Does too much traffic cause anxiety for you?

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Joe90
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19 Dec 2014, 7:11 am

This is not necessarily for people who drive a vehicle.
When I'm on the bus I become very agitated if there is a hold up. I panic inwardly when I see traffic queues that go on for miles and you've got to just sit there waiting, and its growing dark and cold outside and you just want to get to your destination and be out of the way.

I hate it when there are traffic lights after traffic lights, and roundabouts after roundabouts, and having to use one side of the road because of parked cars everywhere, and just everywhere you go there are cars and cars. And more cars. They say there are only 7 billion people in the world. That sounds irritably inaccurate to me, as by the amount of hold-ups I encounter on my way to my boyfriend's place, it feels like there are 7 billion people in Britain alone.
Does too much traffic cause panic or anxiety for anyone else or is it just me?


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steve30
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19 Dec 2014, 7:50 am

Yes, but for me its more the noise and bright lights.

I live near a fairly busy road, and its far too noisy. I don't like going out in the evening during winter because of all the (unnecessary) blinding lights.



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19 Dec 2014, 7:57 am

I grew up in Seattle washington, where there's absolutely nothing but traffic at any given time of day. There was traffic on the school bus, then on the drive to school, then driving to work. Eventually I got a job as a truck driver, and I had to drive during seattle rush hour, 45 miles every day, often in the pouring rain. I guess it wasn't so bad because I was both used to it, and I knew how to drive in it.

On the flip side, I now live in salt lake city, and any traffic delay is an extreme nuisance. Especially that left turn onto S 500 from 300 W to get back on the freeway. The damn thing only lets 1 car go!


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jk1
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19 Dec 2014, 8:07 am

Not exactly anxiety. I get stressed by busy traffic because of the (engine) noise. Where there are cars/trucks/buses, whether they are running or waiting at the intersection, you can hear their noise. I also find it stressful when I'm walking on the sidewalk and many cars etc are running on the road.

As for a traffic jam, as long as it's not affecting me, I don't care too much. But I do find it unpleasant to see a long line of cars stuck in traffic.



eric76
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19 Dec 2014, 8:24 am

Joe90 wrote:
This is not necessarily for people who drive a vehicle.
When I'm on the bus I become very agitated if there is a hold up. I panic inwardly when I see traffic queues that go on for miles and you've got to just sit there waiting, and its growing dark and cold outside and you just want to get to your destination and be out of the way.


On Thanksgiving, I drove over to one of my niece's homes for lunch. She lives about 40 miles away. In town, I met two or three vehicles. Once I got to the city limits, I didn't meet anyone else on the road for the rest of that 40 miles including in her town. On the way back, I met two vehicles between the two towns, both obviously ranchers/cowboys out to check cattle.

In town, my office is on the corner of the busiest intersection in town -- the only one with a traffic light. One weekday afteroon on a whim, I decided to see if I could cross the intersection diagonally between 5 and 6 while going to a store a block away. No problem with that -- there was no traffic going to the store or coming back.



steve30
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19 Dec 2014, 2:14 pm

jk1 wrote:
Not exactly anxiety. I get stressed by busy traffic because of the (engine) noise. Where there are cars/trucks/buses, whether they are running or waiting at the intersection, you can hear their noise. I also find it stressful when I'm walking on the sidewalk and many cars etc are running on the road.

As for a traffic jam, as long as it's not affecting me, I don't care too much. But I do find it unpleasant to see a long line of cars stuck in traffic.


Similar problem for me here, except its more tyre noise than engine noise. I do find modern engines to be pretty quiet.



NiceCupOfTea
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19 Dec 2014, 2:45 pm

I get incredibly anxious if I'm on a train and it stops in the middle of nowhere for no apparent reason. Everyone else sits there incredibly stoically, while I'm drumming my fingers, tutting, etc. It's not so bad on a bus, I suppose because there is always the option of getting off if it gets too claustrophobic.

And when I'm driving, I'm barely fussed at all. I get more bothered being stuck behind a driver doing 40mph on a 60mph road in perfect driving conditions.



olympiadis
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19 Dec 2014, 3:44 pm

Joe90 wrote:
it feels like there are 7 billion people in Britain alone.
Does too much traffic cause panic or anxiety for anyone else or is it just me?


Yes.
When I worked in the Pentagon and had to drive in D.C. I was getting panic attacks almost daily for about the first month. The level of aggression is what made it so bad for me.

On the other hand, I don't mind driving at night when very few people are out on the road, and on highways with no stops.



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19 Dec 2014, 4:55 pm

I can get super unsettled if I am stuck in traffic. I can get very exhausted if I am in very heavy traffic and if there is a loud stereo, I can totally lose it. I have had meltdowns and blackouts while driving from loud stereos from other cars.


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eric76
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19 Dec 2014, 7:03 pm

Image



olympiadis
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19 Dec 2014, 7:08 pm

eric76 wrote:
Image


:lol:
looks like D.C.

Too bad the blood pressure from such environments can't be harnessed as usable energy.



Jacoby
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19 Dec 2014, 7:58 pm

I don't drive but I don't think there is any way I wouldn't be extremely anxious in traffic. As a passenger it's whatever, I just listen to to radio or stare off if I'm the bus or train.



ToughDiamond
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19 Dec 2014, 8:53 pm

It used to wind me up to be a passenger whenever the vehicle was being delayed, especially if I couldn't see why we were waiting. These days I don't worry about it at all unless I'm late for something important.

I hate cars though, except when I'm in them. I hate the sheer number of them, and the way some of the drivers cheat and bully, driving way too fast to be safe, parking on the footpath, blocking pedestrian crossings, expecting pedestrians to give way to them if they're about to turn into a side road that the pedestrian is about to cross, using the horn as a rebuke, and getting road rage, when compared to pedestrians they've got so little to get steamed up about, all dry and comfy like they are. Then there's the noise and stink, and the sheer waste of time and energy as they commute back and forth every day. It's so dystopian.



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19 Dec 2014, 9:53 pm

I hate traffic anxiety...
This is why I don't like driving on the freeways.


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19 Dec 2014, 10:23 pm

Yeah, I'm not a great traveller, its often about the speed ans smoothness of the ride that's actually quite painful if its too sudden. Also when there's delays or a but takes a different route than usual gets me to panic slight because of the change in familiarity.

Also when my vision out gets obscured, if it gets dark, the windows condense up and that gets me disorientated as t where i am. Another is general anxiety about busy roads and the fear of crashing. I also cant travel without feeling weak if its a long journey or a journey that's rather hectic with different speeds going up/down hills going through many corners etc.

I also at risk of collapsing and losing conciousness so need a travel companion at most times and may be more unbalanced and more at risk of falls or stumbles than usual.


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eric76
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19 Dec 2014, 11:18 pm

xenocity wrote:
I hate traffic anxiety...
This is why I don't like driving on the freeways.


I used to work with a woman in the Houston area who had never driven on a freeway in spite of having lived there most of her life.