Commute in comparison to other bad traffic cities (Houston, Austin: neighborhood, construction)

[bvitale]

My fiancee and I are considering a move to Austin in the next 6 months to a year. We currently live in the Northern Virginia / Washington DC area.

We would be coming from one of the worst traffic areas in the country, but judging by a lot of the comments on this board, it sounds like traffic in Austin ain't so hot either. Y'all aren't that much lower on the ranking than DC (complete list is here: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0855647.html).

I work as a software engineer, and based on my research thus far, a lot of those jobs seem to be located in the 1A/1B MLS areas (Research Blvd etc).

Can anyone comment on the best and worst routes to this part of town?

And, if I'm lucky enough, maybe there's someone on here who's done the move from a bad traffic area (DC, LA, San Fran, Seattle, Houston) to Austin and how you find the traffic in comparison?

[AustinGuy]

Traffic in Austin can't compare to any of those cities. If you know where your job is, you should be able to live close enough to avoid most of the traffic. Plus, Austin traffic is mostly confined to rush hours or certain times on the weekend unlike a place like LA where the traffic is constant.

[mrsengle]

Hello Bvitale,

My husband is also a software engineer. And really, those positions are all over the place (my husband works in the VERY southwest part of Austin, and he commutes from Round Rock). Then there's Dell, which is in Round Rock...
As for the traffic...yeah, it's got problems. I'm from Houston, and I have to say that I would take Houston traffic any day. The difference is that Houston planned much better for expansion. There's lots of construction going on (esp. in the northern part of town) also. But as the above poster said, it's relatively easy to live close to work.

On a side note, if you're a C++ guy and you haven't found a job, let me know. My husband worls for a company called Troux (www.troux.com) (broken link), and they are in need of some good people. They also employ Java folks, too (and if you know Oracle, that's even better). Good luck!

[wisemommaerts]

Hello Bvitale, I moved in March 2007 from DC (Virginia Square-Orange Line) back to Austin. I lived in DC for 3 yrs and Austin 6 yrs previously. My husband is also an IT guy and as mrsengle said those jobs are every where. As AustinGuy said, you really can live close to where you work if you want to avoid traffic. I also agree with mrsengle that the worst part about Austin traffic is the lack of road planning and the delay in addressing the traffic needs of the city as it expanded.

What Austin lacks, which DC had, was options. DC had the subway and to a lesser extent the bus. Here in Austin there's nothing but a few major roads to which everyone has to use. There are ways to get around them, thank God with the new toll roads (some controversary re: the toll roads depending on the area here) and with time you learn alternate routes.

I knew coming back to Austin traffic was going to be bad, it was bad before I moved. I road the bus every day to work, which was a God-send, but I lived in a neighborhood that had an Express bus route which happened to go straight to my building downtown. And it cost me only $10 a month for unlimited rides compared to $90 a month to ride the subway in DC, but was okay with paying it to avoid driving. Even on the days I had to drive, it still wasn't that bad. Now I avoid traffic in Austin by working a different schedule from rush hour. One solution since I don't live near my work.

If you have any specific questions/concerns, let me know. I'd be happy to help in any way I can.

[HOUSTONBOY]

i live in houston...austin is like a NASCAR lan compared to houston at rush hour or anytime for that matter..........

[homeinatx]

compared to DC, NYC, Chicago, SF, LA or Houston, there is no traffic in Austin. If it is moving, it ain't traffic!

[atlanta hope]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

compared to DC, NYC, Chicago, SF, LA or Houston, there is no traffic in Austin. If it is moving, it ain't traffic!

Add Atlanta in there too.

In my day to day 12 mile commute, I don't hit a lot of traffic. I do however work downtown in a building on the 18th floor -- and see the traffic pile up on I-35 every day. There are a few areas that get backed up but once you learn where you're going and different ways to get there, it's not that bad.

I've been stuck in DC traffic quite a few times when I lived in VA and there is no way Austin could compare to the beltway!?!

[sxrckr]

My experiences are completely different from some others in here. For me the traffic is always awful, backed up, lights last for 5 minutes. Worse than every other Texas city!

[BobosCurse]

I lived in Pittsburgh for a few years, and it was a nightmare.
Can anyone make a first-hand comparison?

We also lived in Cinci for 5 years, and during that time we watched it get out of control right before our eyes.

[hoffdano]

Austin traffic varies wildly depending on where you are going.

IH 35 anywhere near rush hour is absolutely painful.

Mopac (Hwy 1) is unpleasant at rush hour too - in both directions now.

360 (Capitol of Tx Hwy) is heavy at commute times but seems to have a more directional character. Northbound in the afternoon is very slow.

But many other commuter roads aren't bad at all.

It definitely pays in time and frustration to live somewhere in an acceptable commute range from work.

Compared to Houston - which does have some massive freeways - in Austin I just don't get that feeling of cars everywhere all the time. IH10 in Houston may have five lanes and traffic may move - but man that is a lot of cars.