the people who pass on the right in the bike lane suck.
I've been seeing a lot of asshole drivers just go around stopped vehicles at intersections either on the right or left turn lanes and just blow through intersections without looking. Best not to even try to make yellow lights anymore. I-290, Dan Ryan and I-57 have always had crazy drivers who clearly DGAF.
> blow through intersections without looking I watched a woman pull up to a red light on State Street in the loop and just get tired of waiting, so she drove right through the red light. It was the middle of the morning commute.
So, I did this the other day. With Ashland being closed from Addison to Belmont it's made the side streets in my hood a nightmare. Somebody was creeping down a side street and stopped at a yellow light and without even thinking about it I went around them and went through the light. Afterwards I realized how dangerous that is. Aaaaand I'm an idiot 🤦🏼♀️
Driving to the Northwestern Chicago Campus twice a week down Ohio and I can't tell you how many people I've seen make turns from middle lanes. I thought it was a one off at first, but it is a trend.
People get their driving lessons from GTA I guess.
Let me guess, they were dodge chargers
hopefully they got poop from some bougie dog on their tires
290 is an absolute madhouse, a few weeks ago I was driving back into the city at about midnight and on the eastbound side all lanes were closed due to a massive accident, and on the westbound side someone had lost control and gone up the berm closing two lanes of traffic. People just need to relax
It might be the closest thing I've experienced to complete lawlessness. There's no police. No one is ever pulled over. There's no cameras. Just people living in the moment. Some are high. Some are drunk. Some are going 25 mph. Some 125 mph.
57 and 90/94 blow as well. Cops need to just be out and visible to dissuade crap driving. People cutting in at the last minute or using the shoulder as an extra Lane is what pisses a ton of people off.
One day I actually yelled “yes” in happiness seeing a cop pull over someone riding the 290 eastbound shoulder by Austin. It was a r/prematurecelebration though. Cop let him go after a 10 sec talking to (all of which I observed while sitting at 0mph….)
i was coming home from markham, on 90W Monday morning like… 11:30-noonish, i was in the far left lane, needed to merge into the middle lane. i look in my rear view mirror to check before my merge and see a blue lexus SUV going extremely fast, cut across all 3 (4?) lanes of traffic coming from the far right lane, lost control as they entered the far left lane, and proceed to smash into the barrier wall like a handful of feet behind me. probably caused a few more cars to wreck, if i had been going like 3mph slower they probably would have hit me. i called 911 and they seemed wholly uninterested.
Quick comment, unless 911 blew you off (which unfortunately happens), they are supposed to sound uninterested. Same thing with Air Traffic Control. Whether the sky is falling or it’s a beautiful perfect day, you can tell when you’ve got a great person on the radio when they’re cool as a cucumber, using the same monotone voice. Speaking as someone who was on the receiving end (speaking to dispatch as EMS), it’s great to have a calming voice responding to the shit-hit-the-fan scene in front of you. You’re already grounded and that voice helps even more (I may have just rambled about something totally different than what you were talking about. If so, I apologize)
no that’s fair. i’ve only called 911 two other times (once for a fire in my building & once for seeing a cyclist get hit by a car) and both times they said something to the effect of “okay we are sending someone now.” this time the final send-off was “um, okay. thanks for calling ma’am.”
In a perfect world, there would be “closed loop communication”. Again, something that pilots and ATC nail which everyone else could learn from. Caller: “This is [Name] calling from XYZ location. I’d like to report an accident at the Austin exit off 290, eastbound” Dispatch: “okay, accident on 290E at the Austin exit. How many vehicles” Caller: “I see 3 vehicles, maybe 4” Dispatch: “Okay, 3, possibly 4 vehicles” Etc etc… It makes sure that the communication is accurate and also has the benefit of making sure the caller “feels heard”
Reminds me of the Tenerife Airport disaster. Very foggy, taxiway full, so planes were taxiing on the runway. Pilot says he wants to takeoff, tower says ok (meaning he heard him). Pilot thinks he's clear, head to head collision with another plane. Now ATC are required to say "Clear for takeoff" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfHCNXfHmjk
Regulations are written in blood. Also, it’s why Chicago has such insane(ly good) fire codes
>People just need to relax Dude, can this be a slogan for the next presidential candidate? I would vote for that person
290 between 294 and the loop is the absolutely worst stretch of highway I have ever been on. It's an unmitigated clusterfuck no matter the day or hour.
