Is Phoenix more sprawly than Houston? (Scottsdale: live, zoning, suburb)

[ScaryTucson]

Originally Posted by cjseliga

Maybe they took the really long way from the Gila River Reservation to Whittman/Morristown! South Mountain Freeway will help out once it is completed.

I followed my Garmin GPS which routed me for Tucson to Vegas directly through Phoenix during rush hour. If I had to do it over again, yes I would have looked into taking a different route, but I did not expect to get stuck in traffic so long. I am not sure if there is a better route, but I will look at Google maps next time. As noted, it was rush hour during construction and it really did take me 3 hours, possibly an accident but not sure.

I have been in and around Houston many many years, and I'd say traffic in PHX may be slightly better, but not enough to celebrate. The road system in Houston is much more advanced, you can take toll roads or loops to go around the traffic, in PHX seemed to me you are stuck on the main freeways or highways (some have lights!).

PHX vs. Houston traffic is no reason to celebrate, it's too close to call, at least to me and once you count Houston's toll road and loop alternative routes.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by ScaryTucson

I followed my Garmin GPS which routed me for Tucson to Vegas directly through Phoenix during rush hour. If I had to do it over again, yes I would have looked into taking a different route, but I did not expect to get stuck in traffic so long. I am not sure if there is a better route, but I will look at Google maps next time. As noted, it was rush hour during construction and it really did take me 3 hours, possibly an accident but not sure.

I have been in and around Houston many many years, and I'd say traffic in PHX may be slightly better, but not enough to celebrate. The road system in Houston is much more advanced, you can take toll roads or loops to go around the traffic, in PHX seemed to me you are stuck on the main freeways or highways (some have lights!).

PHX vs. Houston traffic is no reason to celebrate, it's too close to call, at least to me and once you count Houston's toll road and loop alternative routes.

Which main freeway has lights?

[I Love Buildings]

Do you guys feel like mountains can disorientate your since of directions, making it feel you're in an endless sprawl?

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by I Love Buildings

Do you guys feel like mountains can disorientate your since of directions, making it feel you're in an endless sprawl?

The mountains help because you can tell your moving in a direction. In Houston it can feel like you're on a treadmill.

[cjseliga]

Originally Posted by I Love Buildings

Do you guys feel like mountains can disorientate your since of directions, making it feel you're in an endless sprawl?

Wouldn't it be the opposite? At least for me, I think mountains would help my sense of direction as compared to someplace that is flat as a pancake and you can't see anything on the horizon, except for tress, as a point of reference.

[I Love Buildings]

You guys make good points for locals or people who know the landscape well, but first timers have more trouble (is my theory).

[locolife]

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

Which main freeway has lights?

It sounds like they were on Grand Ave (which is not a freeway) or possibly talking about the 303, which is really still an unfinished project and not a freeway at all yet. You'd need to take one of those two going to Vegas through Phoenix.

But the 3 hour figure is still a big mind blowing, as I drive to Vegas frequently and my whole trip is usually just about 4.5 hours.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by cjseliga

Wouldn't it be the opposite? At least for me, I think mountains would help my sense of direction as compared to someplace that is flat as a pancake and you can't see anything on the horizon, except for tress, as a point of reference.

I agree with this 1000x over. I moved to a flat place with very little natural geographic features and had a terrible time with directions until I really got to know the place, it took much longer than when I moved to Phoenix. Another problem with older cities is that the roads don't run straight, so at one point on a road you're heading north, a few miles later you're now heading west on the same road. Very difficult.

[brian571]

For the size of PHX, traffic is really not bad at all. It's at least predictable. You know it's going to be slow from this time to this time in this area. Having been in other large cities like Chicago, you could encounter a jam anytime anywhere.

[i'm not a cookie]

Originally Posted by I Love Buildings

Do you guys feel like mountains can disorientate your since of directions, making it feel you're in an endless sprawl?

The Mountains help you know what direction you are going. I usually can always look at camelback mountain and immediately tell which way is north, south, east, or west. Mountains also remind me that there is nature around and it breaks up the "sprawl" if you will. In Houston, since it is so flat, it seems as if you are just going on forever and ever in a constant loop of humanity.
In terms of traffic, the traffic in Phoenix is not that bad, especially if you have the luxury of never having to go on a freeway. I split my time between Phoenix and LA and there is really no comparison. Granted some freeways can get backed up, but when comparing the traffic in Phoenix to LA, SF, ATL, Houston, DC, Miami, NYC or even Boston it is not as bad.