how's the driving in Phoenix (theater, construction, closing) - Arizona (AZ) - City-Data Forum

mamom1 · 10-10-2008, 12:41 PM

Specifically downtown Phoenix area. Is there a lot of traffic/congestion on the main city streets? Not just during rush hour but most of the day?

I was in Los Angeles over the summer and driving downtown was very unpleasant. It didn't help that we didn't know where we were going, but there was tons of cars, busses, people, lights, etc.

Is downtown Phoenix traffic comparable to downtown LA?

Valley Native · 10-10-2008, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mamom1

Specifically downtown Phoenix area. Is there a lot of traffic/congestion on the main city streets? Not just during rush hour but most of the day?

I was in Los Angeles over the summer and driving downtown was very unpleasant. It didn't help that we didn't know where we were going, but there was tons of cars, busses, people, lights, etc.

Is downtown Phoenix traffic comparable to downtown LA?

During the weekdays, yes. After dusk, no. The most congested times of the day to be on the streets of downtown Phoenix would be approximately between 7 AM & 7 PM. The morning & afternoon commute times are the worst ... and there is quite a bit of traffic during the middle of the day as well. After 7 PM, it quiets down significantly. The only times it's busy at night are when there are concerts at Dodge Theater, US Airways Center, or Herberger ... or during sporting events (Suns or Diamondbacks games).

Overall, it still isn't as bad as L.A. Although I've heard that downtown L.A. is almost as dead as downtown Phoenix after dusk ... so I'm guessing you were in L.A. during the daytime. Traffic in the L.A. area (in or out of downtown) is still a lot worse than Phoenix, and that's mainly because L.A. is a metro area of nearly 15 million, and Phoenix is just over 4 million. That alone makes a lot of difference.

Nanny Goat · 10-11-2008, 09:01 AM

The driving here is relative to what you're used to basically. I find the traffic awful out here, but others say it's a breeze.

shiphead · 10-11-2008, 11:32 AM

LA is 100x worse then Phoenix. Especially when you're trying to get to the airport.

correction, the entire state of California is worse then Phoenix, when it comes to traffic. In Sacramento it's a halt and there isn't any traffic accidents.

The only problem with Phoenix, is every time there is an accident everyone wants to stair and slow down everyone else while they rubberneck.

luv_it_here · 10-11-2008, 08:33 PM

I don't think downtown Phx traffic even comes close to LA traffic, except maybe during rush hour times. During regular office hours, sure there is traffic, but NOTHING like LA. I gotta tell you, I don't even like driving around LA at 3 in the morning, much less during the day. Downtown Phx has a lot of one way streets, that take a little getting used to - it can be confusing and frustrating to people who aren't used to it, who are trying to figure out how to get to a certain address, and find they can't turn the way they were expecting to on a certain street. Also, there has been a lot of construction for the upcoming light rail system, which meant some roads were closed, or down to a single lane, but most if not all of that is done now that the light rail is supposed to open soon.

Traffic opinions vary based on what you would consider "normal". If you're from a small town - you aren't going to like it. But, if you're from somewhere back east, where roads run all different directions, and Y-turns, etc., are the norm, you're going to love our grid system of roads, and as long as you can ignore the people who never turn off their blinkers, the traffic overall isn't that bad - just make sure you don't get stuck in rush hour if you don't have to!!

zenkonami · 10-12-2008, 08:36 PM

Let me just add that Downtown L.A., though not the most vibrant downtown in the U.S., is much more active than downtown Phoenix day or night. As far as highways go, Rush Hour in Phoenix can be fairly comparable to Los Angeles, especially at the junctions, but rush hour is shorter in Phoenix (and there's only the two of them), and Phoenix uses a loop system as opposed to a web system for it's freeways, which does improve traffic slightly.

The fact is that highways have choke points and those notoriously get congested no matter where you live. Phoenix is a large sprawling city with relatively weak public transportation where a lot of people work on opposite sides of the metro area. The freeways are in pretty good shape overall, and heavy traffic is typically not a problem outside of those two rush hours (as opposed to L.A. where lanes are often clogged at 3PM on a Sunday.)

Conclusion: Rush hour sucks in both cities. Don't drive during rush hour. (Or if in L.A., try to take the subway!)

Rick Lee · 10-12-2008, 09:09 PM

Coming from the DC area, Phoenix traffic is a walk in the park. I sure wish people here used turn signals though. It's like they don't even exist on the cars out here.

homlish560 · 10-13-2008, 10:24 AM

Yeah, depends on where you're from. I don't think Phoenix traffic is all that bad for as big as it is, the streets are pretty wide and laid out good.

Freeways here suck big time!!!!!!!! Arizona DOT is always shutting down lanes and closing off exits, and it wouldn't be so bad if they were making improvements, but I drive on the same stretch the next day, and it looks like they didn't do anything.

Another thing the dept. of transportation does that I hate is shut off portions of the freeway lights at night. There are portions of freeways that are dark for about 1 or 2 miles, then the lights are on and off again up ahead. I heard a rumor they purposely do this to save energy, but it's so dumb because it's dangerous to drive on a dark freeway!!!!!!!!

Valley Native · 10-14-2008, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by homlish560

Freeways here suck big time!!!!!!!! Arizona DOT is always shutting down lanes and closing off exits, and it wouldn't be so bad if they were making improvements, but I drive on the same stretch the next day, and it looks like they didn't do anything.

I wouldn't go that far to say all freeways "suck". They are actually in very good shape compared to many in California, and in some other parts of the country. Sections of freeways are closed off mostly for maintenance, and even for widening purposes. I know it's a pain when lanes are blocked off, and the speed limits are reduced ... but the good thing is that most of this is done at night and on weekends.

Quote:

Originally Posted by homlish560

Another thing the dept. of transportation does that I hate is shut off portions f the freeway lights at night. There are portions of freeways that are dark for about 1 or 2 miles, then the lights are on and off again up ahead. I heard a rumor they purposely do this to save energy, but it's so dumb because it's dangerous to drive on a dark freeway!!!!!!!!

I agree with you here. Sections of the 202 and 51 don't have any lights on at night for several miles, then they're on again. On some freeways, the light fixtures in the medians that have two lamps have only one lamp turned on. I think this is ADOT's idiotic way of cutting costs ... but as you said, it's dangerous when these sections suddenly go from radiant to pitch black. The minimal savings they get from doing this isn't worth it. ADOT installed the lights on the freeways, so they should use them to their full purpose!