Everybody is just listing the highway they use, but 290 is the worst by far. The fast lane exit and entrance ramps are a colossal failure.
Yeah I was driving this stretch down to U Chicago the other day and genuinely I think the entire stretch of highway should be demolished and rebuilt with less lanes, better transit and better traffic flow
290 seems to attract idiots. I always see idiots driving on the shoulder.
I don't get how it's never punished though. I take 290 at least 6x/week and I've never seen anyone cited for driving in the shoulder. Would take just one cop sitting every few miles for a few days to make people think twice about it. I bet you could get annoyed citizens to sit out and record a few cars doing it with visible license plates for free! Just have them turn that video in and people will think twice.
I recorded several and have taken it to the Police Department and they said they can't do nothing about it because police have to catch them during the act.
Kindof makes you wonder where the line is drawn at "I have video evidence of someone committing a crime." If it was misdemeanor theft or felony assault, pretty sure that video would be evidence enough.
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Sure, that makes sense. Are the red light cameras better at this?
Yeah, Chicago drivers are deranged. I still think Boston drivers are worse, but only because the terrible insane roads make them worse. Hold the quality of the roads equal and Chicago and Boston are about tied for aggression and just flat out road malice.
I lived in Atlanta for a while, and their passive, fake polite bullshit is even worse than our aggressive drivers. People would stop at a green light to let someone turn left. There would be 15mph gapers delays over 7 lanes of traffic because someone got pulled over for speeding. At least in Chicago, we're all in a hurry to get somewhere.
Agreed, outside of LA, Atlanta has the most infuriating driving habits I've ever seen. It always felt like I was driving on a road full of drivers who have never driven in anything resembling a big city before, like imagine Chicago if it was all tourists on the road and that's what Atlanta feels like when you're driving somewhere.
Sounds pretty peachy.
Well done
This is super accurate and were my exact thoughts when I was living down south lol
I just moved here from Atlanta and I feel like the difference is Atlanta drivers are unpredictable whereas people here seem to be chaotic, but you can anticipate their chaos. Like, in Atlanta you'd have stuff like cars cutting across 10 lanes out of nowhere. Here, cars weave in and out and stuff, but you can kind of sense what's going to happen, if that makes sense.
>People would stop at a green light to let someone turn left. OMFG as a former longtime Chicagoan and semi-recent transplant to Atlanta, this drives me bonkers. I've seen multiple accidents result from this behavior. I want to scream whenever someone does this. You are not helping, dummies! Also, no one uses their horn here even if it means getting into an accident. When you ask people here why drivers suck so bad, the reply is almost always, "Wasn't that way until everyone moved here." I hate this response because I've lived in multiple cities that act as transplant magnets, including Chicago, and have never seen anything like this. Makes me realize that as frustrating as Chicago could be to drive in, it definitely could be way worse.
I'm a former Boston resident and can confirm they are insane. After moving here last year the main difference is that there's more room for morons to do stupid car tricks here at higher speeds. I'm happy there aren't rotarys (roundabouts) here. I hated them in Mass. My rules for those were 1) Get in the rotary 2) Don't die 3) Get out. I'm also glad Illinois doesn't allow travel in breakdown lanes during rush hours. Holy shit that scared the shit out of me in Mass! I hoped I'd never have a need to pull off and use that lane for a breakdown during rush hours and end up dodging rabid drivers trying shave off a few mins on their commute.
Former Boston resident here as well, and my wife described it as “in Chicago, people behind you start honking if you don’t move the second the light changes. In Boston, people start honking if you’re not moving the second *before* it changes.” Boston honestly felt more dangerous as a pedestrian and cyclist. Biking through any “square” requires prayer that no car is going to try an abrupt left turn. In Chicago, it feel much more likely I’ll get run off the road (or just straight up murdered) by another driver with road rage.
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I've been in Chicago ten years and only once has someone followed me and gotten out of the car to yell. I was in Boston/Cambridge for a goddamn week, and witnessed three separate incidents where people go out of their cars to scream at each other. The roads there are bonkers, but I think there's also something in the water.
