Looking for suburb advice (Detroit, Rochester Hills: crime rate, house, neighborhood)

[Xtreme]

Per Google Maps...

29mins - Grosse Pointe
30mins - Grosse Pointe Township
25mins - Grosse Pointe Farms
26mins - Grosse Pointe Park
23mins - Grosse Pointe Shores
21mins - Grosse Pointe Woods

So, everybody is right. Let's be friends again.

[scolls]

Originally Posted by Cato the Elder

Not horrible drivers, we just can't defy the laws of physics.

If you travel at 65 miles per hour, to a destination that is under 30 miles away, the laws of physics state you will make it to said destination in under 30 minutes. At that rates, you would travel roughly 1.08 miles per minute. With a destination 25 miles away, that should take 23 minutes. Simple no?

[Cato the Elder]

Originally Posted by Xtreme

Per Google Maps...

29mins - Grosse Pointe
30mins - Grosse Pointe Township
25mins - Grosse Pointe Farms
26mins - Grosse Pointe Park
23mins - Grosse Pointe Shores
21mins - Grosse Pointe Woods

So, everybody is right. Let's be friends again.

I'm not sure which Google Maps you guys are using, but if you type in the towns, which then defaults to the center of town, and choose the highway route described, it comes out like this:

31.4 miles, 38 minutes - Grosse Pointe
32.0 miles, 39 minutes - Grosse Pointe Township
30.2 miles, 35 minutes - Grosse Pointe Farms
32.6 miles, 38 minutes - Grosse Pointe Park
28.6 miles, 33 minutes - Grosse Pointe Shores
27.0 miles, 30 minutes - Grosse Pointe Woods (which is almost all highway and the closest to Troy)

Even with no traffic, there is almost no way one can do 65mph on the highway and get between the two points in under 30 minutes, let alone 15 minutes as originally advertised. This is even assuming that the Troy location is right near the highway ramp (Google Maps defaults to Livernois and Square Lake, which is less than a mile from the ramp). What happens if you live in east Troy, like many people? You're looking at closer to an hour.

[Xtreme]

Originally Posted by Cato the Elder

I'm not sure which Google Maps you guys are using, but if you type in the towns, which then defaults to the center of town, and choose the highway route described...

You're right, sorry, I was using a specific address within Troy.

[Duckfat]

Originally Posted by scolls

If you travel at 65 miles per hour, to a destination that is under 30 miles away, the laws of physics state you will make it to said destination in under 30 minutes. At that rates, you would travel roughly 1.08 miles per minute. With a destination 25 miles away, that should take 23 minutes. Simple no?

Overall this conversation illustrates what some one new to an area faces when moving to a new area. The gross pointes are a good ten minutes up '94 on average. It makes little difference if you come across Metro Parkway or M-59 it takes a solid twenty minutes+ with traffic and all of the intersections to get from 94 to Rochester Road alone. From there you have to get to where you are going in Troy. Realisticly this drive on average during normal work days takes 45 minutes at best but for the OP they should factor 50-60 minutes..... One way.
That's a lot of driving!
Mapquest rates this drive at 39 minutes if you take 696. Rotsa ruck with that between 7-9 am or 3-6 PM M-F.
M-59 or Metro Parkway may take another 5-10 minutes but once you are on 696 or I75 and it's bottlnecked you have no place to go.
It's not hard to tell those who actually drive this route from those just looking at a map. Mileage and time calculations work in rural areas but are useless for calculating travel times in urban areas.

[Coldjensens]

Best Bet. Go there at the time you will be driving, and drive it a few times.

I have some people tell me that they can make it from Grosse Point to Downtown in five minues. Others say 30 plus. Most say about 20 minutes. THe bottom line is people often do nto have realistic accounts of how long their drive takes. Sometimes there is some sort of bizzarre coompetitive thing that makes people shorten the time. Apparently they percieve that it makes them seem better if they can do the drive in a shorter time.

Likewise, I find Google and Mapquest (and Garmin) time estimates to be grossly inaccurate in both directions. Garmin tends to be closer. I have had Google estimates of 48 minutes and made the trip in less than half an hour. I have had estimates in the 40 minute range and it took me over an hour. They do too much averaging and assuming to provide accurate time information.

You need to test it yourself using your driving habits and checking different routes under different conditions.

[behindenemylines]

I used to live in St. Clair Shores near the I94/696 interchange. I worked in Troy right off the Big Beaver exit. It took between 35-50 minutes during rush hour depending on traffic, weather, and what exact time I left home or the office. Keep in mind those numbers are higher if its really bad weather or if there is construction. If you live or work further from the freeways it adds time obviously. Depending on where you live in The Pointes it could easily add another 5 to 15 minutes and depending on where you work in Troy it could easily add another 5 to 15 minutes on top of that. I love The Pointes but if a short commute is high on your priortity list and you work in Troy, I would recommend you look at Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Rochester Hills or Troy itself.

[Cato the Elder]

Originally Posted by behindenemylines

I used to live in St. Clair Shores near the I94/696 interchange. I worked in Troy right off the Big Beaver exit. It took between 35-50 minutes during rush hour depending on traffic, weather, and what exact time I left home or the office. Keep in mind those numbers are higher if its really bad weather or if there is construction. If you live or work further from the freeways it adds time obviously. Depending on where you live in The Pointes it could easily add another 5 to 15 minutes and depending on where you work in Troy it could easily add another 5 to 15 minutes on top of that. I love The Pointes but if a short commute is high on your priortity list and you work in Troy, I would recommend you look at Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Rochester Hills or Troy itself.

Seriously, even during non-rush hour it takes me at least 10 minutes to get from a Troy location on to I-75. You add in all the mall traffic, corporations, and it can get ugly during rush hour. Then you add the minimum 25 miles highway portion. If there is no traffic, you can make up some time if you go over the speed limit, but it's a difference of 18 minutes (85mph) and 23 minutes (65mph). Then you add in the 10+ minutes on the Grosse Pointe side. You're looking at 40+ minutes at 85mph on the highway, 25 minutes if you live within a minute of the highway ramps and book it. To say 15 minutes is possible is ludicrous and 30 minutes is overly optimistic.

[scolls]

How the hell can it take 50 minutes to get to Troy? I can make it to Auburn Hills in under 50 minutes. Anyone who takes 59 to get to Troy is just insane.

[scolls]

Originally Posted by Cato the Elder

Seriously, even during non-rush hour it takes me at least 10 minutes to get from a Troy location on to I-75. You add in all the mall traffic, corporations, and it can get ugly during rush hour. Then you add the minimum 25 miles highway portion. If there is no traffic, you can make up some time if you go over the speed limit, but it's a difference of 18 minutes (85mph) and 23 minutes (65mph). Then you add in the 10+ minutes on the Grosse Pointe side. You're looking at 40+ minutes at 85mph on the highway, 25 minutes if you live within a minute of the highway ramps and book it. To say 15 minutes is possible is ludicrous and 30 minutes is overly optimistic.

I can make it to Oakland Mall in 15 minutes. It's really not hard. 3 miles on 75, 7-8 miles on 696, 4 miles on 94. How the hell does it take you longer?