Is traffic in Phoenix becoming worse? (Mesa, Scottsdale: transplants, buying a home, buying)

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by Sno0909

The amount of people I see driving with phones in front of their faces is scary. I don't know if they are texting, watching Netflix, or what. Nine times out of ten, if someone starts drifting into my lane on the freeway, I drive next to them and sure enough they are on the phone.

So, to the OP question - yes, traffic is getting worse because more and more people move here. It's not that complicated. But I also think dumb, phone obsessed people also add to the congestion.

Agree about the phone addiction. I hardly ever use my phone except for making a phone call or maybe the occasional text message, but I sure as hell don't text while driving, and the ones who do (as well as post whatever on social media & watch videos) are only creating hazardous & deadly situations for everybody else. If they only care about their damn phones but aren't courteous enough to be attentive in traffic, then I really don't care if they risk their own lives ... so long as they don't harm anybody else along with it! Just as annoying are the "walk & gawk" pedestrians who don't watch where they're going, but are constantly glaring at their stupid phones while walking!
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Originally Posted by hikernut

Outside of rush hour the freeways tend to run 70-80 mph. How much faster do you want to go? I do agree that being attentive is more important, but $#!+ happens from time to time even on the freeway. I've seen a ladder fly out of a pickup truck bed, a wheel come off somebody's car, and many other things at freeway speeds. It's scary enough at 70mph, and if people drove 100mph on the freeways here I think I wouldn't use them any longer.

Speed limits should keep up with the general flow ... therefore, I would have no problem with freeway speed limits being 70 to 80 MPH instead of 65. And freeways like I17 or 51 that still have 55 MPH limits: forget it. Hardly anybody does 55 on a freeway if the traffic is free flowing, and those who do are the slowpokes. I typically go 65 to 70 MPH on the 51 if I'm able to, and other drivers still pass me. I've even seen cops whiz by me and don't pull anybody over. Even the police realize some of these limits are set too low, and won't stop anybody unless they're driving excessively fast, cutting in & out of traffic, or being aggressive.

[hikernut]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Speed limits should keep up with the general flow ... therefore, I would have no problem with freeway speed limits being 70 to 80 MPH instead of 65. And freeways like I17 or 51 that still have 55 MPH limits: forget it. Hardly anybody does 55 on a freeway if the traffic is free flowing, and those who do are the slowpokes. I typically go 65 to 70 MPH on the 51 if I'm able to, and other drivers still pass me. I've even seen cops whiz by me and don't pull anybody over. Even the police realize some of these limits are set too low, and won't stop anybody unless they're driving excessively fast, cutting in & out of traffic, or being aggressive.

Most people will drive faster than the limit, of course. Set the limit at 80 and people will drive 90 or even 95. A limit of 65 in the city seems good to me, knowing that in reality people will drive 75.

I'd agree 55 is too low for freeway conditions.

[pbenjamin]

As to the original question, I am sure that traffic in central Phoenix is indeed getting worse. Most of the people moving into all the new apartments going up are using cars some of the time, even if they are able to use the light rail for some of their needs. That is just an opinion based on venturing out at non-rush hour times. Being retired I don't go out at rush hour unless it's absolutely necessary. The times that I have done so seem awful but I don't have much to compare it to.

[ShampooBanana]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

As to the original question, I am sure that traffic in central Phoenix is indeed getting worse. Most of the people moving into all the new apartments going up are using cars some of the time, even if they are able to use the light rail for some of their needs. That is just an opinion based on venturing out at non-rush hour times. Being retired I don't go out at rush hour unless it's absolutely necessary. The times that I have done so seem awful but I don't have much to compare it to.

The central Phoenix traffic is made worse especially right now due to the construction of the 202 South Mountain interchange. Once that is completed there should be a pretty good relief of congestion in the central Phoenix area between basically that interchange and all the way to where the south portion will rejoin I-10 in southwest Chandler as a good portion of truck and through traffic bypassing downtown will use that new 202 route. Luckily they are on schedule for that to happen by the end of this month!

[Valley Native]

Even with additional freeways, don't expect traffic in Phoenix to become any lighter, especially with all the growth. It's already a big enough of a city as it is, and it will keep on getting bigger for the foreseeable future. If we like the growth, the sprawl, and the progress, then we just have to take the good with the bad. You can't expect a city of over 1.6 million to have the traffic equivalent of a small town. It's just not possible!

[Jnvlv247]

Another, "I remember when this city was smaller, bahh growth ughhh traffic" thread

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by ShampooBanana

The central Phoenix traffic is made worse especially right now due to the construction of the 202 South Mountain interchange. Once that is completed there should be a pretty good relief of congestion in the central Phoenix area between basically that interchange and all the way to where the south portion will rejoin I-10 in southwest Chandler as a good portion of truck and through traffic bypassing downtown will use that new 202 route. Luckily they are on schedule for that to happen by the end of this month!

Not sure I understand. That construction is probably making it more difficult to get to the middle of town from the far west side, but has no impact whatsoever on the traffic IN central Phoenix. The completion of the new freeway, while enabling more sprawl, will indeed have a beneficial effect on I-10 traffic. It won't help with the increasing logjam on surface streets, though, which is what I was talking about.

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by Maroon197

Once again, the level of critical thinking that seems to accompany many decisions to move to phx is akin to "me like sun, me move to phoenix." Then everyone moves here and suddenly its, "what do you mean there's awful traffic? what do you mean the cost of living is skyrocketing? what do you mean its 110 every day in the summer? what do you mean the air quality is the worst in the country? what do you mean there aren't forested walking paths? what do you mean the water is metallic garbage? what do you mean the lot sizes are designed for dollhouses? what do you mean registration is expensive? what do you mean I have to drive 80 miles round trip to visit my coworker?"

^ This!


Phoenix is turning into garbage. Roads are crumbling, pollution is getting worse, traffic is becoming a burden, etc. Im not sure Im gonna last 5-10 more years here. Every bonehead from CA, IL, NY, NJ, MN, TX, FL, etc, comes here for the sun, but doesn't give one squat about this place, its culture, or its cleanliness. All you see are their cars, festooned with their home team stickers, or those ridiculous "home" stickers (the ones with their home state outlines). Zero pride in their new home here in AZ. They just use and abuse this place, just like illegal immigrants do to this country. They're not here to better themselves or the area, just to come here to escape the hellholes they left, and drag their old BS here with them.

[BIG CATS]

Originally Posted by More Rock

I hate being trapped in North Scottsdale, trying to get back to Midtown Phx. Bell, Greenway, Thunderbird, Cactus and Shea all clog up heading west to Hwy 51 in the evening. Lincoln has months of roadwork. Last choice is drive all the way south to Camelback. It's like I work on an island.

Take a side road! Cruise down Cholla or something else. Sitting on Shea, like you said, is a nightmare. I just moved out of that area to Uptown Phoenix a few months ago, and this area is sadly just as bad. Camelback, Bethany Home, etc, are always under construction and traffic is backed up from the 51 to Central at times it seems. Its effin ridiculous!

[Jnvlv247]

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

^ This!


Every bonehead from CA, IL, NY, NJ, MN, TX, FL, etc, comes here for the sun, but doesn't give one squat about this place, its culture, or its cleanliness. All you see are their cars, festooned with their home team stickers, or those ridiculous "home" stickers (the ones with their home state outlines). Zero pride in their new home here in AZ. They just use and abuse this place, just like illegal immigrants do to this country. They're not here to better themselves or the area, just to come here to escape the hellholes they left, and drag their old BS here with them.

My parents moved here 2 years ago from CT and actually tried to understand the way of life here. They knew they had to throw out their old ways of how to live. They adapted and learned how to live out here. They are retired and have been loving their home in Scottsdale. They escaped high tax and a crazy goverment over there and don't want to see AZ turn the same.

A number of people I have talked to said they wouldn't go back to their home state but still have pride in being from that state. I don't. My home state is Arizona. I love it here and hate saying I am actually not native but I have been here here for about 10 years now and understand others may take longer to adjust. I certainly did not move out here cold turkey either.