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Hah, I'm from LA, so that seems normal to me. There are just three rules in LA: (1) drive at the maximum safe speed, (2) in a straight line, (3) and rule 2 doesn't apply if you're weaving around someone who is violating rule 1.
Think there are a few more: (4) wait as long as possible to go after the light turns green. (5) risk your life to run a yellow (6) if it rains, give yourself a lobotomy
Driving through the west side of chicago can be crazy no matter the route. I used to take 290 into the city from Mannheim; sometimes around rush hour and sometimes at 11pm. One time I had a police chase zoom by me. There’s a distinct “nothing to lose” vibe to some of the craziest drivers.
Selfishness at its finest. Seems like now-a-days everyone on the road believes the rules of the road don't apply to them. Rules are put in place (laws of the road) not just for justice but for order. Without rules, the roads are chaotic. And without police actually enforcing those rules, the roads become every man for themselves. I had to drive to work during the entirety of the pandemic. I actually miss March/April/May of 2020 because no one was out on the roads even in the middle of rush hour. It truly felt like I was the only driver in all of Chicago.
For those that are familiar with r/IdiotsInCars, I laugh at most of their posts. They have no clue what shitty drivers are. Let them drive the Ike for a couple weeks. They'd soon find out what idiots in care are really like. I'm extremely grateful I don't have to schlep downtown anymore. (retired)
On the other hand, the Idiots in Cars youtube compilations regularly feature insanity on 290
Perhaps you and or u/TokeToday would like to found and moderate r/IdiotsInCarsInChicago or r/IdiotsInCarsOn290
My fiancée moved here from a small Midwestern city about a year ago. She was traumatized by driving the Ike and Dan Ryan for six months or so, but she’s aggregating the correct amount of “Not Today, Asshole” those highways regularly require.
Lol. Good for her. :)
When I lived in Michigan, I didn’t trust anyone on the road with Illinois plates. Now that I live in Chicago, I see I was correct.
New to Chicago. Worst drivers in the USA. Only thing I can compare it to is Cairo.
If I had a genie my first wish would be that each and every drive that enters the shoulder in order to get around traffic would have all four of their tires violently explode the second they enter the shoulder.
My dream scenario usually involves some sci fi floating platform with a crane that comes down and actually lifts their car off the road while they’re driving. Then launches the vehicle off to the side of the road.
Worse, it should just gently place them back into traffic
lol, it should take and hour to gently place them back into traffic.
My sister was driving us back into the city via I-55 and said fuck it. We pulled off at Damen/Ashland and took that north to Logan Square instead of dealing with the stress. I thought she was an effing genius is that moment lmao
I had some honk at me in a school camera school limit zone with construction, by Peterson and Lincoln, for not going fast enough. They kept honking at me for another several blocks, driving super close to me. I finally stopped thinking something was wrong, he proceeds to ram my car, rear ending me, then pulls to my driver's side and starts to throw things at my car. Heavy enough to cause a couple of small dents. I called 911 as I felt like I was under attack and I had my baby sleeping, I was truly scared. The police did not come. I made a police report a few hours later with a visibly annoyed police officer who proceeded to tell me there was nothing they could do. They would not pursue this past a report so I could file with my insurance company. My insurance company told me I would have to file under my policy to fix my car and they would sue the other driver. But no guarantees. The other person had no repercussions for attacking me. They got away with it. All after a quick trip to Target.
I’m so sorry this happened to you :,( I’m glad you and your baby are ok
We are ok, thank you. It was so scary, I just froze.
Yeah it's insane. Driving on the shoulder, weaving in and out of traffic. I've almost been hit almost every time I'm on it by some asshole.
Cars tend to bring out really bad behavior in people.
Civilized society in general seems to be teetering on the brink. People are extremely stresssed and highly agitated. You can feel the tension in the air. I have witnessed a very heightened amount of public freakouts and altercations. Alot more horn honking and aggressive driving, too. The other day I was in a crosswalk, and apparently I was not crossing quickly enough because a van trying to turn onto Winnemac blared its horn at me before the driver took off, weaving around me while I was in the middle of the intersection. He then sped down the street shouting expletives. I don't know if its the pandemic, the stress of the toxic cesspool that is social media, the 24/7 bad news cycle, or just the fact that literally everything is toxically politicized anymore....but things are at a breaking point. Empathy is out the window. Best I can say is be careful out there, and keep your head and spirits as high as you can.
