Maybe I'm just getting old or in the get off my lawn phase, but I don't recall so many people trying to use 75 like a formula 1 course maybe 6 months ago.

Even in rush hour there are constant streams of guys changing 3 lanes in 100 yards and even going to the shoulder to get around moderate traffic.

I think the 70 limit has made people a bit crazy, I don't get anywhere any sooner but some people I think are so pissed to be below the limit that they feel entitled to drive crazy.

Is it the speed limit or new people in the area driving traffic upwards that is the cause of this? And I assume the cops have just thrown in the towel on enforcement for safety so that's not an option either.

Well I'm talking about a rush hour situation where traffic is moving in the 55-65 range and there really isn't anywhere for people to merge or speed up because of general congestion.

Yet these guys want to drive 80 thru medium dense traffic.

Gotcha. I don't notice that too often, but that doesn't invalidate what you see. As for the speed limit, it's been 70mph since I moved here 2.5 years ago, so I don't think it's a 6 month ago deal. Maybe people finally noticed the signs 6 months ago?

Hell, few months ago was heading north up 75 on a Saturday (I rarely am on 75) cruising on the bike about 85mph just to keep up with traffic. People were still passing me.

Both of those are what I see on my daily commute along those roads. I'm fine with people flying down that part of Mockingbird, though. It's a major thoroughfare to east Dallas.

Yeah, I clearly remember people treating 75 like a drag strip all the way back to when the current iteration opened after the complete reconstruction was done in the late 90's

I'm thinking more out closer to the bridge and across the bridge.

Are there a lot of wrecks along that stretch?

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Maybe I'm just getting old or in the get off my lawn phase

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I agree with you OP. It is getting dangerous. There are too many idiots using Tollway and 75 as their personal Autobahn...weaving in and out of traffic at speeds of 90+. I have had several close calls on both highways because of these idiots or people responding to them almost crashing into me.

'03ag said:

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culdeus said:

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Even in rush hour there are constant streams of guys changing 3 lanes in 100 yards

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This, doesn't jive with this

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Well I'm talking about a rush hour situation where traffic is moving in the 55-65 range and there really isn't anywhere for people to merge or speed up because of general congestion.

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If there's room to change lanes 3 times in 100 yards, and traffic is moving 55-65, then there is room to clear the left lane, and the congestion is being caused by the people cruising 55-65 in the left lane.

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The cause of congestion is another matter. Yes, we could be better served by having less cruising in the left lane but that's not our culture and there is no enforcement of this from the law.

The issue I see are people that want to run 90 in the left lane and are being held up and instead opt to make several high risk rapid lane changes on the throttle in order to get two car lengths up the left lane.

Whether this is speed limit driven, or general congestion driven I can't say. It's just an observation I have had.

You also have this odd situation on 75 where people serially drive the access road for miles and miles.

culdeus said:

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The issue I see are people that want to run 90 in the left lane and are being held up and instead opt to make several high risk rapid lane changes on the throttle in order to get two car lengths up the left lane.

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My problem is that I can't even do the speed limit in the left lane if I wanted to because too many people are camped out at 60 MPH. Couple this with the fact that the left lane becomes an exit only lane at downtown and the whole thing gets ****ed over.

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The issue I see are people that want to run 90 in the left lane and are being held up and instead opt to make several high risk rapid lane changes on the throttle in order to get two car lengths up the left lane.

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Yep. I see this every single day. The issue is that there really is no enforcement on Tollway. (And very little on 75 as well) DPS doesn't run traffic on Tollway and DPD is too busy to really bother running traffic on 75. So it is a free-for-all.

I don't think the lack of enforcement during rush hour is due to the police being too busy. I have a relative who is a Dallas policeman and he told me that if they routinely pulled people over during rush hour, the flashing lights would cause gridlock.

As a former cop, all the DPD guys would tell me that traffic was their lowest priority and they had pages of calls holding. It just wasn't something they really dealt with. I will also agree with you that running traffic during rush hour is not ideal as it would cause more damage than good, but DPD really isn't really a big traffic enforcement kind of PD.

