Per trip it may not matter, but over 200 days of driving back and forth to work it does add up. Houston area traffic can be horrific and saving 5 minutes each way can be the thing that avoids road raging. Drivers seem to get worse over time and my drive in the morning is 30 minutes. On the way home can be up to 90 minutes. Those extra minutes matter and about 25% of drivers are “speeding” for the same reason I am.

I'm a bit of a miser so I pay attention to my fuel economy. As a result I drive so that I can usually time the lights so that I am rolling thru the light without stopping. This not only saves on gas it also extends clutch and brake life. So I typically average a bit below the speed limit and it does tend to piss off some drivers. Funny thing is I see the same cars at the lights I was not able to "time" and this can hold true for 15 or 20 miles in city traffic. The simple fact is that in city traffic you will always be impeded by traffic and the smart thing to do is take my approach and drive to maximize fuel economy. BTW I drive a high performance Sports car, a Ford Fiesta ST, and if I'm mindful to stay out of the turbo I can see over 37 mpg in city driving.

For highway driving my preferred speed is 68 mph because it produces a good balance between fuel economy and time. However in some areas that a speed where you can get run over so on the highway I drive at the Median speed for the traffic. Where I save time on long trips is at the fuel stops. Fact is you can fill a 12 gallon tank a lot faster than 18 gallon or more fuel tanks. In addition I minimize drinking fluids on a long drive and don't eat, so I can drive for 12 hours without stopping for anything except fuel. As a result a 600 mile drive to see my sister takes me 9 hours.

BTW I once did the drive from Clearwater, FL to metro Detroit and it took 22 hours. One big problem is that my father wouldn't allow me to leave at 3:30 AM like a I wanted to and leaving at 9 AM put me into Atlanta at about 4:00 PM, where I spent the next 4 freaking hours stuck in the largest traffic jam I have ever seen. Point here is that if you are facing a long drive the biggest time saver is leaving 3 or 4 hours before sunrise.

Final note. While traffic enforcement in Ohio is only a shadow of what it once was you will NOT be able to maintain an 85 mph average speed in that state. Best you can do in Ohio is 75 mph and at Toledo, Dayton, and Cincinnati areas you need to slow down to 65 to keep from getting ticketed.

quote:

Originally posted by mrvmax:
Per trip it may not matter, but over 200 days of driving back and forth to work it does add up. Houston area traffic can be horrific and saving 5 minutes each way can be the thing that avoids road raging. Drivers seem to get worse over time and my drive in the morning is 30 minutes. On the way home can be up to 90 minutes. Those extra minutes matter and about 25% of drivers are “speeding” for the same reason I am.

My coworker commutes from Fulshear to IAH 3 days a week. 1:15 on a great day. Just over 3hrs has been his longest.
My commute from the Woodlands to the IAH area, only about 20 miles & flow of traffic is typically around 70mph, so only 5 over.
There's outliers on both sides, but with the volume of traffic, you aren't going to be getting much faster unless you're actively seeking the gaps & cutting in/out of lanes.

quote:

Originally posted by B92F:
Time moves like a river at a constant speed. We are just a bolder in the river of time.

When we are calm and not in a hurry time just flows around us. However, when we are in a hurry we put out all these negative waves making us sticky, our forward progress thru time is hindered. From our position inside our small bubble of negative wages, our perception of time remains unchanged.


The rest of time and the world continues to flow at its regular speed. Therefore, our journey thru time is affected by all those negative waves resulting in us arriving at our destination later in time than if we had just remined calm.

The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners.

I have no proof other than observations...
It appears that a loca city I travel through often has the lights timed for "LEO speed limits". You know, just 10 mph over the actual limits that they all drive at, but citizens aren't allowed to go.

When I drive certain sections at that speed, I magically hit most the lights green. Two of these lights are almost 4 minutes cycle time each.

I don't advocate going that fast, as I decided to leave earlier instead. However, it is annoying when your in a rush.

I find my speed is somewhat influenced by the drivers around me. Last month I was headed to work at 0600 hrs on a 25mph 2 lane residential street. Myself and the car in front of me were the only vehicles in sight. We past a radar speed signs and the car in front clocked in at whopping 17 mph. When that car finally turned off I made sure to make up that time lost.

quote:

Originally posted by B92F:
Time moves like a river at a constant speed. We are just a bolder in the river of time.

When we are calm and not in a hurry time just flows around us. However, when we are in a hurry we put out all these negative waves making us sticky, our forward progress thru time is hindered. From our position inside our small bubble of negative wages, our perception of time remains unchanged.


The rest of time and the world continues to flow at its regular speed. Therefore, our journey thru time is affected by all those negative waves resulting in us arriving at our destination later in time than if we had just remined calm.

quote:

Originally posted by gjgalligan:
Back in my Harley riding days I left work on the main drag a guy passed my on the left. I watched him weaving in & out the different lanes. 5 miles up the road, with 15 -20 traffic lights in between, I pulled up on his left at a light. I looked over at him and said: "You sure didn't get very far with all that asshole driving."
He just turned and looked straight ahead without saying a word.

This is amongst my greatest joys in life.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
There's outliers on both sides, but with the volume of traffic, you aren't going to be getting much faster unless you're actively seeking the gaps & cutting in/out of lanes.

I’d agree with this and add that this kind of “aggressive a-hole” driving likely greatly increases one’s chances of getting in an accident or getting a ticket.

For me it’s not about time saved but safety. On the highway I always get into the fast lane and keep up with traffic. From 40 years of riding motorcycles without a single scratch from street riding I’ve always felt the safest in the fast lane. You really only need to view from noon to 3:00. In the slower lane you constantly have traffic moving all around you with lane changers doing it 370 degrees.