Do You Think I-74 Needs A 3rd Lane?
I saw the forum add asking if I thought I-74 needs a third lane and so here we go. Don't hesitate to join in with your thoughts on this confusing subject of why so many accidents are occurring on 74 between Champaign and Danville. Being a former truck driver I've seen numerous accidents and become accustomed to areas where they often occur and as well the times of day. With such a diverse group of people from high school, college kids to the workforce to seldom leaving home farmers on the highways Illinois has all the necessary diversity to cause everyone to be on the alert for these different driving styles but the accidents persist. Just from my first look it appears people for no understandable reason are lost in their own world. With today's technologies, ipods, cell phones, cd players pushing the limits on attention while driving is the go to cause and effect finger pointers run to. That said, without knowing all the other kinds of mitigating factors that play a small or large roll in driving behavior and cause and effect, it's difficult to make any real knowledgeable decision.
I've seen a lot, from dressing for work, reading the paper, reading books, messing with the wife/husband, kids, to shaving, combing, painting nails, lips, toes, changing for gym, workouts, aerobics, having sex, getting ready to have sex, had sex, drinking, drinking and driving and on and on and on but I have not seen it all, no such thing exist as all of it, it is always changing.
I honestly don't know what it takes to get people to pay more attention when driving and to respect the results of what happens when you wreck. All I can say is that every part of this country has different driving styles depending on its population and things to do. I do fear that the right answer may be a combination of different things are needed in an attempt to address all the different drivers. From more billboards, more lights, more reflectors, etc to more exit ramps, trees, etc to break up the scene automatically causing drivers to reset their focus every time they notice something new, different which in turn makes them alert and more likely to stay aware of their surroundings, the traffic around them and not what's the next song on the ipod, who's messaging me now, etc.
I hope the answers are soon found and can be implemented. No one wants to see another accident or death. Given that sources respond after the effects have been caused, it is unknown if something, anything can be done which is always better than nothing. Your tax dollars at work may have already been spent when governor Quinn gave his staff pay increases because what they are doing is worth far more than a human life. Same for former governor Ryan, all that tax spent would have been much better suited to fix problems such as I-74 but Ryan had to break the law and show that people no matter how once good can always turn bad and to get results from politicians when less money is available is the problem when it cost so much to punish them. Fingers crossed but not holding my breath...
Cars will be able to drive
Cars will be able to drive themselves on smaller highway space per vehicle before an extra lane on I74 is needed.
Re: A 3rd Lane on I-74
Re: A 3rd Lane on I-74 Between the Land of Plenty and the Land of Poverty
The Need: When I commuted via I-74 from D'ville to Chambanapaign in the late 60s I recall at times when there were NO cars to speak of ahead or behind. (I'm glad I'm not out there now.) Of *course* a 3rd lane would be beneficial and even if you don't think now is the time, what will another 10 or 30 yrs. bring? Make the new, right lane for trucks, if nothing else.
Distracted driving: Well, if women are painting their toenails, as one trucker said, while driving at the speed limit, it's pretty much hopeless. Texting is ridiculous, and now illegal. And as helpful as those GPS things are said to be, I'm leery of anything that attracts visual attention.
I have no solution since there is no way to check all these misbehaviors, not to mention people driving while feeling ill, distraught, angry, with tooth pain, needing to go to the bathroom, etc;
Speeding: I bicycle a lot and am keenly aware of how much pavement is flying by under me at "only" 12 mph. Out there on the open road, I'm sure most(?) have no realization of their true velocity--but it they could see how they'd fly through, say, a neighborhood street at 65mph, that might drive home the point. Still, people can be lured into speeding because the darn cars have so much pep and power and speeds that are never legal to use.
So,ticket ,ticket, ticket. I don't care anymore because I don't speed. Between D'vlle and C.U. speeding may save only about 8 or 9 minutes. Last I knew distance = rate x time, so time = distance/rate. You figure up the 35 mi. at 55mph vs 70mph and see what the time difference is.
Regards,
Anyone who has driven on the
Anyone who has driven on the Belt Parkway, which runs through Brooklyn and Queens in New York City, would know that I-74 between Mahomet and Danville is not over loaded.
The Belt Parkway, built in the 1930's and on which commercial traffic is banned, has lanes a foot or two narrower than I-74. When I was growing up in NYC, the speed limit was 40 or 45. Last time I visited it was 55, bu cars drove 65 often with at most two car lengths between cars
The cost of 3rd lane is $200
The cost of 3rd lane is $200 to $300 million? Invest that money in a long term job creation for Vermilion Co. so people do not need to drive to Champaign/Urbana for employment. That will decrease traffic and stimutate Verm. Co. economy. Win, win.
No third lanes are needed for
No third lanes are needed for safety purposes. Enforce traffic laws for tailgating, speed, aggressive driving and inattention w/must-appear tickets and outrageously higher fines. Hundreds of times between C-U and Danville, I have witnessed less-than-a-carlength tailgating by GROUPS of vehicles traveling in excess of 75 mph. That's over 100 ft per second.....disasters in the making. Plus, at any given time, a percentage of drivers are under the influence of drugs/alcohol ....exceptional disasters in the making. Third lanes won't cure that.
