The Back Road Driving Brigade

The 23 / 46 interchange is insane.

The 23 / 46 interchange is insane.
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It's like a pretzel that you have to figure your way around. I feel bad for people from out of the area who need to navigate it.

I can't say I'm hihjway phobic..Icy roads in my own town make me more nervous.

hihjway=highway

In many ways the Route 280 exit from GSP south is worse. God help you if you have to get on 280 eastbound..

i don't mind highway driving, but i agree, there are some spots and interchanges that are just hazardous. there is this one crossover on the way to the newark airport, where you have around literally, 15 yards to cut across three lanes of fast oncoming traffic. it's not only frightening, it's downright treacherous.

I've lived in NJ for my entire driving life and, until the invention of GPS, was unable to drive on Rt. 4 without getting lost or missing my exit.

Even with the GPS I occasionally overshoot an unsigned exit and have to drive for 5 - 10 miles to get to a u-turn.

We moved from NY about 5 years ago and was so frustrated by local roads... The maps said numbers, the street signs had names or vice-versa. How about the "intersection" by Mountainside Hospital? or Bloomfield Ave down near the college/diner and Annie Sez? Who designs these intersections? Crazy...

If you go to Newark airport and take Garden State Parkway from the North to 78, there is NO exit for 78 East, and you have to go 78 West and get off at a particular exit and turn around..

The sign for Newark Airport literally takes you West and the follow-up sign is SMALL..and I have missed the turn-around exit even when I am looking for the sign, so I feel REALLY bad for visitors and everyone else...

Gosh, when I was a teenager in NJ we would drive around trying to get lost but we'd always come across a sign telling us which way was which, so I don't understand the confusion.

I have a friend, though, who grew up in NJ and has a phobia against driving on highways.

I think it has something to do with the time she had a head-on collision with someone who was driving in the wrong lane of the Turnpike.

That might do it for me.

don't even get me started on morristown.

Drive around trying to get lost always came upon a sign? Try being from out of state and knowing nothing of NJ ... NJ HAS CONFUSING ROADS.

Driving most of your life in NJ makes everywhere else seem like the volume is turned way down. NJ is nuts but I'm confident I can handle any driving situation in any other state.

If you think driving a car in Jersey is crazy, try doing it on a motorcycle. It's the only reason I even considered racing.

California is pretty insane. Driving on a six lane highway is really scary - just too many lanes.

The highways around here make me nervous...particularly Rt. 17 Westbound, 287 near Morristown and that whole 78 West then East airport mess.

But Bloomfield Avenue...that's really scary. Everyone is either weaving in and out of lanes, tailgating or there is someone crossing the street where there is neither light nor crosswalk.

Signage is pathetic. Either they are tampered with and turned in opposite directions or they are too small to read. Names change with little warning and when you get to the zenith of being stressed out, there will surely be a soccer mom in a 2 ton SUV on her phone barreling toward you.

I like Denver. It's very easy to find your way around in that city. It's a grid with the North/South direction being delineated by numbered avenues and the East/West direction with alphabetized streets.

When I 1st moved here I called 46 the "Highway of Death" and would make all my kids stay quiet in the back as I attempted to merge or navigate the 23/46/80 spagetti bowl. I'm used to it now, but still don't like it.
I find signage very bad on most of the major roads - very little advance warning, often conflicting signs or just unclear. And what about those signs seemingly placed randomly around the state that "direct" you to the Garden State Pkwy? You'll be no where near the pkwy but see a sign "pointing the way". The poor newcomer is fooled into thinking the pkway is nearby, when all it really means is that if you keep going in that general direction, you may eventually encounter it.

Those who complain here about driving Jersey highways should only try driving from Glasgow to Edinburgh, in the rain, after but five minutes of reacquaintance with the vagaries of the clutch pedal and a stick shift. (Which of course is on the left-hand side to match the driver sitting on the right and driving to the left.) Just even try parallel parking in such an instance.

All is contextual. And really, merging into Lake Shore Drive or onto the Schuylkill or driving around Boston (ESPECIALLY driving round Boston)isn't much better.

Forget highways in NJ. Walnut St. is a death trap unto itself where lawlessness abounds by both driver and pedestrian alike.

That aside, I think 22 has to be the worst highway known to man with traffic from stores entering on both the left and the right. I especially avoid that whole area during the Nov and Dec shopping season.

Take the Lyons Ave exit from the Parkway South to get to the airport. It's a lot faster.

Having grown up in the shadows of Route 22, I have to disagree, TMP. In fact, Route 22 has to be one of the greatest highways ever conceived. Where else can you window shop while going 55 mph? And those center lane store parking lots that doubled as u-turn ramps? My favorite was the flagship, which looked like an actual ship. It used to be a furniture store, then it was the Wiz. No idea what it is now. And don't get me started on the Union Drive-in.

