I'm feeling more like an Austin Traffic Complainer with each passing day (Houston: school, living)

[austin-steve]

The traffic is really starting to eat away at my love of Austin. Yesterday I had a relapse, eastbound Ben White at 1:20PM. The South to IH35 overpass was backed up as usual, all the way down onto Ben White. It took until almost 2PM for me to get to Slaughter/IH35 for a 2PM appt. It wasn't "road rage" anger, just exasperated feelings of "good grief!", and my daughter who was tagging along had to say "relax Daddy".

What idiot devised a flyover that merges midair and then forces the 2->1 combined lane to then have to merge into the southbound right IH35 lane at the dropoff point? I mean, a bunch of us sitting around sipping iced tea and beer and sketching out traffic things on a white board would give that an F-, yet (supposedly) educated traffic engineers give us this garbage? It's quicker now to just exit Congress and stay on the surface streets than to use the freeway.

And examples abound all over Austin. I't just really hard to get around now, no matter the time or day. The only exception is driving to Town Lake at 5:30AM for an early morning run. But evn then, you're not alone on Mopac anymore, not even at 5-5:30AM.

For those of you with a rote commuting schedule, what have you noticed on your well work tail the past 12-24 months? I assume you have to leave earlier or otherwise adjust your schedule.

[centralaustinite]

We were recently in the Bay Area (to be fair mainly on the coast) and then in the heart of Chicago for a week. We couldn't belief the traffic -- that is to say, the lack of traffic!! Sure, there were a lot of vehicles on the road and some brief slow spots at certain areas at peak times like 5 pm BUT it was nothing like Austin!! Nothing like the horror of trying to go south on I35 from Ben White, or south on Mopac at 5 pm.

Our family's response to driving in these areas, wow, I guess Austin is bad!!

During the school year I drive the same routes, in the morning, little has changed, North on I35 is tightly packed but moving and I don't use alternatives. The afternoon is something else, if UT is out of session or I can get on right at 4 pm, then southbound I35 is doable but I have a million alternative routes and I use them regularly. Anything under 30 minutes, I consider a victory.

Once I month I have a 6 pm meeting near St. Johns/I35, if I get on I35 at Oltorf, I have to be rolling down the highway by 5:10, otherwise I will be late. 2-3 years ago, I could get away with leaving at 5:20. It is only a five mile trip!! Thank god it is only once a month.

[theone33]

I remember Austin folks used to laugh at Houstons sprawling and amazing freeway system....lol

[Aquitaine]

I was on 35 South yesterday afternoon and it was backed up all the way to Kyle. My wife drives that route more often than I do and said it was pretty unusual - that it typically clears up around 290.

[LiveUrban]

Originally Posted by centralaustinite

We were recently in the Bay Area (to be fair mainly on the coast) and then in the heart of Chicago for a week. We couldn't belief the traffic -- that is to say, the lack of traffic!! Sure, there were a lot of vehicles on the road and some brief slow spots at certain areas at peak times like 5 pm BUT it was nothing like Austin!! Nothing like the horror of trying to go south on I35 from Ben White, or south on Mopac at 5 pm.

Those cities also have great public transportation systems serving the most congested areas with elevated/underground rail and bus lanes, Easier to bypass traffic there. Whereas in Austin we don't have much choice but to drive everywhere. I take the bus or bike whenever possible when getting around in Central Austin.

[luv my dayton]

As a visitor in Austin the highway system is frightening to me and Im not even doing the driving. Have visited family down there and have no idea how they learned to motivate the city. So many cars on the road it gives the appearance of non stop traffick jams. Worry about my grandchildren trying to get from A to B safely. Always glad to get back to my somewhat small city living.

[HappyTexan]

Originally Posted by austin-steve

The traffic is really starting to eat away at my love of Austin. Yesterday I had a relapse, eastbound Ben White at 1:20PM. The South to IH35 overpass was backed up as usual, all the way down onto Ben White. It took until almost 2PM for me to get to Slaughter/IH35 for a 2PM appt. It wasn't "road rage" anger, just exasperated feelings of "good grief!", and my daughter who was tagging along had to say "relax Daddy".

What idiot devised a flyover that merges midair and then forces the 2->1 combined lane to then have to merge into the southbound right IH35 lane at the dropoff point? I mean, a bunch of us sitting around sipping iced tea and beer and sketching out traffic things on a white board would give that an F-, yet (supposedly) educated traffic engineers give us this garbage? It's quicker now to just exit Congress and stay on the surface streets than to use the freeway.

And examples abound all over Austin. I't just really hard to get around now, no matter the time or day. The only exception is driving to Town Lake at 5:30AM for an early morning run. But evn then, you're not alone on Mopac anymore, not even at 5-5:30AM.

For those of you with a rote commuting schedule, what have you noticed on your well work tail the past 12-24 months? I assume you have to leave earlier or otherwise adjust your schedule.

I left Austin about 3 years ago but come back annually in June for a get together lunch with folks I worked with.

Each year I notice the huge difference in traffic and even that is sprawling and I'm hitting traffic further and further away from Austin proper.

This year I ran into traffic on 79 in Hutto and I was like "Oh dear God" because I was on my way to Chuy's at Research Blvd. Took me over 1 hour to get to Chuy's from 69 and 685.
And when I was approaching I-35 I saw a haze of smog running right above it parallel to the highway.

Besides traffic though it's just everything now that is crowded..over crowded IMHO.
Waiting for this, waiting for that, driving around a parking lot waiting for a spot to come open.

I can't even imagine what rush hour traffic is like now.

Just my 2 cents here. I moved to the Austin area in 1996 (Pflugerville..pop 7K) and lived there until 2012 and drove into Austin every day for work.

[orngkat]

Hopefully, it is just all this traffic frustration that explains the incredibly "mean" drivers out there.

[scm53]

Steve, I don't think it is poor design - it is capacity being overwhelmed by demand. That flyover dumps onto a section of I 35 that is the same three lanes it was in 1985. That is near capacity most of the day, the merging traffic has no where to go - ergo, backups.

Don't build it, and they won't come. But pretty sure they intend to add a lane from there to William Cannon just to deal with that issue. Think it was in the I 35 improvements announced in May.

[ATX Wahine]

I'm downright fretful and nervous driving through town. People seem so angry and impatient with drivers who attempt to maintain the legal speed limit (or even slightly over). People fly through parking lots at unsafe speed, weave in and out of lanes, and constantly pull out into traffic without any attempt to get up to speed as cars either lock up their brakes or whiz around them to avoid a collision. No sooner do I get out of Austin and out toward Johnson City though and I notice an immediate change to more friendly and calm driving.

I won't cast blame on any one thing or demographic of people who seem to offend more than others because I simply can't. It's across the board in every way. There's a frightening driving culture here that is growing worse every day.