Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I hate driving in big cities (such as Boston). Like most people, I dislike sitting in parking lot traffic on the highway, which I did daily for over two years for a job I had here in MA.
What is the traffic like in Albuquerque? Are the roads mostly smaller two-lane roads, or multiple lanes with lights every five feet like where I lived in NC? I've read about the I-25/I-40 interchange here... how bad is it? Parking lot traffic or just a minor annoyance? The place where I'd be working is on the east side of the city (just south of the airport) so I don't plan to live on the west side and have to go over a bridge as part of my commute.
And also (kinda OT, but whatev)... where exactly is the downtown area of ABQ? Like if I was looking at a map, what streets would you say it's between? Just curious.
I've discovered that one's opinion of ABQ traffic is directly proportional to where they've lived/driven before. My friends from small cities in AL and IA hate the traffic here and think the drivers are idiots. My friends from much larger cities (myself included) like Atlanta, DC, Houston, LA, Miami etc. think the rush hour is a piece of cake (rush half-hour) and find the drivers to be some of the better ones.
ABQ has alternate routes to almost anywhere in the city, so I rarely have to drive the interstate during rush hour. As long as you aren't trying to cross one of the bridges during the peak times, traffic here isn't too bad. IMHO anyway.
Most of the main roads are 4 or 6 lanes, and there are plenty of those type roads, both N/S and E/W. Lights aren't too bad, mostly at major intersections (anywhere from 1/2 m to 1m apart perhaps? NE side anyway). The lights seem to be synchronized on many of the roads I frequent, so that helps.
I haven't spent much time in downtown yet, most of my work so far has been in the NE and SE areas, but I think it starts around 1st and Central. One of the regulars should be along shortly who can give you more details about downtown.
I haven't found ABQ traffic to be that bad. I see some congestion, it might take a couple tries to get through some lights at rush hour. People get a little nuts around I-40/I-25, but that's to be expected. Sometimes people kind of panic when everybody starts changing lanes & stuff. I don't think the highway is going to turn into a parking lot unless there is a big wreck. It is no worse than where I last lived (Dayton, OH). It is certainly much more pleasant than Washington, DC, Atlanta, LA, etc. Like Yukon said, it's proportional.
yukon and penelopelp have the right idea. Compared to Boston (I've commuted on the eastern seaboard, including D.C.'s beltway & been in Boston on business for a couple weeks.). Albuquerque's traffic is insignificant. IMHO it's not the shear numbers or speeds, it's the couple of nuts you seem to run into on each trip. I've said it on another post. You end up seeing stuff that just baffles you. But for real traffic? Unless there's an accident in the work zone, you'll never see a parking lot. It may slow down for a couple blocks, but you'll be right back up to highway speeds afterwards.
The best part is that the whole city is on a grid. As yukon pointed out, there's rarely a place where you can't jump of the highway at the next exit if you don't like what you're seeing and still make decent time on the surface streets with little stress. Some of the streets are timed (they usually have signs.). If you set your cruise control to the posted speed, you'll hit greens the whole way.
I mentioned in another post, but it seems applicable here: There's a hands free law here. Don't use your cell phone without a hands free device. Some of our intersections have red-light cameras. You can get a ticket/fine for running a light or speeding.
In my mind, the core of downtown is between 1st and 10th and Roma and Coal.
Last edited by ziaAirmac; 04-06-2008 at 10:52 PM..
Reason: adding info.
Thanks for all the information, guys!! Based on what you've said, I'm guessing I wouldn't think the traffic there was any big deal. It seems more similar to the Raleigh-Durham area, but better planned, so traffic probably moves more quickly.
Yep. And everyone and their mother, grandmother, nieces, cousins, uncle and neighbors kids all pile in the car and shop together. A coworker says she thinks it's the folks from outside of town (rural areas) coming in to shop for the day - it's a big deal. Never, ever shop at a WalMart on Saturday around here. You will be trampled by the aforementioned group with their shopping cart before you ever make it to the crosswalk.
Do your shopping on weeknights and save the weekends for fun, non-shopping activities. It's a more sane approach around here.
I think what everyone has mentioned on here pretty much sums up ABQ. traffic, and shopping at wal-mart is crazy on a saturday,I avoid Wal-Mart anytime of the week cause it is just too packed.
It's pretty quiet around here on Saturday. I guess they're all at Wal-Mart!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
