Is traffic normally this bad in Austin?? (Houston, Dallas: construction, live)

[homeinatx]

Originally Posted by talkispoison

I always thought that was so weird. I moved there from Dallas so I was used to the traffic; however, I was surprised how fast it died down after rush hour. I've been stuck in traffic in Dallas at the most random times (2 am)

This strikes me as correct. As long as I avoid I35, Mopac, 183 and sometimes Lamar during rush hour, I have never encountered traffic in Austin.

[Tim_Barton]

I learned how to read sign-language while stuck in traffic.

Since I have learned these signals from others while in traffic, it really does make my day in traffic a better and patient experience.

[ScoPro]

Originally Posted by Tim_Barton

I learned how to read sign-language while stuck in traffic.

Since I have learned these signals from others while in traffic, it really does make my day in traffic a better and patient experience.

Well, there is more than one phrase in sign language.

[Trainwreck20]

I see this thread bumped by another post every day or so, and it makes me smile to think about my 15 minute commute to and from work in this bad Austin traffic. Thank goodness school is out and the commute is down to 10 minutes .

[jb9152]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

I see this thread bumped by another post every day or so, and it makes me smile to think about my 15 minute commute to and from work in this bad Austin traffic. Thank goodness school is out and the commute is down to 10 minutes .

This is funny, but there's a little grain of truth there as well. In addition to improving transportation infrastructure (capacity, velocity, etc.), density is another answer to the issue, for those that don't mind a more urban/dense/mixed use environment. Not saying that anyone should be *forced* to live where they don't want to live; quite the opposite. I'm saying that for those that don't mind or actually prefer to live in denser development, we should be encouraging that (through private development in partnership with public zoning) as well.

[Trainwreck20]

I live in the 'suburbs', sort of - SW Austin area - but the real commute saver is that my office is not downtown, it is just up MoPac a bit near Barton Creek Mall. Our office has been in this area (although two locations) for 15+ years now and most of our long-term employees have moved to this area of town. There are a couple exceptions, but I just couldn't handle commuting from RR to SW Austin every day for work. Especially for the ones w/o kids in school - I would just have to bite the bullet and move and save myself 1.5 - 2 hours per day in commute. 8 hours a week in commuting is like a work day!

[jobert]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

I live in the 'suburbs', sort of - SW Austin area - but the real commute saver is that my office is not downtown, it is just up MoPac a bit near Barton Creek Mall. Our office has been in this area (although two locations) for 15+ years now and most of our long-term employees have moved to this area of town. There are a couple exceptions, but I just couldn't handle commuting from RR to SW Austin every day for work. Especially for the ones w/o kids in school - I would just have to bite the bullet and move and save myself 1.5 - 2 hours per day in commute. 8 hours a week in commuting is like a work day!

You're following the cardinal rule of Austin commuting here - work and live on the same side of the river. I work on Chavez/LaVaca, so I have to cross the river. The key is not having to cross the river on either Mopac or 35 - the freeways (aye, there's the rub). It takes me about 10-15 minutes to get to the river, then about another 5 to get across (via the Drake bridge) and into the office.

I've also found that taking Manchacha/Lamar, South First, and South Congress routes take about as as much time as either Mopac or I-35.

[AK123]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

This strikes me as correct. As long as I avoid I35, Mopac, 183 and sometimes Lamar during rush hour, I have never encountered traffic in Austin.

Really? Every time we go back it's horrid... not just those roads either. A lot of the red lights last way too long. And it was downright awful driving through town on the way to Fredericksburg, during non-rush hour!

[homeinatx]

Originally Posted by AK123

Really? Every time we go back it's horrid... not just those roads either. A lot of the red lights last way too long. And it was downright awful driving through town on the way to Fredericksburg, during non-rush hour!

Compared to where? Austin as a mid-sized city has some traffic, but nowhere near the traffic to be found in the bigger Texas cities. Both Dallas and particularly Houston, as to be expected from much bigger cities, have much worse traffic.

Which cities have the worst traffic? – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

[AK123]

Originally Posted by homeinatx

Compared to where? Austin as a mid-sized city has some traffic, but nowhere near the traffic to be found in the bigger Texas cities. Both Dallas and particularly Houston, as to be expected from much bigger cities, have much worse traffic.

Compared to other cities its size.

And yes, in parts the traffic is as bad or worse than Houston/Dallas. Not going on lists, but in my experience of actually being in it.