This sign is a favorite of mine and one I haven't seen in other states:
If someone took the time to put a sign out, why didn't they just fix the damage? What am I supposed to do when I see this sign? Anyone who hits a guardrail isn't aiming for it so it's not like someone is going to be able to specifically avoid this piece of damaged guardrail in the case of an accident.
Here is another sign that is a bit humorous for someone coming from colder climates:
To someone who deals with ice on roads from November through May, this sign seems a bit obvious. And when I think about Texas, I don't think about it getting cold enough for ice. But I guess they do get ice a couple times of year and since it is a bit more rare, drivers aren't used to it and it isn't so obvious.
Last weekend, we were headed to the Space Center. The speed limit was 60 mph along the interstate we were traveling. We entered a construction zone and so as is common all over, they posted a construction zone speed limit. The funny thing about this construction zone speed limit was that it was 65 mph, faster than the normal speed limit!
Speed limits in general seem to be a bit random and change often. We drove one road with a speed limit of 75 mph which was an undivided highway and plenty more that were 70 mph that were just two lane (one each direction) undivided rural roads!
Speed limits also very rarely matched our GPS system which generally matches very closely speed limits in other states.
Houston is full of one way streets with 4 or 5 lanes. One thing I learned early on is that the far left and far right lanes often turn into turn only lanes with little to no warning. In one case near my husband's office, the left lane just ends with no sign at all and the second from the left lane turns into a turn only lane with the only warning being markings on the pavement at the last minute after it is too late to struggle through traffic at what is usually a red light.
It is also common to have a carpool lane the second from the right and the far right lane to be only for buses and right turns. So when it is time to make your right turn, you are cutting across two lanes of traffic.
We have also noticed that when they do construction on the interstate what previously was a left off, may switch to a right off. This can be challenging for someone out of state who is depending on GPS which doesn't know about the switch. I feel like our GPS system maps did not match very well the roads here and with roads with more than one name, it didn't always give us the name that has good signage.
On the other hand, like many states in the south, I love the colored highway logos painted on the lanes to tell you which lane goes where in an interchange.
Tolls and toll express lanes are fairly common in Dallas and Houston but each city handles them very differently. Neither wants to deal with cash. In Dallas there are two ways to pay, 1) get an EZ Tag and save about 50% on tolls which are paid electronically or 2) they send you an invoice in the mail. Houston on the other hand has the same tag system to pay electronically but doesn't have have the pay by mail option. Instead, you find a lot of exits that say "EZ Tag only, no cash". So unless you have an EZ Tag, you can get on a tollway but can't get off!! (And they don't warn you about it.) We drove through one exit that said EZ Tag only not knowing what else to do. We will probably get a bill in the mail with a fine.
Texans are very proud of their state and that is evident by the symbols and outlines of the state which appear on overpasses, the use of Texas related names in businesses, roller coaster rides at Great America, waffles shaped like Texas at hotels, etc. that go beyond what I have seen in the midwest.
This may be big city related instead of Texas related but it is interesting how car dealerships use parking ramps to store their inventory, even in the outskirts of the city where there is more land.
Speaking of dealerships, Texans love their trucks. We drove by a Chevy dealership and couldn't see a car on the lot. It was just row after row after row of trucks. We envision going into a dealership asking for a Malibu and the salesman looking at you like you're from another planet having no clue Chevy makes a Malibu car. They have to import cars from Oklahoma if you want to buy one!
Interestingly enough, we saw very few motorcycles despite the nice weather.
On an unrelated note, with the temperatures as hot as they are, cold water out of the tap is not a given. The kitchen sink in our hotel gives us the option of warm or hot. If you want to drink out of a water fountain at a park, expect the water to be quite hot, as well. (Although if you let the water run a little, it does cool off some.)
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