Didn't the Sheriff's department provide traffic enforcement for the Dallas County freeways a few years ago? It seemed like I would see them most days, especially on I20, as I commuted from Garland to GM Arlington. I don't know about what's happening now since I've retired and moved to Fairview.

Law Hall 69-72 said:

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I don't think the lack of enforcement during rush hour is due to the police being too busy. I have a relative who is a Dallas policeman and he told me that if they routinely pulled people over during rush hour, the flashing lights would cause gridlock.

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Irving PD does this on occasion on 114 and it's a total cluster.

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People probably think I'm a crazy driver at this point, but I don't think they should have PD patrolling on Toll roads. Toll roads should (hypothetically) be a fast an efficient way to travel, and you shouldn't have to worry about getting pulled over for going a little bit above the speed limit if traffic allows.

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I would agree with that except for the fact that now you have jackasses going 100+ just because they can. It gets more dangerous by the day. Nobody is worried about the guy going 80. That's not a problem.

Fair point

BlueAg2003 said:

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People probably think I'm a crazy driver at this point, but I don't think they should have PD patrolling on Toll roads. Toll roads should (hypothetically) be a fast an efficient way to travel, and you shouldn't have to worry about getting pulled over for going a little bit above the speed limit if traffic allows.

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I would agree with that except for the fact that now you have jackasses going 100+ just because they can. It gets more dangerous by the day. Nobody is worried about the guy going 80. That's not a problem.

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Which is probably the root cause of 95% of the crashes on the DNT. Always at night and some jackass thinking he's Mario Andretti.

Quinn said:

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People probably think I'm a crazy driver at this point, but I don't think they should have PD patrolling on Toll roads. Toll roads should (hypothetically) be a fast an efficient way to travel, and you shouldn't have to worry about getting pulled over for going a little bit above the speed limit if traffic allows.

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I like the way you think. Lets get some autobahn action going in the exurbs.

I drive 75 every day and it is the same crap every day:

no matter the time of day you have idiots going 50-55 and those hanging out in the left lane that are doing anything but going the speed limit and passing people.

I regularly drive 75 after rush hour and late into the night and it never fails there are morons just hanging out in the left lane oblivious to why i am flashing them and honking my horn so maybe they learn some common sense.

and to the comment about access roads....if you haven't tried it you should. I''ve mastered which on/off ramps are best where you won't hit lights or sitting at lights are faster. I am 80-90% of the time faster on the access roads than the highway. And when i do use the access road. the other 10%, I am not noticeably any slower.

If I'm too fast, you're too old!

Saw the usual this morning - cars going maybe 50mph in the right lane and some dude camped out at 60mph in the left lane with plenty of room to go much faster than that.

FightinTAC08 said:

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I regularly drive 75 after rush hour and late into the night and it never fails there are morons just hanging out in the left lane oblivious to why i am flashing them and honking my horn so maybe they learn some common sense.

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I am almost positive these types know what they are doing and receive great joy from your antics.

Quinn said:

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Saw the usual this morning - cars going maybe 50mph in the right lane and some dude camped out at 60mph in the left lane with plenty of room to go much faster than that.

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See this every day as well. Once you get past the congestion around Walnut Hill or Royal, it opens up all the way until usually Spring Valley or Beltline - and even then it doesn't slow down that much. But you're right, some idiot going 60 in the left hand lane after the congestion while there are several hundred yards of space between them and the next car and people whizzing by in the next lane. Usually it's a truck or van on its way to a construction job, completely oblivious to what's going on.

CJS4715 said:

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FightinTAC08 said:

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I regularly drive 75 after rush hour and late into the night and it never fails there are morons just hanging out in the left lane oblivious to why i am flashing them and honking my horn so maybe they learn some common sense.

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I am almost positive these types know what they are doing and receive great joy from your antics.

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I regularly drive 74 mph and it never fails there are morons flashing me and honking their horns. I take the 04 wagon off cruise so maybe they learn some common sense.