Quiet Road Trip

Driving for pleasure continues to be a favorite pastime.  So if you are like me, driving the West Side Highway in NYC is not my idea of pleasure.  Rather it is a necessary route for me to drive the Village.

Want to seek a more quiet path?  See this webpage for a state by state selection of quietest routes.

Traffic Violation

I am usually pretty careful when I am driving out of the country.  So when I visited the UK last year, I had already practiced driving on the left side of the road in TCI that summer and thought I would be set.  Thank goodness my Waze App worked and it helped me navigate the narrow roads in Britain and Wales.

So it was a surprise when I got this notification from the car rental place about my violation in Cardiff.  Don't know if it was a parking ticket or speeding, but in a country where traffic cameras are as common telephone poles, I guess it is no surprise.

Safety for Bicyclists

This is a great idea for those bikers how need to share the road with cars.  Form my experience, most car drivers are good about sharing the road, but there are some a@#%^*#s that don't.

Friends, give bikes a wide berth as you slowly pass.

Cyclists, go single file on busy roads.

thanks.

Robert Moses Birthday today

Robert Moses would have celebrated his birthday today, but since we are more concerned about Beyouncy (sic) or Brad Pit 9sic) I figured I would spend a moment highlighting an important career.

Known for his planning in New York City and local environs, I tend to like his work centered on parkways.  As Americans were "driven" by Detroit to give up mass transit and become addicted to the auto, Moses propose a highway system that was both practical and scenic.  Since driving for pleasure remains a popular activity, these parkways are valuable resources.

Always interesting to see

When I take a road trip, that is a driving road trip, I mainly want to get from point A to point B in the quickest amount of time.

But sometimes, I travel off the Interstate Highway to see "America". You can see UFO's that way but moving 70 mph doesn't give you much time to stop and investigate.

So get off the super highway and check out Suicide Bridge or a glacial erratic in Central Park.

Summer Road Trips

I think I have finally recovered from our roadtrip to Maryland this past week. After a 10 hour day on Thursday (including stops) I have to rant a bit about improper driving techniques...of others.

Say you are on an US Interstate highway that has three lanes. The outside lane is for slow vehicles and for those who want to exit or enter the road. The middle lane is called the travel lane, where theoretically, drivers are doing the speed limit. Finally the inside lane is for passing. I repeat that passing. Not travel, not slow, but actually a slight faster pace to pass those in the travel lane.

Typically what happens is some driver will get in this lane and just do the speed limit. For those who travel a bit faster, the only way to get ahead of this person is to pass on the right. (I'm talking American or non-British style of driving)

So please folks, if you can drive safely at the speed limit, travel in the travel lane. If you must pass, do so, and get back over to the right!

For some interesting facts about highways, check out the wikipedia page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway