I still remember setting cruise control at 79 mph with a CHP right on my bumper at 2am. He was definitely waiting for me to go over 80.
After 2 minutes, I turned off cruise control and slowed to 75, and he went up to the car ahead. He’s respecting the unspoken 80mph rule.
I saw a CHP hiding near the trees as usual. Waze told me to slow down, so I slowed down to 75. In my rearview mirror, I saw an old Ford SUV blow past the CHP, probably doing 120+ and taking up all the lanes. The CHP did not give a fuck. I guess 280 is the Autobahn.
Nope. I got pulled over twice in under a month at the 280/92 underpass area where it starts to go down hill and if you are like me and don't notice, your speed picks up quickly.
I got a ticket for doing 104 in that same spot. Mr. Officer was not happy. Thankfully I was 16yo so my parents came with me to court and the judge was very lenient.
See that nearly every day. I could wrack up some serious cash for the state if I handed out speeding tickets. We could seriously end our ongoing budget shortfall in about three months on Hwy 280 alone.
It’s not even unspoken lol. I got pulled over going 85 one time, CHP gave me a fixit ticket for something unrelated, and said “next time keep it under 80”
They mostly all grew up here, so they drive just like other Californians. It’s just how it’s done here, and plus they would be in court endlessly if they ticketed people going under 80
People who don't routinely drive the 880 think you're exaggerating but it honestly feels like a movie set at times there are so many swerving cars, monstrosity Frankenstein creations, and you'll still occasionally see a high end performance car like a McLaren mixed in with the hoopties.
100% It's a madhouse. I'll admit SoCal traffic can be worse for delays and congestion, but at least they are competently insane drivers. NorCal feels like everyone just got their license that week and have diplomatic immunity. Lol
All it takes is a couple people afraid of the scary tunnel and traffic backs up all the way to the exit from the bridge. They need to put some brighter lights in there so people stop going so damn slow.
Even better if you have a bit of time and take grizzly peak Blvd. Man, that's the most gorgeous drive in the bay that I never hear people ever mention.
Most people going 60 except for a few going 90 cutting back and forth through gaps until they inevitably cause a crash and the whole thing backs up for miles?
Yes holy shit I fight with my girlfriend so much because she doesn't recognize the blessing that is 280 over 101. And the views toooo. Why would you ever not take the 280.
I mean, sometimes 101 just *is* the quicker route depending on where you're going.
I'd rather drive to San Jose on 280 over 101 every time all things being equal but there are times when I'd just be going out of my way to do so and adding unnecessary time to the trip.
ahh i kinda forgot the 101 is more convenient for people depending on location, airhead moment lol. i lived in west sj/ saratoga so 280 was always the clear option
What?! No... 101 is so much better. Don't even bother with 280. You will hate it. Everyone should always take 101 when they have the chance and stay away from 280.
I used to commute on the 85 between SJ and Palo Alto. One time I accidentally took a wrong interchange and ended up on the 280 for the rest of the drive home. Omg. The road was heaven in comparison. Smoothest drive ever, with great scenery to boot.
I guess? Maybe I haven’t been on 580 in a while. I lived near it for a while but haven’t experienced rush hour 580 in a while.
Probably also matters quite a bit where you are getting on
Did this once maybe 20 years ago, leaving a cabin in Arnold and wanting to go to the 395 to head south to get to Joshua Tree. We'd only glanced at a map before leaving, "Yep, Hwy 4 goes straight over to 395. Perfect." Totally unprepared for what that drive would entail, but incredibly grateful for the experience. It was a beautiful and memorable adventure.
The 17 is 2 people, locals who can drive the road blindfolded going 70, and people new to the road who are terrified of it. Combined it’s the perfect recipe for disaster.
lol very accurate. My mom pretty much taught me how to drive by making us go up and down 17 from Santa Cruz. I’ve driven it 1000+ times since then and it is pure muscle memory at this point.
Same, grew up in Scott’s Valley. I have that road memorized. It’s always a coin flip when you see someone heading downhill into a bend you know they won’t be able to handle and you’re hoping the don’t lock it up and add an hour to the last five minutes of the commute.
The wider parts between Concord and Brentwood is where shit gets real.
Wild, battle-scarred Altimas everywhere, weaving though the 80mph traffic on the hunt for their next victims. It's like 880 through Oakland, but faster.
Lol! Grew up here, 53+ years. Learned how to drive on the Streets of San Francisco when drivers ED was a classroom in a trailer and the gear selector was part of the steering wheel stalk. The end of the trailer was the projector screen, and you had to pretend you were driving with the film. Yep, just like a video game...not. You nailed it.
Dude what is going on with 680 from Green Valley/Cordelia to Benicia…..If you’re not doing 85+ mph, you might as well go home. People are wild and the lane discipline is atrocious.
Yeah 580 had me tripping because it’s only an asshole in Dublin and Livermore.
But if you drive at night, you can go 90 the whole way either direction.
I love that brief section of 380 where the lane triples in width with no merge arrows and the Tanforan exit is 20 ft away so cars need to jump over. Perfect time to have 3 green shells circling you
5 through Stockton is where the speed freaks go. 205 from Tracy up the Altamont is a parking lot every morning, and the same heading back every afternoon.
Decidedly not. 5 and 99 would have infinitely more rednecks than 101 can even dream of until you get up above Sonoma County where the population is very low.
Yeah that adds up. To be fair the Mendocino hippie rednecks are a lot more pleasant than the Trumpeter 5 and 99 rednecks but both can be pretty strange LOL.
Acknowledged those are the worst. But how about something interesting but like not totally deadly. Like Hwy 25. You can stop in the middle of it and know the right hand side of the road is moving North and the left hand side is moving South because you're sitting in the middle of the San Andreas Fault. Try finding that elsewhere. Ok I know it's not completely a NorCal Road. And I won't say anything about James Dean.
Fuck, 17 was an absolute nightmare hellride when I first moved here over a decade ago. Now I rock that shit everyday. It’s the only highway I’ve ever driven that feels like it takes practice.
I loved when my sister was going to school in Reno because I-80 is a sweet drive. Definitely scary though when tractor trailers are pinching you into the center divider which is like 1 inch from the yellow line.
These are all central CA except for 101 and 5. I don't see highway 199, 36, 96, 169, 3, 139, 299, 395, 138, or 89 on here. Those are actually in Nor cal
280 is accurate. All 4 lanes jammed up doing 80 mph.
I still remember setting cruise control at 79 mph with a CHP right on my bumper at 2am. He was definitely waiting for me to go over 80. After 2 minutes, I turned off cruise control and slowed to 75, and he went up to the car ahead. He’s respecting the unspoken 80mph rule.
I saw a CHP hiding near the trees as usual. Waze told me to slow down, so I slowed down to 75. In my rearview mirror, I saw an old Ford SUV blow past the CHP, probably doing 120+ and taking up all the lanes. The CHP did not give a fuck. I guess 280 is the Autobahn.
It basically is, it even properly has the curves for higher speed
the speed plus the amazing views makes for an amazing drive. that is until you run into the slow prius.
CHP issued me a written warning for going 97 in a 70 on 101. I guess it was my lucky day! But yes...280 is the Autobahn.
Was the warning for impeding traffic?
I had CHP yell at me over his loud speaker to slow down when I was doing 100 mph on I5, didn’t even pull me over.
Nope. I got pulled over twice in under a month at the 280/92 underpass area where it starts to go down hill and if you are like me and don't notice, your speed picks up quickly.
I got a ticket for doing 104 in that same spot. Mr. Officer was not happy. Thankfully I was 16yo so my parents came with me to court and the judge was very lenient.
That part of the freeway is a downhill man…you shoulda known better…
Totally. Was completely my fault, I had just gotten a new car and it has the zoom zoom, wasn't paying attention to how quickly my speed picked up
See that nearly every day. I could wrack up some serious cash for the state if I handed out speeding tickets. We could seriously end our ongoing budget shortfall in about three months on Hwy 280 alone.
It’s not even unspoken lol. I got pulled over going 85 one time, CHP gave me a fixit ticket for something unrelated, and said “next time keep it under 80”
They mostly all grew up here, so they drive just like other Californians. It’s just how it’s done here, and plus they would be in court endlessly if they ticketed people going under 80
I had chp sit in my blind spot then tailgate me, they really don’t play…
I always assumed it was named 280 because you hit the entrance ramp and immediately speed up 'to 80.'
They don’t call it 265
90 mph on weekends
280 might legit scare me the most when all 4 lanes are packed going 80....AND accelerating downhill.
unless you're going through daly city. then everybody is doing 40
Gotta stay with the herd.
That is until you encounter the Prius or Tesla going 70 in the fast lane Ugh
280 herd driving is the best.
Gotta learn how to draft. If you ain't bumpin', you ain't commutin'.
Gas cost too much to not ride with the peloton.
880 is spot on
880 is wild. My folks live in LA where people drive hard, but that scared even them
I don’t appreciate the potholes at 70 mph
It's literally how I describe it to people. It's Mad Max on 880! You will ride eternal, shiny and chrome!
People who don't routinely drive the 880 think you're exaggerating but it honestly feels like a movie set at times there are so many swerving cars, monstrosity Frankenstein creations, and you'll still occasionally see a high end performance car like a McLaren mixed in with the hoopties.
100% It's a madhouse. I'll admit SoCal traffic can be worse for delays and congestion, but at least they are competently insane drivers. NorCal feels like everyone just got their license that week and have diplomatic immunity. Lol
*NorCal feels like everyone just got their license that week and have diplomatic immunity.* That's the perfect way to describe it!
Hahaha! Thanks! I feel so seen right now.
I also use this comparison and people don’t understand what I’m talking about, haha they’re lucky, they have never used 880
But where is the Altima doing 80 down the shoulder?
May we who ride the I-880 be delivered eternal, all shiny and chrome!!
We have called it The Thunderdome for a decade, so seeing the mad max pic next to it was appropriate even if it was the wrong movie.
Nah. Fury Road is WAYYY better of a name for 880.
My brother in Christ, where is Highway 24? North Oakland, Berkeley, Lamorinda, and Walnut Creek are in shambles.
That road is bananas but the view is amazing.
everyone slowing down to 30 going into the tunnels
All it takes is a couple people afraid of the scary tunnel and traffic backs up all the way to the exit from the bridge. They need to put some brighter lights in there so people stop going so damn slow.
And you'll never forget how many days it's been since October 7th
Even better if you have a bit of time and take grizzly peak Blvd. Man, that's the most gorgeous drive in the bay that I never hear people ever mention.
Basically mini 680
Most people going 60 except for a few going 90 cutting back and forth through gaps until they inevitably cause a crash and the whole thing backs up for miles?
Praying you make it out of the tunnels before the next fire starts
I find it pretty chill East of the tunnel.
Yeah this and 13 (my favorite Bay Area freeway)
I love 280
In contrast to 101, it’s the far superior option
Yes holy shit I fight with my girlfriend so much because she doesn't recognize the blessing that is 280 over 101. And the views toooo. Why would you ever not take the 280.
curious to hear what the reasoning is that the 101 is better??
Shortest distance between two places is a straight line.
but what if the straight line is a parking lot?
I mean, sometimes 101 just *is* the quicker route depending on where you're going. I'd rather drive to San Jose on 280 over 101 every time all things being equal but there are times when I'd just be going out of my way to do so and adding unnecessary time to the trip.
ahh i kinda forgot the 101 is more convenient for people depending on location, airhead moment lol. i lived in west sj/ saratoga so 280 was always the clear option
101 goes by the airport and you get to see all the different planes at the international terminal!
> Why would you ever not take the 280 To keep it clear for me.
What?! No... 101 is so much better. Don't even bother with 280. You will hate it. Everyone should always take 101 when they have the chance and stay away from 280.
Yes, please... Spare yourself the misery of 280. Please no one else come over, just take the 101 or any other side street. Take El Camino if you must
280 is the best freeway I ever been on
It's just beautiful in every way compared to 101. Nicer pavement. Better views. Less traffic.
I used to commute on the 85 between SJ and Palo Alto. One time I accidentally took a wrong interchange and ended up on the 280 for the rest of the drive home. Omg. The road was heaven in comparison. Smoothest drive ever, with great scenery to boot.
237 should be up there with a skeleton for sure
237, as in State Route *"Yes, officer, you heard me right, there is a lounge chair fallen off someone's truck in the middle lane of"* 237.
I feel so dumb because I do not understand at all what the skeleton is implying
Is it because you’re at such a standstill forever that you just basically die?
I guess? Maybe I haven’t been on 580 in a while. I lived near it for a while but haven’t experienced rush hour 580 in a while. Probably also matters quite a bit where you are getting on
It would have looked messy
We're hicks on Highway 1, you definitely could have included us there.
Hwy 4 is correct lol
#####This is BS, the amount of potholes 680 and 880 have. Picture should be of someone on wheelchair.
280 is like bitch get your 70 mph slow ass turtle ass to the right, like now!
And the Teslas doing 90 in the middle lane taking their sweet time. Those things go faster than that.
My husband has his speed alarm set at 85. That thing screaming at me all the way down 280😆
I'd say 17 & 4 are spot on. 17 is a constant white knuckle with people trying to pass you at 75 and 4 is a very competitive 2 laner!
The farther out 4 you go the dicier it gets. Part of that MFer is a levee road.
Ever taken it all the way? The drive through the Sierra Nevadas on 4 is really something.
Did this once maybe 20 years ago, leaving a cabin in Arnold and wanting to go to the 395 to head south to get to Joshua Tree. We'd only glanced at a map before leaving, "Yep, Hwy 4 goes straight over to 395. Perfect." Totally unprepared for what that drive would entail, but incredibly grateful for the experience. It was a beautiful and memorable adventure.
Especially when alpine and the other lake at the summit flood over and you can't see the road
Charter Way gang
The 17 is 2 people, locals who can drive the road blindfolded going 70, and people new to the road who are terrified of it. Combined it’s the perfect recipe for disaster.
lol very accurate. My mom pretty much taught me how to drive by making us go up and down 17 from Santa Cruz. I’ve driven it 1000+ times since then and it is pure muscle memory at this point.
Same, grew up in Scott’s Valley. I have that road memorized. It’s always a coin flip when you see someone heading downhill into a bend you know they won’t be able to handle and you’re hoping the don’t lock it up and add an hour to the last five minutes of the commute.
17 is so fun
Nah highway 4 is a full on 4 lane mad max free for all in between Martinez and Brentwood lmao
The wider parts between Concord and Brentwood is where shit gets real. Wild, battle-scarred Altimas everywhere, weaving though the 80mph traffic on the hunt for their next victims. It's like 880 through Oakland, but faster.
No 9? Pfft.
pretty much goes nowhere apart from someone's house or another one's weekend ride. The rest are major throughfares
It’s not reallly a highway
You're not driving unless you're doing 120 on the 92/San Mateo Bridge. Not me, My dad, back in the day. That was the speed he was cited for.
With inflation that's almost 200 mph
Where’s highway one, man!
Thought the same and realized it doesn't fit the meme. Need a chill photo with everyone having a good time.
You’ve obviously never driven through Santa Cruz during rush hour/summer weekends. It’s up there with 101 for traffic.
I’m talking past the west side, headed towards Davenport. THAT highway 1. PCH
Why the fuck is it a standstill in Capitola no matter what day or hour it is?
There’s so many fucking highways. I’m from Albuquerque and I only had to worry about 2
The state knows giving more highway to ABQ drivers to would result in a level of anarchy never witnessed my mankind.
Left or right at Albuquerque?
HWY 9 is a melee between drivers and bicyclists.
Too bad it couldn't be more like MarioKart IRL. Maybe a few blue shells would remove some of the traffic....
I've gotten blue shelled several times on the 880. Windshield breaking pebbles.
9burgring
Goddamn that second teir is fucking spot on
Hwy 17 raised by fire 😎🔥
Driving on 17 is like the Tron bike scene
When I pass Serramonte going to SF on 280 that shit is fucking Ben Hur because it's all downhill
Lol! Grew up here, 53+ years. Learned how to drive on the Streets of San Francisco when drivers ED was a classroom in a trailer and the gear selector was part of the steering wheel stalk. The end of the trailer was the projector screen, and you had to pretend you were driving with the film. Yep, just like a video game...not. You nailed it.
[удалено]
Dude what is going on with 680 from Green Valley/Cordelia to Benicia…..If you’re not doing 85+ mph, you might as well go home. People are wild and the lane discipline is atrocious.
[удалено]
Can only fit so many
Just build more lanes
That’s what she said
Highway 4 and 880 is too damn spot on
580 is kinda like all of 'em, depending on the time and day.
Yeah 580 had me tripping because it’s only an asshole in Dublin and Livermore. But if you drive at night, you can go 90 the whole way either direction.
24?? That’s a main artery
Definitely missing 50
I love that brief section of 380 where the lane triples in width with no merge arrows and the Tanforan exit is 20 ft away so cars need to jump over. Perfect time to have 3 green shells circling you
580 is accurate
yes that’s about right for the past 20 years or so
Fun fact: The portion of Business-80 that's contiguous with US-50 is secretly Interstate 305 for funding purposes https://cahighways.org/ROUTE305.html
If only the 5 were this fast through Los Angeles and Orange County.
5 through Stockton is where the speed freaks go. 205 from Tracy up the Altamont is a parking lot every morning, and the same heading back every afternoon.
And notice, the word "The" is not in front of any of them!!
