Now
Fair
85.0°
High
87°
Low
64°
Full Forecast

Coupon

Jobs

Cars

Homes

Rentals

Alerts

Subscribe
Home > Living > 402
Bookmark Us   •   Make Us Your Homepage

Lincoln newbie says: What’s up with traffic here?

Comments 40 comment(s)  
E-mail Story E-mail Story
Print Story Print Story
Share  Share
Text Size: 
Tools Sponsor

Tuesday, Dec 18, 2007 - 12:23:41 am CST

Thanks to everyone for the advice on all things drink, food and fun in my new hometown. If I take you all up on your suggestions, I’ll surely put on some pounds and rack up a few misdemeanors.

However, I now realize just how absurdly difficult it can be to drive around Lincoln. As far as I can tell, this town contains more stoplights than it does citizens. I’ve driven in Wichita, Kansas City, Dallas and Denver, and I’ve never spent so much time staring at red lights.

To help curb this problem, I’m taking a cue from the United Parcel Service. According to a recent New York Times article, UPS drivers have saved a lot of gallons and dollars by not making left turns. The company told the drivers of its 95,000 brown blocky trucks to not idle at left turns and plan routes to include right turns. And it’s resulted in big savings. UPS spokeswoman Heather Robinson said the company cut 28.5 million miles off its delivery routes last year. It’s since saved about 3 million gallons of gas and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 31,000 metric tons.

Story Photo
Micah Mertes

Now, I alone can’t save such a grand amount of petrol by avoiding left turns. But I could save a lot of time and aggravation.

So I’ve since adopted this method, making mental maps of right-turn-heavy routes. And I’ve noticed Lincoln’s roads make it quite easy to follow this philosophy. Because of the near ubiquitous road medians, I’m forced to turn right out of almost every parking lot not off a one-way. I’ve also quit turning left off R Street onto 27th Street — a nerve-jangling turn on which I’ve nearly caused two wrecks. I’ve since noticed a “No left turn” sign at this intersection. Sound advice.

But despite my newfangled right-turn doctrine, I’m still perpetually punching the roof of my car because of traffic-related stress. And mostly, it’s the fault of parking-space parasites, a species of human I didn’t know existed but is apparently indigenous to this area. I waited at two stoplights the other day as a guy idled in an intersection waiting for someone to pull out of a parking space on P Street. I realize downtown parking is sparse round the block, but that’s just plain inconsiderate.

But other than that, so far, Lincoln’s aces.

— Send more ideas for what Micah Mertes should do to learn more about Lincoln to mmertes@journalstar.com.


$1 Sunday Delivery - Subscribe Today!
402 > Back to Top of Story

Post Your Comment

Standards and Rules
All posts to JournalStar.com are subject to our Terms and Standards.
Your posted comment will appear after it has been approved.
Frequently asked questions about story commenting.
(optional)
   
