Highway Lighting Costs

[Hoss]

Yep, one thing I don't miss about Tulsa is the traffic and the drivers.

As bad as Tulsa/Oklahoma drivers are in general, you damn sure wouldn't want to commute in Northern VA or North Texas/Dallas.  They make Tulsa drivers look like auto mensas....

[rebound]

Tulsa is a strange mix of small town and big city driving, and it is the mix that causes a lot of the issues.   LA driving and Dallas area driving are similar, in that everyone knows its a competition, and everyone drives fast and aggressive.  I really get tired of that kind of driving, but at least you know what to expect and once you ramp up to that mode, it flows pretty well.  We have some of that in Tulsa, but also a lot of small-town type deferential driving.  Those two types of driving don't mesh well, and causes a lot of the confusion here, particularly on the highways.

[patric]

Tulsa is a strange mix of small town and big city driving, and it is the mix that causes a lot of the issues.   LA driving and Dallas area driving are similar, in that everyone knows its a competition, and everyone drives fast and aggressive.  I really get tired of that kind of driving, but at least you know what to expect and once you ramp up to that mode, it flows pretty well.  We have some of that in Tulsa, but also a lot of small-town type deferential driving.  Those two types of driving don't mesh well, and causes a lot of the confusion here, particularly on the highways.

I see a good example of that at certain onramps to the BA expressway. The "acceleration lanes" at Harvard are notoriously short and sometimes an expressway driver will slow to let me in but since they have the right-of-way I dont assume thats always the case.  That, and its an awfully dangerous  gesture of courtesy that could end in disaster.  I have a split second to decide either way.

Tulsa doesnt light expressways for safety but for the illusion of safety, and that illusion can also prove fatal.  People drive faster when expressways are lit like downtown streets, and pedestrians feel confident crossing in front of 65mph traffic because it looks safe.