Texas Exit (traffic term)
A “Texas exit” is made when a vehicle exits a freeway or highway (usually when traffic is backed up, such as during rush hours or after a traffic accident) by driving across the grass/dirt, jumping the curb, and entering a feeder or frontage road. The grass/dirt near the highway often shows the signs of “Texas exits.”
Google Groups: misc.transport.urban-transit
Newsgroups: austin.politics, austin.general, alt.planning.urban, misc.transport.urban-transit
From: Silas Warner
Date: 1995/12/09
Subject: Texas Traffic (Was: Re: 65mph on MOPAC
>———Texas! It’s like a whole other country.———
You ain’t kidding, especially about traffic laws. You really should explain the custom of the “Texas exit” some time.
(Hint: it’s the Texian (that’s how they say it!) practice of driving off the freeway across the grass and onto the frontage road.)
Google Groups: misc.transport.urban-transit
Newsgroups: austin.politics, austin.general, alt.planning.urban, misc.transport.urban-transit
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (Rick Shank)
Date: 1995/12/11
Subject: Re: Texas Traffic (Was: Re: 65mph on MOPAC
>You ain’t kidding, especially about traffic laws. You really should
>explain the custom of the “Texas exit” some time.
>(Hint: it’s the Texian (that’s how they say it!) practice of driving
>off the freeway across the grass and onto the frontage road.)
> Silas Warner
They do this because the regular exits are so poorly designed. :^)
Rick - Ain Tayxis (with mah pickup), it’s awl ayxit.
Google Groups: misc.transport.road
Newsgroups: houston.general, misc.transport.urban-transit, misc.transport.road
From: Silas Warner
Date: 1998/10/13
Subject: Re: Texas Exits (Was: Is Light Rail really…
Robert L. Coyle Jr. wrote:
> I’ve studied the freeway problems in both the morning and afternoon “rush
> hours.” The problem is not necessarily the wideness of the freeway but the
> number of entrance ramps. If they would simply close them at the points
> where the freeway starts to back up, congestion would be greatly reduced.
This is a good point to describe the curious construction of Houston freeways and the phenomenon of the “Texas Exit.”
(...)
So, Texans tend to exit these freeways not at the marked exit ramps but wherever they feel the urge to cut across the grass. The result is well-marked grass paths—“Texas Exits” on the majority of Houston freeways.
Google Groups: misc.transport.road
Newsgroups: misc.transport.road
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (Fmtyner)
Date: 1998/10/18
Subject: Re: Texas Exits (Was: Is Light Rail really…
>So, Texans tend to exit these freeways not at the marked
>exit ramps but wherever they feel the urge to cut across
>the grass. The result is well-marked grass paths—“Texas
>Exits” on the majority of Houston freeways.
I’ve never seen this in Dallas. I’ll have to look for it sometime.
Google Groups: misc.transport.road
Newsgroups: misc.transport.road
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Date: 1998/10/20
Subject: Re: Texas Exits (Was: Is Light Rail really…
> >So, Texans tend to exit these freeways not at the marked
> >exit ramps but wherever they feel the urge to cut across
> >the grass. The result is well-marked grass paths—“Texas
> >Exits” on the majority of Houston freeways.
> I’ve never seen this in Dallas. I’ll have to look for it sometime.
I don’t see too much of this in SA- oops, I mean San Antonio 😊 - either. I think most people realize that the frontage roads here, with those *long* cycle signals, will take just as long or longer than the mainlanes during regular congestion. I do see quite a few median jumpers when there’s congestion on rural Interstates, however, especially on I-35 north of here on holiday weekends. These people exemplify the immaturity and impatience that creates so many problems on our highways today.
—Brian Purcell
The Texas Highwayman
San Antonio, Texas, USA
mailto:hiway…@express-news.net
MovieJustice - Open Discussion Forums
Bright Eyed
Jul 29 2005, 04:37 PM
(...)
Ive also done a few texas exits, weaved through heavy traffic at 80mph racing my sisters boyfriends audi a6, and even completely changed my clothes while driving.
Brin-l
From: “Robert J. Chassell”
To:
Sent: Friday, September 23, 2005 9:48 AM
Subject: Re: Evacuation
(...)
And, we have what are called Texas exits (and to a lesser extent, Texas entrance ramps). When, for example, the freeway is backed up and the frontage road is flowing, people will just pull off the freeway, drive on grass or dirt for a bit (the well used Texas exits are usually compacted dirt from all the cars that use them), and then go on the feeder road. Even if all the official entrances were blocked, there would be virtually an unlimited supply of Texas entrance ramps.
Start to Finnish
Monday, June 05, 2006
(...)
One of my favorite moves is apparently called a ‘Texas Exit’. You drive all the way in the left-hand lane and then seconds before your exit on the right, you just start floating across the lanes you need to cross. No need for a signal - just go! Though this one I can sometimes understand as signage here is usually located immediately before the exit so if you don’t know where you’re going, its just a knee-jerk reaction to seeing the sign. (Does it sound like I’ve done this before? Maybe I have, maybe I have…..)
Fountain Pen Network
Oct 24 2006, 09:09 PM
Of course, if you have a 4X4, you can just make a “Texas exit”—drive off the freeway, across the drainage, and up onto the access road. Never mind the traffic on the access road doing 45 mph—or stopped. Although I have seen more than one SUV or pickup stuck across the drainage because the bumpers caught on the slope on either side. Or nose down in a concrete culvert in the middle of the drainage (what the he** were they thinking? “If I drive fast enough, the truck will just fly across that drain. Watch this!”)
Views From My Garden
Monday, November 13, 2006
Patience is a virtue that I’ve developed a lot of, but I could use a lot more, and so could a lot of other people, judging by an incident I saw on the freeway this past weekend.
I was on the feeder road and only going a few more blocks when I saw traffic at almost a standstill on the freeway. There was a wreck on the overpass a few blocks ahead. Everyone on the freeway could see the wreck, so some people decided to get off the freeway. Not at an exit, though, because there wasn’t one. They were just jumping the curb and driving over the grass to get to the feeder.
What they didn’t see, though, was that on the exit there were several police vehicles with their lights flashing. They were stopping the cars jumping the curb, giving them all hefty tickets.
(...)
Annie in Austin said…
Very true post, Gary!
We’d never heard of a “Texas Exit” before moving to Austin, but soon figured out why there were so many ruts through the grass medians on the sides of the limited access roads.
Sometimes when we’ve seen vehicles drive over the grass, it turned out to be a barbecue emergency.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
10:14 AM
LynMinx (MySpace)
October 8, 2007 - Monday
(...)
Some jackass decided to do an infamous “Texas exit”, cut across FIVE LANES OF TRAFFIC to get from the FAR LEFT LANE to the FAR RIGHT EXIT ONLY LANE onto 635. Without looking. Without a blinker.