So Cal traffic versus Phoenix area. (Mesa, Scottsdale: transplants, house, job market)

[Chowhound]

Hey all,

I've always liked the Phoenix area and have been out there several times over the years and I don't recall traffic being all that bad there. Granted I haven't been there in probably 7 or 8 so years now and was just wondering how the phoenix metro traffic is comparing to the LA area. I drive around a lot for work and have done so in the LA area for 20 plus years, I know the LA area really well and know the hell that it is. This hell I speak of is really getting to me. I mean really. When it takes you 2 plus hours to drive 30 miles we've got a problem here. That is fairly common too. I've had commutes that take only an hour or so going 25-ish mile or so and that even sucks, in a perfect world that drive should only be a half hour drive, but whatever. I've sorta peaked out at about an hour and 15 mins or so, after that I just get damn cranky.

I'm looking to get out of the LA area in the next couple of years or so depending how things go. I'm looking at Phoenix just because comparing to So Cal the population is less than half and the job market for my industry appears to be fairly robust.

My question is really aimed toward people that have transplanted from So Cal and know the traffic here and can compare it to the traffic in the Phoenix metro area in todays times. I know that 5 plus years ago traffic was less in both places but as time goes it tends to get worse. I just wanna get a feeling of how bad it is between the two cities comparatively speaking. All are welcomed to chime in, but like a said transplants would probably have a better idea.

[PhoenixSomeday]

Outside of rush hour, over the 4 years I've been here I'd say I average about a mile per minute or faster total trip time when doing mostly freeway driving.

Even during rush hour, outside of being too close to downtown Phoenix or the Scottsdale Air Park area, it's not too much worse than that for me. None of this 2 or 3 minutes per mile business like where I'm from in Northern California or where I went to school in Southern California.

[KurtAZ]

Really no comparison. The only thing close would be Rush (3) hours? Even then there may be a slow down and occasional stop and go due to an accident or your typical inch-worm type of traffic pattern around on-ramps.

[hikernut]

Not a transplant, although I have driven through LA on weekdays a couple of times.

There are rush hour times in Phoenix, mostly heading into the center of the city. Earlier this year I had to drive from our house in Gilbert into the downtown area a number of times, a trip of about 40 miles. I would leave at 7:15 am in order to be there at 9:00 am. This included a ten minute walk, and it was something I could not be late for. If the time were less strict I could have left at 7:30 and been okay most of the time.

The good thing about Phoenix is that there are reasonable places to live all over the metro area. If you know where you're going to be working you should be able to live close enough to have a reasonable commute. But don't expect to drive between any two points whenever you like in a reasonable amount of time.


Edit: Also, if you come out to check for yourself, understand there is a big difference between winter traffic and summer traffic. Winter brings a huge number of tourists, plus snowbirds. In the summer they are gone, and locals are getting out of town for vacations and to escape the heat.

[Obadno]

Originally Posted by Chowhound

Hey all,

I've always liked the Phoenix area and have been out there several times over the years and I don't recall traffic being all that bad there. Granted I haven't been there in probably 7 or 8 so years now and was just wondering how the phoenix metro traffic is comparing to the LA area. I drive around a lot for work and have done so in the LA area for 20 plus years, I know the LA area really well and know the hell that it is. This hell I speak of is really getting to me. I mean really. When it takes you 2 plus hours to drive 30 miles we've got a problem here. That is fairly common too. I've had commutes that take only an hour or so going 25-ish mile or so and that even sucks, in a perfect world that drive should only be a half hour drive, but whatever. I've sorta peaked out at about an hour and 15 mins or so, after that I just get damn cranky.

I'm looking to get out of the LA area in the next couple of years or so depending how things go. I'm looking at Phoenix just because comparing to So Cal the population is less than half and the job market for my industry appears to be fairly robust.

My question is really aimed toward people that have transplanted from So Cal and know the traffic here and can compare it to the traffic in the Phoenix metro area in todays times. I know that 5 plus years ago traffic was less in both places but as time goes it tends to get worse. I just wanna get a feeling of how bad it is between the two cities comparatively speaking. All are welcomed to chime in, but like a said transplants would probably have a better idea.

It’s better than La, Chicago and DC but it’s growing rappidly and traffic is obviously not great during rush hour or during spring training but it’s not bad compared to most cities

I believe there was a study that the Phoenix metro ranked like#22 in traffic witch is great considering we are closing in on # 10 in population

[49erfan916]

The traffic here is nothing like it is in california. In most of california, there are not enough freeways, or freeway lanes, to accommodate the population. I live on 59th and thomas and I have to commute 11 miles to 13th and washington. That morning commute is a breeze and coming home isn't too bad either. Maybe when school is back in session or when it is winter, it will be worse.

[new2colo]

Nothing compared to LA. I have driven 65 at 6 PM on a Friday on a downtown Phoenix freeway. There are some spots of minor slowing here and there. Rush hour can be lengthy here, especially in the afternoon, because of the diversity of work schedules. The traffic is generally predictable, starting as early as 2 PM and completely wrapping up by 7:15 - 7:30 PM on all freeways. Morning rush hour can start as early as 5 AM and is usually over by 9:30 AM or so. The only place of occasional traffic outside of the rush hour is Interstate 10 in the downtown area. That can sometimes get mysteriously backed up on a weekend or during the middle of the day, likely due to merging and weaving traffic.

The biggest difference between here and LA is the density of crashes and how they're handled. Drivers here get into crashes like no one's business. A big part of our traffic comes from the drivers who like to rubberneck and be nosy instead of paying attention to the road. The crashes seem to occur in the same spots time and time again. This contributes to daily backups that would be less intense if people just minded their business. The highway patrol/local police shut down freeways for frequent fatal collisions and "police situations/incidents" that seem to happen multiple times a week. Phoenix has so few freeways that a short section of freeway shut down can cause pretty big headaches for those trying to get through.

[CAHLUV]

Nothing close to L.A. in my opinion. That traffic outside of rush hour in L.A. is one of the worst Ive seen in America.

[john3232]

LA is much worse.

However, after spending time in Mesa I have noticed a fair number of car accidents along local streets which were real bang-ups.

I attribute this to the speed in which people drive along streets such as Power and Rucker where I believe the speed limit is 40.

It seems drivers travel a good 5 or sometimes 10 miles an hour over that.

[More Rock]

We have less people here tailgating you at 78mph while texting and steering with their knees.