How is Traffic EARLY in the morning? (Howe: live, rain)

[norcal1963]

Originally Posted by Pooua

I finally managed to get a YouTube video of my drive across morning pre-rush hour traffic last Tuesday (January 24). Something went crazy with YouTube, and my original attempt never completely converted.

Anyway, I drove about an hour from Plano to Southlake via 75/635/114, starting just before 7 a.m. and arriving about 7:45 a.m. Here is a 13-minute, edited copy of the video I shot of that trip.

Early Morning Traffic.wmv - YouTube

If that is a commute in Dallas...I will take it......I sit in traffic an average of 3 hours every day in the Bay Area(San Jose/Central Valley) you were moving,lol...some of the spots I hit...no one moves.....

[Shayne_]

Originally Posted by norcal1963

If that is a commute in Dallas...I will take it......I sit in traffic an average of 3 hours every day in the Bay Area(San Jose/Central Valley) you were moving,lol...some of the spots I hit...no one moves.....

I can honestly say the same thing...that doesnt look bad at all!!!

[Mr.Bungle]

Originally Posted by norcal1963

If that is a commute in Dallas...I will take it......I sit in traffic an average of 3 hours every day in the Bay Area(San Jose/Central Valley) you were moving,lol...some of the spots I hit...no one moves.....

I think the point is to illustrate that the commute isn't as bad that early in the morning. Once 7:15ish hits, forget about it.

[Pooua]

Originally Posted by Mr.Bungle

I think the point is to illustrate that the commute isn't as bad that early in the morning. Once 7:15ish hits, forget about it.

I make it a point to avoid getting stuck in non-moving traffic. Sometimes I do not succeed, but I will do almost anything to get out of a true traffic jam, even if it actually takes me longer to reach my destination than it would to go through the traffic jam.

[Pooua]

Originally Posted by norcal1963

If that is a commute in Dallas...I will take it......I sit in traffic an average of 3 hours every day in the Bay Area(San Jose/Central Valley) you were moving,lol...some of the spots I hit...no one moves.....

I lived in the Hampton Bay area of Virginia back in the late '80s, when I was stationed in the area by the U.S. Navy. The average rate of travel from Virginia Beach to Norfolk during rush hour was about 12 mph. Compared to that, we have it pretty good in DFW. The worst I've experienced in DFW is about an extra hour of travel time (which is unacceptable to me).

Most of the time that traffic stops in a rush hour, it is due to poor driver behavior. Someone up ahead is causing or has caused traffic to slow, maybe to a stop. I realized when I was in Virginia that traffic flow has mesmerizing wave behavior that appears to follow predictable principles (for example, modest hills automatically generate traffic jams, because most people slow on them, resulting in back-ups). Texas drivers usually slow when going up a hill or around a curve or when entering a single lane, even if they don't have to do so. It is so predictable that I've often avoided getting stuck just by moving away from the spots that I know are about to become stuck.

[SVTRay]

Originally Posted by Shayne_

Hello All,

I wanted to know, how is traffic EARLY in the morning in Dallas? I mean about 6am...Im coming from a small town where traffic isnt a big issue so hearing about how bad traffic is in Dallas, scares me.........

Thanks!


ETA: Here I purposely work between 6AM and 7AM so I can avoid rush hour so Im somewhat hoping I can do the same there.......

It all depends, traffic on streets like 75 and the toll are very tame at this time but Woodall & I-35 is another story. I've had to bein Ft worth at 8am before and those hwys had traffic jams around 6:30am...got caught in the rain once which tacked on an extra 20 minutes or so.

[DFWMike]

Depends on where you live, in Frisco going downtown, it tends to be pretty good on the tollway until right around 7 am, about 7:30 it becomes a parking lot until 9 or so. In my experience living in various northern suburbs 6:30 tends to be a magic number, it always depends on accidents etc. But I've rarely been stuck in a major traffic jam leaving at the time you stated(6am). SVT is right about 35E, it's a nightmare.

I'm now fortunate enough to commute to Coppell from Frisco, so traffic is never an issue for me at any time of day.

[Grainraiser]

"Depends on where you live"


This is the question we need and answered. I live in Mesquite and work in Plano (Preston & Hedgecoxe). Even having to be at work at 8am was not bad since I was traveling north. Watching that southbound traffic on Central was scary. My my commute home was horrible. It took on average 1hr 15 minutes to get home. It was so bad that I changed my work schedule. Traveling on Dallas roads should be pretty easy before 7am. Anytime after this is going to be location specific.

[seat21d]

EB I-30 into downtown starts stacking up before 7am...my airport driver likes to take it, but I prefer to [[[...deleted secret route...]]]

[Kftdnr]

Traveling south on 75 from McKinney into Dallas, traffic is much less congested before 6:30 A.M. After that, very thick.

As others mentioned, ANY rain and all bets are off. You can literally see the taillights come on if rain starts falling. Are people braking for rain? Yes!

Or, if law enforcement has someone pulled over FORGET it. Yes, people need to merge left for the officer's safety. I mean even when they have someone pulled over on the service road.

Everything comes to a stop, just like when there is an accident. This includes highway maintenance trucks that only have yellow flashing lights. I suppose some people are just terrified/mesmerized by flashing lights?

When there is no rain, accidents or flashing lights, the other and even MORE of a problem to keeping traffic moving along is the fast lane obnoxious people that clog the flow of traffic like globs of hair in a bathtub drain.

Yes, the ones that camp out in the far left lane and go 5-10 below the limit with a 1/4 mile between themselves and the next vehicle.

The big semi's DO at least stay in the second lane from the left, but they too won't move right, even when 4 lanes are available.

Many mornings, when traffic has come to a halt, I surmise that there must have been an accident, only to discover some hairball was just clogging up the left lane, backing up traffic for miles.

Once you get into Dallas and are approaching your exit, be prepared for the far right lane sleep walkers. That MUST be what they are doing. They creep along at 45 mph REGARDLESS of traffic and road conditions.

When your exit is approaching, merge into the far right lane and try not to fall asleep watching everyone else in all the other lanes zoom by as you approach the exit at the numbing 45 mph speed.

Know what? Just take the side streets.