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Las Vegas is about 1/2 the population of Phoenix and has a lot more crowded traffic especially on weekends than Phoenix... I live in the Los Angeles area and Phoenix has no traffic as far as I am concerned...... I find driving there a breeze....
I concur, at least most of the time. However, I invite you to sit on the 10, near downtown, westbound, around 4:30PM, especially East of downtown before the tunnel. Ive been stuck there many times, and its just as bad as any city. Luckily for us PHX planned ahead when designing the highway system, or else we'd be screwed!
Las Vegas is about 1/2 the population of Phoenix and has a lot more crowded traffic especially on weekends than Phoenix... I live in the Los Angeles area and Phoenix has no traffic as far as I am concerned...... I find driving there a breeze....
Las Vegas has worse traffic on a 24-7 level than nearly any other city, especially on the strip and near the airport because it's such a heavy tourist area.
Morning and afternoon traffic on Phoenix area freeways can be a major headache, not as bad as Los Angeles but claiming there's no traffic here is totally false.
I would disagree. Living in other cities, Phoenix is leaps and bounds ahead of all major cities when it comes to planning for future traffic. There's not a major city in this country that is the size of Phoenix that has lighter traffic. Look at the section of the I-10 west of the 101 on the west side that was widened several years back. That section of freeway never gets congested. Look at the 303. No congestion. There are so many other sections of freeway in the Phoenix area that flow comparatively well to major cities. A trip to Los Angeles, Houston, or even Denver where many freeways haven't even been improved since they were built in the 1960s would help to put things in perspective. The fact that there is traffic in the morning and evening during weekdays means nothing. Until it takes 1.5-2 hours to get from Goodyear to downtown or you get stuck in a non-accident, non-construction, non-special event related jam at 11:30 PM on a Saturday night, it's really hard to be aware of how good we have it.
The areas along the 303 and west of the 101 are mostly outer-suburban so certainly there is going to be lighter traffic on those freeways, that is not a good example to compare to the rest of the Phoenix area.
Do you make the daily morning commute on I-10 from the west valley to downtown or points eastward? I do and it's extremely congested all the way, even a standstill at some points.
I realize traffic problems in Phoenix may not be as bad as some other cities but claiming Phoenix has light traffic is a complete lie.
Location: Escaped SoCal for Freedom in AZ!!!! LOVE IT!
394 posts, read 343,470 times
Reputation: 502
Quote:
Originally Posted by Java Jolt
The areas along the 303 and west of the 101 are mostly outer-suburban so certainly there is going to be lighter traffic on those freeways, that is not a good example to compare to the rest of the Phoenix area.
Do you make the daily morning commute on I-10 from the west valley to downtown or points eastward? I do and it's extremely congested all the way, even a standstill at some points.
I realize traffic problems in Phoenix may not be as bad as some other cities but claiming Phoenix has light traffic is a complete lie.
My work commute - On avg takes 2-3 minutes longer to go 31 miles (west valley toward downtown and reverse) than it does to go 18 miles in SoCal (OC-LA)... I'm good with that.
Its all relative. For someone like me - Phoenix is a dream. For someone coming from a small town in the Midwest, it's probably awful... For Phoenix natives it's bad and will get worse... But we all adapt or make changes (as complaining is futile).
My work commute - On avg takes 2-3 minutes longer to go 31 miles (west valley toward downtown and reverse) than it does to go 18 miles in SoCal (OC-LA)... I'm good with that.
Its all relative. For someone like me - Phoenix is a dream. For someone coming from a small town in the Midwest, it's probably awful... For Phoenix natives it's bad and will get worse... But we all adapt or change (as complaining is futile).
It's worse east of downtown. And complaining about traffic or the weather is an age old activity, getting mad at others for doing it is pointless.
IMO I want Phoenix to grow up not out, the sprawl is its biggest problem.
[color=slateblue] The dirt median was part of the original design of I-10 some 40 years ago, and I think ADOT did a good job anticipating future growth and leave room for expansion. The median would be a perfect location for an east/west light rail system, and/or HOV lanes. Such systems can be put in place faster because it eliminates the hurdles normally encountered with freeway expansion projects, mainly property acquisition.
Right on the money here. I believe Light Rail down the median west of downtown is actually in the unapproved plans, albeit not for many years. Personally, I'd also like to see an additional HOV lane or possibly some separated express lanes added in this space as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Magnum Mike
Most of us agree that the I-10 portions east and west of downtown Phoenix are more congested than ever, especially during rush hours, and I'm saying this from personal experience. When I-10 was fully completed in 1986, it was a blessing for motorists driving into midtown and downtown Phoenix, and back then that was where most 9 to 5 people went to work. Obviously things have changed since then and in some cases, it may be good that many large companies have built their large facilities throughout the metro area, otherwise downtown and midtown Phoenix would definitely be much different.
No doubt traffic has gotten worse. For those who have lived here a long time, it isn't their imagination. The population of the metro area has quadrupled since 1970 and almost doubled in the last 20 years. No doubt that is going to result in more traffic and congestion. I think the key here is that different people have different definitions of "traffic" depending on their frame of reference. To me, a lot of cars on the freeway doesn't mean "traffic" unless all those cars are slowed or stopped...doesn't count as traffic if everyone is still moving along at 65-70 mph.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Magnum Mike
The South Mountain Freeway (202) would be a good I-10 bypass for traffic and commercial trucks going through the Phoenix area, it'll help relieve the congestion on I-10 near and around downtown Phoenix, and in some cases, it'll help the west/southeastern valley commuters.
Absolutely. I think the 202 extension is going to do a lot more to relieve congestion along the 10 than many people think.