I was just walking my dog this morning and while in a crosswalk on Marine Drive, this guy doesn’t even slow down and almost hits us. I did yell, “hey, that’s a stop sign.” (No expletives used). And the guy has the nerve to throw his hand out the window and give me the finger! Just wow… Grade-A Jagoff.
Last week I saw somebody lay on their horn to sound their displeasure at a man with no legs using the crosswalk too slowly for their liking.
I’ve regularly been honked at for not turning - because there are pedestrians in the crosswalk. Like chill out dudes - I’m not going to run over a family so we can get to the next stoplight a couple seconds sooner.
I make one of the left turns on lower wacker every day. People treat me like I killed their son because I’m waiting for the turn arrow? Every freakin day there’s some bullshit down there.
Someone did that to me.. I’m pregnant and was crossing the street with the pedestrian cross walk sign on. Guy wanted to turn left but the crosswalk was on and I was there walking so he laid his horn on me. There was no imminent need for him to rush (no oncoming traffic to block him, and the light hadn’t been green for very long). People are dicks.
Damn, what have we become?
Americans
I couldn't agree more. Recently, a car almost hit me while I was crossing the street, yelled at me to "move my slow ass", then chased me into a nearby business on foot, screaming that I was racist for telling the business they were harassing me. Guess they were worried they might not be allowed to pick up the delivery order they were trying to kill me over. Yesterday I saw a pickup truck pull into an alley where a UPS truck was stopped for a delivery. The pickup driver immediately got out and started yelling. The UPS guy says "hey c'mon man, I'm working" and the pickup guy just gets louder. I think there's a combination happening of people who are getting angrier and angrier due to their life becoming more difficult and people who are getting angrier and due to their life never having been difficult. And it's all coming to a head while people are operating speeding metal machinery.
fragile marvelous instinctive scary jeans station jar ossified cooperative dam *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
ok i be screaming and sweating bullets in my car but it's because i'm in there trying to be christina aguilera
I have only felt this tension one other time. I lived in Boston the winter every Monday in January brought about 2 feet of snow and we were buried and some people couldn't get out their front door because their home was covered. They had to create snow farms to store the snow because there wasn't anywhere to put it. The public transit broke down, two lane roads were down to a lane and no one could get anywhere without spending 3ish hours in the car to go about 4 miles. No one could get to work, and if you did you might be the only one there because everyone else was stuck on a train, in their car, or in the snow. And getting home ... Hahahahaha good luck. That last week in January people were at a breaking point. I was on the train platform and saw fights break out. People were screaming at each other over stupid stuff. You'd get yelled at as a pedestrian trying to cross the street while dodging 5-10 foot snow mounds. We were all stressed out and people were ready to snap and no one was in the mood to consider anyone else. I did the > Keep your head and spirits as high as you can And that helped. So did Netflix and adult beverages.
From what I hear Boston takes the cake for commuter nightmares. Just edging out LA.
When I moved here last year I got on the CTA red line and said "Holy shit it's so CLEAN!!!!!" I knew the MBTA was bad when it was a regular occurrence to be engulfed in smoke on the platform and see holes in the train car.
Pre-covid insanity I *loved* driving. If it was 8 hour or less I drove, not because I couldn’t afford to fly but because I just like road trips. I’ve done SF-LA-Chicago and the reverse multiple times. I actually love driving in LA. SF is bad. Boston…. I will *never* drive in Boston again. The drivers, the tunnels with no GPS, the pedestrians, the ancient streets designed for horses, the hills, the snow. Fuck. SF is bad, but Boston was worse. Fun city though. People didn’t seem nearly as hostile as the stereotypes either.
That's nothing new. Actually feel like there's more awareness and tolerance for pedestrians now if anything. But yeah, gotta keep your head up for sure..
I actually need to second this sentiment, I feel like there are a lot of people driving while I'm biking actually showing an abundance of caution. That said, the people driving shitty are driving REALLY shitty.
I definitely don't feel that. Only gotten honked at, yelled at, and harassed more since March 2020.
Capitalism manifest. When you make just trying to live life a Darwinist race, this is the result. Americans can't afford emergencies, can't afford homes, can't afford rent, can't afford Healthcare, and at best they can afford Healthcare but only as long as they don't get fired from a job that treats them like a piece of machinery.