Horrible accident today on rt 78...now that's a scary road...the speed at which people drive on that highway is insane. It has nothing to do with the signage.

"Take the Lyons Ave exit from the Parkway South to get to the airport. It's a lot faster."

No thanks, I'll continue to use the Rte 78 West exit. Irvington totally creeps me out.

If you learn to use your damn signal light, you can go where ever you want to go!

Now, that was easy!

If you learn to use your damn signal light, you can go where ever you want to go!

Now, that was easy!

NJ drivers are bad, but the signs are worse. I learned to drive in Calif. where six lane highways are well marked and therefore easy (in my opinion) compared to NJ's three lane highways with hardly any clear signs. I still tremble when driving to Willowbrook - get in the right lane, no the left, no the right. merge, merge, merge....

I use back roads all the time, though I don't hesitate to hop on Rt. 3 as needed unless it's jammed. This ain't Wm Least Heat Moon territory, but you can still see some interesting stuff on the back roads around here.

I'm good with maps & keeping map images in my head so I rarely get lost.

Does anyone have any good back-road short cuts to the Holland Tunnel?

catseye,

I used to take the Belleville Turnpike to the Holland. It's basically Belleville Avenue all the way into Kearny. In Kearny you are at the top of a hill with a view towards the old garbage dumps of Secaucus. You continue on that road and follow signs for Holland. You'll go through a couple of semi tricky spots but if you follow signs you should get there.

Good luck.

My wife is an excellent driver, however, she will not do Route 3, 46 or 22. She's fine and at ease with the GSP. If she goes to Willowbrook it's Pompton Ave all the way, or Livingston Mall South Orange Avenue. She says Rout 10 is not all that scary, and will do that if necessary. Takes S.O. Ave to JFK for S.H. Mall.
Me? I don't like driving in NYC... e'one is apparently on drugs.

Rt 3 to Meadowlands Parkway to Secaucus Road to Paterson Plank Road to Observer Hwy to Luis Munoz to toll entrance. Not super quick, but reliable. This is the route to take if the covered roadway and toll lines are awful.

The Belleville Pike route is much more as the crow flies than going out to Rt. 3 & back. I use it to visit a friend in JC all the time. Likely similar amts of time either way, assuming toll lines aren't a factor.

5 years and counting and still no driver license in NJ. I lived all my life in the city and never needed to drive and now that I do I still seem not to take the test. I always tell myself that I will never get on the highway. Esp. that turn coming out of the tunnel or better yet merging to get in. I agree even in the passenger seat 280 to GSP scares me to death!!!!! I think the worse is driving at night when it is sometimes hard to see the yellow lines or there are none at all. As a matter of fact the lack of street lights in general esp on route 3 scares me. I'll never forget being in the car on route 3 in a down pour in the middle of the night! Even though i know the turns i couldn't see the the yellow lines or when the turns were coming up. Luckily I had a capable driver!

New Jersey is easy to drive through once you get one concept down pat.. NO LEFT TURN.

Go straight, turn right. Go straight, turn right. Go straight... turn.... RIGHT.

New Jersey really does suck for driving. I grew up in Central Jersey. When I moved up to Montclair I was shocked at how different driving was compared to home (for example: on 35 & 36 you just take a jug handle to make a left turn, on 46 & 3 you have to go over bridges and none of them are EVER the same!)

Now I'm used to North Jersey, but after driving around America for four months, I have to say that NJ drivers are the WORST, and so are the roads (as far as patching potholes up, too much construction, etc.) The only other place we experienced weird driving was in California, but at least that was scenic most of the time. Mark almost made a left turn on a highway the other day, "NOOO" I yelled, "You can't make a left turn on a highway! This is New Jersey!" He's also gotten out of the car more than once since we've been back to fill up on gas, only to realize someone else does that for you here.

NJ is great for having EZPass. When we go up to Massachusetts to visit my dad, we zoom past all the other people who pay the tolls with coins and cash. They have EZPass there, but for some reason no one uses it.

Yes, driving on NJ highways can be extremely stressful. But I grew up in Jersey and handle myself pretty well on the roads. My big fear though, the NJ Turnpike where 18 wheelers impatiently weave through traffic at break neck speed. Thank goodness there's an Ikea in Paramus now. No more need for the Turnpike.

The comments on this post simply confirm that most of the posters are terrible drivers - unskillful, nervous, and confused. For Heaven's sake, stay off the roads before you cause others to have accidents while avoiding your incompetence.

New Jersey highways are a horror. I've been driving on them for nearly 40 years. In my opinion, the most dangerous highway is Route 78. A month doesn't go by without some sort of fatal accident. There was one today; I believe two women in separate cars were killed in a tractor trailer/dump truck smash up. The mix of aggressive and reckless passenger vehicle behavior mixed with heavy truck traffic always adds up to disaster. I'm not giving the truckers a pass, but at least many of them have received some kind of professional training.