Quote:
Originally Posted by locolife
Oh you so hit the nail on the head with that quote! This is so very true with the weather. People spend 5, 10 or more years here and all of a sudden the weather is the worst place in the country. I travel a lot and it only takes me 5 or 6 days in an east coast or midwest city to remember how good we have it here. You don't even think about the weather, we all know it's hot in the summer and there's plenty of very close escapes plus tons of water activities to be had. Besides that it's easy breezy here.
You're not kidding about that. I've been in Texas all week and I had forgotten how terrible 95 degrees with 80% humidity feels...so much more uncomfortable than 110 degrees in the desert. Can't wait to get home tomorrow to the dry heat.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BIG CATS
I concur, at least most of the time. However, I invite you to sit on the 10, near downtown, westbound, around 4:30PM, especially East of downtown before the tunnel. Ive been stuck there many times, and its just as bad as any city. Luckily for us PHX planned ahead when designing the highway system, or else we'd be screwed!
No doubt Phoenix experiences gridlock on most of the freeways during rush hour, and it's bad. The stretch of the 10 you mention really does seem to be one of the worst during the afternoon rush. That said, it seems like many of the folks who complain most about the traffic on here truly don't understand how good we have it. As others have mentioned, most cities half the size of Phoenix have much worse traffic issues. To expect no traffic at all in a city this size isn't reasonable. What makes the traffic situation here better is that while there is definitely rush hour traffic, it's usually limited to that time frame unless there is an accident. Most other large cities have traffic problems along the lines of what we see during rush hour all throughout the day.
Light rail in the median of I-10 is just plain wrong. Light rail is too slow and stops too often to adequately serve that corridor. Light rail is more appropriate going through city streets where it can encourage development.
Commuter rail which is faster, stops less frequently and carries more passengers, would be much more appropriate.
The areas along the 303 and west of the 101 are mostly outer-suburban so certainly there is going to be lighter traffic on those freeways, that is not a good example to compare to the rest of the Phoenix area.
Do you make the daily morning commute on I-10 from the west valley to downtown or points eastward? I do and it's extremely congested all the way, even a standstill at some points.
I realize traffic problems in Phoenix may not be as bad as some other cities but claiming Phoenix has light traffic is a complete lie.
Arguably the worst traffic in Atlanta is in the outer suburban areas (Georgia 400 north the I-285 Beltway or the 285 Beltway itself). Some of the worst traffic jams in the LA area are dozens of miles from downtown in the San Fernando Valley, the Inland Empire, and Orange County. The same goes for New York, DC, Houston, etc. The fact is that Phoenix's most congested stretches are very short and mostly near the core of the city. The 10 between the Stack and Mini-Stack can be bad, but it is a short distance. The 202 Red Mountain approaching the Mini-Stack can be bad, but again, it is short. There have been times when I have been able to go 75 on the stretch between the Tunnel and the 51/202 Mini-Stack at 6:15-6:30 PM. That is definitely not a common occurrence, but the fact that it happened at all, shows the Phoenix's traffic "problem" is really not a problem at all.
I use to make the 22 mile commute from Goodyear to Midtown Phoenix. It was definitely congested, but my travel time always fell within a reliable time frame of 30-50 minutes. It once took me 56 minutes to get to work when there was a wreck and the surface streets were jammed too. Just out of my own curiosity and boredom one day, I typed in a commute time in Houston and LA of similar distance that involved mostly freeway, as my commute from Goodyear to work did. Travel times in both cities were either roughly an hour to almost 1.5 hours.
If people would stop getting into stupid accidents, craning their nosy necks at every stopped car on the shoulder, messing up traffic flow by weaving in and out of bumper to bumper traffic, and driving like they are on the verge of death from exhaustion during the afternoon commute, traffic here might actually flow better.
Location: Live:Downtown Phoenix, AZ/Work:Greater Los Angeles, CA
27,606 posts, read 14,633,091 times
Reputation: 9169
Quote:
Originally Posted by new2colo
Arguably the worst traffic in Atlanta is in the outer suburban areas (Georgia 400 north the I-285 Beltway or the 285 Beltway itself). Some of the worst traffic jams in the LA area are dozens of miles from downtown in the San Fernando Valley, the Inland Empire, and Orange County. The same goes for New York, DC, Houston, etc. The fact is that Phoenix's most congested stretches are very short and mostly near the core of the city. The 10 between the Stack and Mini-Stack can be bad, but it is a short distance. The 202 Red Mountain approaching the Mini-Stack can be bad, but again, it is short. There have been times when I have been able to go 75 on the stretch between the Tunnel and the 51/202 Mini-Stack at 6:15-6:30 PM. That is definitely not a common occurrence, but the fact that it happened at all, shows the Phoenix's traffic "problem" is really not a problem at all.
I use to make the 22 mile commute from Goodyear to Midtown Phoenix. It was definitely congested, but my travel time always fell within a reliable time frame of 30-50 minutes. It once took me 56 minutes to get to work when there was a wreck and the surface streets were jammed too. Just out of my own curiosity and boredom one day, I typed in a commute time in Houston and LA of similar distance that involved mostly freeway, as my commute from Goodyear to work did. Travel times in both cities were either roughly an hour to almost 1.5 hours.
If people would stop getting into stupid accidents, craning their nosy necks at every stopped car on the shoulder, messing up traffic flow by weaving in and out of bumper to bumper traffic, and driving like they are on the verge of death from exhaustion during the afternoon commute, traffic here might actually flow better.
I don't consider 30-50 minutes a reasonable commute, that's why I moved to the city
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