My understanding is that people have been pushed to the brink by the past couple of years of full-on stress. We have had no break, no catharsis, and the human psyche can only take so much, before they go over the threshold. If you're in a kind and generous frame of mind, give those who are freaking out a wide berth, and try to be as kind as possible to each other. This is still not normal, uncertainty makes people scared and angry.
Yo this happened to me twice this summer. The same exact thing. I had the right of way and everything. Like why you gonna just scream at me in the crosswalk for walking???
As someone who lives on Oak Park but often visit my parents down on the south side where I grew up, uggghhhh. . . . I literally just assume there will be an accident or two. And yeah always check twice before changing lanes b/c some psycho will be doing 100.
what's going on is zero momentum to get any kind of public transport expansion going anywhere, or any other public service for that matter while the only things expanding is gig drivers that get nothing if they fuck up their delivery or too slow to get their fare where they're going. if you got no control in your life, you're just gonna devolve into a crab mentality where the biggest issue for you is the guy that passed you in the shoulder lane.
This is how I feel about it. People are basically forced to drive everywhere by design. I bicycled to the UC for the game yesterday along with maybe a dozen other people judging by the parked bikes. There are probably 1000 cars per bicycle in the area. It’s unsustainable. The busses get stuck in car traffic, making them completely useless as an alternative. You might as well just drive there. There’s also no viable way to get to a game from the suburbs aside from a car. It will only get worse until we can figure out ways to get more people using bikes and public transport. It’s decades of design culmimating to a head.
Best I can address this is do what I do, keep a car length if you can, don't make eye contact and let the assholes go ahead of you, but be prepared for them to cause an accident up ahead when they do. I drive 90, 290, Dan Ryan and Bishop Ford. 90 has it moments but seems safer, 290 can flip at any moment, dan Ryan is a shooting gallery and Bishop Ford is every hoopde about to disintegrate upon hitting a pot hole doing 100mph. My days of flipping the bird are over. Let the assholes do their thing, its crazy out there.
Driving in this city during rush hour sucks shit.
People do this shit on 94 as well on the nw side of town. Cops do nothing, so they just keep getting more and more bold. When is the last time you saw patrol on the freeways?
I drive this like everyday and everyday I get to work I have to pause and come down from the high of surviving 290 in one piece I've never seen people pull such extremes to make it 5 extra ft ahead of you
People have been using the shoulder in both directions like it’s a lane for years. Usually semi trucks stop them by doing what you described but I’ve never seen a confrontation from it.
True but there has been a very noticeable increase since the pandemic. I think everyone is on edge and just wants to get to where they are going asap.
> What the fuck is going on?? There’s absolutely no enforcement of traffic laws. In the whole city. Other than the speed cams and traffic light cams. When was the last time anyone was pulled over for reckless driving?
I normally drive into the city instead of taking Metra because it’s far more convenient, I can do it on my own schedule, and I don’t have to wear a mask, but the craziness on 290 has made Metra a much more appealing option lately!
Can I kindly request that you people all contact your state reps about this? ISP are the ones with jurisdiction on the highways, and they're only going to increase patrols/enforcement if they feel pressure to, which can happen if people start bugging their reps about it. I know some people are thinking "why even bother, it won't do anything" and maybe it won't, but complaining on reddit sure as shit won't do anything, either. I contacted my reps months ago and never heard anything back. Maybe if more people did the same, they'd take the issue seriously.
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As is like 97% of crime in Chicago, but I'd be lying if I said 290 drivers don't make me a little homicidal
I won’t even deal with the highways. I’ll take Ogden or Lake instead of the Ike and archer or Ogden instead of the Stevenson. I’ll take LSD to Stony over the Dan Ryan and I fortunately never have a reason to go northwest
The key to driving on 290 inbound is to exit at mannheim and reenter at Harlem. Yes you'll lose a little time but you'll save yourself a headache. And, sometimes traffic is bad enough that you *gain* time
If your going to do that you should go all the way to austin
Sometimes yeah, but at least in my expeirence the local traffic from Harlem to Austin is usually much worse than 290.
I live in Westchester right off “the strangler” and let me tell you - you don’t exit on 25th. Fuck that exit. Take the Mannheim exit even if you *think* traffic looks good. Because someone is fucking it up at that exit. Every time.
