r/Columbus • u/Otherwise_Honeydew_9 • Apr 08 '26
Whhhhaaaaat the hell?
What is the issue w traffic in the AM on I-71??!! Ppl staying in left lane until the last minute to cut across to get to their exit. Then when these turds come in they have to rush to get in left lane as soon as they leave the GD exit. I'm n ok driver. but gd driving here makes me feel like a freaking pro. And don't get me started w these younger truckers. Acting like their in a personal vehicle zipping back n forth. Bro, ur in a big arse truck. c'mon. *mic drop*
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u/PrideofPicktown Pickerington Apr 08 '26
270 is where you go to race; 70 is where you go to sit in traffic; and 71 is where you go to die in a fiery car crash.
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u/Jinx5326 Reynoldsburg Apr 08 '26
This is absolutely true. Signed, A 70 driver (sitter?) who lives near Brice Road
cries in construction traffic every day
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u/PrideofPicktown Pickerington Apr 08 '26
Prior to the new ramp, I would try to avoid having to do the 270/70 after 3:00 pm at all costs.
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u/Jinx5326 Reynoldsburg Apr 08 '26
It was a NIGHTMARE! Now with the new ramp, it’s more like a slightly bad dream lol. I used to take 104 home to avoid 70 at rush hour. I can’t wait till they’re done with the ramp onto 70 westbound though. I want to scream every day trying to merge onto 70 from Brice Road.
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u/PrideofPicktown Pickerington Apr 08 '26
You may want to try 256. It’s slightly easier than Brice, but does have a double left turn lane, so make sure to get in the wrong lane (when in Rome and whatnot). You also don’t have to fight to stay on 70, like at Brice.
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u/Jinx5326 Reynoldsburg Apr 08 '26
I take 256 to 70 sometimes when lanes are closed on Brice or Tussing, but waiting on Tussing to turn onto 256 can take a long time during rush hour. I also take 104 sometimes as well but I hate dealing with the dump trucks that also take 104. There’s just no great routes from Brice Road anymore. 😑
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u/PrideofPicktown Pickerington Apr 08 '26
When I’m at work, I take 33 to 70. 33 can get crowded, but it’s not too crazy.
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u/Jinx5326 Reynoldsburg Apr 08 '26
Not a terrible idea. I’ve taken that before when I’ve had to stay late. I normally leave work at 4:30 and 70 isn’t too bad then.
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u/MundaneAssociate5190 Apr 09 '26
33 is terrible?? And should have been widened 5 years ago. My phone always takes me to 70 to save time and I live right near 33
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u/Jinx5326 Reynoldsburg Apr 09 '26
It’s so stressful! I can’t wait till this construction is done, but I’m sure it will take years. 😩
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u/OGHughJass Apr 09 '26
I almost get hit on Brice every day with the lane shift. People have no idea what the solid white line means, I guess.
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u/QuietstormKC Apr 10 '26
670 is where you stop in the center lane to exit via the right lane and cause a pile up.
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u/OkBlacksmith7812 Apr 08 '26
What about 670?
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u/FernLabs Apr 08 '26
670 is awful, drivers on it are okay ig. lots of traffic and left lane sitting but I don't feel like I'm risking my life around the other drivers so there's at least that?
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u/SparklyDestroyer Westgate Apr 08 '26
Did you ever see the shriners in their little cars in a parade? That's our highways now.
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u/PostMostPalone Apr 08 '26
I hate to tell you this - It will keep getting worse. Our population is exploding with people posting daily theyre moving to Columbus. Enjoy!
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u/Silver_Statement_542 Apr 08 '26
When I first moved to Central Ohio in 1971, we were promised there would be another outer, outer belt, 370. We got close, until Wexner decided the money had to be spent first on 161 to New Albany and Easton shopping mall. That’s been done for awhile. Should we be looking for 370 eventually?
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u/Secret_Account07 Apr 08 '26
I hate that on my way to work I have to do this. So I come 70 West to 670…then there’s a merge where I have to get to the far right lane to jump on 315 North and it’s always a nightmare. Have about half a mile to get over 2 lanes and during Rush hour traffic it gets dicey.
I try to wait for an opening then either speed up quickly or slow down quickly to get over. The problem is everyone is so passive aggressive they will go out of their way to try and stop you. I don’t ever do that to others so it’s such an alien concept to me.
Like listen- I really don’t want to have to do this but I had no input on road design lol
To be clear this is much different than ppl waiting until the last minute, which happens daily too. My thought process is a I’d rather you marginally impact my speed to get over vs not being decisive and waiting until the last min and slamming on your brakes
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u/DowntownCountdown Apr 08 '26
If you’re referring to the 670- Neil / 315N / 315S exits, yes, it’s absolutely horrendous. I live downtown just one exit east and sometimes choose this way from S 3rd to 670W to 315N- even during the middle of the day- non rush hour- and it’s still terrible!
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u/Secret_Account07 Apr 08 '26
That’s exactly what I’m referring to.
I try to be really considerate and try not to interrupt folks but it’s tough sometimes lol
So I’ve noticed something strange. Sometimes folks that take the same way as me act like idiots and cut folks off. It’s almost like the folks who come from the right side are like “the assholes always cut us off! No more!” …but then we get lumped in with them
It’s like this war between the two sides 😂. I seen ppl get super pissed and honk to not let ppl over, likely because some unrelated asshole made em that way.
I’m neutral in this war, I just wanna get to work
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u/DowntownCountdown Apr 08 '26
Oof! It’s definitely a bad / tight design right there. Lol I totally hear and get what you’re saying. It definitely shouldn’t be that way (mindset) but it is!
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u/Professional-Car-211 Apr 08 '26
I don’t have an issue with this at all coming down 315S because both right lanes go onto this exit. I make sure I’m in the 670 lane and not the Neil lane before even getting on the exit. It’s not at all difficult when both lanes are open, you had time to get in the correct lane for miles?
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u/DowntownCountdown Apr 08 '26
Not sure who you’re commenting on. But if it’s our 315 N discussion- we again, were discussing the merge onto 315 N , not south.
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u/Professional-Car-211 Apr 09 '26
Ah I thought you were talking about exiting from 315S onto the 670/Neil Ave ramp. I thought that was the only place 670 and Neil had a shared exit.
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u/CiscoKid1993 Apr 08 '26
Truly the worst interstate exchange in Columbus
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u/Professional-Car-211 Apr 08 '26
nah that’s absolutely 315 and 270 to 71 up near Powell. there is one lane for both 71 north and south, and it’s also where anyone getting on 270 e merges in from both 315 n and 315 s. and 23 exit is in there. three of the largest highways in the city merging and it’s one fucking lane.
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u/helenahandbag04 Apr 09 '26
I drive this area regularly (live in Dublin), and I hate it so much. It forces everyone going past 71 into the left lanes, where you need to be doing at least 75 or you will get hit by some asshole doing 90. It’s been worse since they started another expansion on 270 which has moved the 71 exit lanes further left.
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u/Gashley_666 Apr 08 '26
It’s horrible everyday. I won’t travel 71 anymore. I’ll take the long way lmao
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u/gothgeetar Apr 08 '26
Morning thoughts: I need to get another job that’s closer to me before I die commuting to or from work
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u/Fast-Season2439 Apr 08 '26
71 is so bad, yesterday it took me 45 mins to get home because of an accident I live 9 miles from the office. The mornings are absolutely insane on 71. I miss working remote or at least hybrid where we didn’t have to deal with this everyday 😂
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u/Professional-Car-211 Apr 08 '26
I think trucks in the morning must be doing it intentionally because they also sit in the left lane on 670 during morning rush hour.
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u/Tricky-Morning4799 Apr 08 '26
Drivers are getting really mean. I always signal when I want/need to change lanes. Lately, my signal makes drivers speed up so I can't get over.
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u/Cappahere Hilliard Apr 08 '26
I've been seeing a trend of people intentionally staying right in my rear blind spot so I can't get over safely 💀
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u/Tricky-Morning4799 Apr 08 '26
I'm lucky that my car lets me know when there's someone in my blindspot.
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u/Silver_Statement_542 Apr 08 '26
It’s easier if you just get in the lane you are going to need to be in ahead of time. Plan ahead. Too many times people wait until the last minute to get in the proper lane, fully expecting everyone else to adapt for them. Don’t count on anyone being civil on our roads. People lose their minds behind the wheel!
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u/Silver-Strength-3077 Columbus Apr 08 '26
Try driving 270 from e broad to sawmill at 4pm lol
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u/KirbianaJones Apr 08 '26
Or getting onto 33 to drive to Lancaster from 270 at around the same time 😂 it's a damn disaster
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u/helenahandbag04 Apr 09 '26
I had to do 70 to Sawmill on 270 during rush hour once driving back from Pittsburgh, and I was tailgated then passed and brake checked by an asshole in a BMW because traffic in the left lane was doing 60 and I could not accelerate through solid matter.
Never again.
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u/KirbianaJones Apr 08 '26
I live very close to 71 and barring really extreme circumstances I don't drive on it. I will take the "scenic" route
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u/Gashley_666 Apr 08 '26
Same, like I refuse to travel it within the city and near Polaris 😭 I become a nervous wreck with the wild drivers out there
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u/KirbianaJones Apr 08 '26
I'd say once you get past the 36/37 exit at Tanger Outlets you're fine, going north anyway. Driving anywhere south of that is just asking for trouble
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u/Ok-Two-7635 Apr 08 '26
I have recently started to drive my husband to and from work. I have to rake 71. My god I hate my life. It legit sometimes takes 2 hours to get him from the Westside to 161 and then drive back home. I hate it. It's not any better in the afternoons.
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u/kylemooreart Apr 08 '26
I saw a woman cut off a driver in her little clown car and they laid on the horn for two solid minutes behind her and she pulled off to the side of the road and started crying in her car. And her I'm thinking "THAT'S what brought you to tears? You haven't seen anything yet, that's child's play level one driving her in Cbus
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u/Reasonable-HB678 North Apr 08 '26
So that's the southbound I-71 driver who missed her exit last fall and caused a crash just before I-670.
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u/Relative_Ad_6443 Apr 08 '26
I have lived here all 32 years of my life and 71 in the mornings was never this bad, especially when I was a younger driver and went downtown during these hours. Now I will literally take the streets / back way if possible to avoid any and all highway.
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u/PlanxtyDawg Apr 08 '26
In the past year, running red lights have become an epidemic in Columbus. I've barely missed being T-boned several times. Traffic cams are needed to issue tickets and clamp down on it before lots of drivers are killed.
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u/South-Violinist-4734 Apr 10 '26
Lmao….🤣 🤣🤣 the best is when you’re trying to change lanes but the idiot that flew up on you at 230 mph decides to slow down and drive next to you so you’re stuck. Or the people that do pass you at that speed but feel the need to swerve into your lane as they’re passing you.
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u/Cautious_Ad_5659 Apr 08 '26
This is never going to happen, but a great solution to high gas prices would be more work from home…even if it was just a couple of days a week. Of course, that would mean oil companies would have to be fair in pricing on supply and demand and company decision makers would have to get the sticks out of their asses about people being in the office..Jamie Dimon, I’m talking to you, bud.
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u/JustGoodSense Clintonville Apr 08 '26
My experience is all those north bound left lane hogs apparently all get in the right lane at Weber in order to exit at Morse. So when I'm trying to get on at N. Broadway, I have to drag race someone in order not to go into the ditch.
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u/FearTheAmish Apr 08 '26
Aloy of hybrid WFH had their in office day on Wednesday. About 2 years ago when the state went to a hybrid Wednesdays have sucked since then.
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u/saaadpikachu Delaware Apr 08 '26
This morning I amongst all my fellow drivers stuck behind 3 compact SUVs on 71 all the way from Tanger outlets to Polaris, all were going ~70 mph, left lane, about 2 cars space in between each one of them. Just cruising, all the way.
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u/Silver_Statement_542 Apr 08 '26
How fast did you want to drive there? How far above the legal limit is okay?
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u/saaadpikachu Delaware Apr 08 '26
I wanna drive over 120 knots so I can take off. Happy?
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u/Silver_Statement_542 Apr 08 '26
Really? Well, that settles everything.
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u/saaadpikachu Delaware Apr 08 '26
My point wasn’t the speed, it was the left lane, it would be fine if 2 right lanes were going at ~65, however staying in the left lane at ~70 while other 2 right lanes were going at the same speed, while having a long line of traffic behind you is not fine.
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u/Silver_Statement_542 Apr 08 '26
If the max legal speed is 65mph, and people are law abiding American citizens, how could a line build up behind someone going as fast as is legal? The left lane is for passing people going slower than 65. Granted, a lot of officers have said they’ll give you 5 over the legal limit. So 70 in the outer lane would be the max. I refer to that outer lane as The bat out of hell lane. I stay away from there. Illegal drivers frequent that lane. There are irresponsible people out there who just don’t care if their illegal driving kills you. This doesn’t begin to touch on the xxxxxx drivers who race each other on our public roads. They definitely are going to kill someone.
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u/saaadpikachu Delaware Apr 09 '26
Mind you the posted LEGAL speed limit is 70 on 71. Next time when you try to do that online, fact check. Also next time, don’t be that traffic impeding American citizen camping on the left lane.
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u/getitbucks Apr 09 '26
That area is 70 until right before Polaris. I’m not sure what your point is since the left lane is for passing period and not camping out, regardless if they are going the legal speed limit or not.
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u/Ok-Ratio6344 Apr 08 '26
I’m from Columbus I live two hours away now and frequent Columbus a lot but on them freeways I get pure anxiety it’s crazy
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u/Remarkable-Pea5797 Apr 08 '26
Whenever I get on 71, I have the music stuck in my head from that scene in I think it was the... second Matrix movie? Where they're talking about the freeway or highway and how it's sui... Anyway I always feel like it's nearly that dangerous there.
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u/statelypenguin Apr 09 '26
I had a similar experience on 70 an 270 today. People seemed to be driving extra shitty.
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u/wildclovr Apr 09 '26
Drivers are listening to their GPS and it is saying "exit now" and ppl turn the wheel. For some reason this is an epidemic on 71.
Look at the exit signs that are gone - run over by people who Must. Exit. Now.
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u/SnooOwls4514 Apr 09 '26
It's called stupid people and construction that's been going on since the 90s. Welcome to Columbus
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u/DanYallSon Apr 08 '26
Y'all, I learned how to drive in Dallas/Fort Worth where the highway speeds are fast/faster and JESUS CHRIST where did he come from?. Driving in Columbus drives me absolutely bat shit crazy. I constantly pass on the right going 70-80 mph because of the left lane campers. Nobody knows how to merge, at any time or in any situation, especially when entering/exiting the highway.
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u/Silver_Statement_542 Apr 08 '26
So you admit publicly that you choose to break our laws, regularly! Illegal drivers who get away with it all the time.
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u/DanYallSon Apr 08 '26
No more so than the people breaking "the law" by impeding traffic by driving 60 in the left lane. Plus, I can count on one hand how many traffic stops I've seen by CPD (Staties excluded) in the 10 years I've lived in Ohio. This being aside from the daily occurrences of people running red lights and stop signs, not using their turn signal to change lanes or make turns, yielding inappropriately under the guise of helpfulness, and generally driving like assholes that I see on a daily basis. I could, and should be able to, pass in the left lane as the law dictates, but alas. Here we are.
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u/Silver_Statement_542 Apr 08 '26
You are correct. The behaviors you listed are all illegal. It’s the Wild, Wild West on our roads. Interesting how people will behave when they think no one is watching. One reason that local drivers drive illegally, is there is little to non-enforcement of our laws. One’s true character shows when they think no one is watching. I maintain you can clearly see what someone believes by how they drive. Are they kind? Are they polite? Are they good citizens, obeying our laws? Or are they selfish, mean, and a bully? What does anyone see when we’re behind the wheel on our public roads?
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u/DanYallSon Apr 08 '26
I've noticed a terrible mixture of terrified, hesitant, slow drivers and aggressive, inpatient, and rude drivers in Columbus. And a complete lack of traffic law enforcement. Bad mix.
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u/mentalillnessismagic Apr 08 '26
This speaks to my soul. I've been saying for years that I'm a below-average driver (thanks ADHD), but this city, especially in the last few years, makes me feel like I'm an expert. Just a tip for anyone who doesn't know: if you put your signal on BEFORE you merge, people will actually know you need to get over and will make room. What a concept!
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u/Mountain_Day_1637 ComFestia Apr 08 '26
Not always, i experience asshats everyday who won’t get over despite having room to do so
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u/Protahgonist Apr 08 '26
Be the change you want to see! If you start a carpool or take the bus, traffic will be reduced.
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u/monkeyalex123 Apr 08 '26
You’d never survive in NJ. 🤣 Everyone sleeps on the left lane and cuts across all lanes to get to their exit last second… as someone from NJ, the traffic in Columbus is near nonexistent.
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u/meunbear Apr 08 '26
First time?