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now there may be something i don't know, but why is los angeles' freeway system better than houston's? do they even have turnarounds in california? people like me NEED turnarounds
now there may be something i don't know, but why is los angeles' freeway system better than houston's? do they even have turnarounds in california? people like me NEED turnarounds
Everyone just goes by sheer scope of size. Alas, a majority of people probably haven't been to either city.
San Antonio's freeway system is huge not sure how it compares to the bigger metros but it's up there. Over 3,000 miles of freeway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Awesome Danny
Honestly, you guys have a hell of a better system than Austin.
San Antonio had some smarter street planners than Austin for sure. Two loop systems for relievers (I-410 & 1604). For a metropolitan population of 2.1 million compared to Austin's slightly smaller 1.8 million, you guys have a more adequate freeway system for sustaining a better traffic flow compared to Austin.
I like Austin, but one of the only things that really annoy me about it is the fact that its traffic resembles and (IMO) feels worse than metros tat are 6 million people. I cannot imagine the monstrosity that is Austin's freeway network with say 4-6 million people. They need to do a better job. At 1.8 Million people its already traffic-topia.
They should follow San Antonio's freeway models on that. Then again, its not fair to blame Austin, as they only have one interstate going through the entire city, that makes it the largest lifeline road in Austin. But they do need to work on some kind of better loop system or some freeway widening or more freeways or something. Its a pain right now.
I was about to mention San Antonio's. The city isn't even the size of Houston or L.A., yet it's highway system is huge.
I liked the pic of the mushroom thunderstorms popping up like popcorn!
Yeah, being so close to the Gulf, Houston gets some amazing cloud formations. Especially since its so flat the sky seems like it goes on forever. I love watching those puffy afternoon thunder clouds come sailing in from over the ocean. The high humidity afterwards isn't fun though.
Overall the freeway "capital" would still be the LA region, simply due to the enormous size and reach of that particular network. Remember, it doesn't just circulate around the city of LA. It stretches out east past San Bernardino, south to Mission Viejo, and up into the San Fernando Valley.
Much of Houston's system is newer (as is the DFW area's system), but I'd say that LA's system feels more entrenched. Even people who don't drive much seem to have a sense of where the freeways are, and a lot of locations are defined by the freeways nearby. Part of this is because of their history. A lot of notable local events have taken place on those freeways, or very close nearby.
LA's freeways also have an interesting relationship with the surrounding geography, since they cut through hills or over valleys in various places, which may tend to give them more of an individual character, at least in portions.
The one that really seems overlooked here is the NYC metro area. We tend to forget about it since Manhattan doesn't have that many freeways or freeway-grade roads, but the region as a whole is laced together with freeways. Just think of that big web of freeways in eastern Queens, or the freeways and parkways shooting up out of NYC itself into its northern suburbs and Connecticut, or the complex of roads on the New Jersey side of the river. It's an extensive system by any standard.
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