Compare Lexington traffic to DC (Louisville, Nicholasville: purchase, subdivision, to live in)

[hammockbrain]

I've been reading the threads and seeing how horrible traffic is in Lexington. Anyone lived in the DC area and can compare this?

[teebird1012]

It's not nearly as bad as DC. By our standards yes the traffic here gets congested, but when I talk to people who live in DC, they laugh at us when they hear us complaining.

[graceC]

I used to live in New Jersey before moving to Lexington 3 yrs ago and I still don't understand why people make such a big fuss over traffic in Lexington. Everytime I hear people complain about traffic in lexington I tell them try driving in New Jersey, THEN they would understand the true meaning of traffic congestion!

[johnsonkk]

Originally Posted by hammockbrain

I've been reading the threads and seeing how horrible traffic is in Lexington. Anyone lived in the DC area and can compare this?

Lexington traffic is nowhere near DC levels. After moving in the 90's, I visit occasionally and was there last week and the I-395 (going thru town) was stopped at times (rain/accidents?) for hours each day. Commuters don't have bad portions, they have hours of painful driving. The main difference is the extra time when things go wrong. Normal commutes of 50 minutes can take 2 hours with one bad wreck because the volume of cars that know the shortcuts use them once traffice gets 'too heavy' due to the accident.

Solution? People say the DC Metro (rail) is the answer but the parking near the stations outside the beltway charge $55 a month PLUS the daily parking fee of $4.25. There is a waiting list to purchase this 'hunter's permit' to park. Metro - Reserved parking program Then the rail fee to head downtown is $8/day (roundtrip) back to the parking garage.

Most smaller towns have defined bad commutes as taking 10 minutes longer than normal. Often times changing times by 30 minutes makes a big difference and in DC, 5:30am is too late to miss 'rush' hour and if you're not back on the road before 3, you're in it.

Winchester and New Circle (heading south) is no fun during rush hour but don't pretend that the DC commuters will feel our pain in Lexington. This doesn't mean traffic patterns shouldn't be improved!!

[LEXpert]

I have lived in Lexington for over 20 years. I think people compare the traffic to what they preceive should be a tolerable amount. Anytime you have 250,000 people getting out and doing what they have to do, there will be traffic. I don't like being stuck in traffic, but it doesn't bother me that much.

[KerryB]

Originally Posted by johnsonkk

Solution? People say the DC Metro (rail) is the answer but the parking near the stations outside the beltway charge $55 a month PLUS the daily parking fee of $4.25. There is a waiting list to purchase this 'hunter's permit' to park. Metro - Reserved parking program Then the rail fee to head downtown is $8/day (roundtrip) back to the parking garage.

Thats why you pay the premium & live within walking/biking/bus distance to a Metro station. You couldnt pay me enough to live out in the "sticks" in the DC area & have to commute in every day by car. Its just not worth it.

[bluegrassgirl]

Originally Posted by graceC

I used to live in New Jersey before moving to Lexington 3 yrs ago and I still don't understand why people make such a big fuss over traffic in Lexington. Everytime I hear people complain about traffic in lexington I tell them try driving in New Jersey, THEN they would understand the true meaning of traffic congestion!

Not only New Jersey and DC area, but many many other areas of our nation. Lexington traffic is nothing compared to many cities. Sometimes when people complain about our traffic, I feel like they've never been out of Lexington. It gets congested, but it's not horrible by any means. Now, in the future?

[KerryB]

Originally Posted by bluegrassgirl

It gets congested, but it's not horrible by any means. Now, in the future?

Its horrible for the size of Lexington.

[EclecticEars]

I've sat in traffic in both cities. DC is infinitely worse. BUT, consider that DC is the central city in a metropolitan area of nearly 5 million. The DC-Balto-Annapolis CSA, which encompasses parts of West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and anymore Pennsylvania, has a total population of 9 million; DC is the hub city of this region. It has tens of millions of visitors yearly, including tourists, business travelers, and dignitaries. Even with a modern heavy rail system, many of its streets are part of a 210-year old street grid that don't have very much room for expansion/modernization. DC traffic and, to some extent, drivers' impatience and road rage is understandable.

Lexington is a city of 275,000 serving a metro of 500,000 and a labor market area of 1.5 million. Its population increases by 20,000 or so every August when UK students arrive. That said, its road system is adequate for a city of 175,000, or the way Lexington was in 1970-1975. Lexington traffic really is bad for a city of its size and I'd rather drive in Louisville, Cincinnati, Nashville, even Atlanta (away from I-75 and I-285) b/c their freeways are much better equipped to handle mass sums of traffic.

Here are a few ideas. New Circle Road: widen it to 8-10 lanes! Man 'O War: make it partially limited access, reduce some of the subdivision entrance stop lights to right-in/right-out only turns, and widen it to 6-8 lanes. Nicholasville Road: go a mile east of NR and build a parallel toll-road out to the south side of Nicholasville.

[teebird1012]

Originally Posted by jcm1986

Here are a few ideas. New Circle Road: widen it to 8-10 lanes! Man 'O War: make it partially limited access, reduce some of the subdivision entrance stop lights to right-in/right-out only turns, and widen it to 6-8 lanes. Nicholasville Road: go a mile east of NR and build a parallel toll-road out to the south side of Nicholasville.

I've sat in DC traffic and Los Angeles traffic and Lexington is a joke compared to those cities. That said, something does need to be done. I'd love to see MOW converted to a partially limited access road, but I don't see that happening for years to come. New Circle needs to be widened to 6 or 8 lanes, 10 might be a bit too much. I do agree that intercity projects need to happen- maybe after the Newtown Pike expansion/ widening is complete? Speaking of which, when will that project finish?