New Jersey highways are a horror. I've been driving on them for nearly 40 years. In my opinion, the most dangerous highway is Route 78. A month doesn't go by without some sort of fatal accident. There was one today; I believe two women in separate cars were killed in a tractor trailer/dump truck smash up. The mix of aggressive and reckless passenger vehicle behavior mixed with heavy truck traffic always adds up to disaster. I'm not giving the truckers a pass, but at least many of them have received some kind of professional training.

I've lived a lot of places, and signs here in NJ are terrible. I missed a flight following signs on 78 for the airport. Signs rarely get you where they say they are taking you. I especially love the signs that are posted just after the exit informing you what you just missed.

On the topic of signs, tip for NJ drivers: When approaching a yield sign YOU yield to traffic, traffic doesn't yield to you. Don't rush into oncoming traffic expecting everyone to get out of your way.

Crank--I'm in Upper Montclair, so for me the route 3 to Meadowlands Pkwy to Paterson Plank road to the tunnel is as the crow flies.

Also, the Belleville Pike doesn't help if the covered roadway is slammed.

And for all you Route 78 fearmongers, when I was a kid, our community was able to (for just a few years) stop the new construction of Route 78 from being completed. Through much of the early 70's, Route 78 stopped before going through the Watchung Ridge in Springfield, Summit, New Providence, etc.) Imagine if someone decided to build a major interstate highway through South Mountain Reservation or Eagle Rock or the Great Swamp and you'll get an idea of why there were protests. With the highway construction shut down over the ridge, if you wanted to head west from lower Manhattan to Bethlehem PA, you had to get off 78 at Union and take 22 as a detour. I spent many a summer hunting for snakes on this strip of semi-completed highway that would someday be route 78. Finally the highway got built, with one of the concessions being that they erect several highway overpasses for the animals. I'm not kidding. Drive through Watchung Reservation on 78 and you'll see these overpasses overgrown with trees, shrubs and lots of weeds.

Ah, if you're near Rt. 3, right you go.

on 35 & 36 you just take a jug handle to make a left turn

Bah, you young'un's have it easy now! Be glad you learned to drive after they eliminated the anarchy-on-wheels-cum-demolition-derby known as the Eatontown traffic circle (I also grew up in CNJ). And I'm not talking about a wee roundabout like the one on Allwood Rd in Clifton, either!

I've always thought that if you can drive in NJ, you can drive anywhere else (except maybe Manhattan) because our roads are so challenging; anywhere else is a drive in the park. Learning to drive in NJ has enabled me to motor my way through 35 states as well as Ireland and Scotland with aplomb. After one has conquered the terror of speeding across the Pulaski Skyway on a cold, dark, rainy night, or mastered the art of going from zero-to-60 in 200 feet or less to get onto Route 3, anything else is child's play!

But by all means, if you are at all intimidated by driving in NJ, stay on the local roads; and if you insist on getting on the highways, for Pete's sake, stay out of the fast lane! Some of us do know where we are going, and are in a hurry to get there!

Barista, you are not alone on the Jackie Robinson. That road is just a cement tunnel of doom. In Queens in general, pothole-pockmarked lanes are extra-narrow, and bordered by cement dividers without a single inch of space between them and the line at the edge of the road (They don't even bother painting the line! Just put a cement wall there!) and the tractor-trailer ruts on most of these roads - forget it!

But the Jackie takes it up another notch with tight, close turns, no warning or space to enter and exit, and signage that's out of a bad dream.

I've driven over the skyway for the fun of it, but the Jackie is one of the many places in Queens and Brooklyn that I shudder to think about.

I often take the back roads because I like to be with trees and lawn rather than asphalt and overpasses, not to mention toll booths.

I was the marketing manager for General Mills when the Red Lobster on 46 opened (GM owned the chain at the time). I had to place a grand opening ad in the Star Ledger and I put in a little map to show people where on 46 to go. The artist for the ad asked me to give him a rough sketch.

I had to drive that strip at least six times before I could figure it out. No map I could find at the time accurately represented it. I was from Connecticut and had never seen such intense traffic as what I saw on that stretch of 46.

I later went on to be a marketing manager for McDonald's which meant I traveled to high traffic locations all over the United States. Never have I seen such intense traffic and confusing road signs as what I have become accustomed to in NJ. I'm used to it now but it truly is formidable for the newcomer. And no sympathy is extended to such newcomers, either, as it is de rigeuer to honk the horn at the slightest hesitation.

Central Jersey is the worst, especially down in the raritn area where RT.440, 287 the Turnpike and Parkway come together.If you miss your turn or the exit you want it takes miles of frustration just to turn around.

Have you ever driven in Salt Lake City? The main Mormon Temple is considered the center of the city and all streets are named North, South, East and West of the temple. So you get addresses like 25 South 18 East. I used to live in Park City (pre Olympics) and went to Salt Lake for many necessities...it took me years to get the hang of the Mormon grid.