The suburbs (Katy) have more traffic congestion than the City limits (Houston: lease, house)

[Wasir]

Originally Posted by sonic0boom

OP isn't even talking about the local roads in Katy. I don't know that they are any worse than elsewhere in Houston or other suburbs where there are busy intersections (well, obviously not based on some comments).

Hate to break it to you but that I-10 traffic ain't all Katy. Sure, move to the Energy Corridor and take I-10 from there. You'll have the same traffic, just not as far to drive. Grand Parkway is due for expansion in a couple years but until then, yup, it's a 2 lane road in both directions. But there are a number of ways to avoid it, if you must. And those suburban parents picking up their kids and taking them everywhere (what a menace!), I'm pretty sure they are avoiding 99 unless they need to get on it.

The lessons: 1) live close to your work if you want to avoid traffic; 2) this isn't a Katy-specific issue, so good luck finding something that works better for you.

Of course, #1 is easier said than done. But if you are looking for better schools and cheaper housing (vs in the loop more expensive housing and private school), see #2.

Local roads? I’m referring to Grand Parkway and IH-10 if those aren’t local roads what is? Considering 99 was originally constructed in Katy. It’s congested daily and is worse on saturdays. The “local” roads you must be referring to are non highway roads such as Mason or Fry? None of those Katy roads have any character, they are so suburban bland with boring generic strip centers and fast food joints. The roads in Katy will never be on par with Houston roads. I love Westheimer, post oak, sage, Eldridge Parkway, Richmond, dairy Ashford, Westpark, fondren, Gessner, etc. I could drive on those roads everyday and I wouldn’t complain at all, I just love it. And once I have moved out of Katy I won’t ever have to take Ih-10 or another highway ever again, I’ll just take Westheimer! Or Westpark tollway if I’m in a rush. Living in west Houston has so many advantages!

IH-10 also known as the Katy Freeway is actually the main artery for the Katy area, Katy has developed heavily around i-10 so most people living in Katy take IH-10 to go anywhere. Someone living in Cinco Ranch isn’t going to take mason, Fry, kingsland etc. for running errands.

Most traffic on IH-10 is all Katy traffic, people are going west bound, so they either live in north Katy or south katy. If there’s a load of traffic on I-10 west past Highway 6 where else do you think people are driving to? I drive on i10 daily and there is very smooth flowing traffic up until highway 6/ park row area. Are you seriously trying to teach me a lesson?

I noted the suburban parent dropping off kids thing because there are loads of people like myself coming from a tiring commute from work and to top it off we have to deal with extra local traffic with people who don’t go to work but instead just roam around. Doesn’t sound too fair now does it?

BTW the expansion of 99 isn’t going to happen until 2022 at the earliest..And I honestly don’t care considering I will probably be living in the Energy Corridor by then. I’m already looking at houses as we speak. And again as I have mentioned once I’m living in the Energy Corridor I won’t even have to take IH-10, I can take Westheimer which has much much smoother traffic. Did you know taking Westheimer from the Galleria to Cinco Ranch is a faster commute than IH-10 during peak rush hour traffic? Just FYI

Even Sugar Land has way more character than Katy will ever have and it has less traffic too.
59 commute from the Galleria into Sugar Land is nowhere near as bad as Galleria to katy taking I-10

[gwarnecke]

If you're open to taking public transportation, the Grand Parkway/I-10 P+R plus the soon-to-open BRT lines from the NW Transit Center into the Galleria area will be a very attractive commuting option for Galleria-area employees who live in Katy.

But it sounds like you've got other issues with Katy. I'm a generally-happy Energy Corridor resident, but in terms of the overall amenities and streetscape I'd say the Energy Corridor has more in common with Katy (at least, the older parts inside the Grand Parkway) than with the Galleria area. You might want to consider moving even closer in.

[sonic0boom]

No, i wouldn't consider an interstate and a state highway (the kind without stoplights) to be local roads, and you just listed a bunch of other streets in Houston that are full of generic strip centers and fast food joints. But, hey, i hear you: you have a bad commute and it sucks. Good luck finding some place that works better for you. It's nice of people to comment with other options, but you weren't here asking that, just ranting. Don't expect everyone to share your opinion.

[AcresHomes44]

It's hard for me to sympathize with those who have brutal commutes into the city when they make a conscious choice to live in the suburbs. Yes, you may get better schools and cheaper housing, but the lengthy commute isn't worth it. Where I live, I'm 2 miles from everything and wouldn't have it no other way. I deal in common sense thinking, live close to where I work.

[Lbjen]

Originally Posted by Wasir

I noted the suburban parent dropping off kids thing because there are loads of people like myself coming from a tiring commute from work and to top it off we have to deal with extra local traffic with people who don’t go to work but instead just roam around. Doesn’t sound too fair now does it?

So there’s no chance that some of those parents also just had a tiring commute from work but are still having to make sure their kids get places? Maybe they’re doing parenting wrong? Shouldn’t they all just have the wife stay home and make sure the kids only do activities outside of commuting hours so you can get home 10 minutes quicker?

[Snapper_head]

Originally Posted by Redlionjr

Woodlands have outgrown its master plan community. I live here and can tell you it’s pretty bad considering the only way to get out of Woodlands is through 45. So any road leading to 45 is heavily congested especially during rush hour. It’s pretty bad on Saturdays too.
Yeah it can if you live deeper in The Woodlands. To get anywhere out the city you have to eventually get on 45. Unless you take some back roads to drive through Spring/Klein and even that’s an adventure.

Yeah, The Woodlands Town Center now has 60,000 jobs and is an employment hub for the north side of the Houston area. So every rush hour, all the major roads in The Woodlands are packed. It’s a bummer.

[DabOnEm]

The GP is bad because of all the growth, and because the interchange at I-10 is designed terrible with probably 70% of traffic trying to go east on 10. I think I-10 could have also used an extra lane and some combined entrances/exits to ease traffic flow. Outside of a few problem streets like Fry Road (in multiple areas), the side streets in Katy aren't too bad, but granted I lived there years ago.

[Wasir]

Originally Posted by AcresHomes44

It's hard for me to sympathize with those who have brutal commutes into the city when they make a conscious choice to live in the suburbs. Yes, you may get better schools and cheaper housing, but the lengthy commute isn't worth it. Where I live, I'm 2 miles from everything and wouldn't have it no other way. I deal in common sense thinking, live close to where I work.

Your location says Willowbrook so your one to talk about suburb living and how exactly are you 2 miles from “everything”?

[Wasir]

Originally Posted by Lbjen

So there’s no chance that some of those parents also just had a tiring commute from work but are still having to make sure their kids get places? Maybe they’re doing parenting wrong? Shouldn’t they all just have the wife stay home and make sure the kids only do activities outside of commuting hours so you can get home 10 minutes quicker?

Most wives in Katy are stay at home soccer mom types, they don’t go to work and yes what you proposed in your last paragraph would really make a difference.

[Wasir]

Originally Posted by gwarnecke

If you're open to taking public transportation, the Grand Parkway/I-10 P+R plus the soon-to-open BRT lines from the NW Transit Center into the Galleria area will be a very attractive commuting option for Galleria-area employees who live in Katy.

But it sounds like you've got other issues with Katy. I'm a generally-happy Energy Corridor resident, but in terms of the overall amenities and streetscape I'd say the Energy Corridor has more in common with Katy (at least, the older parts inside the Grand Parkway) than with the Galleria area. You might want to consider moving even closer in.

Galleria to Energy Corridor is only 10-15 minutes commute.


Energy Corridor has nothing in common with Katy.