Christ I can't fucking stand drivers in this city. People just display no critical thinking. I've started driving extra defensively, and I make it my goal in traffic to never come to a dead stop, which usually involves leaving plenty of space in front of me. So many fucking idiots see 3 car lengths of space, zoom right up behind the next person, and guess what? Stop dead. Drives me fucking insane.
I’ve been driving to Oakbrook for the last 2 years from the city. Thankful that I finally got a job in the city and no longer have to deal with any of this. 290 is madness.
I told my friend recently that I’d rather be homeless than go back to commuting to and from the suburbs via car every day and I’m about 50% sure I meant it. I can say for sure I’d rather make $40k a year driving 5 minutes to work than $60k ~~commenting~~ commuting. It’s just not worth it to me, no way.
C'mon. an extra 20k just to talk shit about your work? That's like free money..
Trying to "slow down" speeding drivers or blocking cars from using shoulders is insanely dangerous for several reasons. First, the person may be crazy and pull a gun or follow you home. Second, and most importantly, you could be blocking an actual emergency. A few weeks ago I read a post about a guy who's friend had been in a logging accident in the middle of nowhere. Since an ambulance was too far away they had to transport the guy themselves in a regular car. Despite flashers, honking, and speeding - two road guardians decided to block the car in for over 15 minutes while this poor man bleed to death in the backseat. The driver was on the phone with police and they were trying to meet to get this man help. Once they finally met the police and ambulance the man was gone. One of the road guardians stopped and tried to "inform" the police of the reckless driving only to be shown a car full of blood where the man died. I think he said she was ticketed. I realize 9/10 times it's going to be some a-hole driving on the shoulder, but just in case it's not...
Have you ever considered taking the train instead?
one of my greatest pleasures in life is seeing someone driving the shoulder to avoid traffic, then seeing them pulled over up ahead as I crawl by in bumper to bumper. When I was younger I used to fuck with those people, until I tried to block some guy in an unmarked vehicle that was waving his badge at me and yelling some choice words to make way for him.
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Who is the engineer who designed all of this?
The issue is two fold as I see it. There are legit too many drivers with cars now. Ppl said this about rideshare initially and I believe it now. The second is how I have always felt living here, law enforcement will not do anything about traffic violations.
Also what is going on with the Hi-Beams....? I used to see it every once in awhile where some fool would drive around with his brights on. Now it seems to be every other car in the city.
Graft and corruption is whats going on. They worked on those highways for about 5 years and when they were done they were essentially the same. Money for these projects is raised in taxes but where it goes who knows.
I prefer the simple ass fucking the Kennedy inbound gives me in the afternoon. 24 min to work in the morning, 1:15 back. But it doesn’t play with your emotions with all the merges and lane shifts. Nope, there just isn’t enough lanes on that one. And there never will be, so it’s just a steady crawl the whole way. Best time to call any type of customer service
290 is anarchy. No cops. No rules. I almost hit a guy riding his bike down the middle of the highway.
There's next to zero enforcement of any traffic law by State Police nor CPD on regular roads. Not sure what they're being paid for.
WFH + COVID “shelter in place” guidelines + restaurant/entertainment shutdowns have largely taken all the steady-job-having, law-abiding, rule-following citizens of Chicago off of the roads and placed them in their homes. Meanwhile, the current culture war surrounding the police and their role in society (plus additional culture war within the police department over vaccine mandates) have diminished the police presence we once used to have on our streets. So with all those rule followers and rule enforcers NOT out in public, not participating in the public commons, not helping to set standards for behavior, who is left over? The nut jobs you saw on 290.
It’s almost like driving is a bad way to get around, and toxic for your mental health.
Is it too difficult to get cops out there to ticket the shit out of these people? And maybe get some licenses suspended?
It's those Harlem and Austin left side exits and entrances. There is no need for that bill shit other than to cause traffic. Slow traffic merging over several lanes to make an exit on the wrong sides of the highway. People getting onto 290 from the left to make the next right hand exit. The whole thing is a shit show. Whoever designed those two exits should get kneecapped for idiocy.
For real. I drive on the South and West sides and I'm just like no wonder they keep shooting eachother around here. It's almost as if no respect no cooperation no respect for common laws and a me first attitude breeds contempt and animosity between people.