6 Things to Remember When Driving In a Strange City
Driving in a strange city strange to you, you quickly discover two things – first, that most signs are for drivers who know where they are going, and second, drivers who know where they are going have little tolerance for drivers who don’t. Here are some hints to ease your on-wheels introduction not only to new street patterns, but to a new city’s particular pace, rhythm and unwritten rules of the road.
- Before your trip, get a good map and pore over it. Your best sources: the library (which should have a road atlas); a state highway map (which will have insets of detailed sections of major cities); The Automobile Association of America members have access to their stock of local maps. Study the map before you leave to anticipate problems before you encounter them.
Note the names of major streets, the directions in which they run and their location relative to each other – what is parallel to what and which ones cross. Even if you get lost, knowing the names and directions of major streets helps when asking for directions. Some arteries may also be highways with route numbers, and route signs are often easier to spot than street names when you are behind the wheel.
Locate on the map the street that is your destination, and note its relation to the major streets, including the ones you may encounter if you overshoot your mark. Notice the numbers of the nearest freeway exits, too. Remember that street names may appear at several different exits, but every exit does have its own number; figure out which one you need and you won’t get lost.
- Get oriented. East us east and west is west, and you’ll need to know which is which, particularly in cities where directions are part of the address, such as “NE” or “SW.” If a mountain range is to the west of the city or a lake is to the north, noting that fact will be helpful. Or use distinctive buildings, radio towers – whatever is available to mark a direction. Don’t count on the sun; darkness or a heavy, overcast sky can disorient you.
- Discover the street pattern. In some cities, streets are laid out in a simple grid. Perhaps overlaid with a diagonal or two. Other towns are spider webs. Some cities make it easy, by numbering streets or naming them alphabetically; in others they’re named after American presidents, so if you’re not lucky enough to remember that Polk served after Tyler, you’re likely to get lost. Whatever the pattern, discover it.
Also, consider the one-way streets. For instance, are all odd-numbered streets northbound? On detailed city maps, arrows sometimes indicate the direction of individual streets’ traffic flow. Once you’ve checked that pattern, however, remember that reality can differ from the map. When driving in a city that was once familiar but which you haven’t visited recently, it’s especially important to remember that thoroughfares that used to move in one direction can now be a solid stream of traffic flowing in the other.
Street numbers offer another pattern worth observing. In which direction do street numbers get bigger? And do they increase in both directions from a particular thoroughfare or only in one direction from a river or lakefront?
- Learn the sign language. Cities have individual ways of placing directional signs and street names. Some cities confound strangers by posting only the names of the cross streets and never naming the street you’re on, except at main intersections. Other cities re more helpful, announcing the name of each upcoming street with large signs at midblock.
- Notice what the locals do. This is especially important in terms of driving speed. Obviously you always drive at a speed at which you’re comfortable, so if the tempo on the main arteries tightens your grip on the steering wheel, either stay well to the right to find alternate routes. If, on the other hand, traffic moves at a more leisurely pace than you’re used to, ease off: you may attract police attention if you proceed at your usual speed.
One important question: How do the locals respond to yellow lights? If the yellow lights are seen as “hard,” most drivers will treat them as what they were designed to be: preliminary reds, requiring that you stop. In a “soft yellow” city, many drivers will treat the lights as a trailing green, and press on to cross the intersection before the red light appears. If you’re in a “soft yellow” city, wait a beat at a changing red to be sure no drivers are about to shave the light.
- Be more attentive than usual to personal safety. You should always look out for your personal safety on the road – but be doubly alert in a city unknown to you. Always lock your doors and conceal your valuables. Stow all luggages out of sight and while at the wheel put your purse under a seat or out of view. Drive with all windows up.
Ask about high crime areas. A map shows streets’ names and layouts, but it cannot characterize a district as one that strangers should avoid. Ask where those areas are, and until you know, stick to the superhighway and maintain arteries.
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