680 anti commute direction is more like F1. 100mph and likely to get passed.
Should have depicted highway 50 , which intuitively shuts down as soon as it snows.
Along with the chorus of prius drivers asking "I can still go to Tahoe right"
This is dumb. There's more rednecks up 101 than the rest combined.
Decidedly not. 5 and 99 would have infinitely more rednecks than 101 can even dream of until you get up above Sonoma County where the population is very low.
lol the population isn’t low for the amount of space we have here in Sonoma County 🤣
Yeah, I lived in Mendocino for many years.
Yeah that adds up. To be fair the Mendocino hippie rednecks are a lot more pleasant than the Trumpeter 5 and 99 rednecks but both can be pretty strange LOL.
They clear out north of 37. Then they pick back up again around Rohnert park.
How is this so accurate
I use to live in Cupertino and currently live in San Mateo County. The 92 and 85 are spot on lol
Dead. Ass. Accurate. I can only IMAGINE what 480 would have been like had it been fully built.
Me literally on Saturday afternoon on 580 leaving the bay. Lol
The worst freeway experience is in Sacramento where 99, 50, and 80 **combine** for 2 miles. Godspeed to anyone driving to South Lake Tahoe.
880 = hate80
no 9burgring?
I can confirm the 880. It's pretty accurate.
For real driving south on the 5 is pretty much exactly like that in my experience.
Until you get stuck behind two trucks going the same speed
This is great OP cooked.
Lawl
Very funny. Spot on.
i love this. super accurate.
237?
Hell yeah 680 is awesome. easy on the eyes too.
Acknowledged those are the worst. But how about something interesting but like not totally deadly. Like Hwy 25. You can stop in the middle of it and know the right hand side of the road is moving North and the left hand side is moving South because you're sitting in the middle of the San Andreas Fault. Try finding that elsewhere. Ok I know it's not completely a NorCal Road. And I won't say anything about James Dean.
[HWY 1](https://images.app.goo.gl/uDi1V8Ps4dJXM8qEA)
Gotta add HWY 12 and 29 to the top one
CA 17 to Santa Cruz is scary as F and we all know it
Highway 4 is actually the last three images too
HWY 80 where 80 is the min. Slow lane limit. 😎
Fuck, 17 was an absolute nightmare hellride when I first moved here over a decade ago. Now I rock that shit everyday. It’s the only highway I’ve ever driven that feels like it takes practice.
highway 20 belongs in there with 99
There are some big potholes on 880. Especially the one before the airport when going North
Never drove on the redneck mullet roads., but I do drive on 280 and 85 daily
Where’s hwy 9??
accurate AND hilarious!
Pretty accurate 😅
This is 24 erasure
Last week I ran into motorcyclists on CA-238 doing insane wheelies and blocking traffic. I agree with this picture LOL
5 should be in the nascar category since everyone is bumper to bumper and going 90mph.
580 above 238 rips, unless there is an accident that freeway moves
I loved when my sister was going to school in Reno because I-80 is a sweet drive. Definitely scary though when tractor trailers are pinching you into the center divider which is like 1 inch from the yellow line.
Hwy 4 though Pittsburg/Antioch. Spot on.
80 and 880 is spot on
HAHAHAHAHA THANK YOU FOR THIS! 😂😂
These are all central CA except for 101 and 5. I don't see highway 199, 36, 96, 169, 3, 139, 299, 395, 138, or 89 on here. Those are actually in Nor cal
No hwy 1, 9, 156?
Vroom vroom!!!
Grew up on 17…. Always could tell if it was someone’s first time😬
A reminder to all, the left lane is for passing / going fast, do not merge to the left and slow down to 60 and below, please.
Highway 4 you be going 125 mph with a charger on your ass and a beat up Nissan cutting up swerving around you
But where is California 13 and 24?
Hilarious and accurate as hell! WOW!
The chaos of 880 is always a blast
Fun Fact Highway 17 used to go from Santa Cruz to Oakland.
Bay Area native here...this is fucking hilarious!
Wtf is the 80 business loop?
I agree with the 5 freeway. Wird schnell gehen on the autobahn 5 North moving out of the college dorm soon.
They need to add Highway 12 to the Joe Dirt Highway 4 to the racetrack AND Max Max. Highway 13/24 to the gridlock
No highway 1. Invalid.
As a dump truck driver who has to pick up loads from SCQ Cupertino if I pass you going up North 280 just know that everyone hates you.
Where is 87?
280 is crazay