There used to be a time
08-05-2014, 07:28 PM
#1
Thread Starter
There used to be a time
There used to be a time when there was less congestion on the roads. A time when there was less traffic and a time when you could have some fun driving your sports car. Things have changed. Over the years the number of cars on the road has grown to the point where traffic is the norm, not the exception.
Back in the 1960s and 1970s things were different. True, the prosperity in America after World War II enabled people who had never owned cars before to buy them. It was also a time of profound change in the auto industry. The Ford Mustang, introduced in 1964 single handedly created the niche for the personal sporty car. The Volkswagen Beetle created a market for a small, economical car, and the sports cars from Europe, the MGs, Triumphs, Fiats, etc. put small, fun to drive cars within reach of everyone. In the early 1970s cars from Japan, thanks in part to the oil crisis, got a foothold in the market. Put all of that together and the American car buying public had more choices than ever, and the beginnings of the explosion of the number of cars on the road.
At the same time, America was discovering the suburbs. The new mobility gave Americans the ability to move out of the city, away from the town center, and a distance from shopping and work. Now the family needed two cars and perhaps a third as their children grew up. Being in the suburbs meant that you needed a car to get to all the places you used to be able to walk to when you lived in the city.
But still, there was plenty of room on the roads back then. Rush hour was clearly defined at 7:30 to 9:00 am and 4:30 to 6:00 pm. Radio stations referred to those time periods as “drive time”. And the roads weren’t so crowded on Saturdays and Sundays, unless of course you were on the Long Island Expressway or the Garden State Parkway on a hot weekend, heading to the beach.
I can remember taking my 1972 MGB out on a warm summer Saturday afternoon. Belt Parkway to sweeping entrance ramp onto the Verrazano Bridge. Down a gear into third, powering my way though the turn and having a great time doing it. (I also remember filling my gas tank for $2.50, but that’s a story for another thread). I remember picking up one of my friends and heading out to the Delaware Water Gap for a picnic. I did the driving, she prepared the picnic lunch. Top down all the way with very little traffic to get in our way. On the way home it started to rain, but at a constant 60+ miles an hour the rain flew over the top of the car and we stayed dry. No traffic to slow us down.
Things are very different today. Around here rush hour starts at 6:00 am and goes to about 10:00 am. It doesn’t matter if you leave early to beat the traffic, everyone else has the same idea. In the afternoon rush hour starts at 4:00 pm and goes till about 7:30. Sometimes we stay late. Not because we have work that has to get done, but just because we can’t stand sitting in traffic. My 9 mile drive usually takes 45 minutes and sometimes an hour and a half.
Saturdays and Sundays aren’t much different. Traffic isn’t quite as heavy, but it’s more steady. There are always lots of other cars on the road throughout the day. Lots of big SUVs, some driven by people who should be driving something smaller, some driven by people who think the bigness of their vehicle entitles them to do anything, and some driven by people who insist upon having a cup of coffee and a cigarette in one hand and a cell phone in the other. Then there’s the vans. There is a strange phenomenon that happens when some people get into a van. For some reason they forget how to drive and all of the rules of the road. I’ve found that vans have a magnetic attraction to the left lane, but only when they can go 15 miles per hour below the speed limit. Put all of that together with all of the other cars and lousy drivers on the road and we’ve got a problem. There just doesn’t seem to be many times when you can just take your car out and enjoy it without a lot of traffic. Not anymore.
The irony in all of this is that now I own the best sports car I’ve ever owned. My S2000 is, without question, the best, most fun sports car. Yet now that I own this fine car, most times the roads are usually too crowded to let me enjoy it.
Sometimes traffic is light and driving my S2000 is exhilarating. Oftentimes traffic is heavy and driving is just plain frustrating. At least that’s how I find it.
Is it the same where you live?
Back in the 1960s and 1970s things were different. True, the prosperity in America after World War II enabled people who had never owned cars before to buy them. It was also a time of profound change in the auto industry. The Ford Mustang, introduced in 1964 single handedly created the niche for the personal sporty car. The Volkswagen Beetle created a market for a small, economical car, and the sports cars from Europe, the MGs, Triumphs, Fiats, etc. put small, fun to drive cars within reach of everyone. In the early 1970s cars from Japan, thanks in part to the oil crisis, got a foothold in the market. Put all of that together and the American car buying public had more choices than ever, and the beginnings of the explosion of the number of cars on the road.
At the same time, America was discovering the suburbs. The new mobility gave Americans the ability to move out of the city, away from the town center, and a distance from shopping and work. Now the family needed two cars and perhaps a third as their children grew up. Being in the suburbs meant that you needed a car to get to all the places you used to be able to walk to when you lived in the city.
But still, there was plenty of room on the roads back then. Rush hour was clearly defined at 7:30 to 9:00 am and 4:30 to 6:00 pm. Radio stations referred to those time periods as “drive time”. And the roads weren’t so crowded on Saturdays and Sundays, unless of course you were on the Long Island Expressway or the Garden State Parkway on a hot weekend, heading to the beach.
I can remember taking my 1972 MGB out on a warm summer Saturday afternoon. Belt Parkway to sweeping entrance ramp onto the Verrazano Bridge. Down a gear into third, powering my way though the turn and having a great time doing it. (I also remember filling my gas tank for $2.50, but that’s a story for another thread). I remember picking up one of my friends and heading out to the Delaware Water Gap for a picnic. I did the driving, she prepared the picnic lunch. Top down all the way with very little traffic to get in our way. On the way home it started to rain, but at a constant 60+ miles an hour the rain flew over the top of the car and we stayed dry. No traffic to slow us down.
