Driving in Detroit
Most of the time I try not to rent a car when I travel. The local transit systems in big cities or in Europe make a car unnecessary. In other areas, I can use Uber or Lyft to get around as needed effectively and efficiently. Then there is Detroit. Motown. The Motor City. Whatever you call it, you better have a car to get to the end of the sentence. In Detroit, the car is truly king.
The first thing to know about Detroit is that everything is car-sized in the never-ending suburbia around the city. The roads are built for cars – not bikes or pedestrians. The freeways are massive – four lanes minimum in each direction with medians wider than most city parks. And the roads are meant for fast-flowing traffic. Feeder roadways have huge medians compared to most areas. This is a car city, so there is no need to worry about people on foot or on a bike. Why would you walk when you can drive instead?
Speed limits in Michigan are also something special. They have both a minimum and maximum speed posted. The maximum speed is, like nearly everywhere, merely a suggestion. Traveling with traffic on a freeway means, as nearly everywhere in the United States, driving a bit over the posted limits. Regional roads are also faster than other areas. A road that would typically be 35 MPH where I live is 50 MPH. A 15 MPH zone anywhere else is 25 MPH. Driving by feel and experience is nearly impossible as a visitor.
Then there is the “Michigan left.” On a divided road, to turn left you go past your destination, get into a left exit/turn lane, and make what is essentially a u-turn to travel the opposite direction. Changing lanes abruptly appears to be encouraged. This is a bit like elbowing your way onto a subway, but while going 40 miles per hour and with things that weigh several tons.
The distances between basic things are also much bigger. Why walk from the hotel to the nearby restaurant when you can drive? Driving will take 5 minutes, walking could take 20 and, with no clear sidewalks, could be deadly.
Detroit is a city where the bigger the car the better. Compact parking spaces don’t seem to exist. If I could rent an F 250 Superduty, I may be able to just find my car in the parking lot from more than a few feet away. This is one of the very few places where the minivan I rented was one of the smaller cars on the road.
Big cars, big state, big football. Just hide those Notre Dame and Ohio colors.
Not my photo, as I don’t take photos while driving…
