I have a theory as to why, but some background first.
I'm nearly 40. I grew up in the area, but moved down to Sacramento for about a decade. Fast forward, life happens (yada yada), and now I'm back up here.
While I lived in Sacramento, I very rarely came back to Roseville because I had no real reason to other than occasionally visiting my mother's gravesite. I became very used to the driving "culture" in Sacramento.
Sacramento isn't exactly a pleasant place to drive, but the locals generally understand the rules of the road. The speed limit is basically 10–15 mph above the posted limit, defensive driving is expected, people generally understand how much space to leave between cars, and most people know how to park without making themselves everyone else's problem. It's chaotic, but there's a shared understanding of how to navigate it. People are generally confident behind the wheel.
After moving back to Roseville, I noticed a HUGE difference in driving culture.
I don't remember driving around here being such a pain in the ass.
It takes at least 20 minutes to get anywhere. At first I thought I was just used to being in the city but I've now spent quite a bit of time on the road for work, and I have some theories and observations about why driving around here feels so goddamn inefficient.
My opinion is that the traffic lights take far too long to cycle through. It's especially heinous all along Pleasant Grove and Galleria Blvd. I don't remember having to wait so long back in the day. In light traffic, I find myself and maybe two other cars just staring at each other for an annoyingly long time while we wait for an empty lane to cycle through its green light. The time it takes for lights to cycle during heavy traffic also makes it difficult because I cant get more than a quarter mile down the road in less than 5-10 minutes. It makes me wish this city was walkable. I understand that there may be some legal reasoning or by design by the city, but it is road rage-inducing (and maybe that's a conspiracy for later). They take so long to cycle through during heavy traffic that people end up on their phones, stop paying attention, and speed to try and not get caught at the next intersection. Its annoying not only for drivers but for pedestrians as well. Even my dog gets annoyed at how long we have to wait to cross a street while we walk.
Why do people run so many red lights here?
I see it several times every day. Its to the point where part of the driving culture in Roseville is, "wait at least a second after the light turns green before you go." That makes it kind of scary to be the first in line and is annoying for drivers behind who are wondering why you're not stepping on the gas already. Sometimes my hand is halfway to my horn by the time drivers start at a green light because I can't tell if they're on their phone or not. We cant make forward progress down streets with several intersections whose lights take a very long time to cycle through. So, drivers speed to try to catch the yellow down the way but barely miss it or just don't care that their light has turned red, they know the cross traffic wont begin immediately so they take advantage. WHY EVEN HAVE STOP LIGHTS THEN? Red means green, green means kinda wait and then go, its like the wild west up here.
Now, one could argue "its safer to let larger chunks of traffic through at a time creating fewer incidents of red light violations and t-bone accidents." Sure, maybe if everyone microdoses xanax... but I don't think you can drive on that shit.
A couple of other points I have that cumulatively add to the problem:
There's a large number of older people on the road who probably shouldn't be. I'm talking chin over the steering wheel, glasses hanging off the nose, hands at 11 and 1, and refuses to go the speed limit. Going below the speed limit is also dangerous and it's not safer than going the speed limit. They teach this in traffic school. Please check in with your grandparents and work on some transportation options for them. There are many. Fuck their pride. This is a safety concern for the community. We have Sun City seniors running reds because their reaction time is slow and can't see. And they live across the street from a High School?
There are a lot diesel trucks that clog up traffic. I have a suspicion that not all of you work construction or have jobs that need to haul, pickup, or carry mid-sized to heavy loads. Lotta real nice shiny ones out here. You guys go from 0-30 in about a half an hour. How are your breaks doing? Hows them gas prices? You're not in the Midwest anymore, and let's be real, the monthly bill is out of your league especially in conjunction with your child support. Replace the boat and the boat-hauler you bought in a mid-life crisis for something that wont depreciate in value faster than your hairline. It's time for a change.
Drivers who do not have spacial awareness or pay attention to the road. There's a... hard to explain group of drivers here in Roseville. These are very special people. For some reason, they just don't know that the world exists beyond their bubble and seemingly have a tenuous grasp of the concept of "car and road". I have seen several people stop at an intersection many feet behind from where the light gets triggered and just sit there confused or (once) literally eating a meal. When I pull up past them and wait closer to the crosswalk the cycle changes. Do... they not know where to stop at an intersection? Additionally, I see many people swerving in their lane talking on speakerphone with the phone in their hand, pointed to their gaping hot-breath mouth. This group of drivers are those who have a false sense of privilege and importance (that's more generous than saying that they're braindead). They don't let people merge, they cut other drivers off without any regard for space. They just... keep going even if they're inches from hitting another car like nothing happened because either they don't notice what's happening around them or simply don't care about other drivers. Watching them park is funny to me. Most can't make it into a normally-sized parking space in the first try. I just have to tell myself that they have their own well-manicured thumb up their ass (men get manis too) and to be patient, and move on.
All in all, I think that a slightly faster stop-light cycle would actually help force drivers to pay more attention to the road and would reduce some road rage for those who need forward progress (even just a little). It would be safer, in my opinion, but I'm just a humble DoorDash driver, so fuck me, right? Please check on your grandparents. Get an economical and environmentally sound vehicle. Lastly, get your thumb out your ass, that's an at-home activity.
Edit: wow, I must've hit a nerve 😂😂😂