As a commuter on this highway
As a commuter on this highway for many years, I think that part of the problem is that construction zone speed limits are introduced too far in advance of the actual construction project. By the time drivers reach the actual working area, they have become cynical as to whether or not real work is being done and the need to have the reduced speed. Having traveled other interstate highways and faced construction zones in other areas of Illinois as well as in other states, I find that the shorter the distance between the reduced speed signs and the actual construction, the more alert I am for the actual working "event". I think driving I74 between Urbana and Danville is a lesson in frustration due to the numerous construction sites that are short in duration but very long in reduced-speed requirements. I am reminded of the boy who cried wolf. Am I the only one?
The road is adequate and not
The road is adequate and not inherently dangerous. More signs are an ugly distraction from the road and traffic, which should be a driver's main focus. More lanes simply encourage faster and more reckless driving, as evidenced in any major city. If any serious investment needs to be made to improve the safety of this stretch of road, it should begin with increased law enforcement, prominently advertised with appropriate signage, especially during peak traffic hours. If there is actual consideration of spending 50-100 million dollars for a roadway expansion, think of what a bargain 2 or 3 (or more) WELL-PAID officers would be (theirs is a very risky and dangerous profession, after all.) Few things get a driver's attention more effectively than the flashing lights of a police vehicle.
It would take 50 years to
It would take 50 years to build a third lane. Look how slow the road construction is now. We would have one lane until they got done with the third lane. There would be thousands killed by then. Why don't they use a cattle prod and speed these people up. These overpasses should be prebuilt and set in place. This should only take 30-45 days tops. They want to make the project last until it gets cold.
I feel that I-74 does not
I feel that I-74 does not need a third lane, at least not until the economy significantly and noticeably improves for the region. It makes little sense to me to spend money to build a lane that itself needs to be maintained with more road funds. I think that the money would be better spent on true regional self-sufficiency and sensible economic growth through funding to more basic economic foundations such as education and local industry.
I think that a third lane
I think that a third lane from Mahomet to at least St. Joseph would be helpful. There is so much traffic on the interstate in this area, especially when people are heading to work and back home. This would help ease some of that congestion and make it safer to enter and exit I-57 and Champaign/Urbana exits, where there are also many accidents and improve traffic flow. Heading west from Champaign to Mahomet, at around 5:00 pm, some days I can't go faster than 50-55 mph and it can be nearly impossible to try to pass a vehicle.
I think improving the scenery, by adding more signs, might help. But a lot of it is just common sense, which it seems fewer and fewer people have anymore. I also agree having more of a police presence would be helpful, if possible.
Reduce the speed limit to 55
Reduce the speed limit to 55 mph and ...ENFORCE IT.
I can't fathom the need for a
I can't fathom the need for a third lane but, presuming some need exists which escapes me, I'd rather see investments made in alternative forms of transportation such as intercity bus service or rail. If you can make it attractive enough of an option, you might be able to get enough private vehicles off the road to eliminate the need for a third lane. I suspect such a service would be much cheaper to operate than constructing and maintaining twenty five miles of new lane.
Distracted driving is another matter altogether, although alternate transportation would help. I agree with your suggestions, though, which would break up the unstimulating visuals which lead many a mind to wander.
Considering the cost of
Considering the cost of building a heavy rail (Commuter Rail) line from Urbana to Danville would be in the 2 to 3 million dollar PER mile range just for construction (not including land acquisition, engineering,and other considerations) I think rail is simply not feasible. Putting more traffic in the form of buses on an already crowded section of interstate also does not make sense. I'm not sure the Champaign to Mahomet section of I-74 really needs 3 lanes. What I feel that section needs is a complete re-building of the Mahomet exit to accomidate the heavy exit ramp traffic. The Urbana to Danville section is just plain dangerous...as witnessed by all the tragic acccidents in the last several years, especially between Urbana and St. Joseph.
According to
According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail#Costs_of_light_rail_construction..., the cost of an additional lane for both directions is $20M/mile. In addition, heavy rail lines already exist between Champaign and Mahomet as shown on page 11 of http://www.ccrpc.org/LRMP/PDF/adopted_LRMP/a2_Existing%20Conditions/09_T... so only about 8 miles of new line would be necessary. Given the choice between an additional lane and rail, I'd go with the. Now, as others have mentioned, there are many less costly alternatives to lane expansion and rail which should be considered first. One I haven't seen mentioned yet is to encourage the shift of the busines hours of major employers. If the University operated 8-4, 10-6, or even day-shift (academic)/night-shift (nonacademic), you could get higher utilization both of University space and roads.
Sorry, I should clarify that
Sorry, I should clarify that the 8 miles was to St Joseph, not Danville.
So no one else a fan of rail
So no one else a fan of rail or shifting working hours slightly?
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