Things are very different today. Around here rush hour starts at 6:00 am and goes to about 10:00 am. It doesn’t matter if you leave early to beat the traffic, everyone else has the same idea. In the afternoon rush hour starts at 4:00 pm and goes till about 7:30. Sometimes we stay late. Not because we have work that has to get done, but just because we can’t stand sitting in traffic. My 9 mile drive usually takes 45 minutes and sometimes an hour and a half.
Saturdays and Sundays aren’t much different. Traffic isn’t quite as heavy, but it’s more steady. There are always lots of other cars on the road throughout the day. Lots of big SUVs, some driven by people who should be driving something smaller, some driven by people who think the bigness of their vehicle entitles them to do anything, and some driven by people who insist upon having a cup of coffee and a cigarette in one hand and a cell phone in the other. Then there’s the vans. There is a strange phenomenon that happens when some people get into a van. For some reason they forget how to drive and all of the rules of the road. I’ve found that vans have a magnetic attraction to the left lane, but only when they can go 15 miles per hour below the speed limit. Put all of that together with all of the other cars and lousy drivers on the road and we’ve got a problem. There just doesn’t seem to be many times when you can just take your car out and enjoy it without a lot of traffic. Not anymore.
The irony in all of this is that now I own the best sports car I’ve ever owned. My S2000 is, without question, the best, most fun sports car. Yet now that I own this fine car, most times the roads are usually too crowded to let me enjoy it.
Sometimes traffic is light and driving my S2000 is exhilarating. Oftentimes traffic is heavy and driving is just plain frustrating. At least that’s how I find it.
Is it the same where you live?
08-05-2014, 10:27 PM
#2
Whne they built rt495 many moon ago back before cell phones, they installed emergency call boxes because it could be a while before another vehicle came by.
I think back to this frequently as I crawl down the highway at 5:30.
The evening traffic is part of the reason i haven't driven the toy as much this year.
I love a manual out on the twisties, but crawling inch by inch just sucks.
I think back to this frequently as I crawl down the highway at 5:30.
The evening traffic is part of the reason i haven't driven the toy as much this year.
I love a manual out on the twisties, but crawling inch by inch just sucks.
08-06-2014, 05:10 AM
#4
Nope....
My commute is 8 miles and takes under 15 minutes. I get 1 mile to get to I-95, 2 miles of I-95, 1 mile on a local road, and then 4 miles of driving through town at 25 mph. Barring an accident or school-buses I have no issues. Coming home, same thing, with an extra minute or two for a traffic circle to go around, and sometimes, the reduction on I-95 from 3 lanes to 2 at my exit for the bridge to PA can get backed up. Never more than another minute or two, and much less frequent than the amount of times I can stretch the car a little, even in just those 2 miles.
For pleasure, I can find any number of little twisties in northwest Mercer County, Hunterdon County and into Warren County. One of our favorite drives is Rt 32 along the Delaware on the PA side.
Head West and South Rob, you'll find lots of space to drive and enjoy the car.
My commute is 8 miles and takes under 15 minutes. I get 1 mile to get to I-95, 2 miles of I-95, 1 mile on a local road, and then 4 miles of driving through town at 25 mph. Barring an accident or school-buses I have no issues. Coming home, same thing, with an extra minute or two for a traffic circle to go around, and sometimes, the reduction on I-95 from 3 lanes to 2 at my exit for the bridge to PA can get backed up. Never more than another minute or two, and much less frequent than the amount of times I can stretch the car a little, even in just those 2 miles.
For pleasure, I can find any number of little twisties in northwest Mercer County, Hunterdon County and into Warren County. One of our favorite drives is Rt 32 along the Delaware on the PA side.
Head West and South Rob, you'll find lots of space to drive and enjoy the car.
08-06-2014, 06:50 AM
#5
08-06-2014, 07:48 AM
#6
I have no problem finding back roads with little to no traffic. Drove to the Grand Rapids area Saturday. Wonderful top down day. I would guess 200 of the 220 miles I drove that day was traffic free. My biggest concern was deer on the return trip since it was night time on roads with woods and corn fields.
08-06-2014, 09:28 AM
#7
I hear you Rob. I take the train to work to avoid the rush hour. I have found boating to be the best substitute for the old days of the open road.
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08-06-2014, 04:33 PM
#8
Registered User
This is one of the reasons I traded in my S2000 back in September: I wasn't DRIVING the car and I didn't want to be the guy who owned a sportscar that he drove like a soccermom.
08-07-2014, 05:03 AM
#9
Former Moderator
Great post, Rob. Right now I am in Colorado for a few weeks. - Mostly little traffic and lots of adventurous roads to drive. Some are Jeep trails, but others are paved two laners with lots of twisties and beautiful scenery. My little S is always ready for some screaming turns or a leisurely top down ride.
Still I think we can all identify with your changing traffic landscape -all over the country. There is more traffic everywhere, and more insensitive drivers who shouldn't be out there...
Still I think we can all identify with your changing traffic landscape -all over the country. There is more traffic everywhere, and more insensitive drivers who shouldn't be out there...
08-07-2014, 06:03 AM
#10
Community Organizer
The wife and I are doing European Delivery on our BMW at the end of the month.
It will be interesting to see how the driving etiquette differs over there ......
Munich, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and back to Munich is our intinerary.
My daily commute is 7 miles by bicycle and takes 35 minutes. By car, 6 miles and 15 minutes w/ just 1 traffic light.
It will be interesting to see how the driving etiquette differs over there ......
Munich, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and back to Munich is our intinerary.
My daily commute is 7 miles by bicycle and takes 35 minutes. By car, 6 miles and 15 minutes w/ just 1 traffic light.