Hide Comments Hide Comments   Newest First Newest First  
Visitor wrote on December 18, 2007 1:42 am:
" Everything is relative. As a visitor from South California I find your traffic a cake walk. Parking is findable and overall it seems easy to get around. You are right about the lights though. they are every block and loonnnggg. Left turn lights would do wonders here. There just arn't any. "
Nate wrote on December 18, 2007 1:58 am:
" You want bad traffic? Try LA, Chicago, or New York. Lincoln is a piece of cake and it never takes me more than about 15 minutes to get from one spot to another. Just stay off of 27th, 48th, and "O" and you're fine. And what major city doesn't have an island problem? "
Bob wrote on December 18, 2007 5:05 am:
" If you think the traffic lights are bad, wait till you find the roundabouts that take their place. Driving in Lincoln is a nightmare. "
Eric wrote on December 18, 2007 6:31 am:
" Wait until you encounter the red light runners. Those area real joy. "
Handle Downtown wrote on December 18, 2007 7:52 am:
" Here's how to handle downtown traffic and parking: Unless you have to go downtown for work, school, government, or other unavoidable needs, just don't go downtown. "
shinyville wrote on December 18, 2007 8:53 am:
" When you get tired of red lights, grab a bike and check out Lincoln's extensive trail system. You can get nearly anywhere in town with the trails. And there are always lots of places to "park" your bike, and you won't need to feed any meters. It'll help keep the pounds off from peoples' food and drink recommendations, too! "
You Don't Say! wrote on December 18, 2007 8:57 am:
" Well Welcome to Lincoln The Land of 5000000 Traffic lights. I would have to not have to agree more that they will put up traffic lights that you would think were only temp but they prove that they are now permanent!.This town is so unfriendly to outside drivers as they do not have a good way around the city, without stopping. It would be nice to have some sort of beltway!. But I know their will be a cry as to Who will pay for it. IF they thought of expansion in this town they would of planned for it along time ago.Or as it is we just talk it to death, As for the Bypass from HWY 2 to Interstate 80. It will be another 15 years of nothing. And will then bring in it up again for some more discussion and then DO NOTHING!. "
E-Rock wrote on December 18, 2007 9:40 am:
" Having driven in SF, Seattle, Chicago, KC, Minneapolis and points unkown, I have found Lincoln drivers to be most likely to be inept, inconsiderate and reckless in all type of conditions. Don't get me wrong, there are some fine drivers, but i would wager they're not natives. You'll develop nerves of steel if someone doesn't wreck you first. "
Lindsay wrote on December 18, 2007 9:45 am:
" Or try driving in the UK. What a nightmare...tons of roundabouts, narrow roads, driving on the opposite side of the road and higher gas prices. Yech! "
Theo wrote on December 18, 2007 10:05 am:
" More whining from the Lincolnites. Unbelievable. I lived in Seattle for 10 years. Commuted into the city for 10 years. You people who have never left the state have no idea about "bad traffic." You have it easy. "
not the roundabouts wrote on December 18, 2007 10:08 am:
" It's not the roundabouts fault local drivers are too dumb to use them. FYI to everyone, Yield doesn't mean gun it and cut people off. Also, you don't stop and let people in the roundabouts.USE YOUR TURN SIGNAL WHEN EXITING THE ROUNDABOUT. That would help the flow of traffic allot. They need to include a roundabout as part of the driving test. Due to the majority of the city not being smart enough to navigate these intersections, I avoid them all together. If you own a motorcycle you really need to be careful as none of the local drivers are not able to see anything smaller than a Hummer limo on the road or in a parking lot. I also must mention again that no one in the city knows what yield means. Anytime you are coming to an intersection or somewhere that has a yield sign, I would slow down and be prepared to be ran off the road. "
Welcome to Lincoln wrote on December 18, 2007 10:36 am:
" Some of the poorest drivers I have experienced in my travels reside in Lincoln. My suggestion, do more business in Omaha. "
You Don't Say! wrote on December 18, 2007 12:00 pm:
" " It's not the roundabouts fault local drivers are too dumb to use them. FYI to everyone, Yield doesn't mean gun it and cut people off. Also, you don't stop and let people in the roundabouts.USE YOUR TURN SIGNAL WHEN EXITING THE ROUNDABOUT. That would help the flow of traffic allot. They need to include a roundabout as part of the driving test. Due to the majority of the city not being smart enough to navigate these intersections, I avoid them all together. If you own a motorcycle you really need to be careful as none of the local drivers are not able to see anything smaller than a Hummer limo on the road or in a parking lot. I also must mention again that no one in the city knows what yield means. Anytime you are coming to an intersection or somewhere that has a yield sign, I would slow down and be prepared to be ran off the road. " I would not agree more, and i have diven in Many Large cities that are Way better to get around even in Rush hour. Lincoln Drivers are far the worst and Very Rude as with trying to change lanes. 9th street being a prime example of lincoln's fine drivers. "
J.B. wrote on December 18, 2007 12:05 pm:
" My advice for a Lincoln newbie... stay off of 27th St and O St. Those are the streets that all the hillbilly out of towners stay on when they visit the "big city" to do their shopping. Game days are the WORST because all the farm wives are going to the malls while their husbands go to the game. Oh and another word of advice... don't go to Applebee's on a game day either. Not Famous Dave's. Not Old Chicago. Not Lazlo's. Not Fireworks. Just Applebee's. I swear, Applebee's restaurants are the only places that the farmer families know exist. "
n wrote on December 18, 2007 12:10 pm:
" I think Lincoln is one of the easiest cities to navigate through when driving. Traffic is relatively non-existent. I'm not sure where you're experiencing this stress...rush hour traffic for 20 minutes after 5 p.m. is all I can really think of. Every city has inconsiderate drivers, Lincoln is no different. But it could be far worse. "
Roger wrote on December 18, 2007 12:54 pm:
" Having lived in Denver, I've seen my fair share of traffic snarls. But nothing beats the inattentiveness of Lincoln drivers. I think the very fact that there is so little traffic and few freeways makes people think they can do as they please. I will take aggressive attentive drivers over Very Rude inattentive lollygaggers any day. "
Bob wrote on December 18, 2007 1:05 pm:
" Micah...just know that at all of the lights have traffic cameras that are supposed to be utilized for improved traffic flow. Currently the city has over 285 traffic cameras (for what?). As a resident of north Lincoln, it takes me 45 minutes to get to Omaha and 30 minutes to get to 84th/HWY 2. Lincoln needs more right turn lanes, more efficient traffic signals (you have the cameras, please use them!), and a increase in speed limits for major roads (48th, Adams, 14th, 9th, 10th, pioneers blvd, etc). Have fun sitting at lights that are a good 20 seconds too long (like 66th & O). "
Perspective & Advice wrote on December 18, 2007 1:45 pm:
" Having just returned from a business trip to Chicago, where driving 10 miles takes an hour, I am quite thankful of our little city here. Sure, there are a lot of lights and some of the drivers are inconsiderate, but we can still get from point A to point B relatively quickly. Patience is something I gained from my trip. As for some advice - stay off the main/well known roads. You can get anywhere in Lincoln by taking back ways. Learn 'em and know 'em and you will be just fine. "
JB wrote on December 18, 2007 1:59 pm:
" It is wonderful that you can find time in your day to get on the LJS and make fun of families that farm for a living. News flash...if it weren't for those little farmer's wives and such...we would just have idiots like you. Farmers work and just because they come from small towns doesn't mean that they don't know how to drive. I understand the frustration with red lights everytime you ahve to go somewhere...that is just part of driving in a city! "
Lisa wrote on December 18, 2007 2:38 pm:
" I don't know who is responsible for the lousy Lincoln planning, but they should be fired and ALL retirement should be taken away. (Not kidding) It takes me just as long to get to Omaha than the other side of Lincoln. PEOPLE JUST THINK THEY ARE THE ONLY DRIVERS ON THE ROAD. FARMERS, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, OLD LADIES, CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, COLLEGE STUDENTS, SOCCER MOMS, EVERYONE!!! I think it's a Husker thing. You all think you are the only driver on the road, able to turn at will, stop at will, not look behind/side/in front of you. This is why I am moving to San Diego. Yes there may be more people on the road, but at least they are curtious. "
Ian wrote on December 18, 2007 2:53 pm:
" It's like turn signals are illegal in Lincoln. "
J.B. wrote on December 18, 2007 3:41 pm:
" Guess what? I work for a living too! Wow... we all work for a living. How about that. But the difference between me (a Lincoln resident) and a small towner is that my brain doesn't go into vapor lock when I come to an intersection with more then one stop light! "Oh my gosh! What do I do?! What do I do?! Ahhhh!" "
Out of Towner wrote on December 18, 2007 3:51 pm:
" You can cut many minutes off of your travel and a great deal of stress if you take lesser known routes. Vine street is ussually a nice by-pass for the much buisier "O" Street, 40th instead of 48th, and many others. The biggest single problem I have is so few roads go through town. Lincoln's nice parks frequently break up otherwise nice streets. For those complaining about the lack of a by-pass around Lincoln, keep in mind most city's that have them are many times the size of Lincoln. Lansing Michigan just finished it's by-pass only a few years ago and it has suburbs the size of Lincoln and a metro area of 1.5 million people. The fact that Lincoln is even considering it for a community of it's size should be considered progressive. Nebraska drivers are spoiled and don't know it. I've spent an hour to go 5 blocks in some cities. Consider yourselves lucky. "
? wrote on December 18, 2007 3:52 pm:
" Is this going to be a regular column where the new LJS reporter points out the things he has to get used to with moving to Lincoln? Unnecessary. I don't need to hear someone else complaining about all things wrong here. "
Grandpa knows best wrote on December 18, 2007 4:05 pm:
" One exciting thing my grandpa taught me when I started driving was down streets like 9th and 10th and especially downtown if you go within 3 miles of the speed limit either way you should hit every green light...that is if you start with a green light. "
Totally agree ? wrote on December 18, 2007 5:23 pm:
" As numerous people have said before...there sure are a lot of whiners and complainers in Lincoln. What a sad way to live your life. And just think of all the people in this world with REAL problems. Really disgusting, if you ask me. Welcome to Lincoln, Micah. And if you find out what city REALLY IS the "former city" please let us all know. Thanks! "
Parking problem\ wrote on December 19, 2007 6:45 am:
" The reason there are so many lights and they do not change is. Lincoln wants cars stopped then you are a Parking problem not a traffic problem and that is a different department. "
Just moved to Lincoln wrote on December 19, 2007 7:02 am:
" I've driven in KC, Chicago, and LA to name a few big cities and Lincoln does not have a traffic problem. Go drive in Chicago anytime betwen 10:00 am and 3:00 pm (not the rush hour) and you will never, ever complain about Lincoln traffic again. Once again, would somebody please post where to take the class on how to whine? I really want to increase my whining skills so I can truly add to these message boards. Does anyone in this city having anything important to complain about? "
Iraqi Vet wrote on December 19, 2007 8:18 am:
" I laugh when people compare our traffic to that of major metro areas like LA and then say how good we have it. You are comparing apples to oranges! They have 40 times the people that we do! I will tell you, I drive throughout Lincoln every day for my job, and while I am happy that the city is planning ahead for traffic, there is no reason that right now we need a four lane divided highway on Yankee Hill between 27th and 40th. There are 20 cars that use that an hour, while people are stuck at 48th and Superior in a 1/2 mile line of cars waiting to turn left at the same time! Why can't we widen the roads that need it now with that money? Oh yeah I forgot that's the SOUTH side of town. The Wilderness Ridge development probably needs that road to get to their shiny new Target. "
It's easy wrote on December 19, 2007 8:23 am:
" The bigger the automobile the dumber the driver. "
mark wrote on December 19, 2007 8:59 am:
" roundabouts rule. just use your turn signal to indicate you're exit, and it keeps everybody moving faster. "
Amazed wrote on December 19, 2007 9:41 am:
" Personally the thing I find most aggravating is where the city adds a passing lane on the far right just before an intersection and then ends the lane right after getting through the light. It forces "speed demons" to cut to the far right lane and then cut back into the traffic. You will see this if you're west bound on Hwy 2 and 10th street or at 56th and the Normal Parkway. Some of the worst engineering anywhere! "
Hilarious! wrote on December 19, 2007 11:38 am:
" I was an LA commuter before I moved to Lincoln. These comments are funny! You don't know "bad traffic" until you have to leave an hour and a half early to drive the 20 miles to work in the morning, or you get stuck on a freeway for an hour because someone had a flat four lanes over from you and traffic is snarled as a result. I smile with satisfaction every day, on my way home, as I drive through downtown Lincoln. This is paradise. "
poor planning wrote on December 19, 2007 12:59 pm:
" What I find most annoying is that 27th, 48th, and 56th are all single lane in the middle of the city! I live on the north side of town and recently got a job on the south side of town. It takes me about 30 minutes to get to work in the morning, but I could be at The Westroads in Omaha in 45 minutes! "
Silly little Nebraskans.... wrote on December 19, 2007 2:53 pm:
" This is another article that illustrates how Lincoln residents have actually nothing better to do then complain. I am glad that Lincoln is so boring, so that you have time to worry about stuff like this and icy roads. "
Doc wrote on December 19, 2007 3:51 pm:
" Okay Class. Stop comparing LA and Chicago with Lincoln, compare Lincoln vs. Lincoln. A city of 250,000 that has the traffic mentality of Kearney and has had since 1956. Name the four lane roads that go all the way north and south through Lincoln. 9th/10th if that counts and 84th. Aren't those conveniently located? We don't need a by-pass around town, we need a by-pass through town. But, don't plan to take anything out on 27th or 48th as you'll probably see "tree huggers" chained to their old leafy darlings. "
Mark in CT wrote on December 19, 2007 4:30 pm:
" I'm from Lincoln, but now live in Connecticut, a small-in-size, but densely-populated state with tons of traffic problems. When I return home to visit, I breathe a sigh of relief when driving in Lincoln. I think Lincoln drivers are, for the most part, courteous compared to the tail-gating east coast drivers I encounter every day. When I first moved to Connecticut, I couldn't understand why I was getting honked at, at stoplights where I could turn right, but signage indicated "no turn on red". I would constantly get honked at for OBEYING the law. So, I started breaking the law like most everyone else here does. Don’t even get me started on Connecticut roadways in the summer, or in bad weather. A recent snowstorm hit at 1 in the afternoon, offices let out early, and 20-minute drives turned into 4-hour nightmares. People were running out of gas on the interstates…not moving a mile in an hour! So, even though I think Lincoln planners should have planned for some kind of expressway system (Anyone remember the proposed Northeast Radial?), and need to plan an expressway to link south Lincoln with Interstate 80, Lincoln’s traffic problems are small compared with other places. See you on Lincoln streets this Christmas! "
bd wrote on December 19, 2007 5:27 pm:
" No doubt! If it were up to me, we'd bulldoze 40th to make it a freeway through the middle of town, do the same with hwy2,remove the stoplights off of 77, make 27th 4 lane, make 48th r lane, make 70th 4 lane, make A 4 lane, make south 4 lane, make pioneers 4 lane (are you sensing a theme?) strip out half the traffic lights @ residential turnins, and set the lights to flash orange/red after 10pm. "
In defense of the city wrote on December 19, 2007 5:37 pm:
" The reasoning for the 4 lane road on Yankee Hill has nothing to do with "SOUTH" Lincoln preferential treatment. It's called planning ahead...something they admit was not done around the 27th and Superior area. There is a planned large-scale mall being developed at 27th and Yankee Hill and at 40th and Yankee Hill. (Building is underway already.) So, they city IS planning ahead. So, once again, the classist attitude of North Lincoln is uncalled for. "
DITTO wrote on December 19, 2007 7:31 pm:
" I agree with Doc: don't compare a city of millions (LA) to a city of 250,000. There really is no comparison. And I personally feel that Lincoln's traffic and drivers aren't anything out of the ordinary. You can usually tell when someone is from out of town, even before looking at their plates. I used to live on 40th & Normal and took Capital Parkway religiously. I now live on S. Coddington, and I still use Capital Parkway to get where I'm going. Like many of you said, you just need to know "backroads" and detours. I happen to think 56th St. is the absolute worst! Besides that, also STAY AWAY from 27th, 48th, and O St., especially during rush hour. Follow those rules and you'll be fine. If you still have problems, then all I can say is PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE. "

Ads by Yahoo!